Glenn Bryan Stearns (born 1963) is an American businessman, and the founder of Stearns Lending.[1] He is the star of the Discovery Channel's show Undercover Billionaire. While appearing in the series he founded Underdog BBQ which is in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Glenn Stearns | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 (age 60–61) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | founder of Stearns Lending |
| Spouse | Mindy Burbano |
| Children | 6 |
Early life edit
Stearns was born in 1963 in Silver Spring, Maryland.[2] His father was a printer and his mother was a grocery store clerk and house cleaner. The family lived in a low-income apartment complex in the suburbs of Washington D.C.[3] Stearns was a socially adept child but struggled in school. He was diagnosed with dyslexia, but his parents kept this from him. He was humiliated when he failed the fourth grade.[4] Stearns' parents divorced when he was 17.[5]
Career edit
Stearns founded Stearns Lending in 1989.[6][1] He was chief executive officer (CEO) from its founding until May 2012 when Stearns named Brian Hale, former president and national production executive of MetLife Home Loans, as his successor.[7] Stearns Lending was the fifth-largest privately held mortgage lender in the US in 2013.[1]
Personal life edit
When Stearns was 14 years old, Stearns' oldest child, Charlene, was born.[citation needed] Charlene's mother is Kathy who was 17 at the time.[citation needed] Charlene now manages Glenn's escrow company.[citation needed]
In October 2003, Stearns married Mindy Burbano, who was an entertainment reporter for Entertainment Tonight and KTLA in Los Angeles.[8] They live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.[9] In addition to Charlene, Stearns has three sons named Skyler, Colby, and Trevor and two daughters who often appear on Burbano's Instagram. Stearns also has two grandchildren.[10]
In 2004, Stearns and Burbano appeared on the TBS reality TV show, The Real Gilligan's Island as "the millionaire and his wife", and he "won" the competition.[9] In 2014, he was diagnosed with cancer, which inspired him to be involved with reality TV.[11][12] In 2019, the Discovery Channel TV show, Undercover Billionaire followed Stearns as he built a startup company from scratch.[9] During the filming of the show he had a recurrence of cancer.[13]
References edit
- ^ a b c Bill Quinnan (January 21, 2013). "Hard Times Yield Opportunities for Stearns Lending". OC Register.
- ^ "2011 Horatio Alger Award Winner Glenn B. Stearns". horatioalger.org. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Glenn Stearns: The truth about the Undercover Billionaire". nickiswift.com. January 21, 2013.
- ^ "Members – Horatio Alger Association". Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ Loveland, Mariel (8 August 2019). "Glenn Stearns: The truth about the Undercover Billionaire". NickiSwift.com. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ Jane Yu (August 21, 2015). "Stearns to Sell Majority Stake to Blackstone". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- ^ Jane Yu (May 7, 2012). "Hale New CEO for Stearns Lending". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- ^ Colton, Kim (March 16, 2004). "Mindy Burbano and Glenn Stearns OCTOBER 11, 2003". Willamette Week. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Owen, Rob (26 July 2019). "Tuned In: Broke billionaire builds business in Erie on Discovery Channel". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ John, Caroline (2019-08-06). "Glenn Stearns Wiki: Facts about the "Undercover Billionaire" from Discovery's New Show". Earn The Necklace. Retrieved 2019-09-25 – via www.earnthenecklace.com.
- ^ McAlone, Nathan. "Discovery's 'Undercover Billionaire' explains how recovering from cancer inspired him to try and turn $100 into a million-dollar business in 90 days on TV". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ ""I Looked at Cancer Kind Of Like Business" Glenn Stearns of "Undercover Billionaire" Says His Cancer Journey Inspired His New Show". SurvivorNet. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ McAlone, Nathan. "What you didn't see on screen in Discovery's reality TV show 'Undercover Billionaire,' and what happened after the show ended". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-09-25.