David Hoffmann is the founder and chairman of the Hoffmann Family of Companies, a diversified family-owned enterprise operating more than 115 distinct brands in 30 countries. He previously served as CEO of the company, which has more than 9,000 employees working at 250 facilities worldwide.
He began building the Hoffmann Family of Companies in the 1980s. He founded DHR International (now DHR Global) in 1989 and grew it into the world’s largest privately held executive search firm. Osprey Capital, LLC, the Hoffmanns’ family investment office, followed shortly after.
The Hoffmann Family of Companies now includes businesses in ten sectors including agriculture, aviation, financial services, industrial manufacturing, marine, media and marketing, professional services, real estate, and transportation. Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate, the firm’s real estate business, manages assets worth more than $1 billion in communities across the United States and is credited with revitalizing downtown areas in places as diverse as Naples, Florida; Winnetka, Illinois; Mackinac Island, Michigan; and Avon, Colorado.
Today, Mr. Hoffmann is leading a $150 million effort to transform the Augusta, Missouri, area into the Midwest’s premier wine tourism destination — as he puts it, “the Napa Valley of the Midwest.” Augusta is the first federally recognized wine-growing region in the United States, predating California, and he aims to turn it into a world-class producer and exporter of unique vintages.
He has also long been active in philanthropic circles in his native Missouri, in Florida, and nationally. Notable causes to which he and his family have given significant support include the Boys and Girls Club of Naples (Florida), the Everglades Foundation, JDRF (a major diabetes research institution), and the Children’s Home & Aid Society. He continues to serve on the board of directors for the Naples Children & Education Foundation, which provides support to vulnerable children and families across southwest Florida.
Mr. Hoffmann grew up in rural Missouri under difficult circumstances — his home had no running water until he was well into his teens. He attended Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) on a football scholarship, then transferred to the University of Central Missouri. In 2023, he received a Horatio Alger Award for his achievements in the face of adversity and received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from his alma mater UCM. He earned spots on the Forbes Billionaires List in 2022 and 2023.
He lives in Naples, Florida, with Jerri, his wife of more than 50 years. The Hoffmanns have three children and 12 grandchildren. Sons Geoff and Greg currently serve as the Hoffmann Family of Companies’ co-chief executives.
