Many know him as the “business turnaround king” and star of CNBC’s prime time reality series ‘The Profit’, in which he lends his expertise to struggling small businesses around the country, judging, and improving them with the “3P” principle: “People / Process / Product. Lemonis’ notoriety has been established by his tenacity, shrewdness, and determination but his biggest business success to date is as the Chairman and CEO of Camping World, the nation’s largest RV and outdoor retailer, and Good Sam, the world’s largest RV owner’s organization. Through this business, Marcus proudly leads over 14,000 employees in 40 states and considers his staff as family.
Marcus was born in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon in 1973 and, at nine months old, was adopted by a Lebanese and Greek couple living in Miami, FL. As a young child, he was exposed to positive and prosperous business values at his family-owned business, Anthony Abraham Chevrolet. His entrepreneurial spirit bloomed at age 12 while attending Epiphany Catholic School, when he started a lawn mowing service, employed his friends and generated enough money to open a candy business. He then graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in Miami and moved to Milwaukee, WI to attend Marquette University, where he studied Political Science, Criminology and Economics.
Family friend and former Chrysler CEO, Lee Iacocca, advised him to go into the camping and RV business, and Marcus hasn’t looked back. This put him on the path to become CEO of Camping World, America’s #1 source for RVs, camping accessories, RV maintenance and repair.
Lemonis was recognized for having “more impact on the industry than any single individual or company in recent memory as an agent of change and retail consolidation,” when RV Business Magazine named him their 2007 Newsmaker of the Year. In addition, Crain’s Chicago Business featured him in their 2005 edition of “40 under 40,” and in 2008, Ernst & Young named him Entrepreneur of the Year. Prior to “The Profit”, he appeared on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” in 2011 and 2012, and was also featured on ABC’s television show, “Secret Millionaire” in 2012.