By John Hope Bryant
Today is my friend Tony Ressler’s birthday, and I want to take a moment to say something publicly that I’ve said to him privately more than once: the world is better because Tony Ressler is in it.
Most people know Tony by his résumé. He helped build two of the most consequential investment firms of our generation, first as a co-founder of Apollo and then as co-founder of Ares Management, which he grew into one of the most respected global alternative investment firms in the world. Since 2015, he has been the principal owner of our Atlanta Hawks, and he has treated that franchise not as a trophy but as a trust, something that belongs to this city and its people.
That’s the résumé. But I want to talk about the man.
A mentor who tells you the truth
Every leader needs someone in their corner who will tell them the truth, especially when the truth isn’t what they want to hear. Tony is that person for me.
He is one of the sharpest business minds I have ever known. He sees around corners. He asks the question nobody else in the room thought to ask, and then he waits, patiently, for you to arrive at the answer yourself. That’s not just intelligence. That’s mentorship.
So many memories and remembrances of Tony and me. From the simple things, like Tony’s many pieces of good advise, such as ‘you make money during the day, you build wealth in your sleep.’ or this jewel, ‘if you don’t quiet, you can’t fail.’ He says this with much more flair (smile). Or the many times when I witnessed Tony’s business decisions first hand, guided by his core values and principles. Or the one time, when I experienced Tony standing between me and a bad deal, suggested by someone trying to take advantage. Tony Ressler, wasn’t having any of it.
A partner who puts capital where his convictions are
There’s a lot of talk in this country about closing the wealth gap. Tony doesn’t talk about it. He invests in it.
When I set out to build Promise Homes, an effort to bring affordable single-family homes, and with them a path toward ownership and stability, to working families, Tony didn’t just offer encouragement. He backed it. He put real capital and his real reputation behind the idea that you can do well and do good at the same time, and that the two aren’t in conflict.
That is what I mean when I talk about Capitalism for All. Not charity. Not a handout. Capital, deployed with conscience, by people who understand that an economy works best when more people own a piece of it. Tony understands that in his bones.
A friend who gives – back
Tony Ressler is one of the leaders most responsible for my ceaseless and sustained focus on and around Financial Literacy, and was one of the founding members of the Financial Literacy for All Initiative — and a strong backer of Operation HOPE as well.
A friend, full stop
Titles come and go. Markets go up and down. Teams win and lose. What lasts is character, and the people who show up for you when nobody is watching.
Tony shows up. He shows up for his family, for his partners, for Atlanta, and for his friends. I count myself lucky to be among them.
To Tony, Jami Gertz and the entire family — thanks for being the change we want to see in our world.
So Tony, happy birthday, my brother. Thank you for your wisdom, your partnership, your generosity, and your friendship. Here’s to many more years of building things that matter.
With love and respect,
John Hope Bryant
John Hope Bryant — founder of Bryant Group Ventures, Operation HOPE, Inc, publisher of the Bryant Journal and author of his 7th book Capitalism for All: Inclusive Economics and the Future Proofing of America, now a bestseller. Bryant was recently recognized as a member of the Forbes 250 Greatest Living Self Made Americans, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of America itself. Get the book →
