The Man of La Manga

By Gregory Peters

The present business community has been exposed for their greed and ruthless practices. Gregory Peters has risen from poverty to become a multi millionaire being fair, good hearted and moral. He lived in Europe and Asia for over twenty-five years. He lets you view all his business dealings, countries he visited and characters that influenced his life. He gives you Lessons that he learned from his experiences and hopes that they will guide you to success and joy. The author has a casual style and a sense of humor, which makes reading not only a learning experience but also entertaining.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 9, 2003
• ISBN: 9781462820900

Gregory Peters

The Spanish government decorated him three times and gave him a lifetime title of Illustrismo Sr. Don. Gregory Peters. In addition two streets, Children Park and plaza have been named for him in Spain. He had business interests throughout Europe and Asia and lived there for over twenty-five years. The author built and owned a resort project of 1400 acres in the south of Spain, La Manga Club, considered one of the finest golf and sport complex in Europe. Owned shoe, furniture and golf glove factories in Spain and Thailand and was a leader in the export industry.

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Chapter 1

THE BEGINNING

I was born on April 8, 1927 on a kitchen table in a house on 28th Street in Manhattan, New York City. My parents were Greek immigrants and could not read or write. My father was a baker and thanks to that, we always had bread. My Mother had the shrewdest mind I have ever come across. One time a friend called, I was ten years old, I heard my mother telling him how bad things were. My Mother sounded like we were ready for the poor house. When my Mother got off the phone she saw I was crying, she asked me why I was crying? I told her I did not realize how bad things were. She said, Things are fine, I told my friend how bad things are because I knew he wanted to borrow money. My mother had a very hard life, she raised seven children during the depression and had to constantly hide money from my father who was a gambler.

My father was a great bread baker; many of the big bread companies sent industrial spy’s to work with him to steal his bread formulas. Many of the bread formulas used in New York today came from my father. My father had enormous strength, I saw him pick up hundred pound bags of flour as if they were feathers. His problem was that he was a gambler and would always be broke. My father could not read or write but he could take you to any racetrack on the East Coast by car. What frustrated my father was that he always wanted to bake cakes, unfortunately they always tasted like bread. He was a good man and was very strong in his moral beliefs. In all the years living with my parents I never heard a curse in Greek, in fact I only learned Greek curses from Greeks I met later in life. My father would not let my sisters go out without a chaperon. He made everyone in the family tow the line and made sure we knew the difference between right and wrong. There was no gray areas permitted, everything was black or white. My Mother would hit you if you did something wrong. My father never raised his hand but we were more afraid of my father then my mother.

When I was eleven years old my mother got me a part time job at a corset clinic in Long Island City. I would go to the store after school and they would give me loads of errands to do in Manhattan. I would pick up merchandise and make exchanges at the factories that supplied the corset clinic. I was a young boy and when I went into the factories all the ladies would tease me, show me bra’s and corsets. The only thing I enjoyed about this job was that I would be given money to take the subway from downtown to uptown Manhattan. Instead of using the five cents to take the subway, I would walk about three miles and with the five cents I would buy a frankfurter and milk shake from a small stand on Sixth Avenue and Forty-second Street. My salary was fifty cents a week and it went straight to my Mother.

My next job was with a doughnut company that delivered doughnuts to restaurants in Manhattan. My job was to ride in a doughnut truck and assist the driver. The driver of the truck was charging for a baker’s dozen, that was thirteen doughnuts, but he only gave twelve. The restaurants did not know the difference; a dozen meant twelve to the restaurant. I told him this was dishonest. He said that he was only getting even with the capitalists, he was a communist. He would lecture me that all the wealth should be shared and try to teach me the principals of communism. A relative of the driver died, he inherited money and bought his own truck. He hired me and was the worst boss I ever had; sharing the wealth was gone forever. THIS IS A LESSON that was proved many times in my life. People will criticize others until they are in the same situation and then will do the same thing or worse.

I quit my job with my communist boss and got a job with a florist called Kathers on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. I received twenty-five cents for the weekend. I was moving Hydrangea plants from the store to a warehouse. I kept moving the plants from one spot to another. The plants were heavy and I was exhausted. The manager said, Remember if you use your head you will save your feet. I learned a lesson and planned my moves and saved my feet. This LESSON stayed with me all my life and planning before action helped me attain many goals.

I had many different jobs during my young years. We were a poor family and every penny was important. When I was ten years old I wanted to be an entrepreneur. It was the depression years and people lined up at the armory located in Manhattan to pick up relief food. They gave the food unwrapped with no paper bags. I got a load of paper bags and stood outside the armory and sold them for a penny a bag. I sold out quickly as the people were to proud, and did not want to walk home with relief food in their hands. Times were different and no one wanted welfare. In our community the immigrants felt it was a disgrace to take handouts. Charity was out of the question; you had to work no matter what the job was. THIS WAS A LESSON, pride and dignity is important to many people.

My family was not a close family, because we were all out trying to make enough money for food. I had four brothers and two sisters, all independent and on there own. It felt like everyone was competing to bring the most money for the family pot. I ate most of my meals away from home.

Naturally being a young kid with no one to supervise me, I ordered all the wrong foods and to this day I do not eat vegetables. I am mostly a meat and potato man. There was no time for family reunions. I very seldom saw my brothers or sisters and when I did it was for brief periods. Outside of my immediate family I had no relatives, uncles, aunts, grandfather or grandmother. So I had no one to help me and guide me. I had to learn everything by experience in the outside world. I had very little love from my family and was left alone to take care of myself. The children at school ridiculed me because I was over weight; in fact I was fat. I found it very difficult to make friends, as I did not participate in after school activities. I found grammar school and Junior High School very difficult not because of grades but because of not having friends. I had no childhood as I had to mature quickly to help support the family. In spite of my childhood I grew up with a strong desire to have friends and be a good friend.

My next step was going to Stuyvesant High School and my life rolled on from there.

Chapter 2

STUYVESANT HIGH SCHOOL

I was going to JHS 126 in Queens and wanted to go to Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. My family told me I was crazy, as I would have to commute between Queens and Manhattan. Stuyvesant was considered one of the best high schools in the United States. It was a very difficult school to get in to, they had a quota, and you had to compete against thousands. I was accepted and admitted to Stuyvesant High School. It meant traveling from Queens to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I would take the subway but when I did not have money, I would walk over 59th Street Bridge to Fourteenth Street. The students were 90% Jewish and I was shocked. I was brought up in an anti Semitic family and community. I did not know what a Jew was and here they surrounded me. I decided I had better make friends with them or it would be a terrible few years. I did not want to have the same problems I had in grammar school and I wanted to make friends. I met Max Angel, who was Jewish, his parents were brought up in Greece and he spoke better Greek than I did. One day I took him home for dinner, he spoke Greek to my mother and knew all the Greek customs. My mother was very impressed with him. When he left, I told my mother he was Jewish. She said, He’s a Jew! He can’t be, He’s a Greek. I said Mom he is Jewish. Then she said, He must be one of the good ones. My Mother was full of prejudice and could not believe that there was a good Jew. My mother was a beautiful person and just was inbred with anti Semitic feelings. It was pure ignorance and was passed on for generations. In later life my Mother opened a Refreshment Stand in Long Beach, L.I. The people that lived there or came to the beach were mostly Jewish. They all loved my mother and she began to realize how stupid her prejudices were. All my childhood I was told to stay away from Jews. Well my years at Stuyvesant certainly changed that. I found how wonderful it was to understand everybody, and never was prejudiced for the rest of my life. I loved every minute in Stuyvesant and the education was more than books could give you. I made many friends and had great times during my High School years. THIS WAS A LESSON in how prejudice can be overcome by experience and understanding.

I decided I wanted to go to college and told my family. They told me that I should just get a good job and forget college. No one in my family had gone to college and in fact most had not graduated high school. My older brother never finished grammar school. Despite all the opposition I said I was going to college and would work to pay for the college and contribute money to the family. LESSON: Do what you think is right in spite of opposition.

I was always overweight, was ridiculed and found it difficult to make friends. I made two good friends at Stuyvesant Max and David. We decided we all would take the Entrance Exam for Columbia University. After we took the entrance exam we were told by our school counselor that in his opinion Columbia would not accept David or Max because they were Jewish. I decided not to go to Columbia and go with Max and David to NYU. I stood on principle and would not desert my friends or go to a school that was prejudiced. Today of course Columbia has eliminated prejudice. From that point in my life onwards, I have always stood by what I thought was right and not what was convenient. If you cannot stand up for what is right, life is not worth living. LESSON: Do what is right not what is convenient.

I started college at New York University located in Washington Square in lower Manhattan. It was an enormous difference from attending high school. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of students and Professors. The students wanted to learn and the Professors wanted to teach. To my surprise I found that I had a God given gift for Math. I found all the Math classes a snap and had no trouble being the top student. My ability with figures would help me in all my business dealings in the future. I also found that I had a fantastic memory and was able to pass all my exams with honors without studying. My memory was good and bad. The good was that I got high grades without studying which gave me time to earn money for my education. The bad was that I felt I was not learning as much as I should. There were very little social activities and I did not have time for any. In spite of all the hardships, I enjoyed my college days. LESSON: Learning is always important and we should make an effort to see that our schools teach and not worry about grades.

Chapter 3

WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL

I went to both High School and college, but I learned more working at the Waldorf Astoria then I did with all my formal education. There was nothing in my life to duplicate this learning center. I think the most significant thing was that I met people from all walks of life, and met many of the famous people of that era. It gave a perspective to a young boy that was sensational. Most important I learned many lessons that helped me in later life.

I had a friend working in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel checkrooms and he asked if I would like to work there. I was fourteen and going to Stuyvesant High School in New York City, the year was 1941. I got the job and started working after school. In those days the checkrooms in a hotel were operated as a concession and were a separate business from the Hotel. My friend told me that they pay very little because they assumed that you would steal. It is a terrible word, but that was what it boiled down to. What you had to do was take part of the money you got for tips for yourself, remembering to leave enough for the concessionaire. The owner tolerated this, as long as you did not over do it. When someone gave you a tip, you were supposed to put in into a metal box. What you did was put one quarter in the box and the next one in your pocket. When I started working it was very hard for me to imagine that you had to take money for yourself. The amazing thing is that they were training you to be a thief. This was very hard for me to understand since my family had very high moral principles. I realized that I had to follow suit, so I went along with everyone and started to pocket money. One night there was a big affair in the Grand Ballroom and it was packed. Coats were coming like crazy. My pockets were filled with quarters. I went to the men’s room to count out what I had. I picked a stall and sat on the seat. I started to take all the money out of my pockets, my hands full, then I started to drop some coins and trying to catch them, I dropped everything on the floor. I started to pick up the quarters, I look up and the manager of the checkrooms is standing there. His name was Harry Contes a Greek that knew all my relatives. He looked at me and said, «Greg, do you think this is a fair partnership, you made more than we did.» I was really embarrassed, nothing like this had ever happened to me. He was really a fabulous man, he told me to just remember that I should be fair with the split. I knew there and then I could not live this way. I wanted to get out; I did not like the idea of stealing to make a living. LESSON; Greed is a monster, do not let it control you.

There was a checkroom called the Parcel Checkroom, it was on the East Side of Hotel next to the elevators for the East Wing of the Hotel. This checkroom was used for checking bags and parcels. It was a lemon for the concessionaire, but he had to take it with the package of all the checkrooms. Since the bellhops checked the bags and parcels there were no tips. It was a costly proposition for the concessionaire, as he had to staff it 24 hours a day. I went to Harry Contes and I told him I was going to High School and would be going to College shortly. I would need money and I had a lot of studying to do. I could work there with my brother in law. My brother in law could work the day shift and I would work the night shift. We would both work 12 hour’s seven days a week. I told him I could study and at night catch some sleep in back of the checkroom. He said, «Let me talk to the owner and I will get back to you.» Naturally the owner jumped at the opportunity and agreed to turn the checkroom over to us. Now I went to my brother in law, and told him about the deal I made. I told him I would split fifty, fifty, with him. We would get $35 a week from the concessionaire. My brother in Law said I was crazy, we would only get $35 a week to split because the bellhops did not give tips. I said, «Leave it to me, I will make it work.» He agreed and said he had faith in me. Remember this is a fifteen year old convincing a 28 year old man to go in business with him. LESSON; You can do anything, regardless of your age. Wisdom is acquired by experience not just by age.

Now I had to figure a way to make money since I knew the checkroom was a losing proposition. The checkroom’s layout was that it had a window facing the elevators and a backdoor to Peacock Alley. At night I would shut the back door, close the front window and put a bell for people to ring, in this way I could get some sleep at nights. I made a point of getting to know the elevator girls. Whenever they got a break I would bring them into the checkroom, supply food, drink, and entertainment. I then would ask the girls to stop the elevator on the main floor and tell people to check their coats and hats with us. The Grand Ballroom where all the functions took place was on the second floor; the entrance was on the ground floor. People would park their cars and take the elevators to the Grand Ballroom. They would then check their coats outside of the Grand Ballroom. I got a bunch of coat racks and put them in our checkroom. The elevators would pick up the guests from the lower floor and go directly to the second floor. The elevator girls wanted to help me so they stopped on our floor and had the people check their coats and hats with us. Naturally my coat racks were filled and we were making a great deal of money. We then started charging ten cents a day for each bag or parcel checked. We also started to charge to wrap packages for people. It did not take long before this checkroom was a gold mine. We were averaging a thousand dollars a week and in the year 1942 this was a great deal of money. Naturally the concessionaire seeing us make money, got very jealous. He went to the manager and told him to take the checkroom from us. One day the concessionaire was stomping on our counter and he said, «You guys are making too much money and I want it back.» I have a terrible temper, blew my top and chased him out of the hotel. My brother in law said, «We are in trouble, this is his checkroom and he will throw us out.» I knew the only relief we could get would be from the President of the Waldorf Astoria. I was friendly with the secretary of the President and I asked her to please get me an appointment with the President. There is a big LESSON here: always become friendly with secretaries of the top executives. The secretaries will always help you with appointments and give you information you ask for. I have used this all my business career and it has helped my career go forward. I received an appointment with the President of the Waldorf Astoria, Lucius Boomer. I had a long talk with him explaining our problem and he asked me to give him time to check it out. In about a week he called me in and said that everyone told him that the checkroom was a credit to the hotel and the staff liked us. He then told the concessionaire to leave us alone as the Hotel wanted us to stay. We were never bothered again by the concessionaire. We kept the Parcel checkroom for another year but were very uncomfortable, knowing that the concessionaire did not want us there. We knew it was only a matter of time before he would find a way to throw us out. LESSON if you are unhappy with your situation; change it, regardless of your monetary loss.

We decided to try and get bellhop jobs in the Hotel.

Normally it would be impossible to get a bell hop job in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel as there would be a waiting list with hundreds of names on it. We knew the head of service and he liked us. It was the start of the Second World War and the hotel needed people since the draft was taking everyone. We got the graveyard shift, which was from 11PM to 7AM in the morning. What you have to remember is that I was only 16 years old and it was illegal to work in a hotel unless you were at least 18. I now had to work from 11PM at night to 7AM in the morning, go to school from 9AM to 3PM, then go home to Long Island. I had to leave home by 9PM to get to work on time. This gave me a maximum of five hours to sleep and study. I got used to getting a few hours sleep and that lasted for a long time. I tried to get naps at night on the job. Early morning was quiet in the Hotel and I would go behind a group of Palm trees and lay on the couch. I got a tremendous amount of respect from all the people at the hotel. Here I was a young kid working nights and going to college studying to be a psychiatrist. I had enormous energy and even with my full schedule I was always on time and never missed a day of work or school.

My main purpose in working at the Hotel was to make enough money for college and my family. I did not want to always carry bags, because you made very little money doing this. So in addition to carrying bags I had to find another source of income. My new business was waiting for room service to close at 3 AM. I would then become room service; I would sell liquor and food. The one thing I would not get involved with was getting women for guests. Bellhops in Hotels were known for getting prostitutes for guests. With my Greek background that would be a mortal sin. I was making enough money in my side business that I did not need anything else.

The first story happened at about 4AM one morning. I received a call from a guest saying they were having a party in his suite and they called room service and it was closed. I told them I would come to their suite and talk to them. I went to the suite and met the guest and he was a famous movie producer. He told me they wanted sandwiches and coffee for about 100 people. The party was going strong and they were hungry. In fact he said hamburgers and coffee would be fine. I told him since room service was closed; I would have to go