Lawrence S. Hershfield has been the Chairman of our Board of Directors since July 2004.
Hershfield served as our President and Chief Executive Officer from June 14, 2004 through June 2, 2005.
Hershfield has been the Chief Executive Officer of Ranch Capital, LLC, which he founded to pursue investments in undervalued or distressed assets or companies, since October 2002. He served as Chairman of the Board of Premier Entertainment Biloxi, LLC, which owned the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, from June 2006 through September 2011, and serves as an advisor to Berkadia, a commercial real estate, brokerage, mortgage banking and loan servicing firm. From 2006 through 2009, Hershfield served as a Trustee of the Stanford University Business School Trust, and from 2011 through 2016, served on the Advisory Board of the Stanford Center on Longevity.
Hershfield received a B.S. Biology from Bucknell University (1977) and has an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business (1981).
Hershfield serves as Chairman of the Executive Committee and is a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee. Hershfield contributes an in-depth familiarity with the Company, its operations and its history resulting from his prior service as its Chief Executive Officer and years of service as its Chairman, as well as a breadth of experience gained from serving as a director or officer of, or investor in, public and private companies in a variety of industries.