Mr. Glaser has over four decades of experience working in banking and private equity and he is also well-versed in international business and finance, especially in Europe and the Middle East, In fact, Glaser spent several years living in the Middle East and his travels have taken him to more than thirty countries throughout the world.
Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Glaser was largely raised by his divorced mother, who made it a point to instill the importance of hard work, and that any job worth doing should be done well. Always encouraged to be self-reliant, “Bob” performed a number of jobs including mowing lawns, shoveling driveways, selling return address labels door to door, and working as a delivery boy for the Rochester Times-Union.
Upon graduating high school, Glaser spent two years at college at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio before transferring to the University of Buffalo and receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree. Glaser also studied business extensively, earning as many credits in business classes as he did in political science. Glaser continued his education at New York University where he received a Master’s of Business Administration, majoring in finance and international business.
Glaser spent ten years working at The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. while studying for and eventually receiving his MBA degree. After quickly moving up the ranks and developing relationships around the world, he joined forces with a former boss to launch a new investment firm called Investcorp, with offices in New York, London, and Bahrain. During his time with Investcorp, Glaser held several positions at the firm, including serving on the firm’s global Management Committee, serving as a corporate acquisition team leader, establishing and running the firm’s post acquisition management unit, and establishing and overseeing the firm’s New York office.
During Glaser’s time at Investcorp, the firm raised about $2.5 billion from clients and made investments with a value of approximately $7.5 billion. Most investments were made in the form of the acquisition of corporations in the United States and Europe, some of the investments were in the real estate sector.
Most of Mr. Glaser’s experience at Investcorp related to the firm’s direct corporate investments in North America, with some direct investing in Europe as well. Mr. Glaser was active in all areas of the firm’ corporate investment activities. Along with various partners, he was part of the teams that worked on the following investments:
- Tiffany & Co. (international jewelry retailer)
- Peebles Department Stores
- Saks Fifth Avenue department store
- Gucci (Italian luxury goods retailer)
- Prime Equipment (a heavy equipment rental company servicing the construction and oil industry sectors)
- Color Tile Inc. (retailer of carpet, tile, and related items)
- Dellwood New York City area milk processing and distribution company)
- Fox Photo (retailer and developer of film and related items)
- New York Department Stores of Puerto Rico
- Bertram Yachts (boat manufacturer)
- Trojan Yachts (boat manufacturer)
- Riva Yachts (Italian boat manufacturer)
- Burnham Service Corporation (a trucking and logistics firm)
- Catherine’s department stores
- Club Car (manufacturer of golf carts)
After more than a decade of working with Investcorp amicably parted ways to establish another private equity firm called MapleWood which focused largely on undertaking private equity investments in the United States in smaller companies.
Throughout his career, Glaser has served on a multitude of corporate boards of directors on behalf of Investcorp and MapleWood, including:
- Investcorp International Inc. (the U.S. arm of the Investcorp group)
- Burnham Service Corporation (a trucking and logistics firm)
- Catherine’s Stores (a women’s clothing store chain)
- Club Car Inc. (manufacturer of golf carts)
- Codia Holding N.V. (the worldwide holding company for the Gucci group of companies)
- Color Tile Inc. (retailer of carpet, tile, and related items)
- Dellwood Foods Inc. (New York City area milk processing and distribution company)
- Fox Photo Inc. (retailer and developer of film and related items)
- Gucci America Inc. (the American operating arm of the Gucci group)
- Guccio Gucci S. p. A. (the Italian operating arm of the Gucci group)
- New York Department Stores of Puerto Rico
- Parts Depot (a distributor of auto parts to auto repair shops)
- Peebles Inc. (a department store chain)
- Prime Holdings Inc. (a heavy equipment rental company servicing the construction and oil industry sectors)
- Uncle Julio’s (a Mexican restaurant chain)
Glaser has also served on the boards of a pair of public companies unaffiliated with Investcorp or MapleWood:
- Atlas Air Inc. (rented large freight aircraft and crews to major airlines)
- American Materials and Technologies Corporation (a manufacturer of high technology materials for the aircraft and defense industries).
Additionally, Glaser has served on non-corporate boards of directors or boards of trustees, such as:
- The Young Arts Foundation (an organization that seeks out the most talented high school artists in the country, for advanced training, scholarships and nomination to the White House for Presidential Medals in the Arts
- St. Thomas University of Miami, Florida
- The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
- The Community Partnership for Homeless Inc. of Miami, Florida
- Peter S. Castle Scholarship Fund