Greg Fischer
Encyclopedia
Gregory E. Fischer is a businessman and Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky
. He is a graduate of Louisville's Trinity High School
and Vanderbilt University
, entrepreneur, and community leader.
Fischer ran in the Kentucky
Democratic primary
for the United States Senate
in 2008, where he finished second and received over 209,000 votes (34 percent) among seven candidates, though never having held political office.
In November 2010 he was elected Mayor of Louisville in a tight race against city councilman Hal Heiner. He succeeded Mayor Jerry Abramson who, minus a term, has been in office since 1986 and was frequently referred to as "Mayor for Life" among local residents.
in Louisville, respectively, and has four siblings. Fischer's father, a well-known Louisville community leader, was the CEO of MetriData Computing Inc. and Secretary of the Cabinet of Kentucky under Governor
John Y. Brown, Jr.
Fischer attended Trinity High School in Louisville, graduating in 1976. He has since been inducted as a member of the school's hall of fame. After high school, Fischer attended Vanderbilt University, where he majored in Economics
, graduating in 1980. To help pay for his education, Fischer worked summers as a crane operator on the fishing docks of Kodiak, Alaska
unloading salmon boats. After his graduation, Fischer traveled solo around the world for a year, spending the bulk of his trip in Asia
, before returning to Louisville.
examiners. In November 1998, Flomatic International, SerVend's valve manufacturing division, received the Oregon Quality Award. The Rochester Institute of Technology
and USA Today
recognized SerVend's achievements by awarding it the Quality Cup Award in the small business
category in 1999. The Manitowoc Company
purchased SerVend in late 1997.
In 1990, Fischer, along with his father and brother, Mark, was named a winner of an award sponsored by Inc.
magazine, Ernst & Young
, Merrill Lynch
and Business First. As Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s regional Entrepreneurs of the Year in the manufacturing division for their work with SerVend, they were among the finalists for Inc. magazine’s U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Fischer was an investor and board member with MedVenture Technology. MedVenture, located in Jeffersonville, Indiana
, is a leading engineering outsourcer and early stage manufacturer on non-invasive medical devices for companies such as Johnson & Johnson
, Boston Scientific
, and Medtronic
. He is an investor and past board member of Vogt Ice, a manufacturer of commercial and industrial ice machines. He also is an investor and serves on the board of Stonestreet One
, a software company specializing in Bluetooth
technology.
In 2000, Fischer co-founded bCatalyst, a business accelerator that evolved into a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm. In early 2010, bCatalyst was acquired by Louisville-based Hilliard Lyons
. Currently, Fischer serves as founder and chairman of Iceberg Ventures, a private investment firm in Louisville.
Fischer is part owner of Dant Clayton Corporation, a sports stadium design, manufacturing, and construction company with prominent sports-related projects around the United States.
Bluegrass chapter in 1997 and 1998. There, he led the YPO-funded construction of a Habitat for Humanity home and also created a community partnership with Louisville's Center for Interfaith Relations in 2003, resulting in bringing talent such as Robert McNamara
to Louisville for community learning. In 2007, Fischer was awarded the first-ever Bluegrass YPO “Best of the Best” award for community contribution in 2007 for lifelong community service.
As past chairman of the Louisville Science Center
in 2001 and 2002, Fischer helped raise over $20 million to modernize the museum and create interactive children's programs. He has also endowed scholarships at Trinity High School and the University of Louisville
. Currently, Fischer serves on the U of L's Board of Overseers, as well as on the boards of Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services, Inc., the Waterfront Development Corporation, and the Metro Parks Foundation. In 2006, Fischer received the Catholic Schools Distinguished Alumni Award from the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Fischer has been a guest lecturer at MIT and the University of Louisville, and was also an executive in residence at Indiana University Southeast
in 1999 and 2000. He has served as a past board member of Crane House, an Asian cultural institute in Louisville, and Greater Louisville Inc.
He also coached tennis at St. Raphael Elementary School from 2002 to 2009.
Fischer founded, chaired, and raised money for Roads to You
, a music program that brought 25 international youth musicians to Louisville for a week in May 2007. The program was designed to create cross-cultural dialogue in the community with a focus on youth and high school students to prepare them to be productive contributors in a global society
. Fischer recruited the event's sponsors, including the Office for International Affairs, the Muhammad Ali Center
, and the Center for Interfaith Relations, as well as over 100 volunteers for the week.
A television advertisement for Fischer released in late March 2010 cites four priorities under his would-be administration: creating jobs, investing in clean energy, making metro government more transparent and building two new bridges over the Ohio River
.
Fischer won the Democratic primary on May 18, 2010 with 45 percent of the vote and went on to win the general election on November 2, 2010 with 51% percent of the vote.
On September 9, 2011 Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
ordered the closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge
because of a structural crack. As a result of the back flow of traffic into, and out of, Louisville, Fischer met with President Barack Obama
to discuss the future of the bridge.
. The couple has four children and the family resides in The Highlands
neighborhood of Louisville.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He is a graduate of Louisville's Trinity High School
Trinity High School (Louisville)
Trinity High School is a Catholic, all-boys, college preparatory high school located in St. Matthews, Kentucky, a city within the Louisville Metro governmental area. Trinity first opened its doors in 1953, when Archbishop John Floersh anticipated the growth of Louisville's eastern suburbs by...
and Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, entrepreneur, and community leader.
Fischer ran in the Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
Democratic primary
United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2008
The 2008 United States Senate election in Kentucky was held on November 4, 2008. Minority Leader and incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell won re-election to a fifth term.-Background:...
for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 2008, where he finished second and received over 209,000 votes (34 percent) among seven candidates, though never having held political office.
In November 2010 he was elected Mayor of Louisville in a tight race against city councilman Hal Heiner. He succeeded Mayor Jerry Abramson who, minus a term, has been in office since 1986 and was frequently referred to as "Mayor for Life" among local residents.
Early life and education
Fischer was born in Louisville to Mary Lee and George Fischer, graduates of Loretto High School and Flaget High SchoolFlaget High School
Flaget High School was a Catholic College preparatory high school in Louisville, Kentucky's West End from 1942 until 1974. It was located throughout its existence at 44th and River Park Drive, in the Shawnee neighborhood of Louisville.-History:...
in Louisville, respectively, and has four siblings. Fischer's father, a well-known Louisville community leader, was the CEO of MetriData Computing Inc. and Secretary of the Cabinet of Kentucky under Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
John Y. Brown, Jr.
John Y. Brown, Jr.
This article is about one of four John Young Browns, from Kentucky, that have served political office. For others see: John Young Brown ...
Fischer attended Trinity High School in Louisville, graduating in 1976. He has since been inducted as a member of the school's hall of fame. After high school, Fischer attended Vanderbilt University, where he majored in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, graduating in 1980. To help pay for his education, Fischer worked summers as a crane operator on the fishing docks of Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
unloading salmon boats. After his graduation, Fischer traveled solo around the world for a year, spending the bulk of his trip in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, before returning to Louisville.
Business career
At 25, Fischer co-invented the SerVend automated ice/beverage dispenser used to this day in convenience stores and restaurants. The small family business, SerVend International, transformed into a global manufacturing company employing over 300 people under Fischer's leadership. In October 1998, SerVend was one of three U.S. small business companies to be honored with a site visit by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality AwardMalcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recognizes U.S. organizations in the business, health care, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. The Baldrige Award is the only formal recognition of the performance excellence of both public and private U.S. organizations given by...
examiners. In November 1998, Flomatic International, SerVend's valve manufacturing division, received the Oregon Quality Award. The Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology
The Rochester Institute of Technology is a private university, located within the town of Henrietta in metropolitan Rochester, New York, United States...
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
recognized SerVend's achievements by awarding it the Quality Cup Award in the small business
Small business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
category in 1999. The Manitowoc Company
The Manitowoc Company
Manitowoc Company Inc is a global company specializing in products for the food service and construction industries. Manitowoc recently completed the divestiture of their marine division in January 2009.-History:...
purchased SerVend in late 1997.
In 1990, Fischer, along with his father and brother, Mark, was named a winner of an award sponsored by Inc.
Inc. (magazine)
Inc. magazine, founded in 1979 and based in New York City, is a monthly publication focused on growing companies. The magazine publishes an annual list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., the "Inc...
magazine, Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
, Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
and Business First. As Kentucky and Southern Indiana’s regional Entrepreneurs of the Year in the manufacturing division for their work with SerVend, they were among the finalists for Inc. magazine’s U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Fischer was an investor and board member with MedVenture Technology. MedVenture, located in Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
, is a leading engineering outsourcer and early stage manufacturer on non-invasive medical devices for companies such as Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
, Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific
The Boston Scientific Corporation , is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a range of interventional medical specialties, including interventional cardiology, peripheral interventions, neuromodulation, neurovascular intervention,...
, and Medtronic
Medtronic
Medtronic, Inc. , based in suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the world's largest medical technology company and is a Fortune 500 company.- History :...
. He is an investor and past board member of Vogt Ice, a manufacturer of commercial and industrial ice machines. He also is an investor and serves on the board of Stonestreet One
Stonestreet One
Stonestreet One is a software company specializing in Bluetooth software solutions. Founded in 1999 in Louisville, Ky, Stonestreet One has an extensive history of providing software solutions for the Bluetooth wireless technology industry...
, a software company specializing in Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
technology.
In 2000, Fischer co-founded bCatalyst, a business accelerator that evolved into a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm. In early 2010, bCatalyst was acquired by Louisville-based Hilliard Lyons
Hilliard Lyons
J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, LLC is a full service investment firm, based in Louisville, Kentucky, and founded in 1854. The company started as two separate companies, both located in Louisville. In 1965, the companies merged to create the current company...
. Currently, Fischer serves as founder and chairman of Iceberg Ventures, a private investment firm in Louisville.
Fischer is part owner of Dant Clayton Corporation, a sports stadium design, manufacturing, and construction company with prominent sports-related projects around the United States.
Community life
Fischer held chapter offices, including chapter chair, in the Young Presidents' OrganizationYoung Presidents' Organization
The Young Presidents’ Organization is a global network of young chief executives. With approximately 18,000 members in more than 100 countries, YPO and its graduate organization, WPO share a founding mission: Better Leaders Through Education and Idea Exchange....
Bluegrass chapter in 1997 and 1998. There, he led the YPO-funded construction of a Habitat for Humanity home and also created a community partnership with Louisville's Center for Interfaith Relations in 2003, resulting in bringing talent such as Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
to Louisville for community learning. In 2007, Fischer was awarded the first-ever Bluegrass YPO “Best of the Best” award for community contribution in 2007 for lifelong community service.
As past chairman of the Louisville Science Center
Louisville Science Center
The Louisville Science Center, previously known as the Louisville Museum of Natural History & Science, is Kentucky's largest hands-on science museum. Located in Louisville, Kentucky's "Museum Row" in the West Main District of downtown, the museum operates as a non-profit organization...
in 2001 and 2002, Fischer helped raise over $20 million to modernize the museum and create interactive children's programs. He has also endowed scholarships at Trinity High School and the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
. Currently, Fischer serves on the U of L's Board of Overseers, as well as on the boards of Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services, Inc., the Waterfront Development Corporation, and the Metro Parks Foundation. In 2006, Fischer received the Catholic Schools Distinguished Alumni Award from the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Fischer has been a guest lecturer at MIT and the University of Louisville, and was also an executive in residence at Indiana University Southeast
Indiana University Southeast
Indiana University Southeast is a regional campus in the Indiana University system and is located in New Albany, Indiana, in Floyd County, which is in south-central Indiana and part of the metropolitan Louisville, Kentucky, area.- History :...
in 1999 and 2000. He has served as a past board member of Crane House, an Asian cultural institute in Louisville, and Greater Louisville Inc.
Greater Louisville Inc.
Greater Louisville Inc. is an organization the promotes the growth of businesses in Louisville, Kentucky. It began as the Louisville Area Development Association , established in 1943 by mayor Wilson Wyatt. By 1950 LADA had absorbed the Board of Trade , the Retail Merchants Association and the...
He also coached tennis at St. Raphael Elementary School from 2002 to 2009.
Fischer founded, chaired, and raised money for Roads to You
Roads to You
Roads to You is the name of a continued series of cultural workshops intended to promote peace and tolerance through music. The program was founded by Jordanian composer and pianist Zade Dirani.-Origins:...
, a music program that brought 25 international youth musicians to Louisville for a week in May 2007. The program was designed to create cross-cultural dialogue in the community with a focus on youth and high school students to prepare them to be productive contributors in a global society
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
. Fischer recruited the event's sponsors, including the Office for International Affairs, the Muhammad Ali Center
Muhammad Ali Center
The Muhammad Ali Center, a museum and cultural center built as a tribute to the champion athlete and his values, is located in Louisville, Kentucky's "Museum Row" in the West Main District of downtown....
, and the Center for Interfaith Relations, as well as over 100 volunteers for the week.
US Senate
Fischer was one of seven candidates for the 2008 Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. He ran a five-month campaign and finished with 34 percent of the vote.Campaign for Mayor
Fischer announced his candidacy for Mayor of Louisville Metro in July 2009. On November 4, 2009, he became the first to file his letter of intent for the primary election on May 18, 2010.A television advertisement for Fischer released in late March 2010 cites four priorities under his would-be administration: creating jobs, investing in clean energy, making metro government more transparent and building two new bridges over the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
.
Fischer won the Democratic primary on May 18, 2010 with 45 percent of the vote and went on to win the general election on November 2, 2010 with 51% percent of the vote.
Mayor of Louisville
Fischer was sworn in as Louisville Mayor on January, 3, 2011.On September 9, 2011 Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
Mitch Daniels
Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the...
ordered the closure of the Sherman Minton Bridge
Sherman Minton Bridge
The Sherman Minton Bridge is a double-deck through arch bridge spanning the Ohio River, carrying I-64 and US 150 over the river between Kentucky and Indiana. The bridge connects the west side of Louisville, Kentucky to downtown New Albany, Indiana.- History :...
because of a structural crack. As a result of the back flow of traffic into, and out of, Louisville, Fischer met with President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to discuss the future of the bridge.
Personal life
Fischer is married to Alexandra Gerassimides, the daughter of Greek immigrants who were uprooted as children during the Greek Civil WarGreek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
. The couple has four children and the family resides in The Highlands
The Highlands (Louisville)
The Highlands is an area of Louisville, Kentucky which contains a high density of nightclubs, eclectic businesses, and many upscale and fast food restaurants. It is centered along a three-mile stretch of Bardstown Road and Baxter Avenue and is so named because it sits atop a ridge between the...
neighborhood of Louisville.