Alex Meruelo

Meruelo is a son of Cuban immigrants with a history of buying undervalued assets and holding onto them. Meruelo began his business career working for his father's tuxedo company before purchasing a failing California pizza restaurant. He rebranded it to cater to Latinos by offering toppings such as chorizo and jalapeños. The chain opened 12 locations and exceeded $10 million in sales within five years of Meruelo's takeover. Meruelo is also the founder of Meruelo Group, which as a construction and real estate development firm with a number of other assets, including several in the American Southwest. The Meruelo Group has no outside investors, which makes Meruelo the sole owner of his various companies.