THR's Power Business Managers 2012

Fred Nigro co-founded his firm in 1981 and has shepherded it through more than three decades of growth. The company now has a stable of about 500 clients. Nigro’s best-known client is David Letterman — though he is loath to name others. “They either want you 100 percent of the time working on their affairs or get very jealous if they think you are not looking after their affairs — that’s why business managers don’t get out there,” he explains.

Nigro says his firm’s sports practice is expanding rapidly. Athletes account for about 20 percent of its client base, whereas they were “barely on the radar” a decade ago. “Athletes only in the last 10 years have started to make really significant money like they do now,” he says.