Cliff Viner
Clifford G. Viner is an American businessman who founded the III Finance hedge fund and was previously a co-owner of the Florida Panthers from 2008 to 2013.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Viner is of Jewish descent. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After school, he worked as an analyst at Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance and then as a government securities trader at William Blair & Company in Chicago. In 1982, he co-founded III Offshore Partners, a hedge fund based in Boca Raton, Florida with Warren Mosler.In 2001, Viner was part of a group of investors led by Alan Cohen that bought a majority interest in the Panthers from Wayne Huizenga. In November 2009, he became co-general partner with Cohen. In 2010, Viner gained control as general partner of the Florida Panthers with minority partners including Stu Siegel, Alan Cohen, and Huizenga. In late 2013, they sold the franchise for $250 million to Vincent Viola.
Viner is a Registered General Securities Principal, General Securities Options Principal, and General Securities Representative of FINRA, a CFTC-Approved Principal, and an Associate Member of the NFA. Viner is heavily involved with the Florida Panthers Foundation which focuses on pediatric oncology causes.
Personal life
Viner has married twice. His first wife was Jill Laurie Silver, who co-founded the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation with Barton G. Weiss. they had two children before divorcing.In 2010, Cliff Viner married Eda Viner. He has two children from his first marriage and two stepchildren.