Michael Krasny: From Car Salesman to Self-Made Billionaire
Michael Krasny, an American businessman, has a net worth of $1.2 billion. He is a self-made billionaire who founded CDW Corporation, a provider of technical gadgets, including computers and networking equipment, in 1984. Krasny is of Jewish descent and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He began working as a Toyota car salesman at his father’s auto dealership before quitting to take classes in computer programming. He recognized the growing demand for computers after selling his own computer and started buying and reselling computer units, which eventually led to the creation of Computer Discount Warehouse.
In 1993, Krasny took the company public and in 2006, he sold CDW to Madison Dearborn Partners for $7.3 billion. Today, Krasny serves as the President of Sawdust Investment Management Corp. He is also a great philanthropist who has given more than $350 million in shares to charity and remains active in supporting Jewish and medical causes. Married with one child, he currently resides in Highland Park, Illinois.
