page_title: Paul Fireman
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: Paul Fireman / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: English: Paul and Phyllis Fireman at a junior high school dance in 1957
context_page_description: Paul Fireman is an American businessman and humanitarian who for 26 years led Reebok International, Ltd. as Chairman and CEO to become one of the most popular athletic shoe companies worldwide. Beyond financial success, he is well known as a business visionary and a champion for human rights. Fireman challenged corporate America to become more socially responsible and demonstrated that all corporations could succeed financially, while simultaneously serving the public good. He sold Reebok to Adidas in 2005, but his life and business ventures continue to reflect his philanthropy in serving people and communities throughout the country today.
context_section_description: Fireman and his wife Phyllis (née Brenner) grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts and met at age 12 at a YMHA mixer. Paul states it was love at first sight and said, “I knew the minute I met her it was my destiny” (Interview with Paul Fireman April 2020). They were married in May 1964 and have three grown children and nine grandchildren.
  Fireman and his wife, Phyllis, are competitive bridge players. In 2014, his team won the Roth Open Swiss Teams at the Summer North American Bridge Championship (NABC) in Las Vegas and subsequently captured the bronze medal representing the U.S. in Chennai, India at the World Bridge Championships in 2015.
caption: Paul and Phyllis (Brenner) Fireman at a junior high school dance in 1957.
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