Neil Kadisha (born 1955) is an American businessman, investor and philanthropist.

Early life and education

Kadisha was born to a Jewish family in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. He graduated from the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Career

After graduating from university, Kadisha purchased a major share in Stadco (founded 1941), a high precision

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astr ...

tooling and aircraft component manufacturer, where he has served as the company's president and chief executive officer since the late 1970s.Plastic News: "PARENT STADCO SHIFTS HPM INTO HIGH GEAR" by BILL BREGAR
July 14, 1997 In 1981, Kadisha co-founded GNC Industries Inc. which, with additional capital from his father-in-law,

Izak Parviz Nazarian Izak Parviz Nazarian ( ''Is'ḥaq Parvêz Nazariyân''; February 24, 1929 – August 23, 2017) was an Iranian-born American billionaire, businessman, investor, real-estate developer, and philanthropist. He was the managing partner of Omninet Capit ...

, and his brother, Younes Nazarian, then purchased Stadco. In 1996, Stadco bought HPM Corporation of

Mount Gilead, Ohio Mount Gilead is a village and the county seat of Morrow County, Ohio, United States. It is located 41 miles (66 km) northeast of Columbus. The population was 3,660 at the 2010 census. It is the center of population of Ohio. The village was esta ...

, a 120-year-old company that makes injection molding presses, extrusion systems and die-casting machines; and in 1997, Stadco purchased German injection press maker, Hemscheidt Maschinentechnik Schwerin GmbH & Co. In 1984, along with his father-in-law,

and uncle-in-law Younes NazarianJewish Journal: "Iranian Jews struggle with segregation, presumption and assimilation" by Tom Tugend
February 22, 2007 Kadisha co-founded the satellite communications company Omninet Corp., and tasked the newly founded company Qualcomm to develop a two-way mobile digital satellite communications system for the trucking industry called OmniTRACS. Kadisha served as Chief Executive Officer. Omninet subsequently joined forces with Qualcomm in 1988. Kadisha served on the board of directors of Qualcomm for 14 years, from 1988 to 2002. Kadisha co-founded Omninet Capital, LLC and is currently a Managing Partner. Over the last 20 years, Omninet, a diversified investment firm with focuses in the fields of wireless communication, private equity and real estate, has developed projects in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, and

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. Most recently, he completed construction of a $350 million 45 floor high-rise luxury condominium, named

Sky Las Vegas Sky Las Vegas is a 45-story luxury high-rise condominium tower with 409 units, situated on a 3-acre site on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. A two-story retail project had initially been planned for the site in 2001, although it ultimat ...

on Las Vegas Boulevard. He is an executive producer of ''

The Accidental Husband ''The Accidental Husband'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Firth, Isabella Rossellini, and Sam Shepard. The film was written by Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor and B ...

'' (2008), a romantic comedy film, directed by Griffin Dunne, starring

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor of television and film, best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022), for which he has received critical acclaim. He ...

, Colin Firth,

Isabella Rossellini Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted ...

, and

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

. It was released in the UK on 29 February 2008.

Lawsuit

Kadisha was required to pay $100 million to Dafna Uzyel, a recently widowed family friend who he had acted as trustee for. The court ruled that since 1988 Kadisha had taken $6.2 million of trust money to replenish his Union Bank credit line, buy real estate, and acquire Qualcomm stock. Kadisha contended that the funds he took from the family's trusts were legitimate loans and paid in full with interest and noted that Uzyel's portfolio actually increased by $20 million under his stewardship.

Community organizations

Neil Kadisha serves on the Board of Directors of several

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

charitable organizations, which focus on the future of the community, youth development and the care of the elderly.

Awards and recognition

Kadisha has been honored by:
Citizens’ Empowerment Center in Israel
(2003— ), Co-Founder * The

Jewish Federation The Jewish Federation (JFED), is generally a secular Jewish non-profit organization, found within many metropolitan areas across the United States with a significant Jewish community. They provide supportive and human services, philanthropy, fi ...

(1993— ), Board of Directors **Executive Committee Member (1995–2005)
Young Presidents Organization
(1995— ) **Los Angeles Chapter, Member/Board of Directors *The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (2006–2010), Board of Directors
World’s Presidents Organization
(2005— ), Los Angeles Chapter Member *

Phoenix House Phoenix House is a nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization operating in ten states with 150 programs. Programs serve individuals, families, and communities affected by substance abuse and dependency. History Phoenix House was ...

(2005— ), Board of Directors

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kadisha, Neil 1955 births Living people Alumni of the University of Manchester American billionaires American telecommunications industry businesspeople American film producers American manufacturing businesspeople American people of Iranian-Jewish descent American venture capitalists Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian Jews Jewish American philanthropists Nazarian family Philanthropists from California Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States