Alec Gores
Alec E. Gores | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elias Georgious 1953 (age 72–73) Nazareth, Israel |
| Alma mater | Western Michigan University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 6, including Eric |
| Relatives | |
Alec E. Gores (born Elias Georgious in 1953;[1] Arabic: إلياس جورجيوس; Greek: Ηλίας Γεωργίου; Hebrew: אליאס ג'ורג'יוס) is an American billionaire businessman who began making his fortune through leveraged buyouts of technology firms at the firm The Gores Group. He has also been instrumental in popularizing SPACs, beginning in the mid-2010s.[2]
Early life
Gores was born in 1953 in Nazareth, Israel.[3] He was born to a Christian family with a father of Greek descent and a mother of Lebanese descent.[4][5] His family moved to Flint, Michigan, in November 1968 when he was 15 years old. He began working at his uncle's store in Flint, bagging groceries for 25 cents an hour. He attended Genesee High School in Genesee, Michigan. He obtained a degree in computer science from Western Michigan University, and was the first in his family to attend college.[6]
Career
Gores began working for General Motors after completing college. He left within six months, starting his own company that bought and distributed computers.[7] In 1978, he founded Executive Business Systems with an $8,000 investment from his father.[6] By 1986 the company employed over 200 people and was acquired by Contel for approximately $10 million.[8][9]
Following the acquisition, Gores began acquiring and operating non-core businesses. In 1987 he founded The Gores Group, a private equity firm that has since acquired or invested in over 130 companies. Gores pioneered the operational approach to private equity investing, initially deploying his own personal capital, followed by ~$4 billion of institutional capital across multiple investment vehicles. Marquee investments during this time included the carve-out of The Learning Company from Mattel; Verifone from HP; Therakos from Johnson & Johnson; Lineage, which ultimately sold to GE; and Sagemcom, which evolved into one of France's premier technology companies.[10]
Gores and his brother Tom have been involved in a number of deals together including the 2011 acquisition of Alliance Entertainment, which distributes DVDs, CDs and video games to stores such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and Target.[11]
In 2020, Forbes ranked Gores No. 391 on the Forbes 400 list of America's wealthiest people.[12] He was selected as 2021 Business Person of the Year by LA Business Journal.[13] Gores has also been profiled in The Wall Street Journal.[2]
Gores launched Gores Holdings VII and Gores Holdings VIII in 2021,[14] and publicly filed for Gores Technology Partners and Gores Technology Partners II,[15] as well as Gores Guggenheim,[16] the latter in partnership with Guggenheim Partners.
Personal life
As of 2009, Gores is a practicing Catholic.[17] His first marriage was to Lisa, which ended in a divorce in 2001.[18] In court testimony related to the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping scandal, Gores revealed that he had hired Pellicano to investigate Lisa after suspecting an affair, and that Pellicano confirmed she was involved with Gores's own brother, Tom.[19][20][21] His second marriage was to director Kelly Noonan Gores in October 2016 and ended in a divorce in 2024.[22] He has five children from his first marriage and a daughter from his second.[23][22] He is the older brother of Tom Gores, founder of Platinum Equity,[24] and Sam Gores, the head of Paradigm Talent Agency.[25]
Gores commissioned the 2005 film The Kid & I, which co-stars his son Eric.[26]
See also
References
- ^ Kouremenos, Achilleas (2025-03-18). "The 50 Wealthiest Greeks in America! An Annual TNH Edition of Our Community's Top Achievers". The National Herald. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ a b "The Man With More SPACs Than Anyone". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ^ "Cantillon: Alec Gores likely unfazed by $17m backgammon loss". The Irish Times. June 4, 2016.
- ^ "Union-Tribune owner Tom Gores, the paper moves to 6th & B, end of Neil Morgan era | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ "Tom Gores: Balancing Family, Business, and the Detroit Pistons". CSQ Magazine. 9 July 2011.
- ^ a b "Bagging Groceries To Bagging Billions: How Immigrant Alec Gores Achieved The American Dream". Forbes.
- ^ "The Man With More SPACs Than Anyone". www.wsj.com. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ "Billionaire Gores Brothers Duel Over Technology Castoffs". Bloomberg News. October 30, 2001.
- ^ Wilson, Stephanie (October 30, 2008). "The Gores Business Gene: Alec and Rochelle Gores". Haute Living.
- ^ "The Beverly Hills blank check: Gores Holdings files and sets terms for $400 million IPO". www.nasdaq.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "The Mystery Bidder for Borders: Meet Alec Gores". The Wall Street Journalt. June 1, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
- ^ "THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN AMERICA (Forbes 400 list)". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
- ^ "Businessperson of the Year: Alec Gores Still Leads the SPAC Pack". www.labusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "The Gores Group launches yet another SPAC". www.pitchbook.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "The Gores Group's second tech SPAC Gores Technology Partners II files for a $400 million IPO". www.nasdaq.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "UPDATE 1-Alec Gores, Guggenheim-backed SPAC seeks to raise $750 million via IPO". www.reuters.com. Retrieved 2021-03-11.
- ^ "Letters". San Diego Reader. 2009-05-20. Retrieved 2011-09-25.
For the record, my mother is of Lebanese descent, and my father was of Greek descent. We were raised and are still practicing Catholics
- ^ Halbfinger, David M.; Weiner, Alison Hope (June 13, 2006). "Dispute Over Evidence in Pellicano Wiretap Case". The New York Times.
- ^ Weiner, Alison Hope (April 12, 2008). "Pellicano Trial: Exposing Adultery and Harassing a Nanny". HuffPost.
- ^ Simmons, Leslie (April 1, 2008). "Vengeful investor and cheating wife testify in trial". Reuters.
- ^ Weiner, Alison Hope (April 9, 2008). "Pellicano Trial: Murder Threats, Misery and Inbred Marital Affairs". HuffPost.
- ^ a b Goldberg, Madison E. (August 29, 2025). "Kevin Costner Is 'Casually' Dating Director Kelly Noonan Gores: 'She Thinks He's Wonderful'". People.
- ^ Koren, James Rufus (July 5, 2016). "Beverly Hills billionaire to take over Twinkies maker Hostess Brands". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Billionaires, buyouts and basketball: The Gores brothers take on private equity". Pitchbook.com. 19 June 2018.
- ^ Bannon, Lisa (April 9, 2002). "Gores Brothers Jockey for Same Deals In Grown-Up Game of Sibling Rivalry". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ "A neighborly vibe about 'The Kid & I'". Los Angeles Times. November 28, 2005. Retrieved March 30, 2024.