Tulsa is the world's largest small town.
There are more than 411,401 people in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The median household income in Tulsa is $49,474, and the median property value is $143,400. One of the richest people who live in Tulsa is George Kaiser. His net worth exceeds $13.7 billion, making him the 46th richest man in the country and the second richest in Oklahoma.
Who is George Kaiser?
George Kaiser is an American billionaire businessman and the chairman of BOK Financial Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
George's father, Herman George Kaiser, was dismissed from his work as an attorney in Germany because he was Jewish. So they escaped Germany to England. Then, in 1940, they emigrated to the United States.
His family escaped Nazi Germany.
On July 29, 1942, George Kaiser was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1964, he earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard College and his MBA from Harvard Business School two years later. After graduating, he worked for his father, Kaiser-Francis Oil Co., a company created by his family in the 1940s after leaving Nazi Germany.
In 1969, George assumed leadership of Kaiser-Francis Oil Company, and under his leadership, the company became the 23rd largest nonpublic energy exploration company in the U.S. by 2010.
He owns 54% of the Bank of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City Thunder.
In 1990, George Kaiser purchased the Bank of Oklahoma and expanded the bank into other states, and he still owns 54 percent of the bank.
However, he grew his holdings by buying the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2014.
According to Tulsa World, Kaiser works 70 hours a week in his office, spending half his time on philanthropy and the rest on banking, energy, and other business interests.
Kaiser wants to give away most of his money.
He founded George Kaiser Family Foundation to invest in early childhood education, social services, and community health.
Geroge Kaiser says, "I had the advantage of both genetics and upbringing. But, as I looked around at those who did not have these advantages, it became clear to me that I had a moral obligation to direct my resources to help repair that inequity."
George Kaiser Family Foundation also backs civic enhancement and beautification in Tulsa and leads the National Energy Policy Institute, an initiative to develop a national energy policy that focuses on reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
If you had his money, what organizations would you support?
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