Who is Stephen Orenstein
Stephen Orenstein, born on December 28, 1963, in Frankfurt, is a German-American billionaire businessman and Principal of Supreme Group, an overseas supplier of food and fuel that notably supplied U.S. Army military personnel in Afghanistan. Founded by his father, Alfred Orenstein, the company has grown to become a significant player in its industry. Stephen Orenstein currently owns 75% of Supreme Group and oversees its day-to-day operations. As of July 2024, his net worth is estimated at US$2 billion according to Forbes.
Key Takeaways
- Stephen Orenstein is a German-American billionaire businessman and Principal of Supreme Group, a company that supplied U.S. Army military personnel in Afghanistan and was founded by his father.
- Orenstein owns 75% of Supreme Group and oversees its day-to-day operations.
- In 2014, two subsidiaries of Supreme Group admitted to defrauding the U.S. government and agreed to pay $434 million in penalties and compensation to avoid prosecution.
- Orenstein was a member of the Eintracht Frankfurt football club supervisory board and a benefactor of the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art.
- His wife, Petra Orenstein, owns Cara Investment, a Frankfurt-based family office with large real estate holdings and development projects in Europe and the United States.
- He is the UBO owner of the LIVA O yacht, and he als owns a fast OTAM yacht named Cara Montana.
Career
Stephen Orenstein’s journey to becoming a billionaire began with his education at Kimball Union Academy high school in New Hampshire, followed by enrolling at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania to obtain a medical degree. However, in 1985, Orenstein dropped out of college after three years of studies to return to Frankfurt following the death of his father, Alfred Orenstein, who had founded Supreme Group in 1957. Alfred Orenstein had consistently supplied U.S. bases in Germany with food and supplies following his departure from the U.S. Army that same year. Stephen Orenstein joined Supreme Group as part of the sales division in 1985.
During the peak of the Afghanistan war in 2011, Supreme Group had $5.6 billion in revenues, with $1.66 billion paid out to owners as dividends. However, in 2014, two of its subsidiaries, Supreme Foodservice GmbH and Supreme Foodservice FZE, admitted to defrauding the U.S. government while supplying troops in Afghanistan.
Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-group-fined-350-million-over-food-deals-1418048001
They agreed to pay $434 million in penalties and compensation to avoid prosecution.
Source: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/defense-contractor-pleads-guilty-major-fraud-provision-supplies-us-troops-afghanistan
This commitment included keeping its owners away from managing Pentagon contracts for five years, with the military business being handled only by the group’s U.S. subsidiary and supervised by the Justice Department. The fraud began when the Pentagon transferred the supply of provisions to private companies to save money, and Supreme Group obtained part of the business. Its subsidiaries inflated costs and manipulated prices to increase profits, a scheme that was eventually uncovered by a whistleblower.
To avoid prosecution, Stephen Orenstein set up a shell company for the purchase of fresh vegetables, milk, and bakery products. Acting as his own middleman, he manipulated the price upward, for example, charging a surcharge of 30% for each can of Coca-Cola.
Since 2018, Orenstein has been a member of the Eintracht Frankfurt football club supervisory board. He stepped down in 2024.
Net Worth
According to a publication by Forbes, his net worth is $2 billion. Forbes also confirm his ownership of the yacht LIVA O.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/profile/stephen-orenstein/
Personal Life
Orenstein has been married to Petra Orenstein, née Schweikart, since 1997. They married in New York City, and his hobbies include football, tennis, and diving. He is also a benefactor of the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art.
Petra Orenstein owns Cara Investment, a Frankfurt-based family office with a large real estate holding. The family office purchased various assets in London for £71m in February 2020 and for $93 million in July 2020. It holds multiple properties in Frankfurt and is involved in real estate development projects in Europe and the United States. In the same year, the family office sold a tower building in Frankfurt for an alleged amount of €300m.
Sources:
https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/cara-real-estate-buys-london-mixed-use-building-for-163-71m-57145153
https://www.commercialsearch.com/news/cara-buys-central-london-building-for-93m/
https://www.skylineatlas.com/abg-real-estate-group-and-hansemerkur-grundbesitz-jointly-acquire-oddo-bhf-tower-in-frankfurt/
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