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: 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.
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.
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.
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.
2018: LeBron James Departs from Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers experienced a tumultuous period following LeBron James' departure from the team in 2018.
2018: Purchase of Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com
Dan Gilbert acquired the online dictionaries Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com in late 2018.
2018: Detroit Removed from Amazon HQ2 Contenders
Amazon narrowed its list of potential locations for its second headquarters in 2018, and Detroit was not included among the finalists.
May 26, 2019: Gilbert Suffers Stroke
Dan Gilbert was hospitalized and treated for a stroke on May 26, 2019, at the age of 57.
August 2020: Quicken Loans Goes Public as Rocket Companies
Quicken Loans went public in August 2020 under the name Rocket Companies, debuting on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol "RKT".
2020: Donation to COVID-19 Relief in Detroit
Dan Gilbert contributed $1.2 million to support COVID-19 relief initiatives in Detroit in 2020.
2021: Gilbert Serves as Chairman of Quicken Loans
As of 2021, Dan Gilbert held the position of chairman at Quicken Loans, Inc.
January 2023: Forbes Estimates Gilbert's Net Worth
In January 2023, Forbes estimated Dan Gilbert's net worth to be US$18.3 billion.
May 6, 2023: Death of Nick Gilbert
Nick Gilbert, Dan Gilbert's eldest son, passed away on May 6, 2023, after a long battle with neurofibromatosis.
2023: Death of Nick Gilbert
Dan Gilbert's eldest son, Nick Gilbert, who had neurofibromatosis, passed away in 2023 at the age of 26.