The Full Story
I’m Bob.
I was born on 11-11-1951 at 03:26 am. I have been a morning person ever since. As an experienced, wealthy businessman, I mentor motivated entrepreneurs on how to create the business, wealth, and life of their dreams. Although I’ve created a prosperous life for myself, it didn’t start that way…
Like many driven young professionals, I grew up in difficult circumstances. At the age of five, my mother left my father after years of enduring his abuse and alcoholism. My two brothers and I remained with our father which left us to fend for ourselves. However difficult, my circumstances fueled my independence. I started working at age 10 as a newspaper delivery boy, and by the age of 13, I held the largest newspaper delivery route as the assistant to the owner of Yard News Service. Delivering papers to the Chicago Stock Exchange, in addition to all the typical businesses you would find in the 60s, was the best real-life education I could acquire. What I learned about people and business as I went around at the end of each week to collect my earnings prepared me for what was to come.
As a teenager, I was ready to go all in on business and offered to buy Yards News Service from the owner. Unfortunately, newspaper companies (Tribune, Sun-Times, Wall Street Journal, and Herald-American) forbade it and eventually abolished all independent agency ownership. So, my first significant investment in business would have to wait.
Things were going well for me until High School when my mother Yvonne took her own life at age 33. I had been successful in school and business up until this point, but the news of my mother weighed on me, and I struggled with my studies. On the verge of being expelled, one teacher named father John Cain paid particular interest in me and asked: “What’s going on with you?”. That single conversation helped me turn things around and graduate on time - thank god!
After graduation, I was accepted into Niles College Seminary at Chicago Loyola University, where I received a BA in Psychology with a minor in Education while working days, nights, and weekends to pay for it. At the time, the school had a work/study program that helped students earn and learn. However, when I noticed that there weren’t enough outside jobs to go around, I recommended the school create a group for students who needed financial aid but had no job. Group members could fill miscellaneous jobs at the University, such as concert set up and cleaning the grounds — it was a win-win! The University implemented the program and put me in charge.
As the person responsible for job postings, I came across an opportunity with UPS in my junior year that would change the trajectory of my life (although I didn’t know it at the time). I started as a preloader and after six months, I was promoted to Supervisor. I made it my mission to learn the company inside and out, often coming in early and staying late to observe operations. UPS paid for my graduate school, and after receiving an MA in Human Resources Development, I was accepted into FSU’s education doctoral program. However, I declined the opportunity as I didn’t want to relocate.
It was a good thing I stayed because it kept me on track to reach one of my greatest achievements. After 19 years at UPS, at the age of 39, I was promoted to the corporate executive level (including the CEO and the C-Suite Board of Directors) and joined the Top 100 executives of UPS. I tied the record for the youngest manager to achieve that level of success in UPS history.
Thirty Years later, as Senior Vice President and General Manager of UPS Worldwide Logistics, I retired as a multi-millionaire and started the Para Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. 501(c)(3).
Since Retiring
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I’ve been a founding director of a community bank in Illinois that we took public and subsequently sold to a large publicly traded bank.
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I co-founded multiple logistics companies of which several were sold to publicly traded companies and one that most recently sold to a private equity firm.
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Two Time Inc. 500 Winner and Illinois Fast 50 Company Recipient.
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I co-founded Magnate Capital Partners
(a private equity firm). -
Created, built and then sold off an insurance brokerage platform to private & public entities.
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I’ve managed a private real estate company with over 40 years specializing in commercial & residential properties.
Now, I use the invaluable knowledge and experience I've gained over a lifetime of successful business ventures to teach others how to achieve wealth and prosperity. I’ve coached many entrepreneurs individually, and for the first time ever, I am unlocking detailed expert knowledge inside of my courses to provide everything you need to achieve your illustrious business goals.
Want to find out more about what I do?
"Invest in
Yourself."
Curriculum Vitae
Download a digital document of Bob Paras's CV that elaborates on his education, qualifications, years of experience in employment, business ownership, real estate portfolio, and a stellar reference list full of considerable elite entrepreneurs.