Pete Kadens Biography: Who is He and Does He Have a Wife and Family?

Pete Kadens (born 1978) is a 46-year-old retired Chicago-based serial entrepreneur and philanthropist from Toledo, Ohio.

The American businessman is happily married to his childhood sweetheart, Amy Robbins Kadens, and they have three lovely children together.

Pete Kadens became popular on the popular American TV show 60 Minutes after he created a charity called Hope Chicago designed and committed to helping around 30,000 high school students from Chicago get an all-expense paid college education.

Pete Kadens’ act of generosity is helping to transform the lives of a lot of young people in his community and has further thrust him into the spotlight. Read on to learn all you can about the philanthropist.

Summary of Pete Kadens’ Bio

  • Full Name: Pete Kadens
  • Gender: Male
  • Date of Birth: 1978
  • Pete Kadens’ Age: 46 years old
  • Place of Birth: Toledo, Ohio, United States
  • Ethnicity: Jewish
  • Nationality: American
  • Sexual Orientation: Straight
  • Religion: Judaism
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Pete Kadens’ Wife: Amy Robbins Kadens
  • Pete Kadens’ Children: 3
  • Pete Kadens’ Parents: Michael Kadens (father), Judith Kadens (mother)
  • Pete Kadens’ Height in Inches: 5 feet 10 inches
  • Pete Kadens’ Height in Centimeters: 178 cm
  • Pete Kadens’ Weight: 75 kg (165 lbs)
  • Hair Color: Light Brown
  • Eye Color: Blue
  • Education: Ottawa Hills High School, Bucknell University
  • Profession: Businessman, Philanthropist
  • Pete Kadens’ Net Worth: Est. $10 million – $15 million
  • Famous for: Being the chairman of The Kadens Family Foundation

How Old Is Pete Kadens?

Pete Kadens is 46 years old. He was born in 1978, however, he has yet to reveal the exact details of his birth, including the date and month of his birth. We can affirm, though, that Pete Kadens was born in Ottawa Hills, Toledo, in the state of Ohio, United States of America.

Pete Kadens

The Ottawa Hills native is Jewish and is a firm practitioner of Judaism. His place of birth makes him an American citizen and based on the way he has carried himself over the last few years, he is a citizen who his country can be proud of and one who should be emulated.

Pete Kadens’ Early Life And Family Background

Pete Kadens is the son of Michael and Judith Kadens, both of whom are reportedly well-respected lawyers. Aside from his parents, he has been quite reticent about revealing the identities of members of his birth family, and this has made it relatively challenging to say who his siblings are or if he even had any growing up.

During an interview Kadens granted in the last couple of years, he revealed that he was born lucky and had lived most of his life that way, hence his decision to give back to his community.

The Chicago-based businessman grew up in Ottawa Hills, Toledo, Ohio, and received his high school diploma from Ottawa Hills High School in 1996 before gaining admission into Bucknell University. He spent the ensuing four years earning a specialization in skills of entrepreneurship, strategy, and leadership at the aforementioned university and ultimately graduated with honors in 2000.

Who Is Pete Kadens’ Wife?

The businessman and serial entrepreneur is happily married to Amy Robbins Kadens. According to diverse reports, the couple were childhood sweethearts and attended the same high school even though Amy graduated in 1999, three years after Pete did in 1996.

Not much is known about Amy Robbins Kadens’ early life apart from the possibility that she was also born in Toledo, Ohio, and a few unalloyed facts like having the last name Robbins and attending Ottawa Hills High School.

Pete Kadens

Pete Kadens and his wife reportedly dated for a long while before exchanging marital vows a few years back. The exact timeline of their relationship, including how long they dated each other and the exact date of their wedding, is something that they have yet to revealed to the public.

The 46-year-old philanthropist holds his wife in high esteem and places a lot of value in their marriage that has produced three wonderful children so far. For obvious reasons, the identities of their children have been tactfully withheld from the public, but the couple must be doing a very good job of raising them right.

Pete and Amy are very supportive of each other and much like her spouse, Amy Robbins Kadens is also actively involved in philanthropic activities. A reference point would be the organization she helped set up in Chicago in 2011 that offers assistance to mothers and children living in poverty in the Chicago area.

What Is Pete Kadens’ Net Worth?

Pete Kadens has a net worth estimated to be around $10 million – $15 million. The retired CEO earned his fortune through various business endeavors and has steadily increased his financial capacity through diligence and well-structured business investments such as the Green Thumb Industries (GTI), a company he co-founded and which is presently regarded as the second-largest cannabis production firm in the world.

Pete Kadens’ Salary

Pete Kadens began his professional career in 2000 right after he left the university. His first professional working experience was the job he got from UBS in their Finance/Sales division. The details of the salary he earned in that period are not publicly available but based on his position as a supervisor in that department, it must have been quite substantial.

Pete Kadens

Pete Kadens worked at UBS for three years from 2000 to 2003 and that was likely the last time he had to oversee operations of a business he didn’t have a hand in founding. From 2003 to date, he has set up several high-income industries and businesses that have been responsible for keeping thousands in jobs.

List of Pete Kadens’ Companies

Several sources have revealed that the American businessman has helped start-up at least five companies. In the next few paragraphs, we will take a look at all the companies that the retired CEO has founded to date.

Pete Kadens founded Acquirent in December 2003 and served as CEO until 2008. His position at the organization put him in the position to serve as President of the National Association of Sales Contractors, an office he held with distinction for 3 years.

In February 2008, Pete founded SoCore Energy, one of the biggest commercial solar firms in the United States, and went on to develop services in 17 states under his leadership. The Chicago Innovation Awards paid tribute to the company as one of the most creative companies in the city. Edison International, another top dog in the energy industr,y bought SoCore in 2013.

Green Thumb Industries followed in 2016 and he served as CEO and was appointed executive director and a board member of the Cannabis Trade Federation until his retirement in 2018. Pete Kadens also founded Azenity Labs and Poppy’s Social Restaurant.

Pete Kadens Is The Chairman of The Kadens Family Foundation

Pete Kadens

Pete Kadens’ privileged upbringing allowed him to live his life to the best of his ability. He, however, recognizes the fact that not everyone has access to that kind of privilege and has always sought to give back. To that end, he set up The Kadens’ Family Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to eradicate the ever-increasing divides between wealth and education in the United States.

His commitment towards that endeavor also led to the establishment of HOPE Chicago, which is essentially geared towards encouraging a parent or guardian from each Chicago home to attend college. His desire to eliminate the wealth and education divides has seen him pledge more than $15 million in scholarship initiatives to his hometown of Toledo.

He enjoys the support of his wife as he embarks on his philanthropic activities, which recently included a pledge from the businessman that around 30,000 people will receive cash from his charity for an in-state (Chicago) college experience.

Hugo Wright
Hugo Wright
Hugo has extensive professional writing experience and has been writing and editing articles on multiple platforms for several years now. Away from work, he is a football addict who loves to catch up on his favourite pastimes.

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