"I love this country. I love what it brings. When you come from a different place, and you get to see the freedom that we have, the opportunity that we have -- it's insane."
Alec Gores was born in 1953 in Nazareth, Israel to a Catholic family, and he was raised and remains a practicing Catholic.
In 1978, he founded Executive Business Systems with $10,000, selling computers out of his basement. By 1986 the company employed over 200 people and was acquired by CONTEL for approximately $2 million.
Following the acquisition, Gores began acquiring and operating non-core businesses from major corporations. He eventually founded The Gores Group, a private equity firm in 1987 and since then has acquired 80 companies over 25 years.
In November 2012, he lost $17.4 million to gambler JP McManus in one backgammon session.