Leonard Abess

About Leonard Abess

Leonard Abess made headlines for gifting $60 million to more than 450 current and former employees of his City National Bank of Florida after selling it for more than $1 billion during the financial crisis.

His father, Leonard Abess Sr., cofounded the bank in 1946, but sold it in the 1980s. Abess bought it out of bankruptcy a few years later and grew it to nearly $3 billion in assets.

Since selling the bank, Abess has bought up nearly 4,000 acres of land across Miami and Vermont, some of which he's using to grow limes.

His company, ThinkLab Ventures, provides capital and financing for commercial real estate development projects.

It also owns a stake in Jersey Jack Pinball, a leading maker of ?artisanal pinball machines? and previously owned a private jet center near Miami.