WEST PALM BEACH, FL, January 07, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Jonathan Stern has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
An esteemed entrepreneur who has made an impact across multiple fields, Jonathan Douglas Stern has been active as the co-founder of WonderWheel Entertainment (a film and television production company), since 2018. In addition to this position in the entertainment industry, he has excelled as the co-founder of the Fitnation exercise brand since 2016, which creates and sells exercise equipment that allows for a full-body workout utilizing the latest technological advances and designs (such as the Flexbike Ultra, and the Slimeline Treadmill, both with the echelon app) all of which have cemented their products as the number one in-home fitness brand on QVC (qvc.com). Furthermore, Mr. Stern has found success launching in 2008 DHX Wine & Restaurant Group (DHX.world), Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge (Las Vegas).
Prior to these roles, Mr. Stern served as the president and founder of ADG Development from 2004 to 2008, providing his wealth of expertise to such projects as Loft 5 in Las Vegas, The Chocolate Factory condominiums in SoHo, New York, and the Waterberg South Africa, a 18 thousand hectare hotel, golf course, homes, and boutique safari lodge north of Johannesburg. He previously worked in the same capacity for Flag Luxury Properties, contributing to Ritz-Carlton properties in South Beach and Jupiter, Florida, as well as the Hawaiian Marketplace in Las Vegas, the Ferry Point Park Golf Course in New York City and Temenos Anguilla (initially a Greg Norman golf course initially slated to be a St. Regis Hotel and a Stay at Homes and Villas). From 1995 to 1999, Mr. Stern flourished as an executive officer with the Ogden Corporation (a conglomerate listed on the NYSE); he oversaw the expansion of the entertainment division.
While at Harvard, he and his now partner in WonderWheel produced a Dave Brubeck/Stan Getz concert. He went on to also produce a concert with George Benson and several other well-known artists on the Boston Harbor waterfront in 1980 when the Tall Ships came in. When he moved to New York in 1982, he formed Telrad International Corp. and obtained the rights from Don King to distribute the first major pay-per-view cable television event, The Sugar Ray Leonard/Tommy "Hit Man" Hearns boxing event viewed globally. This led to the advent of PPV sporting events, concerts, etc. well before streaming. He then received further mentoring from Robert F.X. Sillerman who introduced Mr. Stern to the Caribbean island of Anguilla in 1987/1988, asking him to go down there and analyze his investment in the Cap Juluca Hotel. He did that and advised that he and his partners invest additional capital to further expand the hotel and its luxury villas further down the beach, which they did. As of today, Cap Juluca remains one of top 10 Caribbean resorts.
In 2001, Mr. Sillerman gave Mr. Stern the opportunity to return to Anguilla and assemble the property, including purchasing and demolishing the Sonesta Hotel to make way for the luxury hotel/residential/golf property. Mr. Stern commenced development with Greg Norman as the golf course designer. Mr. Stern negotiated the deal to make and brand it a St. Regis property.
He also co-produced in 1985, in Atlantic City, the Battle of the Sexes doubles tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Vitas Gerulaitis, and Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver.
Mr. Stern began his career as the founder of Firehole Entertainment Corp. from 1990 to 1995 at which point he sold Firehole Entertainment to Ogden Corp. in December 1995. He acquired the 82-acre site from Union Pacific Railroad at the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park in 1992 at which point he began the development of the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center and the Yellowstone IMAX Theatre. He received permission from the National Park Service to go into Yellowstone and film the Yellowstone IMAX Film that continues to play 12 times a day at the Yellowstone IMAX Theatre. Beyond his full-time professional responsibilities, he co-produced a number of short-form documentary films, including "Amazon" where Mr. Stern was nominated for an Academy Award in the best documentary category in 1998. Today "Amazon" still remains in the top ten IMAX documentary films of all time. Moreover, Mr. Stern has been dedicated to helping those in need, whether it was through ensuring a portion of ticket sales at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center were donated to help protect endangered species or aiding in the conversion of the 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization. He was also the executive producer of Mark Twain 3D IMAX, one of the first IMAX films made in 3D format.
An advocate for No Kid Hungry, the National Humane Society and Doctors Without Borders. Mr. Stern has accrued a number of Excellence Awards for Design regarding his environmental work in addition to his food and service efforts. He is also supported by a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College, which he obtained in 1979. In his spare time, Mr. Stern enjoys athletic activities, art and bonding with his wonderful children.
Inspired by his father and grandfather, who were successful businessmen in their own right, Mr. Stern attributes his success to his family, hard work, commitment and dedication. A lifelong enthusiast of art, he was initially drawn to real estate development by the design work associated with the field, though he eventually gravitated toward the business side of real estate as it allowed him to incorporate his passion for art and architecture. Hailing from the family that founded Zayre Department Stores in the 1950's which eventually became TJX Companies, NYSE symbol TJX, currently ranked 78th of Fortune 500 companies (TJMaxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, HomeSense, Winners Apparel, and TKMaxx (largest retailer in the UK and Europe), TJX Co now spans 3 continents: North America (Winner's Apparel, largest retailer in Canada) Europe and Australia, which allowed him to refine his business skills throughout his formative years, he is renowned for adapting to the economy and seizing opportunities in untapped markets. Though not every single one of his businesses has been prosperous, Mr. Stern is proud to have learned from his mistakes and always returned to his feet to move forward in his career.
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