Mr. Tanenbaum has shown a long-standing interest in the sports and entertainment industry and was the primary force in bringing an NBA franchise to Toronto. In the early 1990’s, Tanenbaum attempted to move established NBA clubs to Toronto and then, as head of the Palestra Group, he initiated the expansion process that opened the eyes of the NBA to Canada. Although he was unsuccessful in being awarded the initial expansion franchise, Tanenbaum established himself in NBA circles and the city as a legitimate NBA home.
In 1996, Mr. Tanenbaum acquired an interest in the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League and Maple Leaf Gardens, Limited (now Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment). With MLG’s purchase of the Raptors and Air Canada Centre in February 1998, Tanenbaum fulfilled his goal of NBA and NHL ownership in Toronto under the same group.
In 2000, Mr. Tanenbaum was appointed to the Planning Committee of the NBA Board of Governors, a group that charts the course of future direction for the league. In addition to that prestigious posting, he also serves on an NBA task force comprised of players and Board members to further the league’s community outreach efforts. Mr. Tanenbaum has recently been appointed to the Advisory/Finance Committee - the senior most committee of the NBA Board of Governors which considers and makes recommendations to the Board concerning a wide range of financial and league business matters.
Mr. Tanenbaum is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited (KVN), having served as President & CEO from 1968 to 2000. Under his direction, Kilmer developed into a multi-faceted construction operation with operating divisions and subsidiaries covering road building and paving, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, heavy construction, trucking and pipe manufacturing. Through December 2000, Kilmer’s road building, paving and aggregates operations were conducted through Kilmer’s wholly owned subsidiary, The Warren Paving & Materials Group Limited. Mr. Tanenbaum served as Chairman of Warren, which was Canada’s largest asphalt paving company. Warren’s activities also included major commercial aggregates operations, liquid asphalt trading and distribution and road maintenance. In December 2000, Warren was merged into Lafarge Corporation, North America’s largest diversified supplier of construction materials. As a result of this merger, Kilmer became a significant shareholder in Lafarge NA, and Mr. Tanenbaum served on the Board and chaired its Finance Committee until the 2006 buyout by Lafarge SA. Kilmer today manages infrastructure investments through Kilmer Brownfield Equity Fund LP, Quickload CEF Inc. and Host Kilmer Service Centres Inc.
Kilmer also has significant investment in various sports-related entities, including Insight Sports Ltd, which is a leading sports media company involved in the creation, production and broadcasting, on all platforms, of sports and related lifestyle content. Insight Sports holds equity positions in several Canadian specialty television services including The NHL Network and Score Media and owns and/or operates the World Fishing Network (WFN) and Game TV. In 2003, through Plaza Gaming and Entertainment, Kilmer invested in the charitable gaming industry in Canada. Through its operations in Ontario and BC, Plaza's facilities raise over $20 million per year for local municipal charities.
In addition, Mr. Tanenbaum serves as Chairman of Kilmer Capital Partners, a private equity investment fund, which provides equity capital to small to mid-market companies, and is dedicated to building leading companies in partnership with management. Kilmer Capital’s portfolio includes Unisync Group Ltd., Hydropool Industries Inc., McGregor Industries Inc., Algorithme Pharma Inc., Coalision and Tribal Sportswear.
Mr. Tanenbaum served as National Revenue Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada during Prime Minister Paul Martin’s term of office. He currently serves as a member of the Ontario Investment and Trade Advisory Council, and recently served on the Independent Fiscal Review Panel of the City of Toronto and the Mayor’s Economic Competitiveness Advisory Committee of the City of Toronto.
Mr. Tanenbaum’s involvement in Community Associations includes the following: Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors, Mount Sinai Hospital – a tertiary care teaching hospital associated with the University of Toronto; Co-Chairman of the Research Committee for the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute; Member, Board of Directors, NeuroScience Canada; Member, University Council, Cornell University; Member, Advisory Board, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care; Member, Dean’s Advisory Council, Schulich School of Business, York University; Member, National Board of The Canadian Council of Christians & Jews; Member, Board of Directors, Miller Thomson Foundation; Founding Member, Canadian Council for Israel and Jewish Advocacy (CIJA), and Co-Chair, Tomorrow Campaign for UJA Federation. In recognition of his contributions in the areas of business, philanthropy, and volunteerism, Mr. Tanenbaum was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada on October 25, 2007. The Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada’s honors system and represents its highest civilian award.
Mr. Tanenbaum has a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Cornell University (1968).