Marcus Anthony Lemonis is an American businessman, star of media, philanthropist, and politician born in Lebanon. He is currently the president and CEO of Camping World, Good Sam Enterprises, Gander Outdoors, and The House Boardshop. Likewise, being the star of The Benefit, a CNBC reality show on saving small businesses.
Caption: Marcus Lemonis
Source: CNBC
Marcus Lemonis: Early Life, Education, Family
Lemonis, called Ricardo, was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to the parents Abdallel and Nadia. He was born in the turmoil of civil war and foreign invasions, on 16 November 1973. Four days after his birth, his parents abandoned him to an orphanage. Leo and Sophia Lemonis, a couple living in Miami, Florida, adopted him during his infancy on 29 July 1974. His father was Greek, and his mother was Lebanese.
Caption: Lemonis in his childhood
Source: Yahoo
Lemonis got to know the automotive industry through his childhood, his grandfather, Anthony Abraham owning two of the largest Chevrolet dealerships in the United States and Lee Iacocca serving as a family friend and later as a mentor and financial investor to Marcus, loaning him millions to start a recreational vehicle company. Lemonis graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in 1991, graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in criminology, and unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives shortly after graduation, whereupon he based his career on the automotive industry.
Marcus Lemonis: Career and achievements
Lemonis, who appears on the ballot as Marc Anthony Lemonis, lost 42.44 percent to 57.56 percent to two-term Republican incumbent Bruno Barreiro. However, Miami Herald endorsed him. The newspaper called Lemonis, a Liberal, a “political neophyte” but supported him as “he exudes vitality and ideas”.
Lemonis worked for Anthony Abraham Chevrolet, his grandfather’s car dealership in South Florida. Iaccoca assisted Lemonis with the launch and purchase of Holiday RV Superstores. He served as CEO of Holiday RV Superstores Inc, from June 2001 to February 2003. He then co-founded a business named FreedomRoads and began to buy RV dealerships. The company merged with Camping World as CEO in 2006, and merged with Good Sam Enterprises in 2011, with Lemonis again at the helm.
As Camping World’s CEO, Lemonis first linked up with NASCAR in 2004, when driver John Andretti was funded by the company. In 2007, Lemonis and Camping World announced they will take over NASCAR East Series sponsorship. They also confirmed sponsorship of the then Craftsman Truck Series later the same year, rebranding it as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, making the company one of the top three sponsors in the sport. In 2014, Lemonis and NASCAR partnered up to extend the Truck Series sponsorship of Camping World through 2022.
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Marcus Lemonis: Personal life and wife
In 2018, Marcus Lemonis married Roberta “Bobbi” Raffel and resides in Lake Forest, Illinois. Raffel celebrates her birthdays on 21 September and is believed to be a little over 20 years older than her celebrity husband Lemonis.
Caption: Lemonis with his wife Roberta Raffel
Source: People
Marcus Lemonis: Net Worth and social media
The net income of Marcus Lemonis as of 2020 is valued at $900 million, which is impressive net worth. Celebrity businessman Marcus Lemonis is possibly best regarded as the host of the CNBC TV show The Benefit than as the president and CEO of Camping World Holdings, a recreational vehicle retailer and camping equipment. Likewise, his wife Roberta Lemonis has paid $1.3 million on March 15 for 99,094 Camping World shares, or around $13.27 each on average, according to a form submitted by Marcus Lemonis. The investment represents her total interest in the company. While, through limited liability corporations, Marcus Lemonis holds the equivalent of 35.1 million shares, and controls 52% of Camping World’s votes by super-voting stock.
Likewise, talking about his social media availability, he is available on Instagram by the name marcuslemonis with 1.3 million followers. Similarly, he is also available on Twitter by the name marcuslemonis where he has 573 k followers.
Marcus Lemonis: Body measurements
He is 1.82 meters in height and weighs 100 kg. He has an eye color and a black hair color. However, there is no further information available about his body measurements.
