Armen Tavitian

Armen Tavitian (Armenian: Արմեն Տաւիտյան; born January 4, 1950) is an Armenian-American billionaire businessman and sports tycoon. He is the owner and co-founder of A&L Foods, an American snack foods company. He is also the owner of the Memphis Captains of Major League Baseball (MLB), the Captains' Triple-A minor league affiliate the Pontiac HotRods, and the Memphis Belles of Major League Women's Baseball (MLWB); as well as a co-owner of the World Hockey Association with his son Eddie. He is also a co-owner of WGTW-TV, and is majority owner of Silverdome Ventures, LLC, the ownership group for Meijer Park (the HotRods' home ballpark) and the neighboring Meijer Silverdome.

Early life
Armen Tavitian was born in, into an Armenian family.

Tavitian moved to the in 1969 to study at  in,.

A&L Foods
In 1977, Tavitian and partner Leonard Agnello founded A&L Foods, a snack food firm based out of a Quonset hut on Agnello's father's property. The funds they raised to start the business included a $50,000 loan from the and a combined $18,000 of the two's own separate savings.

Memphis Captains
On September 16, 2010, Tavitian agreed to purchase the Memphis Captains from Paul J. Shields. Shields announced the sale of the team to Tavitian the following day. The terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed, other than a verbal commitment to keep the team in Memphis. The sale was finalized on January 1, 2011.

Pontiac HotRods
In 2012, Tavitian purchased the Pontiac HotRods, the Captains' Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate, from.

Meijer Silverdome
In 2013, Tavitian purchased the Pontiac Silverdome, adjacent to the HotRods' home ballpark of Meijer Park, for $1 from Triple Investment Group. He commissioned an extension renovation and modernization of the venue, replacing the old air-supported roof with a new fixed roof. The re-christened Meijer Silverdome re-opened in 2016. Tavitian is the majority owner of Silverdome Ventures, LLC, which owns the two venues.

Personal life
Tavitian lives in, but also owns a home in for the purpose of living near the Captains' base of operations.