Earthquakes Staff/Front Office

Lew Wolff

Owner

Lew Wolff is co-owner of the San Jose Earthquakes after exercising his exclusive option to bring the team back to the Bay Area on July 18, 2007. Wolff's entry into MLS came after a trip to the 2006 World Cup in Germany with his colleague, current Earthquakes President, Michael Crowley.

Wolff oversaw one of the top expansion seasons in MLS history last season in San Jose. He made four-million dollars of renovations to Buck Shaw Stadium at Santa Clara University, helping create one of the best and most intimate atmospheres in MLS. The newly improved Buck Shaw Stadium has a top quality grass game field and a turf practice field, a new state-of-the-art scoreboard and video screen. The upgraded facility also has a new Earthquakes locker room, new bleacher structure and brand new lighting system.

For over two years prior to the team's return, Wolff was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the return of the Earthquakes as an expansion franchise with its records, colors, and trophies intact. He has worked tirelessly over the last few years to find a stadium solution that will work for the team, its fans, and the community. Wolff is responsible for heading a proposal to build a state-of-the-art soccer stadium in San Jose with no public funding.

This past October, Wolff was a key piece in the establishment of a strategic partnership with the English Premier League's Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. With the objective of creating a long-term bond between the two clubs, the partnership will primarily focus on both soccer and commercial development by exchanging and implementing the best practices from both organizations. The two clubs will also collaborate on community and charitable endeavors.

In September, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group presented Wolff with its prestigious "Community Cornerstone Award." The award is given to "a Silicon Valley leader who has displayed a lifetime of impeccable ethics, business achievement and community engagement."

Besides co-owning the Earthquakes, Wolff has been the co-owner and managing partner for the Oakland A's baseball team since 2005. Wolff is the founder of Wolff Urban Development and co-founder of Maritz-Wolff, entities that are involved in the development, acquisition and management of a wide range of commercial, office, parking and hotel properties in a number of California cities including San Jose, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Burbank to name a few.

Wolff's ownership interests in representative hotels and resorts include properties such as The Carlyle in New York City; Four Season Hotels in Nevis, West Indies, Houston, Austin, Carlsbad; The Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis; Fairmont Hotels in San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Monica and New Orleans; Rosewood managed hotels including The Mansion in Dallas, Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda, Inn of the Avasazi, Sante Fe plus other brands such as Hilton and Marriott. In addition, Maritz Wolff has a 50 percent interest in the Dallas-based Rosewood Management Company, which owns and operates luxury hotels throughout the world.

Wolff began his career in real estate economics and appraisal in his hometown of St. Louis, Mo. before relocating to Los Angeles. In addition to his real estate analysis work, he also served as the president of the 20th Century Fox Realty & Development Company where he managed Fox's worldwide real estate activities.

Wolff is a former minority owner of the St. Louis Blues, the Golden State Warriors and the San Jose Missions, a now-defunct minor league baseball team. He owns a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, a master's degree in business administration from Washington University in St. Louis and is also a member of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers (MAI).

Wolff resides in the Westwood section of Los Angeles with his wife, Jeane. The Wolff's have three children and two grandchildren.