Background
His father, Steve Riggio, had been a professional boxer who had defeated Rocky Graziano.
His father, Steve Riggio, had been a professional boxer who had defeated Rocky Graziano.
Attended, New York University. Doctor (honorary), City University of New York Baruch College. Doctor (honorary), Bentley College, Waltham, Massachusetts.
Doctor (honorary), Long Island University.
He serves as executive chairman of book store chain Barnes & Noble and has been its largest shareholder since purchasing the company in 1971. Under his leadership the company expanded significantly from a single retail location on 105 Fifth Avenue, New York to a nationwide chain with 600+ stores. While at New York University, Riggio founded the Student Book Exchange in 1965 and turned this small book store into a leading retailer.
He acquired the Barnes & Noble bookstore in New York City in 1971 and adopted its name for his expanding company.
Through the years, he acquired hundreds of bookstores and launched the Barnes & Noble superstore concept with an in-store coffee shop and spacious reading alcoves. Riggio is recognized as being among the first entrepreneurs who turned the elitist world of bookstores into recreational stores.
In 1997, Barnes & Nobles had 483 superstores, 528 mall-based B.Daltons, and sales went up to $2.8 billion. The company went public in 1993.
Riggio launched barnesandnoble.com to compete with Amazon.com for on-line book sales and launched a successful video game retail operation which grew to become GameStop.
By the end of the 20th century, Riggio had built Barnes & Noble into the largest book seller in the world. Since 1985 Riggio is chairman of the board and owner of Mutual Broadcasting System Textbook Exchange, Incorporated. based in Columbia, Missouri. Mutual Broadcasting System is one of the nation"s largest wholesalers of college textbooks.
Riggio is the benefactor of many community organizations and charities, including New York University and the Dia:Beacon art museum in Beacon, New New York
He also established Project Home Again to assist residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, who were affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Project Home Again will spend $20 million from the Riggio Foundation to build new homes in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans.
The pilot phase involves building 20 new homes on Saint Bernard Avenue. On November 10, 2011, the program cut the ribbon on its 101st home.
In addition to rebuilding the homes, the Riggios, through a partnership with Rooms to Go, also furnished the homes.
On November 24, 2012, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu awarded the Riggios keys to the City of New Orleans at a City Council meeting.
Board directors Children’s Defense Fund, Black Children’s Community Crusade, Italian American Foundation, New York Fund Public Schools.
Married; 3 children.