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Byron D. Trott Named 2011 Horatio Alger Award Recipient
Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of BDT Capital Partners, LLC to be Inducted this Spring for Achieving Success Despite Humble Beginnings

WASHINGTON, February 4, 2011 – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is pleased to announce that Byron D. Trott, managing partner and chief investment officer of BDT Capital Partners, LLC will receive the 2011 Horatio Alger Award in recognition of his personal and professional achievements despite humble beginnings.

Trott will be formally inducted into the association when he accepts the Horatio Alger Award on April 8, 2011, in Washington, D.C. Recipients of the award have overcome adversity to achieve admirable accomplishments, to serve as examples of achieving the American Dream, and to offer countless hours and resources to help others in need.

“We are pleased to induct Byron Trott into the Horatio Alger Association and pay tribute to his success in the face of hardship,” said Tony Novelly, president and CEO, Horatio Alger Association. “The 2011 members are extraordinary role models of strength, resolve and achievement and will help to continue our mission of helping young people achieve similar success.”

Trott was born in 1958 and grew up in the small town of Union, Missouri. He and his three older sisters lived modestly in a small home with their parents, who stressed the importance of hard work, education and strong values. Inspired by the work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit of his parents, Trott opened a young adult clothing store in his hometown at the age of 17.

He then attended the University of Chicago, where, along with his parents’ financial contributions, his education was paid for through loans, scholarships and his work in the library through the school’s work study program. Trott entered a combined program where he earned his undergraduate degree and MBA in five years, and was a four-year varsity letterman starter in football and baseball.  He received numerous awards, including the Amos Alonzo Stagg Medal awarded to the senior male athlete with the best all around record for athletics, scholarship and character, the Abram L. Harris Achievement Prize for academic achievement, and the Lowell J. Meyer Award for Scholastic excellence and leadership.  

Trott began his career at Goldman Sachs in 1982 in Securities Sales in New York and then moved to the firm’s St. Louis office in 1983.  He transferred to the Investment Banking Division in New York in 1989, and moved to the Chicago office one year later.  He became a partner overseeing the Midwest business in 1994 and became vice chairman of Investment Banking in 2005. In 2009, Mr. Trott ended his 27-year career with Goldman Sachs to found BDT Capital Partners, LLC, a family-owned private partnership that invests in and advises family-controlled and entrepreneurial companies. He serves on the boards of Hyatt Hotel Corporation, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Pilot Flying J.

Trott established and supports both the Jeff Metcalf Fellows Program and the College Careers in Business program at the University of Chicago. These programs supplement undergraduates’ academic training with graduate school business courses and “real world” work experience before graduating from the college. In 2010 alone, more than 300 college students benefitted through partnerships in one or both of these programs.  Trott also serves on the boards of the University of Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago and Conservation International.  His Trott Family Foundation contributes to education, conservation and the arts.

Trott will be honored among 11 other remarkable individuals who will receive the 2011 award for their hard work, self-reliance and perseverance:

• Roger Eugene Ailes, Chairman and CEO, FOX News Channel and Chairman,  Fox Television Stations Group
• Anousheh Ansari, Co-Founder and CEO, Prodea Systems, Inc. and Spaceflight Participant, Russian Space Program
• Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York and Founder and Owner,Bloomberg, L.P.
• Leonardo DiCaprio,  Actor and Film Producer
• Frederic V. Malek, Founder and Chairman, Thayer Lodging Group
• Harry S. Patten, Founder, Chairman and CEO, National Land Partners, LLC and Inland Management
• Josue “Joe” Robles Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
• James E. “Jim” Rohr, Chairman and CEO, PNC Financial Services Group (PNC Bank)
• Glenn Stearns, Chairman and Owner, Stearns Corporation
• Rick Waugh, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Scotiabank (International Award Recipient–Canada)
• Herbert A. “Herbie” Wertheim, Chairman and CEO, Brain Power, Inc., Chairman, Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation, and Founding Chairman, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Florida International University

In addition, the 2011 Norman Vincent Peale Award will be presented to Doré Energy Corporation President William J. Doré. The Norman Vincent Peale Award is annually conferred on an association member who has made exceptional humanitarian contributions to society, who has been an active participant in the association, and who continues to exhibit courage, tenacity and integrity in the face of great challenges. The award is named in honor of Dr. Peale, who has been an outstanding leader of the association for more than 40 years. 

The 2011 members will receive their awards at the 2011 Horatio Alger Awards Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. Activities include three days of meetings and celebrations in some of the nation’s most historic buildings. The Horatio Alger National Scholars, remarkable high school seniors who have excelled despite adversity, also will be formally honored during the three-day gathering.

A complete list of all of the Horatio Alger Members can be found at http://www.horatioalger.org/members.cfm.

About The Horatio Alger Association
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. The Horatio Alger Association offers three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program, state scholarship programs, and graduate grants. The association will have awarded more than $87 million in scholarships through 2012 to at-risk students determined to earn college degrees. The association is a Combined Federal Campaign participant; # 77062. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org

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