Reginal F. Lewis: The United States’ First Black Billionaire and the Master of the Leveraged Buyout

A Quick Plug For My Book

Hello. Thank you for clicking on this link, and I hope you enjoy this essay. Writing a book was the genesis of my blogging and becoming a video content creator. I have published part one of my book project entitled, The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. It is currently available on Amazon in eBook, hardcover, and paperback formats. Shortly I will be selling signed hardcover and paperback copies on my online store entitled Big Words Authors. You can place an order now if you want a signed copy. There is also a page discussing the book. Please consider visiting it to learn more about the project and see promotional content I’ve created surrounding the project. And now on to our feature presentation.

Flowers for Reginald F. Lewis

I’ve wondered why our collective attention has been focused on specific figures for Black History in general and Black History Month in particular. Enough attention has been paid to black athletes, civil rights leaders, clergy, entertainers, musicians, and politicians. I say it’s high time that we pay more attention to our captains of industry and financial titans. We need to pay attention to where they came from and how they ascended to where they ascended. Reginald F. Lewis is one such individual. His story fascinates me because he came from the humblest of beginnings, being raised by a single mother and becoming the United States’ first black billionaire. It is astounding that he did it and further astounding how he did it. I’m embedding my Reginald F. Lewis YouTube discussion from 2022 below, but first, I want to address the ‘Leveraged Buyout’ concept.

Master of the Leveraged Buyout

Reginald Lewis ascended to billionaire status using the Leveraged Buyout. His first big deal involved the acquisition the Beatrice International Foods. A Leveraged Buyout, in short, is the use of financing to purchase a company, break it up, and make each part profitable. Lewis used this tool several times. The keys are spotting potential opportunities and securing financing, which was Lewis’ first challenge. One challenge was that he was a black man, and the second was that he did not come from the financial sector. He gained exposure to business deals and company acquisitions from the legal world. That’s one of the other impressive things. Lewis was academically trained as a lawyer but transitioned to another sector, similar to Robert F. Smith in our modern era.

A Discussion on Reginald F. Lewis

The embedded video below is my discussion of Reginald F. Lewis for Black History Month 2022. It is based upon Lewis’ biography, Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun? I used the built-in webcam on my personal computer, so please forgive the average picture quality. Finally, please spread the word about Reginald F. Lewis and his story.

The Big Words LLC Newsletter

For the next phase of my writing journey, I’m starting a monthly newsletter for my writing and video content creation company, the Big Words LLC. In it, I plan to share inspirational words, pieces from this blog and my first blog, and select videos from my four YouTube channels. Finally, I will share updates for my book project The Engineers: A Western New York Basketball Story. Your personal information and privacy will be protected. Click this link and register using the sign-up button at the bottom of the announcement. If there is some issue signing up using the link provided, you can also email me at [email protected] . Best Regards.