The Making of a Blockbuster

Thirty-five years ago, Wayne Huizenga rose before sunup each morning to run his garbage collection route. Today, the sun hasn't yet set on his multibillion-dollar sports, entertainment, and waste management empire. Now, in The Making of a Blockbuster, Business Week reporter Gail DeGeorge gives us the complete inside story of how a rowdy young college dropout-turned-garbage collector rose to become a corporate titan.

Writing in a taut, journalistic style, DeGeorge traces the evolution of Huizenga's business empire, beginning in 1962 when, with $5,000 borrowed from his father-in-law, Huizenga purchased a second-hand garbage truck and a handful of commercial accounts. From this modest start, he built Waste Management, the world's largest waste collection company.

He then managed a string of far-flung and highly profitable business ventures - from portable toilets to pest control - and then grew Blockbuster from l9 video stores to a 3,700-store entertainment conglomerate with annual revenues of more than $4 billion. We learn for the first time the full details behind how he built Blockbuster, in just seven years, through a combination of grit, seat-of-the-pants dealmaking, and sheer entrepreneurial genius. When he sold Blockbuster as part of the sensational 1994 Viacom/Paramount merger, Huizenga emerged as a powerbroker in the entertainment industry.

We also get a behind-the-scenes look at Wayne Huizenga's successful launch into the sports industry, including his unparalleled ownership of three major professional sports franchises - the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Marlins, and the Florida Panthers - as well as Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium. Huizenga has recently purchased a small solid waste company - leading us to wonder if he's now building his third multibillion-dollar corporation.