Mark Hoplamazian was a freshly minted MBA graduate when consummate dealmaker Jay Pritzker hired him to work on new investments and acquisitions in 1989. Almost immediately, the 25-year-old grandson of Armenian Christian immigrants found himself in an awkward position within the tightly knit Jewish family business.
"He came in and nobody could spell or pronounce 'Hoplamazian,' so I named him 'Steinberg,'" said Tom Pritzker, who has succeeded his late father as head of The Pritzker Organization, the financial and investment adviser to family businesses. His intent was to engage in a bit of humor. Hoplamazian responded by drafting a letter explaining the history of the Armenian people, who have endured centuries of persecution, and the origins of his name, which dates to his great-great-grandfather and means "someone who is quite serious." He ended the missive on a playful note, he recalls, writing something like: "If you haven't been convinced by this, and 'Steinberg' is the ultimate decision, then I'm going to need an invitation to (your Passover) Seder." His diplomacy wowed the Pritzkers.
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