Hall of Fame Induction Year
1998
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Inductee Biography
Born in Massachusetts and raised in Miami Beach, Mr. DeSantis was a lifelong entrepreneur with a natural flair for business and marketing. After becoming one of the youngest store managers in Walgreen’s history, he launched Sundown Vitamins in his garage building it from a mail order company into the world’s largest vitamin manufacturer. The company would later become Rexall Sundown and growing into a NASDAQ standout and Fortune 100 company because of Carl’s leadership and team building skills. Rexall Sundown was an industry colossus doing business with the world’s biggest retailers and pioneering best-selling products ranging from a full line of fine vitamins to multi-billion-dollar seller Osteo-Biflex many of which are still on the market selling briskly. In 2000, Royal Numico purchased Rexall Sundown for $1.8 billion. While that might have been a capstone for many careers, it was merely a chapter in Carl’s life. He immediately began to invest in and pioneer a series of companies while also continuing to indulge his passion for philanthropy. Among his notable investments: Celsius, a publicly traded global fitness drink and powder, Tabañero, an award-winning hot sauce, Kwandwe, an eco-tourist resort in South Africa and landmark real estate projects throughout South Florida.
Digital Collection
Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame
Disciplines
Business
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