From working as a stock boy in his parents’ grocery store to flying hundreds of combat missions in Vietnam, to starting his own investment company, John Calamos knows firsthand that the sky’s the limit when it comes to pursuing the American dream. The entrepreneur is now the founder and global investment officer for Calamos Investments.
Calamos sat with NCTV17 Executive Director Liz Spencer to discuss his career journey and his new biography, “The Sky’s the Limit, Lessons in Service, Entrepreneurship, and Achieving the American Dream.”
An entrepreneurial spirit from an early age
The son of Greek immigrants, John Calamos grew up in Chicago. His parents owned and operated a grocery store, which is where he first experienced the importance of a strong work ethic. It was also where he discovered a box of stock certificates in the basement, igniting his lifelong passion for investing.
The then-teenager went on to study at the University of Chicago and the Illinois Institute of Technology, joining the Air Force ROTC at each school. After graduating, he learned how to fly supersonic jets and was eventually deployed to fight in the Vietnam War, flying hundreds of missions…