Adversity, humble beginnings, and the threat of losing one’s freedom often breed people of extraordinary character. In our great country we have heard stories of individuals who have overcome persecution, have fled to our shores, and ultimately built a successful life. In most instances their personal success is just the tip of the iceberg because they typically feel the need to share their success with the people they touch, and therein lies the real story. I like to refer to this sharing as exponential giving back.
We tri-county residents live in a region of wonderful diversity often defined by an influx of successful people whose history and life story are defined by experiences of adversity, humble beginnings, and a threatened lack of freedom. These Horatio Alger individuals become the good fortune of all of our residents because we get to inherit people who possess the power of exponential giving back. One such individual is George W. Schaeffer, who personifies exponential giving back on steroids.
The story starts with George W. Schaeffer, the son of Holocaust survivors who emigrated back to Hungary after WWII. Their emigration back was a story in itself. His father was one of seven families forcefully removed by the Germans to work in a labor camp. Ironically, this turned out to be what saved the family. All other families who remained behind were killed in the holocaust. After the war, they were able to return but, unfortunately, their return was met with a takeover by the Soviet Union (USSR) and its totalitarian form of government. In 1956 the Hungarian people tried a revolt against the USSR which became one of the great tragedies of modern history. The Hungarian Peoples’ 12-day struggle ended in great humanitarian tragedy as they were crushed by Soviet tanks and troops. Thousands of individuals were killed and nearly a quarter of a million fled the country. One of the families that fled were the Schaeffer’s. In fact, they were one of the first families removed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower via the use of military aircraft. Like many immigrants to the USA, they arrived and settled in Brooklyn, NY. The family possessed a phenomenal work ethic and they were able to establish a small garment manufacturing business in New York City which gave them the means to survive and raise George, who was only nine years old when they arrived. George was ultimately able to attend school and attend City College of New York (one of New York’s fine public education Universities).
Upon graduation in 1970, he joined the family business. After completing a 10-year tenure, George decided to seek greater business opportunities. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1981 in order to take over a dental products supply business that was faltering. Armed with the family work ethic, he slowly was able to turn the company around. During that time, he observed an interesting recurring product sale. It was from a group of good-looking female manicurists who would purchase his dental porcelain to make nail products. George realized that the dental porcelain would make a stronger, longer lasting product for women’s nails. This spark combined with George’s work ethic and commitment to quality inspired him to create his own acrylic-nail system. While running the dental supply company, he and his team would also sell his nail system door-to-door at salons in the LA area. He decided to call this new company OPI Products. If you are female and reading this article you know exactly the impact OPI has had on the nail industry, and if you are a male then let me explain. First, the new nail company overshadowed and transformed the dental supply business into the new entity. Second, through creative marketing, innovation in product naming (think “Fuego On-the-Go” instead of just red), and quality, George turned OPI into the dominant brand worldwide. The products are the most preferred by professionals as well as customers because, in addition to being a superior product, they also offer a canvas for self-expression. In addition to becoming the apex predator of nail products, OPI also became known nationally as a “best workplace” because of his philosophy of treating all personnel as family.
In 2012 George sold the company to a national conglomerate and decided to relocate to Boca Raton, Florida. During his time with OPI, he along with a local businessman established a new company in Florida in an industry not known for innovation, but soon to experience the business acumen of George. The year was 2008 and the company was Peoples Trust Insurance Company (PTIC) with corporate headquarters in Deerfield Beach. The innovation concept was to offer a solution that provides affordable rates and concierge claims service via a preferred contractor solution to satisfy all claims. After the untimely death of his co-founder partner in 2014, George assumed the role of CEO and President and took over the day-to-day operation of the company. The concept of this company was so successful that PTIC was recognized in 2013 as the Enterprise Florida Business Award Winner. It is clear that George Schaeffer is an individual of extraordinary character.
Success and fortune did not change the man. In fact, it gave him the ability to begin the process of righting the ills he and his family experienced during the horrors of war and life under a totalitarian regime. Herein begins what I am calling exponential giving back. The success of the companies offered him a platform for not only local and community giving back but to be able to make an impact on a global scale. In order to accomplish their philanthropic goals, he formed the George and Irina Schaeffer Foundation in 2009. The focus of the Foundation was to support a wide range of community needs, scholarships for students, medical research, humanitarian projects, and educational efforts. Examples of their medical philanthropy have been substantial support for The American Heart Association, The Leukemia Foundation, and the National Lung Association. However, they have not limited their giving to medical needs. Both George and Irina are strong proponents of humanitarian aid as well. They regularly support a series of Universities, Jewish cultural centers, and music conservatories.
George often serves on Boards that are the recipient of the Foundation’s giving and, as such, he has received a great deal of recognition for his humanitarian and philanthropic efforts. One such specific focus for them has been the Bnai Zion Foundation where George currently serves as Chair Emeritus of the Board after previously serving as its President. He has served on this Board for 52 years. This organization was able to build the George W. Schaeffer Music Conservatory in 2013 to offer music education to children and adults and to also build the George and Irina Schaeffer Cultural Center in 2017. Both of these structures are improving the lives of all Israelis.
Other awards bestowed on George have been The City of Hope Cancer Center’s most prestigious honor, the Spirit of Life Award, in 2012. In 2013, he was awarded the Senate Medal by the Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary. This award was for his great work in propagating for the continuing Institute’s Visual History Archive. The archive exists to remind future generations of the injustices that humanity is capable of committing against one another. In George’s own words, “It will always remind us that we live in a fragile society, and we cannot afford to forget that a world that closes its eyes to hatred and bigotry is a world that has no future.” At a local level, and most recently, Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business designated George as its 30th Business Leader of The Year for his innovative work in establishing Peoples Trust Insurance Company. This recognition is alongside a series of local initiatives that George has put in place to directly impact his local community. He routinely supports local food drives, clothing drives, assistance for families in distress, and hurricane relief efforts for Florida and the Bahamas. Our local EMS folks look forward each year to when he “gets down” with them for a PTIC-funded event honoring their efforts via a day of fun and food.
Lucky for us, George continues as a resident of South Florida where he resides with his lovely wife Irina whom he married in 2011. Together they have three children and, as you can imagine, they are spread around the country but remain closely connected. George is a shining example of what I am often reminded of when researching and writing this article, “From humble beginnings come great things.” He is a person who is not ashamed of his humble beginnings; in fact, he embraces them. They are a continual reminder of how far he has come which then affords him the focus to share that success with his fellow humanity and yes to take one more step into the unknown in order to continue his journey.
