(Photo Provided)
By David Dykes
Anita Zucker is as gracious as she is influential.
Zucker is chair of The InterTech Group, Inc. (TIG), a privately held global company she co-founded with her late husband, Jerry Zucker.
She served as CEO from 2008 to 2022, overseeing a diverse portfolio that spans aerospace, specialty chemicals, real estate, and entertainment.
TIG, based in North Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the largest private companies in the United States, with significant investments in both public and private markets, including equity, debt, and real estate holdings.
Before joining TIG, Zucker spent over a decade as an elementary school teacher.
And by dedicating her life and wealth to helping the less fortunate and supporting policies and practices that make a difference in the lives of young children and their families, Zucker has been named recipient of the C. Dan Adams Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award is bestowed upon someone each year whom our committee feels has made an indelible impact in both the South Carolina business community and through their philanthropic pursuits in the state as well.
"Few people have done as much for the state of South Carolina as Anita Zucker. Her heart for philanthropy and her impressive work leading the InterTech Group has helped put the South Carolina business community on the map,” said Adams. “We are proud to honor Anita for all that she has achieved and all the contributions she has made to our state."
Zucker holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Florida and a Master’s in Educational Administration and Supervision from the University of North Florida.
She has received honorary doctorates from multiple institutions, including the Medical University of South Carolina, Clemson University, and Yeshiva University.
A daughter of Holocaust survivors, Zucker has held leadership roles at the University of Florida, College of Charleston, Clemson University, and Yeshiva University.
She has also served on boards of organizations such as the American Red Cross, MUSC, Trident Technical College, and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.
Anita Zucker’s extensive civic and philanthropic work has earned her numerous accolades.
These include the 2022 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Order of the Palmetto.
She has also received the Distinguished Alumnus and President’s Awards from the University of Florida, and the Wilkins Award for Excellence in Civic Leadership.
Recognized as a South Carolina Ambassador for Economic Development and honored in Marquis Who’s Who of Professional Women, Zucker continues to be a driving force in education, community development, and philanthropy across South Carolina and the nation.
In an interview, she said, “I have to say that my success led from spending hours sitting down with my husband when he got sick, learning from him. He taught me everything he could teach me in the 21 months that we had together.”
She added, “And I would say one of the biggest things I learned is the importance of the team – having a great leadership team and just a team of people that work with you. Forging relationships is something that I believe in very strongly and respecting others as well. And so being able to form relationships with all the people that I was working with and making sure that they would gain respect from me while I also had to gain respect from them.”
Her late husband, Jerry Zucker, made a habit of taking things apart and putting them back together, often improving their function in the process.
He also believed in the value of a great team, strong leadership and maintaining capital for growth. This formula for success created The InterTech Group, Inc. of today, a highly productive enterprise operating in a world of diverse business sectors.
By the time Jerry Zucker passed away in 2008, after a battle with cancer, he was credited with over 300 patents and had successfully completed billions of dollars of merger, acquisition, and public offering transactions.
The InterTech Group's portfolio of investments and subsidiaries includes Fortune 500 companies and spans industries like polymers, advanced materials, and medical devices.
The InterTech Group, Inc. created The InterTech Group Foundation in 2004 for the purpose of making a difference in the community through giving.
The Foundation awards grants to qualified charitable organizations. Applications may be submitted for general operating support, special project support, or capital/building support.
Applications are accepted only from nonprofit organizations that have received 501(c)(3) designation from the I.R.S., or from tax-supported entities such as governmental offices or educational institutions.
Asked what she would tell her younger self, Anita Zucker replied, “I would tell my younger self to have patience also, to have patience but to never give up, to always put forth effort and to be as positive as I possibly can as I try to make my way through whatever it is I want to be.”
Her proudest accomplishment, she said, is her three children.
“And I’m really proud because they value education,” she said. “They value the same kinds of things that I value, that their father valued, that we value in our company.”
brbr Founder Tony Deering turns passion for protection into fast-growing business Read More »
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here