Class: 1961Inducted: 2007
From a tiny Brower home in Wanamassa to becoming founder and CEO of a company that manages and invests over sixteen billion dollars, Ronald Baron epitomizes the American Dream. After graduating from Bucknell University in 1965 with a B.A. in Chemistry, Ron worked in the U.S. Patent Office while attending George Washington Law School in the evenings.
From 1970 to 1982, Ron worked as an institutional securities analyst on Wall Street. In 1982, Baron Capital Management was founded to provide investment management services to institutions and individuals. The rest as they say, "is history." Ron''s firm is now a prominent investor in growth companies in America. Baron Capital currently manages nearly $16 billion dollars in assets in various investment vehicles including five named Baron mutual funds and an additional four mutual funds on behalf of two partnerships with Sun America and ING. His company was the recipient of the Lipper Analytical Award in 2003 as the top performing equity mutual fund company in America.
Ron has been involved with many philanthropic endeavors. He was a Board member of UJA Federation, a Parent Trustee of Horace Mann School, Duke university and Emory University. Ron is a board member of the America Israel Friendship League, Central Synagogue and the Anti-Defamation League.
Ron has been interviewed by Barron''s, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, Time, and the New York Times. Ron''s annual meetings have become legendary; he has appeared on stage with Billy Crystal, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John among others. Not bad for a kid from Wanamassa.
Ron is most proud of his "normal and outstanding family."
His quote: "We invest in people - not just the buildings" is the motto by which his companies operate.