As the man who made Jeffery Epstein professionally, the longtime head of Victoria’s Secret stepped down from his retail giant, seemingly finished. This is the inside story of how 86-year-old Les Wexner quietly engineered one of the biggest semiconductor projects in history.

Ohio’s richest resident, Wexner owns the New Albany Company, which is headquartered just a few miles away from Johnstown in the tiny suburb of New Albany, which Wexner started building in the 1980s. He still lives there today, and it was his development firm that secured the land for Intel to nab the mega-deal at the last minute.

When Wexner stepped down from L Brands and out of the spotlight in 2020 amid scrutiny over his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, many may have thought the retail mogul, now 86, was retiring after nearly six decades to quietly enjoy his billions. But, it turns out, he was just getting started. As new reporting by Forbes reveals, when local leaders didn’t have a site that fit the ultra specific conditions needed for chip production, which include access to millions of gallons of water a day, they reached out to Wexner’s New Albany Company. Within three days, it had come up with a proposal for the plot in Johnstown.

0:00 Intro
0:24 Who is Les Wexner
1:21 Wexner and Epstein's relationship
3:33 The New Albany Company’s deal with Intel
7:17 Residents react to the Intel deal
8:41 When and why did Wexner start the New Albany Company
10:56 The New Albany Company thrives despite Epstein controversy
13:41 Current state of the Intel construction site
16:11 What will be the aftermath of the deal for surrounding communities
18:50 Is this deal good for Ohio
20:23 What do Ohio residents think of Wexner

Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2024/04/10/les-wexners-second-life-how-the-epstein-tarnished-billionaire-is-quietly-reshaping-ohio/?sh=94ef9b16a91d

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