Chairman's Non-Linear Path to Long-Term Success Highlighted in Recent Daily Cover

NAPLES (Feb. 1, 2026) - In “My First Investment,” a Forbes series by reporter Luisa Kroll, business leaders share the risks, lessons and turning points that shaped their success. David Hoffmann recently joined the series to discuss his own journey—from early challenges to building one of the largest family offices in the world.

The piece notes that Hoffmann Family of Companies has investments in over 125 businesses in various industries including Linstol, the largest maker of in-flight passenger comforts and accessories such as headsets and amenities bags; Archer Wire, which made over 1.1 million football face masks last year, supplying all types of teams, from youth leagues to the NFL; and Oberweis Dairy, which delivers pasteurized milk in glass bottles. DHR [Global], the firm that seeded it all, now has 50 offices. 

As for the lessons he’s learned from failure over the years, Hoffmann says, “I would tell my 20-year-old self to look at the downside as well as the upside, and always ask, why hasn’t someone else made this investment?,” adding that “I would be patient and go with trusted performance, if I had it to do all over again.”

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