FOUNDER/CEO , KIND LENDING
WHY:In 1989, founded Stearns Lending, which he built to 2,700 employees and more than 100 retail locations. In 2015, sold a majority stake to Blackstone in one of the largest acquisitions of a private lending company ever made in the U.S. In 2019, he began Santa Ana-based Kind Lending.
IN THE NEWS:Hosted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at event at Newport Coast home over 4th of July weekend.
NOTABLE:Was first star of “Undercover Billionaire” TV show. QUOTABLE: “Growing up, I was labeled ‘the biggest loser’ and ‘most likely to fail.’ The odds were clearly stacked against me.”
