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Tamir Sapir

From Alfawiki
Tamir Sapir
Born
Temur Sepiashvili

1946/1947
Tbilisi, Georgia
DiedError: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day
Occupation(s)Businessman, investor
Known forFounder of Sapir Organization; real estate investment; trading oil and fertilizers with Soviet Union
Notable workSapir Organization; involvement in Trump SoHo project

Tamir Sapir (originally named Temur Sepiashvili, ; 1946/1947 – September 24, 2014) was a businessman and investor of Georgian origin who later became a Georgian-American. He established the Sapir Organization, a real estate investment company based in New York City. Sapir's initial wealth was generated through trading oil and fertilizers with the Soviet Union during the 1980s. By 2002, he had reached billionaire status, with his net worth peaking at $2 billion in 2007, as reported by Forbes.

Early life and education

Born into a Jewish family in Tbilisi, Georgia, Temur Sepiashvili was the son of a Soviet Army major. During the early 1970s, he pursued journalism studies at Tbilisi State University but discontinued his education to support his family following his father's passing.

Career

Sapir's career began by assisting Soviet Jews with emigration paperwork before he emigrated to Israel amid the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Upon arrival, he adopted the surname Sapir and subsequently relocated to the United States. Initially residing in Louisville, Kentucky, he acquired English language skills while working various jobs such as bus driver and janitor. Later, he moved to New York City where he worked as a taxi driver and secured financing for his taxi medallion.

Collaborating with fellow immigrant Sam Kislin, Sapir launched Joy Lud International Distributors on Fifth Avenue, an electronics retailer primarily serving Russian customers. Utilizing connections within the Soviet UN delegation, he engaged in trading electronics, apparel, and footwear in exchange for exclusive distribution rights to Soviet oil products, which he then sold to American firms.

During the real estate downturn of the 1990s in Manhattan, Sapir invested his earnings into property acquisitions, ultimately accumulating substantial wealth and achieving billionaire status by 2002. He earned the nickname "billionaire cabbie" in the United States.

In 2005, Sapir secured a $28 million judgment against a Moscow oil refinery due to breach of contract; however, he never received payment.

Additionally, Sapir played a financial and developmental role in the Trump SoHo project in Manhattan in 2006, contributing both capital and development expertise.

Sapir Organization

In 2006, Sapir appointed his son Alex as president and chairman of the Sapir Organization.[1] The firm controlled important real estate holdings including interests in Trump Soho, 11 Madison, and Mondrian Soho.[1]

Personal life

Sapir experienced two marriages; his first union with Bella Sapir ended in divorce.[2] He fathered five children: Ruth Sapir Barinstein (born 1973), Zina (born 1974), Alex (born 1980), Zita, and Eli.[3] His second wife was Elena Ponomareva.[3] Sapir was a grandfather to six grandchildren and an active member of Manhattan's Park East Synagogue.[3] He also provided financial support to the Congregation of Georgian Jews synagogue located in Rego Park, Queens.[4] Tamir Sapir passed away on September 26, 2014, at age 67.[1]

Sapir's daughter Zina wed Rotem Rosen—CEO of Africa Israel USA and associate of Lev Leviev—in an elaborate December 2007 ceremony at Mar-a-Lago, which featured performances by the Pussycat Dolls and Lionel Richie.[5] Prominent figures such as Donald Trump and Jared Kushner were present at their infant son's bris held in June 2008.[5] Rosen was instrumental in Leviev's $525 million acquisition of the Times Building completed in April 2007.[1][6]

The Fountains estate—a three-mansion compound comprising an expanded 1928 mansion situated at 26 Pond Road in Great Neck, New York—was listed for sale at $55 million as of May 2022.

References


External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RealDeal20140929
  2. ↑ New York Observer: "Recent Divorcees with Hefty Settlements To Save New York Real Estate" November 7, 2008
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named PESynagogue
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named coll
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NYMag30052008
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NYMag04052007
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