For Snowed-Under Executive, There’s No Wasting Time

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It isn’t everyday that a near-death experience forces an executive to reassess his life.

But that’s what happened to Jon Kutler, chairman and chief executive of Jefferies Quarterdeck, who resigned recently and announced plans to form his own investment firm, Admiralty Partners Inc., a reference to his 10 years in the Navy.


Kutler was skiing in Zurs, Austria, on a recent holiday when he got caught in an avalanche, passed out and thought he was dead.


Fortunately, he had a beeper on and after about 20 minutes, got dug out from under six feet of hard-packed snow. The rescuers had such a tough time reaching him that they accidentally broke Kutler’s nose and a couple of teeth in the effort to dig him out. Not surprisingly, he immediately cancelled two other ski trips, and returned to the U.S. determined not to put off his latest venture.


Admiralty is not a fund, but rather a private investment firm that will be capitalized with $70 million of Kutler’s own money. It will make investments in aerospace and defense, which has always been his expertise. He sold his former firm, Quarterdeck, to Jefferies in 2002.




L.A. Inc., which signed “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria to promote tourism, has radically expanded the geographic and ethnic diversity of its 21-member volunteer board.


The new members are: Jayme Wilson, president of Spirit Cruises, Bruce Gorelick, general manager of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, and Gordon Luster, general manager of the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. The convention and tourism bureau, which is a private, non-profit group, wants a more diverse group of representatives from hotels throughout Los Angeles County since it is funded by hotel taxes.


Five board members have joined L.A. Inc.’s ranks including Jim Hill, Sports Director at CBS’ Channel 2 News; Bob Graney, general manager of the Omni Hotel; David Horowitz, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza; Sabrina Kay, chief executive of Fremont Private Investments Inc.; and Carlos Lopes, managing director of Hotel Bel-Air and Charlie Woo, chief executive of Megatoys.




The Bollenbach Family Scholarship Fund of the California Community Foundation, headed by Hilton Hotels Corp. co-chairman and chief executive Steve Bollenbach, has received a $3 million gift from Hilton Hotels Corp.


Hilton’s directors said the money was to honor Bollenbach’s leadership during the acquisition of Hilton International in Europe and “to support the vision of making higher education affordable.”


The fund provides scholarships and education aid with a preference given to Hilton employees, and their children.The caveat is that officers and directors, or their relatives, need not apply.



*Staff reporter Kate Berry can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 228, or at

[email protected]

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