Mike and Marian Ilitch founded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959.

Michael "Mike" Ilitch (Macedonian: Михаел Илиќ, Serbian: Михаел Илић), (born Michael Iliev or Ilievski, Macedonian: Илиев, Илиевски) on July 20, 1929, in Detroit, Michigan is a Macedonian-American entrepreneur and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers. In addition to his sports ownerships, Ilitch is the founder and owner of Little Caesars Pizza since 1959, which has become an international fast food franchise. He has been at the center of Detroit's downtown redevelopment efforts when he purchased and renovated the Fox Theatre, and relocated his headquarters into its offices. Several vacant buildings under his ownership, such as the Madison-Lenox Hotel, have been demolished for 'new development'; the site of the historic Madison-Lenox for example, now serving the City of Detroit as a parking lot. Mike Ilitch is a first generation American of Macedonian descent^{[citation needed]} and is married to Marian Bayoff Ilitch. Image File history File links Mike&MarianIlitch. ... Image File history File links Mike&MarianIlitch. ... Little Caesars is estimated to be the fourth-largest pizza restaurant chain in the United States. ... Serbian (; ) is one of the standard versions of the Shtokavian dialect, used primarily in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and by Serbs in the Serbian diaspora. ... is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... “Detroit” redirects here. ... An entrepreneur (a loanword from French introduced and first defined by the Irish economist Richard Cantillon) is a person who operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks. ... The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 5, 6, 16, 23, 42 Name Detroit Tigers (1901–present) Other nicknames The Bless You Boys Ballpark Comerica Park (2000–present) Tiger Stadium (1912-1999) Briggs Stadium (1938-1960) Navin Field (1912-1938) Bennett... Little Caesars is a fast-food restaurant, owned by Detroit-based Ilitch Holdings, Inc. ... Fast food is food prepared and served quickly at a fast-food restaurant or shop at low cost. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... The Fox Theatre in downtown Detroit, Michigan is a historic Roaring Twenties theater. ... The Madison Lenox was a hotel that stood in Detroit from 1900 to 2005. ... Marian and Mike Ilitch founded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959. ...

Family business concept

A graduate of Cooley High School, Mike Ilitch entered the U.S. Marine Corps for four years.^[1] After his return home to Detroit, the Detroit Tigers offered him a $5,000 bonus if he would sign to play baseball, and Ilitch would have a brief minor league career before he was forced out of his playing career due to a knee injury.^[2] Instead, he would go into the pizza business. With the help of his wife, Marian, the Ilitches opened Little Caesars Pizza Treat in Garden City, Michigan, the first of what would become many thousands of restaurants through franchising. Cooley High School is a secondary school located in Detroit, Michigan which resides within the Detroit Public Schools school district. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 5, 6, 16, 23, 42 Name Detroit Tigers (1901–present) Other nicknames The Bless You Boys Ballpark Comerica Park (2000–present) Tiger Stadium (1912-1999) Briggs Stadium (1938-1960) Navin Field (1912-1938) Bennett... This article is about the sport. ... For other uses, see Pizza (disambiguation). ... Little Caesars is a fast-food restaurant, owned by Detroit-based Ilitch Holdings, Inc. ... Garden City is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Franchising (from the French for honesty or freedom[1]) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor licenses trademarks and tried and proven methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring payment, and usually a percentage piece of gross sales or gross profits as well...

Today, the family's entities remain privately held. In 1999, the Ilitches established Ilitch Holdings, Inc. to provide their various enterprises with professional and technical services. They hold the titles of Chairman and Vice Chairwoman, respectively. The combined total revenues for these enterprises in 2004 reportedly exceeded $1.5 billion. Mike Ilitch had fallen off Forbes Magazine's annual list of the "400 Richest Americans," but in 2006 he returned to the list at #242 and officially joined the magnificent "billionaires club."[1] Ilitch Holdings, Inc. ... In economics, a business is a legally-recognized organizational entity existing within an economically free country designed to sell goods and/or services to consumers, usually in an effort to generate profit. ... Alternate meaning: For the Boston Brahmin family associated with John Forbes Kerry, see Forbes family. ... The Forbes 400 or 400 Richest Americans (est. ...

Marian Ilitch reportedly divested herself of any personal interest in the Detroit Tigers organization in 1998 to pursue interests in Detroit's emerging casino gambling industry. She acquired a significant interest in the Motor City Casino and, in 2005, purchased sole controlling interest. She independently pursues other gambling interests doing business as Gateway Casino Resorts, LLC and Barwest, LLC among others names. MotorCity Casino is one of three 75,000 square foot casinos located in Detroit, Michigan. ...

The pair have seven children. They appointed two of their children co-presidents of Ilitch Holdings, Inc. in 2000: son Christopher Ilitch and daughter Denise Ilitch, an attorney. After a well chronicled four year struggle for control between the two siblings, in July 2004, Christopher Ilitch was named to the new post of CEO and president. Denise Ilitch, left the privately held company "to pursue other opportunities." [2] Christopher Ilitch, born June 1965, is one of seven children born and raised in Detroit, Michigan to Mike and Marian Ilitch. ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ...

[[Little Caesars], despite its unique marketing and advertising success, has shrunk by more than 2,000 stores since the early 1990s and slipped from being number three in the pizza industry to number four, behind Pizza Hut, Domino's and Papa John's. Still, restaurants are located in cities across the United States. Pizza Hut Inc. ... Dominos Pizza is an international pizza delivery franchise and fast-food restaurant chain headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. ... Papa Johns Pizza is the third largest carryout and delivery pizza restaurant in the United States behind Pizza Hut and Dominos Pizza; it is based in Louisville, Kentucky. ...

In his hometown of Detroit, Mike Ilitch and his family are one of downtown Detroit's largest abandoned property owner. Their portfolio of abandoned properties include the Adams Theater, Fine Arts Building, United Artist, Detroit Life Building, Hotel Vermont and Blenheim Building. While a number of buildings surrounding their properties have been successfully renovated by other building owners, Ilitch Holdings has been behind the curve when it comes to developing their own properties in Detroit. Despite placing development signs on most of the Ilitch owned buildings in Detroit for the 2006 Super Bowl, he is pushing to demolish most of the structures he owns, and successfully, though controversially [3], gained the demolition of the Madison-Lenox Hotel in May 2005. The Madison Lenox was a hotel that stood in Detroit from 1900 to 2005. ...

Sports ownership

Detroit Red Wings

In 1982, Mike Ilitch bought the Red Wings from Bruce Norris for $8 million USD, and eventually turned the team into a contender for the Stanley Cup. After building the team with the help of Jim Devellano, the Red Wings won back-to-back championships in fifteen years since his purchase. The Detroit Red Wings' success would include another championship in 2002. Prior to the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Forbes Magazine ranked the Red Wings as the fifth most valuable franchise in the NHL despite a $16 million operating loss.[4] Bruce Norris (February 19, 1924 – January 1, 1986) was owner of the Detroit Red Wings from 1955 to 1982, and was also chairman of the National Hockey Leagues Board of Governors. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... The Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (French: ) is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. ... James Jim Devellano is the vice-president of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Alternate meaning: For the Boston Brahmin family associated with John Forbes Kerry, see Forbes family. ...

Detroit Tigers

Ilitch purchased the Detroit Tigers in 1992 (from fellow pizza magnate Tom Monaghan who founded Domino's Pizza), for baseball was a sport that he had played as a youth. However, under his ownership, the Tigers have logged losing records in twelve out of thirteen seasons. In 2006, the Tigers made the playoffs for the first time in 19 years under the legendary Jim Leyland. Forbes Magazine ranked the Tigers #22 out of 30 teams on its 2005 list of most valuable teams. The Tigers franchise is highly leveraged, with only two other teams carrying higher debt to value ratios on their ledgers.[5] Ilitch moved the struggling team from Tiger Stadium into newly-built Comerica Park. He financed approximately 50% of the $350 million facility and the taxpayers of the greater Detroit-Wayne County and federal grants covered the balance. Various Ilitch Holdings, Inc. enterprises manage and operate Comerica Park and its concessions. In 2005, the Detroit Tigers hosted MLB's 76th All-Star Game at Comerica Park. All-Star Week in Detroit produced the highest grossing revenue in the history of the All-Star Game. Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 5, 6, 16, 23, 42 Name Detroit Tigers (1901–present) Other nicknames The Bless You Boys Ballpark Comerica Park (2000–present) Tiger Stadium (1912-1999) Briggs Stadium (1938-1960) Navin Field (1912-1938) Bennett... Thomas Stephen Tom Monaghan (born March 25, 1937 in Ann Arbor, Michigan) is an entrepreneur and Catholic philanthropist who founded Dominos Pizza in 1960. ... World locations Dominos Pizza, Inc. ... James Richard Leyland (born December 15, 1944, in Perrysburg, Ohio) is a Major League Baseball manager for the Detroit Tigers. ... Alternate meaning: For the Boston Brahmin family associated with John Forbes Kerry, see Forbes family. ... Tiger Stadium with football configuration. ... Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. ... Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Ilitch Holdings, Inc. ... Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. ... The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game between the best players from the National League and the American League. ...

Detroit Drive

Ilitch was one of the early team owners in the Arena Football League, starting up the Detroit Drive in 1988, somewhat as a filler team for summer dates in the Joe Louis Arena, although Little Caesars was also one of the major sponsors of the AFL during the time Ilitch owned the Drive. The Drive were one of the most successful teams in the early days of the AFL, both on and off the field. They generally had strong attendance (although much of that was due to discounted or giveaway tickets), and the Drive were in the ArenaBowl in every year of their six-year existence, going 4-2 in the title games. After Ilitch bought the Tigers in 1993 though, he decided he didn't want to own another franchise that would take away fans from the Tigers, so he sold the team off and they moved to Worcester, Massachusetts[6]. The Arena Football League (AFL) was founded in 1987 as an American football indoor league. ... Categories: Defunct American football teams | American football stubs ... The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football Leagues championship game. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Worcester County Settled 1673 Incorporated 1684 Government  - Type Council-manager also known as Plan E  - City Manager Michael V. OBrien  - Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes  - City Council Dennis L. Irish Michael C. Perotto Joseph M. Petty Gary Rosen Kathleen...

Criticism

Some critics have stated that Ilitch was unwilling to spend money on both of his franchises, allegedly favoring the Red Wings. Others state that he is out of his depth as a baseball owner, a claim supported by the fact that he held on to inept -- according to Tiger fans -- general manager Randy Smith for so long. However, although his previous Tigers teams did not enjoy much success, enduring twelve straight losing seasons, the 2006 Tigers made the playoffs and defeated the Oakland Athletics, four games to none, in the 2006 American League Championship Series to make it to the 2006 World Series. In building the 2006 team, Ilitch authorized a number of lucrative free agent contracts, which suggests speculation of favoritism was probably false. Randy Smith (born June 15, 1963) is an American former executive in Major League Baseball. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 9, 27, 34, 42, 43, (As) Name Oakland Athletics (1968–present) Kansas City Athletics (1955-1967) Philadelphia Athletics (1901-1954) (Referred to as As) Other nicknames The As, The White Elephants, The... The 2006 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was the second round of the 2006 American League playoffs; it began on October 10 and ended on October 14. ... Dates October 21, 2006–October 27, 2006 MVP David Eckstein Television network FOX Announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver[1] Umpires Randy Marsh, Alfonso Márquez, Wally Bell, Mike Winters, John Hirschbeck, Tim McClelland The 2006 World Series, the 102nd edition of Major League Baseballs championship series, began on...

Ilitch has been criticized in the Detroit Free Press and by the family of Larry Aurie, a former star member of the Red Wings, for not recognizing Aurie's retired number along with other team greats. Aurie's number 6 was officially retired by former Red Wings owner James Norris after the 1938-39 season, and hung in the Detroit Olympia^[3]. However, while the number remains out of circulation, Ilitch has reportedly refused to consider it a retired number, and its status as under official retirement is disputed by the Red Wings official Web site^[4]. Along with The Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press is one of the two major metro Detroit newspapers. ... Larry Aurie (February 8, 1905 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada – Died - December 11, 1952) was a Canadian professional ice hockey Right Winger who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Cougars, Detroit Falcons and Detroit Red Wings // Aurie was known for his goal-scoring achievements and for... James Norris may refer to: James E. Norris (b. ... The 1938-39 NHL season was the 22nd season of the National Hockey League. ... Olympia Stadium, better known as the Detroit Olympia and nicknamed The Old Red Barn, stood at 5920 Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan from 1927 until 1986. ...

Ilitch has been blamed by Detroit media and some organizations for purposely stymieing efforts to redevelop Tiger Stadium, and accepting city tax money ($400,000 annually) for upkeep on the derelict former home of the Tigers, while allowing the stadium to fall into disrepair^[5]. Plans have included renovating the stadium to its 1930s-era configuration to draw a minor league team, as well as use as a shopping center or permanent home to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Tiger Stadium is a stadium located in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan, USA. It hosted the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team for nearly a century before that franchise moved into the new Comerica Park in 2000. ...

Hockey Hall of Fame

Mike Ilitch was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003 as well as the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. Hockey Hall of Fame logo The Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to the history of ice hockey with exhibits featuring memorabilia and NHL trophies (including the Stanley Cup) along with interactive activities. ... The United States Hockey Hall of Fame, located at 801 Hat Trick Avenue in Eveleth, Minnesota, serves to honor those individuals who have contributed to the sport of hockey in the United States. ...

In Stanley Cup history, only eight women have had their names engraved on the trophy; Marian and their three daughters have each had their names engraved on the Cup three times.

Civic and philanthropic activities

Ilitch Charities for Children (ICC), is a charitable foundation established by the Ilitch family. Among other things, the ICC sponsors Little Caesars AAA Hockey Scholarship to encourage amateur sports.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, reports required by the Federal Elections Commission from 2002-2005 indicate Ilitch Holdings, Inc. members and business partners have contributed more than $500,000 to political campaigns and PACs.[7] The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and the effect of money on elections and public policy. ... The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an agency created to administer and enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1975 (FECA), the statute that regulates the financing of federal elections in the United States. ... Ilitch Holdings, Inc. ... In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the groups special interests. ...

Ilitch family

Marian and Mike Ilitch have seven children: son Christopher Ilitch (born June 1965) is CEO and President of Ilitch Holdings, Inc.; daughter Denise Ilitch (born November 1955) is an attorney. Other children are Ron Ilitch (born June 1957), Michael Ilitch, Jr.; Lisa Ilitch Murray; Atanas Ilitch; and Carole Ilitch Trepeck. Christopher Ilitch, born June 1965, is one of seven children born and raised in Detroit, Michigan to Mike and Marian Ilitch. ... Ilitch Holdings, Inc. ...

See also

• Little Caesars Pizza
• List of members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
• List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Little Caesars is a fast-food restaurant, owned by Detroit-based Ilitch Holdings, Inc. ... National Hockey League This is a list of all the members of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota. ... This is a list of all the members of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Detroit News article
• Official Site: Ilitch Holdings, Inc.
• Official Site: Detroit Tigers
• Official Site: Detroit Red Wings
• Official Site: Little Caesars Pizza