Henry Nicholas
Henry T. Nicholas, III | |
|---|---|
 Henry Nicholas at the Nicholas Academic Center Graduation on June 11, 2009 | |
| Born | 1959 (age 64–65) Cincinnati, Ohio, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | UCLA |
| Occupation(s) | -Entrepreneur -Philanthropist -Victims' Rights Advocate -Chairman of the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation -Chairman of Nicholas Education Foundation -Chairman of Marsy's Law for All -Former Co-Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | Henry T. Nicholas Jr., Marcella Nicholas Leach |
| Website | http://www.htnfoundation.org http://www.marsyslawforall.org |
Henry Thompson “Nick” Nicholas, III (born 1959), is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and leader of the victims’ rights movement.[2] He is the co-founder, and former Co-Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.
Nicholas served Broadcom in these positions from the company's inception in 1991 until January, 2002, and during his tenure the company grew to $1 billion in revenue faster than any other semiconductor company (48 months). Last year, Broadcom had net revenue of $4.5 billion and currently employs more than 8,338 people worldwide. In the first quarter of 2010 the company had net revenue of $1.46 billion.[3] Broadcom, whose corporate motto is “Connecting Everything,” makes chips that power a wide range of popular consumer products, including Apple Inc. iPhones and iPads, Bluetooth wireless headsets, Nintendo Wii video games and many leading brands of mobile phones.
In 2003, Nicholas resigned from Broadcom saying that his resignation "was driven entirely by personal issues related to family separation and divorce".[4]
Nicholas, whose sister, Marsy, was murdered in 1983, is an advocate for victims’ rights.[5] He was the leader and primary sponsor of “Marsy's Law,” a "Victims’ Bill of Rights" ballot initiative (Proposition 9), which was passed by California voters in November, 2008, as an amendment to the California Constitution.[6] Former California Governor Pete Wilson calls Nicholas the "driving force" behind Marsy's Law.[7]
Through his foundation, Nicholas is a supporter of education initiatives, including two Nicholas Academic Centers in Santa Ana, California, which provide free after-school tutoring for high school students. As a child, Nicholas suffered from dyslexia and credits the special attention and mentoring he received as a key reason for his later success in academia and in business.[8] The foundation also supports institutions such as UCLA and UC Irvine and programs in medical research, youth sports, national defense and other areas.[9]
Nicholas is ranked number 236 on the 2009 list of Forbes' richest Americans, with a net worth of $1.5 billion.[10]
Early life and education
Nicholas was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Marcella and Henry T. Nicholas Jr., and lived in Glendale, Ohio until he was 4 years old. His father was an attorney with the IRS and his mother was a teacher and later an administrator and theater instructor in the Princeton School District. When his parents divorced, he moved with his mother and sister to Los Angeles, California.
His mother remarried, to Robert Leach, a journalist and Hollywood screenwriter, who authored feature film scripts and episodes of such classic television shows as Perry Mason and Sea Hunt. Nicholas attended elementary schools in Malibu and Santa Monica High School.[11] Throughout his schooling, Nicholas suffered from dyslexia.[8]
He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the UCLA, after attending the United States Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Nicholas earned a Masters Degree and PhD. in Electrical Engineering from UCLA. His doctoral dissertation on “Architectures, Optimization Techniques, and VLSI Implementations for Direct Digital Frequency Synthesizers” became the basis for the development of the chip that launched Broadcom.[11]
Early career
After graduating from UCLA in 1987, Nicholas worked at TRW in Redondo Beach, where he met Dr. Henry Samueli, his future business partner who also was a professor of engineering at UCLA. Nicholas later moved to PairGain Technologies in Cerritos, California, where he was director of Microelectronics. He left PairGain in 1991 to start Broadcom Corporation with Samueli.
Broadcom
Nicholas founded Broadcom with Samueli in the spare bedroom of Nicholas’ Redondo Beach condominium in 1991[12]. Each invested $5,000 of his own money to get the business off the ground. They took the company public in 1998.[13]
From the end of 1998 through 2002 revenue at the company increased fivefold, from $216 million to $1.082 billion, and hiring of full-time employees increased sixfold: from 411 to 2,500.[14] During this time, Broadcom acquired 22 companies and was issued 120 patents.[15] Today, Broadcom is a Fortune 500 company with revenue in 2009 of $4.49 billion, 7,407 employees and 3,800 patents. Revenue for the first quarter of 2010 was $1.46 billion.[15] The company currently hold or has pending more than 13,000 patents. The company is known for its strong engineering culture, Nearly 6,000 of its employees—75% of its workforce—are R&D engineers and more than 600 of these have PhDs.[3]
Broadcom makes chips that run mobile phones, cable modems, set-top boxes, Wi-Fi routers, digital TVs and office data centers. Its products enable voice, video, data and multimedia communication in homes, offices and across mobile networks. The company’s products target three end market segments—the home, handheld products and networking infrastructure—encompassing over 20 lines of business. Broadcom’s customer base includes such industry leaders as Sony, HP, Samsung, Motorola, Dell, Cisco, Nokia, Nortel, LG Electronics, Netgear, Alcatel-Lucent, Thomson and DirectTV.[3]
A key focus for the company has been addressing the user experience in the home by connecting cable, game consoles, PCs, digital TV, Wi-Fi routers, VoIP and other devices. Broadcom also is focused on providing infrastructure for next-generation wired and wireless services such as cloud computing. And it is addressing the trend in smart phones to accelerate wireless connectivity that enables such features as GPS and rich widget support for news, weather, stock quotes, YouTube and Facebook.[3] Nicholas retired from Broadcom in 2003, ostensibly to work on his marriage.[16]
As Broadcom’s CEO, Nicholas worked with many technology leaders, including the late Steve Jobs. At the time of Jobs' death on Oct. 5, 2011, Nicholas was asked to share his recollections of Apple’s iconic co-founder, who was a major Broadcom customer. In an interview with Business Week magazine, Nicholas recalled that when Jobs would call, “it would probably be in the middle of the night.” He said Jobs “was like a bulldog…He wasn’t overbearing or unreasonable. He just had incredibly high expectations.” Nicholas also recalled another side to Jobs: “Once he had satisfied his need for information, he would mellow. We talked about music.” He said Jobs’ drove everyone he worked with to make “technology simpler to use instead of more complex, and he made me feel like I was taking part in something special.” [17]
Philanthropy
The Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life through investments in education, youth sports, medicine, technology, law enforcement and national defense.[18]
Criminal Justice & Victims' Rights
Nicholas’ sister was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend while Nicholas was in graduate school in 1983[19].[5] He helped his parents—Robert and Marcella Leach—found Justice for Homicide Victims, Inc., a non-profit organization that supports families of murder victims.[20] He was the 2005 recipient of the Ronald Reagan Award for Pioneering Achievement in Criminal Justice, and has been honored frequently by law enforcement organizations for his work supporting victims’ rights.[20]
In 2004, California voters were considering Proposition 66, which would have weakened California’s Three Strikes Law. Ten days before the election, polls indicated it was going to pass by as much as 75% of the vote. Nicholas became involved, supporting a bipartisan coalition of elected officials including the living California Governors—Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gray Davis, Pete Wilson, Jerry Brown, and George Deukmejian—celebrities and grassroots organizations, and personally speaking in television and radio spots, recounting the tragedy in his own family. The ballot measure was narrowly defeated.[21][22]
In 2009, he formed Marsy's Law for All, following passage of the California Constitutional Amendment in November, 2008. Marsy’s Law for All is dedicated to building bridges among disparate victims’ rights organizations with the objective of enacting the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ensure victims’ rights for all Americans.[23]
Education
Partnering with retired Orange County Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel, Nicholas in 2008 opened his first Nicholas Academic Center in downtown Santa Ana, California. Nicholas pledged $10 million over 20 years to the project. The centers provide a safe and nurturing school environment to help underprivileged students realize their educational goals. The second center opened in 2009 on the campus of Valley High School in Santa Ana. The first graduating class consisted of 24 high school seniors who received scholarships to leading four-year colleges and universities, including UCLA, Allegheny College, Denison University, UC San Diego, UC Davis and Cal State Fullerton.[24]
In 2004, Nicholas announced a $10-million gift to St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in Orange County and the formation of a partnership with UC Irvine’s engineering school to explore the application of technology to enhance learning. In addition, Nicholas provides St. Margaret scholarships to students from Santa Ana.[25]
Nicholas also supports the Oakland Military Institute, founded by former-Gov. Jerry Brown,[26] donated a new wing to the Mt. Olive School for middle-school aged girls in Kenya and is a donor to the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, California.[27]
Technology
Nicholas has made major contributions to the engineering and computer science programs at the University of California, Irvine. He established The Nicholas Prize, administered by CalIT2 at UC Irvine, which recognizes innovative collaborative research.[28]
He continues to support the UCI Center for Pervasive Communications and Computing and the Center for Embedded Computing Systems.[29]
He has supported UCLA’s School of Engineering through Nicholas Endowment grants to its summer research program, as well as supporting the UCLA Astronomy Department’s Planetarium.[30]
Episcopal Church
Nicholas has a close relationship with the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and its Bishop, J. Jon Bruno. The Nicholas Foundation partnered with the Diocese to establish Chefs Center of California, a small-business incubator in Pasadena, California, that enables culinary entrepreneurs to start and accelerate the successful growth of their enterprises. [31] The Foundation has provided primary financial support for the Chefs Center in the form of a $1,350,000 contribution. [32] The Center, which opened in May 2009, provides professional commercial kitchen space at an average rate of $20/hour and based on a sliding scale according to financial need. [33] The incubator is home to more than 30 entrepreneurs and has launched numerous successful restaurants, catering operations and specialty food companies. [34]
The Nicholas Foundation also supports Mama’s Hot Tamales Café, another partnership with the Episcopal Diocese affiliated with Chefs Center and located in the MacArthur Park neighborhood of Central Los Angeles.[35]
Habitat for Humanity
Nicholas and his Foundation have been a strong supporter of Habitat for Humanity, helping to build Gordon’s House in honor of Rev. Gordon Yeaton, an Episcopal priest and Habitat for Humanity board member who died in 2007.[36] The Foundation has also supported Habitat’s Homes for Heroes, a neighborhood in San Juan Capistrano for disabled veterans and surviving families of veterans who gave their lives in service.[37]
National Defense
Nicholas established the first-ever American Heritage Bowl Game for Historically Black Colleges, co-sponsored by the Navy and Marine Corps.[38] It was held in August 2007 at the stadium at Cal State Fullerton and broadcast worldwide on ESPN and armed forces networks.
Nicholas served as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Commission in Southern California.[39]
And as noted above, he also has supported “Habitat for Heroes” program.[40]
The Arts
The Nicholas Endowment, Dr. Nicholas supports Opera Pacific and the Pacific Symphony,[41] South Coast Repertory, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and Orange County Performing Arts Center.[42]
Music and Media
Nicholas has been instrumental in the success of a number of high-profile groups and artists, including Sublime, the Dirty Heads, Orgy/Julien-K, and Dead By Sunrise, Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington’s solo act.[43]
Awards
During his tenure as Broadcom CEO Nicholas was the recipient of an Orange County Titan Award, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for Electronics, was named as one of the Top 20 Entrepreneurs by Red Herring magazine and one of the World’s Top 50 Cyber Elite by Time Digital Magazine.[44]
Since leaving Broadcom, Nicholas has received the following awards:
- Ronald Reagan Award for Pioneering Achievement in Victims' Rights [44]
- UCI 1st recipient of UCI School of Engineering “ Engineering The Future” award to recognize outstanding achievements in engineering, leadership and industry[45]
- UCLA School of Engineering Alumni of the Year Award [2]
- Association for Deputy District Attorneys Criminal Justice Award for Prop. 66 campaign
- Crime Victims United Award for work on Proposition 66[44]
- Orange County District Attorney Office 2005 Public Safety Award for Prop 66[44]
- San Diego Deputy District Attorneys Awarded the “San Diegans Against Crime Leadership Award 2005”
- Santa Barbara District Prosecutors Award—Appreciation for helping defeat proposition 66 on Nov. 2, 2004
- Lifetime Achievement Award by The Joyful Child Foundation[46]
- Parents of Murdered Children, Inc (POMC) Empty Shoe Award (8/8-10) [2]
- Crime Survivors Star Light, Star Bright award for contribution to crime victims’ rights.[47]
- The National Crime Victim Law Institute Award for Commitment to Crime Victims Rights in Oregon and California
- Assemblyman Todd Spitzer’s Yes on Prop 9: Marsy’s Law Committee In Pursuit of Justice Award for 2008[2]
- Alumni Association Santa Monica High School Alumni Hall of Fame
Personal
Nicholas married in 1987; he and his former wife Stacey, a former electrical engineer, have three children, Brett, Matthew, and Shelby.[48] Nicholas is now divorced and lives in Newport Coast, California.
Nicholas allegedly has been linked to drugs and alcohol abuse in the last decade. In April 2008, he voluntarily checked himself into a Betty Ford alcohol-rehabilitation program and completed treatment at Cliffside Malibu, as he struggled with divorce and the death of his stepfather.[49]
After leaving Broadcom, Nicholas served as a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. He is currently retired.
Federal investigations
In December 2009, U.S. District Court Judge Cormac J. Carney in Santa Ana, CA., threw out securities fraud charges against Nicholas and one month later the government dropped drug distribution charges against him.
Also in December 2009, Judge Carney dismissed a civil lawsuit that the Securities and Exchange Commission had filed against Broadcom executives, “wiping away misconduct allegations that had plagued the Irvine-based microchip giant for years."[50]
In dismissing federal charges that Nicholas, Broadcom co-founder Henry Samueli, and other corporate officers had conspired to illegally backdate stock options, Judge Carney ruled that no crime had been committed, and that prosecutors had “intimidated and improperly influenced” witnesses, “distorted the truth-finding process and compromised the integrity of the trial.” Judge Carney went on to say that “to submit this case to the jury would make a mockery” of the defendants’ constitutional rights.[51]
In 2006, the federal government initiated a widespread probe into the then-popular corporate practice of stock options backdating.[52] More than two dozen executives at various companies were criminally charged, but with few resulting convictions.[53] Among the targets were senior executives at Broadcom. During the technology boom of the 1990s, Nicholas and Samueli granted million of Broadcom options to attract top talent and reward employees for their efforts to help create one of the world’s most successful high-technology companies.
In June, 2008, Nicholas was indicted for felony drug, conspiracy, and securities fraud relating to the backdating of options at Broadcom Corporation.[54][55]
On May 28, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its appeal of Judge Carney’s dismissal of the stock option backdating charges. According to the Los Angeles Times:
- “The decision brought to a close a two-year legal battle between the billionaire executives and the Justice Department.”
- “Late Friday, Nicholas released a statement that said, ‘The decision by the Department of Justice reconfirms my faith in our criminal justice system.”
- “In December, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney dismissed the charges against Samueli and Nicholas, accusing prosecutors of a "shameful" campaign to intimidate witnesses and obtain unjustified convictions.”[56]
Judge Carney, at the time of his December, 2009 ruling, also demanded that the U.S. Attorney’s office in Santa Ana “show cause…why the drug indictment against Dr. Nicholas should not be dismissed.”[51] The next month the government moved to dismiss the drug charges.[57]
See also
- Henry Samueli
- Broadcom
- Marsy's Law
- The Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation
- Nicholas Academic Centers
- Bob Leach
- Marcella Leach
References
- ^ "The World's Billionaires: #655 Henry Nicholas III". Forbes. March 3, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Bio: Henry Nicholas
- ^ a b c d Broadcom Corporation: About Us
- ^ Broadcom.com - Broadcom Announces Resignation of Dr. Henry T. Nicholas III as President and CEO
- ^ a b Marriage of convenience? Law and order champion Todd Spitzer teams with Henry Nicholas, the target of a criminal probe, to push a victims' rights measure.
- ^ balletpedia, "California Victim's Rights Act of 2008: Marsy's Law".
- ^ “Champions for Children” Honored at Fifth Annual Samantha’s Pride Awards | EON: Enhanced Online News
- ^ a b Henry Nicholas, Superhero - Orange County Weekly, July 1, 2004
- ^ Billionaire plans to give away $100 million
- ^ "#236 Henry Nicholas - The Forbes 400 Richest Americans 2009". Forbes. September 30, 2009.
- ^ a b Henry T. Nicholas III - OC Register Wiki
- ^ Naughton, Philippe (June 6, 2008). "Californian billionaire Henry T Nicholas III faces drugs sex and fraud charges". The Times. London.
- ^ 28 years of Nicholas and Samueli
- ^ Broadcom.com - Broadcom Company Timeline
- ^ a b Broadcom.com - Company Fact Sheet
- ^ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13555_3-9962749-34.html
- ^ http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20111006/stories-about-steve/slides/5
- ^ Billionaire plans to give away $100 million
- ^ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13555_3-9962749-34.html
- ^ a b PUBLIC RELATIONS - Success Stories
- ^ Mathews, Joe (November 7, 2004). "How Prospects for Prop. 66 Fell So Far, So Fast - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Three Strikes - News Articles
- ^ On victims' day, Henry Nicholas recalls sister
- ^ Nicholas scholars receive $500,000 in college aid
- ^ St. Margaret's backer pledges $750,000
- ^ Reckard, E. Scott; Christensen, Kim (August 2, 2007). "Beleaguered billionaire Henry Nicholas speaks - Page 5 - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Past Grant Recipients - The Henry T. Nicholas III Foundation
- ^ Calit2 : UCI Division to Administer Nicholas Foundation Prize; Call for Proposals Issued
- ^ Graduate Financial Support | The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine
- ^ Dept of Physics & Astronomy annual Report 2003-04
- ^ Episcopal Housing Alliance and Economic Development - Low Housing Programs, Economic Development - Chefs Center of California
- ^ The Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation
- ^ Chefs Center of California - Our Facility
- ^ Chefs Center of California
- ^ Using a Kitchen Incubator to Get Started - BusinessWeek
- ^ Episcopal News Service - DIOCESAN DIGEST
- ^ Habitat for Humanity of Orange County - Where We Build - On the Drawing Board
- ^ ALL-STAR CLASSIC FOOTBALL DOUBLEHEADER KICKS-OFF IN ORANGE COUNTY JAN. 26, Game Jan 27
- ^ DHS | Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC)
- ^ Dr. Henry T. Nicholas, III Joins Dedication of “Gordon’s House” at Habitat for Humanity Ceremony | EON: Enhanced Online News
- ^ The lighter side of billionaire lost boy Henry T. Nicholas III
- ^ "Culture Monster". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ WMG Names Rob Cavallo Chief Creative Officer - hypebot
- ^ a b c d About Henry Nicholas - The Henry T. Nicholas III Foundation
- ^ Broadcom.com - University of California Irvine
- ^ The Joyful Child Foundation Honors Henry Nicholas with Lifetime Achievement Award
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ Holson, Laura M. (June 26, 2000). "TECHNOLOGY: Networking in Southern California; 'Anti-Silicon Valley' Broadcom Chief Rules in the Wired World". The New York Times.
- ^ Christensen, Kim (April 19, 2008). "Nicholas enters rehab for alcohol - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Pfeifer, Stuart; Reckard, E. Scott (December 16, 2009). "Judge throws out stock fraud charges against Broadcom co-founder, ex-CFO - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Transcript of Judge Cormac Carney Dismissal Ruling in Criminal Case of William Ruehle
- ^ Day, Kathleen (June 14, 2006). "A Crackdown on 'Perfect' Timing". The Washington Post.
- ^ Maremont, Mark (March 9, 2010). "Options Trial to Take New Tack". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Holson, Laura M. (June 6, 2008). "Former Chief of Broadcom Is Indicted". The New York Times.
- ^ Reckard, E. Scott; Christensen, Kim (June 6, 2008). "O.C. tech billionaire indicted: Ex-Broadcom CEO is accused of stock fraud and supplying drugs". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Pfeifer, Stuart (May 29, 2010). "Prosecutors halt case against Broadcom co-founders: The decision closes the Justice Department's two-year legal battle against Henry Samueli and Henry T. Nicholas III". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Billionaire in court over drug charges