Ken Behring
| Ken Behring | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 13, 1928 Freeport, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Real estate developer Football team owner Philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Behring |
| Children | 5 |
Kenneth (Ken) Eugene Behring (born June 13, 1928) is an American real estate developer, philanthropist, and former owner of the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks.
Behring was born in Freeport, Illinois. His family moved to Monroe, Wisconsin, when he was four. He grew up in poverty; his father worked in a lumber yard making 25 cents an hour, and his mother cleaned houses. Behring started working a variety of jobs around town starting at age seven: mowing lawns, caddying, transporting milk, selling newspapers, working at a grocery store and at a lumberyard. He became a salesperson at Montgomery Ward at age 16, and started a side business selling sporting goods in town. Behring attended Monroe High School. A high-school football player, he received a partial football scholarship to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, but dropped out of college due to an injury that left him unable to play football, and therefore ineligible for his scholarship.
Out of college, Behring, a car buff, worked as a salesperson at a Chevrolet and Chrysler auto dealership. At age 21, he started a used car business called Behring Motors in Monroe, Wisconsin. A savvy businessman, he was earning $50,000 a year and had $1 million in assets by age 27.
Ken Behring moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1956 and started the Behring Construction Company. He became a land developer, founding Tamarac Lakes, a new active-adult (which later became all-age) community in 1962. It was built on an area that was formerly wetlands, pastures, and fields. The new development was incorporated as Tamarac, Florida on July 25, 1963.
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