History of Dan Gilbert in Timeline

Daniel Gilbert is an American billionaire entrepreneur known for co-founding Rocket Mortgage and owning various sports teams. His ventures include Rock Ventures and ownership of the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA), Cleveland Monsters (AHL), and Cleveland Charge (NBA G League). Gilbert also owns the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. As of January 2023, his estimated net worth was US$18.3 billion according to Forbes.

January 17, 1962: Birth of Dan Gilbert

Dan Gilbert was born on January 17, 1962.

1985: Founding of Rock Financial

In 1985, Dan Gilbert, along with Ron Berman, Lindsay Gross, and his brother Gary Gilbert, founded Rock Financial.

2000: Intuit Acquires Rock Financial

In 2000, software company Intuit Inc. purchased Rock Financial and renamed its web operations to Quicken Loans.

2002: Gilbert Repurchases Quicken Loans

Dan Gilbert, along with a group of private investors, repurchased Quicken Loans and Title Source, Inc. from Intuit in 2002.

2005: Gilbert Acquires Cleveland Cavaliers

In 2005, Dan Gilbert purchased the Cleveland Cavaliers for $375 million, a record price for an NBA team at the time.

2006: Gilbert Purchases Cleveland Monsters

Dan Gilbert purchased the Cleveland Monsters, a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, in 2006.

2007: Launch of Bizdom

Dan Gilbert established the nonprofit organization Bizdom in 2007 to foster both technological and traditional brick-and-mortar entrepreneurship in Detroit and Cleveland.

2007: Agreement to Move Headquarters to Detroit

In 2007, Dan Gilbert and the city of Detroit announced an agreement to relocate the company's headquarters to downtown Detroit.

November 2009: Support for Casino Gaming Referendum

In November 2009, Dan Gilbert and his partners successfully supported a statewide referendum to introduce casino gaming to Ohio's four largest cities.

August 2010: Quicken Loans Headquarters Move to Detroit

Quicken Loans relocated its headquarters, along with 1,700 employees, to downtown Detroit in August 2010.

2010: Relocation to Detroit's Urban Core

By the end of 2010, all 3,600 Michigan-based employees had moved into Detroit's urban core.

May 2012: Opening of Jack Cleveland Casino

May 2012 marked the opening of the first casino, Jack Cleveland Casino, resulting from the joint venture between Gilbert's group and Caesars Entertainment Corporation.

September 2012: Joining The Giving Pledge

Dan Gilbert and his wife, Jennifer Gilbert, made a commitment to donate half of their wealth to philanthropic causes during their lifetimes by joining The Giving Pledge in September 2012.

September 2013: Appointment to Blight Removal Task Force

Dan Gilbert was appointed as co-chair of the Blight Removal Task Force in September 2013.

2013: Acquisition of Greektown Casino-Hotel

Rock Ventures, the umbrella company for Gilbert's investments, formed Athens Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of Rock Gaming, and acquired a majority stake in Greektown Superholdings Inc., the owner of the Greektown Casino-Hotel in downtown Detroit in 2013.

May 2014: Publication of Detroit Blight Removal Plan

The Blight Removal Task Force, co-chaired by Gilbert, released a comprehensive plan in May 2014 to eliminate all blighted structures and vacant lots in Detroit.

2015: Donation to Chris Christie's Presidential Campaign

Dan Gilbert donated $750,000 to Chris Christie's presidential campaign in 2015.

2015: Purchase of Book Tower

Dan Gilbert purchased the Book Tower in Detroit for $30 million in 2015.

September 2016: Donation to Wayne State University Law School

Dan Gilbert made a $5 million donation to Wayne State University Law School in September 2016.

2016: Cleveland Cavaliers Win NBA Championship

The Cleveland Cavaliers, under Dan Gilbert's ownership, won their first NBA championship in 2016.

September 2017: Leadership of Amazon HQ2 Bid Committee

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan appointed Dan Gilbert to head a committee tasked with preparing a bid to attract Amazon's second North American headquarters to the city in September 2017.

November 2017: Investment in 100 Thieves

In November 2017, it was announced that Dan Gilbert had made a multimillion-dollar investment in the esports organization 100 Thieves.

2017: Rock Financial Becomes Largest Retail Mortgage Lender

In the fourth quarter of 2017, Rock Financial became the largest retail mortgage lender in the United States by volume.

2017: Gilbert Recognized for Role in Detroit's Development

Politico Magazine recognized Dan Gilbert's influence in Detroit's development, referring to him as one of "America's 11 Most Interesting Mayors" in 2017, despite not holding the office of mayor.