Tony Ressler on Creating Opportunity, Finding Resilience, and Rebuilding Atlanta

John Hope Bryant welcomes investor and Ares Management co-founder/executive chairman Tony Ressler, discussing Ressler’s career from Drexel to co-founding Apollo and building Ares, his philosophy that “if you don’t quit, you can’t fail,” and the importance of understanding sources of capital and when to use debt versus equity. They recount how a philanthropic ask for Operation HOPE led to Ressler backing Bryant’s Promise Homes affordable single-family rental venture, including advice on leverage and patience.

Ressler also details Centennial Yards, a major downtown Atlanta redevelopment involving private-public partnership, local investors, new housing, hotels, restaurants, and venues. The conversation emphasizes compassionate capitalism, widening access to education and capital, affordability in housing and healthcare, and preparing students for jobs of the future.

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