Business & brands / Sports
Peter Karmanos Jr.
born 1943 · co-founder and CEO of Compuware, hockey team owner
Son of Greek immigrant restaurateurs who co-founded Compuware and brought its headquarters and thousands of workers to downtown Detroit in 2003.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan
age 83- Also known as
- Pete Karmanos
- Detroit years
- 1943–present
- Field
- Business & brands, Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Karmanos was born in Detroit, the eldest child of Greek immigrants who ran a small restaurant. He attended Henry Ford High School and Cass Technical High School and graduated from Wayne State University. In 1973 he co-founded the software and services company Compuware with Thomas Thewes and Allen Cutting, and as CEO grew it into one of the largest software firms in the country. In 2003 he moved Compuware's headquarters from the suburbs into a new 15-story building on Campus Martius, one of the first big corporate moves back downtown; Dan Gilbert's Quicken Loans later took over the building. A longtime hockey man, he owned the Hartford Whalers and moved them to North Carolina as the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the 2006 Stanley Cup, and ran junior and minor-league teams in Michigan. The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit is named for his first wife, who died of breast cancer.
Highlights
- Co-founded Compuware in Detroit in 1973
- Moved Compuware's headquarters to Campus Martius in 2003
- Owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, 2006 Stanley Cup champions
- Karmanos Cancer Institute named for his late wife Barbara Ann
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 5
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Founded · 2003–2014
One Campus Martius (former Compuware Building)
Compuware's downtown headquarters, completed in 2003; sold to Bedrock in 2014 and now Rocket's headquarters.
Memorial
Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Detroit's cancer research and treatment center, named for his first wife.
Studied here · 1950s
Cass Technical High School
He attended Detroit's selective technical high school.
Studied here · until 1973
Wayne State University
He graduated from Detroit's public research university in 1973.
Worked here · 2003–2011
One Campus Martius (former Compuware headquarters)
Downtown office tower built as Compuware's headquarters, opened in 2003.