dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

Kevin Audette Plank (born August 13, 1972[1]) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. Plank is the founder and executive chairman of Under Armour, a manufacturer of sportswear, footwear and accessories, based in Baltimore, Maryland. He served as CEO from its founding until 2020 and will be returning as CEO as of April 2024.[2] As of April 2023, his net worth was estimated at US$1.1 billion.[3]

Plank and Stephanie Ruhle, a Bloomberg News journalist now with MSNBC, were questioned by lawyers in early 2023 regarding a 2017 lawsuit by shareholders of Under Armour that alleges the company artificially inflated its share price, resulting in losses for them. According to The Wall Street Journal, court documents showed that Plank gave Ruhle a phone with a special email address to communicate with him privately and at all hours, sent her confidential financial information about the company and enlisted her help to refute concerns about slumping sales. During his deposition, according to the Journal, Plank described Ruhle’s role by saying: “She’s a confidant. I would give her counsel on her career and she would give me counsel on things I was dealing with that were either banking or media or human nature in relation.” In her deposition, the paper reported, Ruhle said she took free trips with Plank on his private plane. When asked if she were acting as a friend or journalist on those trips, she said in her deposition: “I was flying on his plane as myself, Stephanie Ruhle. I’m not really in a category one or the other.”[32] The same reporter, Khadeeja Safdar, had previously reported on the relationship between the billionaire and Ruhle in February 2019.[33]

Personal life

Plank married Desiree Guerzon in 2003, a Filipina-American registered nurse graduated from Georgetown University.[5] They have two children,[5] and live in Lutherville, Maryland.[14] As of February 2018, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$1.8 billion.[14]

Before living in Lutherville, he lived in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC. His former home, when he put it up for sale, was the most expensive home on the market in Washington, DC.[58]

Politics

According to the Federal Election Commission, Plank has donated to both major U.S. political parties and to individuals of both parties.[59] On CNBC's Halftime Report in February 2017, Plank commented on Donald Trump's pro-business philosophy, saying the president was a "real asset" to the business community.[60] Plank's comments drew criticism on social media. As some customers vowed to boycott the brand, three major endorsers—Stephen Curry, ballerina Misty Copeland, and actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson—went on Twitter to express their opposition.[61] Johnson called Plank's words "divisive".[61] In the days following the remarks, Plank bought a full-page advertisement in The Baltimore Sun to clarify his comments. In the ad, Plank said Under Armour stood for job creation, but publicly opposed the president's proposed travel ban.[62]

Plank sat on Trump's American Manufacturing Council. He stepped down from the council following Trump's comments on violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, saying Under Armour "engages in innovation and sports, not politics".[63] Additionally, he publicly opposed President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Accord[64] and was among the Fortune 500 CEOs to sign a pledge to promote workplace diversity and inclusion.[65]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Plank