Larry Connor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1950-01-07)7 January 1950 (age 75) Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Space career | |
| Axiom Space | |
Time in space | 17 days, 1 hour and 48 minutes |
| Missions | Axiom Mission 1 |
Larry Connor (born January 7, 1950) is an American real estate and technology business person, as well as a private astronaut.[1] Connor is the head of the Connor Group, areal estate investment firm located inMiamisburg, Ohio.[2]
Born in 1950 inAlbany, New York, Connor graduated from Archbishop Alter High School in 1968 inKettering, Ohio, a suburb ofDayton, and summa cum laude in 1972 fromOhio University inAthens, Ohio[3] where he was a member ofSigma Phi Epsilon. Connor was a member ofWho’s Who of College Students and was one of 22 students out of a class of 4,500 undergraduates selected to the Ohio University J Club.[4]
From 1982 to 1990, Connor owned Orlando Computer Corp.[5] The company had operations in central Florida and Cincinnati, OH, providing hardware and software to businesses. The Connor Group, a real estate investment firm, was founded as Connor, Murphy & Buhrman in 1992. Connor bought out his partners and established the Connor Group in 2003.[6] Over the next 18 years, the Connor Group grew from $100 million in assets to $4 billion.[7]
Connor co-founded Heartland Regional Power in 2004.[8] First Billing Services, anonline payment and bill processing platform also co-founded by Connor, later acquired the firm.[9] In 2007, Connor founded the Connor Group Kids & Community Partners,[10] serving disadvantaged youth in communities where the Connor Group operates.
Connor has been a member of the National Council ofMcLean Hospital since 2008.[11][12] Connor and the Connor Group have received awards including the 2014 Glassdoor Top 50 Best Places to Work in the US, Small and Medium-Sized Companies,[13] a nomination to the Dayton Magazine 2017 Dayton Business Hall of Fame[14] and multiple Dayton Business Journal Top 100 Businesses in the Region.[15]
In 2017, Connor lead fundraising efforts for the redevelopment of TheUniversity of Dayton's indoor stadium,UD Arena. He was tasked with raising $33 million of the $72 million total. Connor made a substantial donation himself, before finding other donors to raise the amount required.[16] The stadium opened in 2019 following its renovation.
Connor co-founded First Billing Services in 2003, which provided payment solutions to utility and municipal government clients. In 2019, it was announced that it would be acquired byAtlanta-based,Paya Inc.[17]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Connor made efforts to help alleviate effects of the pandemic for his employees. On April 23, 2020, he donated $1.6 million as bonuses to his associates, which was given to those on salaries under $150,000 per year.[18] He also agreed to fundchildcare expenses and expanded the company-sponsored loan program.[19]
Connor is a private pilot involved in several aerobatic competitions.[20]
In 1983, Connor had a single start in theAtlantic Championship, namedFormula Mondial North America at the time, and raced intermittently at various levels of SCCA and Formula 2000 competition since, as well as vintage racing. In 2000 and 2001, Connor was the winner of theSCCA Formula Atlantic National Championship. He also raced in 2002 to defend his title.[21] Later that year, he competed in the2002 24 Hours of Daytona.[22]
In 2003, Connor was part of the winning team atPetit Le Mans in the LMP675 class.[23] Connor also competed in the2004 24 Hours of Le Mans.[24] In 2005, Connor signed with Genoa Racing to make hisInfiniti Pro Series debut at theLiberty Challenge, but an airborne crash during qualifying left him out of the event, being credited with a finishing position despite not starting the race.[25] He later came back atWatkins Glen, finishing 8th in his only start in the series.[26]
Connor is the founder of Team C Racing. Competing in the Truck Spec class, Connor won theBaja 1000 in 2014.[16] In June 2016, the team won theBaja 500 Trophy Truck Spec series. Team C Racing recorded a winning time of ten hours and 33 minutes, two hours in front of the second placed team.[27]
In April 2021, Connor completed three dives in theHadal zone, part of thePacific Ocean with depths below 20,000 ft. The dives were completed alongsidePatrick Lahey, with the aim of better understanding of the geologic and biologic makeup of the Hadal zone. The three dives coveredChallenger Deep,Sirena Deep and a seamount in theMariana Trench.[28] Prior to April 2021, only two other people had explored theSirena Deep:Victor Vescovo andAlan Jamieson in 2018.[29] Connor reported that he aimed to go both to space and to the deepest part of the ocean within the same year.[30]
On April 8, 2022, Connor was a private astronaut onAxiom Mission 1, traveling to theInternational Space Station (ISS).[31] The mission was the first all-private space mission to the International Space Station, with Connor one of a four-member crew, serving as pilot.[31][32] At 72 years of age, Connor was the second oldest person to enter orbit, afterJohn Glenn who entered space aged 77.[33][34] Connor took heart cells to the ISS' microgravity laboratory.[35]
In May 2024, it was announced that Connor was behind the design and building of a $20 million submersible, the Triton 4000/2 Abyssal Explorer, and planned to voyage to the wreck of theOceanGate Titan submersible implosion withTriton Submarines co-founderPatrick Lahey to prove that a journey to theTitanic site is possible, and safe, and that the industry had made improvements in the wake of the OceanGate implosion.[36][37]
In September 2024, Larry Connor received theNational Aviation Hall of Fame’s Armstrong Award, recognizing his leadership and innovation in aviation and aerospace.[38]
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 |  Intersport Racing | Jon Field Duncan Dayton | Lola B01/60 | LMP1 | 29 | DNF | DNF |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points |
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| 2005 | Genoa Racing | HOM | PHO | STP | INDY | TEX | IGP 14 | NSH | MIL | KEN | PPI | SON | CHI | WGI 8 | CAL | 20th | 40 |
Media related toLarry Connor at Wikimedia CommonsSpace tourist missions | |
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