Jamie Salter Accepts Father of the Year Honor Surrounded by Family
NEW YORK — There’s only one thing Jamie Salter loves more than making a deal — his family.
So it’s no surprise that the founder and chief executive officer of Authentic Brands Group was all smiles at the Sheraton Times Square Thursday afternoon when he accepted his Father of the Year award from the National Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Council.
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Salter joins Babe Ruth, Frank Sinatra, Jesse Owens, George W. Bush and a long list of esteemed men who have been awarded the accolade over the past 82 years.
“This is by far the best honor I’ve had in my career,” Salter told WWD in between hugs and handshakes. “Family for me is everything.”
Salter and his wife Sheryl have four sons — Corey, Matthew, Tyler and Dylan — all of whom work for Authentic. All but Dylan were able to attend the luncheon, leading Salter to joke that Dylan was now his fourth favorite son. He and Sheryl — the love of his life for 37 years, he said — also have four daughters-in-law and six grandchildren. And for the record, Dylan tuned in via FaceTime to watch his dad get the award.
It was his three sons in attendance who presented their dad with the award, saying that he provides them with “endless wisdom and has been there for us at every stage of our lives and guided us to become the best versions of ourselves,” said Corey, the eldest of the four. “Our dad is much more than just a father, he is our mentor, friend and confidante.” They also showed a video of the Salter family over the years that ended with snippets of his grandkids saying how much they loved their zaide, the Yiddish term for grandfather.
In accepting the award, Salter told the room — many of whom had firsthand knowledge of his unrelenting drive to continue to build his $29 billion portfolio — “I guess I have a heart.”
But he quickly added: “I wouldn’t be where I was today without my family. And that extends beyond the four walls of our home to our business. In 2010, I started Authentic and moved my family to the U.S.A. from Canada. My oldest son Corey started the company with me 14 years ago and my other three sons joined us along the way. There’s no better feeling for me than having built Authentic with my four boys.”
In addition to Salter, the luncheon honored John Mulholland, retired lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, a career Special Forces officer who commanded special operations task forces in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Mulholland was ill and unable to attend but his son, also an Army officer, accepted the award on his behalf. Because of security reasons, the son could not be identified by name.
And finally, the 2024 All-Star Dad award was presented to Vincent Vargas, an Army veteran, actor, writer, producer and father of eight. His stepdaughter, 19-year-old Taylor, wrote an essay outlining why he deserved to be recognized that she read at the event.
Vargas said, in his opinion, there’s no such thing as a stepdad and he loves all his children equally, regardless of whether or not they are biologically his. He said that after having his first child at 19, he joined the Army as a way to support his family.
But he admitted he felt like a “fraud,” getting the award because he had missed so many of his older childrens’ events. But once he married his current wife, he made it a point to attend every ballgame, recital or school play. He also did his part to give back to his community, founding the men’s group, Light the Fuse, that teaches wellness practices to men — many of them veterans — to help them lead more fulfilling lives.
The luncheon benefited the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Boys Hope Girls Hope. In the past eight-plus decades, the Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Council has donated more than $35 million to charity.
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