MONEY: Multiple businesses built, including RSI Home Products, the world’s largest kitchen and bath cabinet manufacturer. Sold the company for $1.1B to Winchester, Virgina-based American Woodmark Corp., about half of it is in debt and half in cash and stock. In 2018, RSI Dream Communities sold to William Lyon Homes for $460M.
HISTORY: Born during the Great Depression in Los Angeles to a Russian mother and an English cabinetmaking father. Turned his father’s business, Perma-Bilt, into the nation’s largest manufacturer of bathroom medicine cabinets. In 1987, sold Perma-Bilt and started RSI Home, which became the largest manufacturer of cultured marble countertops, bathroom vanities and medicine cabinets in the world.
AFFORDABLE HOMES: RSI Dream Communities helped provide $100M in seed money for workforce housing in Orange County. The funding would help nurses, teachers, firefighters and other public servants stay in the county amidst rising rents and inflation of goods.
PHILANTHROPY: Simon Scholars Program awarded more than 2K scholarships since 2003. The scholarship includes $16K in funding for college, laptop, mentoring, college coaching and leadership training.
