Peter Karmanos | |
---|---|
Born |
Detroit, Michigan |
March 11, 1943
Occupation | Former CEO of Compuware Corporation |
Known for | owner of the Carolina Hurricanes |
Awards | Hockey Hall of Fame, 2015 |
Peter Karmanos Jr. (born March 11, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan) is the majority owner and chief executive officer of the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Everblades hockey franchises. He owned the Plymouth Whalers junior hockey club from its establishment in 1990 until 2015.
The oldest of three sons of a Greek immigrant family who owned a small restaurant in Detroit, Karmanos attended Henry Ford High School and graduated from Wayne State University in 1973. Soon after leaving college he founded software company Compuware with two partners, Thomas Thewes and Allen Cutting. Karmanos served as Compuware's CEO until June 20, 2011, when he became executive chairman. Karmanos retired from Compuware on March 31, 2013, but maintained a consultant role within the company. Compuware terminated his post-retirement consulting agreement, effective October 1, 2013. He has since opened a new computer firm, Mad Dog Technology.
Karmanos co-founded the Detroit Compuware Hockey organization in the late 1970s with Thewes. The organization includes all levels of hockey from recreational to AAA and Junior A. The Ontario Hockey League awarded an expansion franchise on December 11, 1989, to be known as the Detroit Compuware Ambassadors. The team later became the Detroit Junior Red Wings, Detroit Whalers and then Plymouth Whalers following a relocation to nearby Plymouth. In 2015, Karmanos sold the Whalers to the owners of Flint's Perani Arena and Event Center, and the franchise was renamed Flint Firebirds. He also sold the Plymouth arena to USA Hockey.