Gus Stavros
Gus A. Stavros is an American entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist. Born in New Jersey, he is the founder of the Stavros Institute in Largo and the Pinellas Education Foundation, two organizations whose aims are to improve the quality of public education in Pinellas County, Florida. The organizations, which operate the business education programs Enterprise Village and Finance Park, have raised over $140 million to support students and teachers in Pinellas County. Stavros, a veteran of World War II, founded the company Better Business Forms in the 1960s, and sold it in 1984 for $12.5 million. He  owns 1% of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. Early life. Stavros' father, Anthony Stavros, was born in Crete, and was sold by his parents to a wealthy businessman in Athens, Greece to work as a gardener at age nine. He fled his servitude to earn money working in a factory, and moved to the United States at age fourteen. He was accepted as a dishwasher at a Greek restaurant in New York City, was taught to cook, and became a restaurateur. He established the Twin Diner in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Stavros was born in New Jersey and was educated  at Columbia University. He served as an American soldier in World War II, and received a Purple Heart for his military service on the Western Front, having been wounded on January 19, 1945. Stavros appeared as a background extra in the 1947 film "The Farmer's Daughter". Stavros married his wife Frances in 1948, and they moved to Pinellas County, Florida in the 1950s. Career. Stavros founded the company Better Business Forms in Pinellas Park in the 1960s, expanded it from 3 to 550 employees, and sold it in 1984 for $12.5 million. He founded the Pinellas Education Foundation  in 1986 and the Stavros Institute in 1989. Stavros is a fan of baseball, and owns 1% of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. In 2012, Stavros made the decision to spend more time with his wife Frances than on community affairs. Personal life. Gus Stavros is married to Frances Stavros, with whom he has had three children—Paul, Ellen, and Mark.