Glenn is the founder and Chairman of Stearns Lending™ and other financial related companies such as TriMavin, TriVerify, and CUPartners, that have: over $10 billion in loan volume per year, over 14,000 employees, and over $500 million in annual revenues, corporate assets valued in excess of $750 million, bank lines of credit in excess of $1 billion, and perform over 100,000 transactions per year. Stearns Lending is the largest privately-held mortgage company in Orange County and the 2nd largest nationwide.

Glenn Stearns grew up in the Maryland Projects and failed the fourth grade. He was raised in a place where drive-by shootings were a daily occurrence, and drug transactions happened right outside his family’s front door. Then, there was the baby he fathered at the age of fourteen, a little girl named Charlene that both sets of grandparents helped him raise. He made it to college, but barely graduated with a GPA above 2.0 – a 2.16 to be exact.

Glenn’s life and luck changed when he set foot in Orange County for the first time. He was awed by the mansions that lined the coast and actually knocked on the door of a particularly impressive home. No one answered, but the gardener knew the information that Glenn was seeking- that the owner of the home was in real estate. Glenn decided to stay in Orange County and immediately became a Loan Officer. After ten months, Glenn started his own Mortgage Company and the rest is the “riches, American entrepreneur” part of the story.

Glenn has found over the years that the key to his entrepreneurial success has been a combination of two things: ability to take smart risks and attracting the best talent possible. In College, Glenn became a quick study of people, not books. In the business world, he has always recruited and surrounded himself with the most talented people in the industry. That, in addition to using completely unconventional strategies (the risk part of the equation) in a staid, traditional industry, has allowed his companies to leap frog competition. It shows in the new brand identity- a mix of Jimmy buffet, heroism, and banking. His entrepreneurial mindset has allowed him to grow and diversify his companies that actually counteract the cyclical nature of the real estate market. When other real estate services companies are laying off workers, his companies are successful, regardless of interest rates.

In 2003, Glenn was Awarded as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The Entrepreneur Of The Year award recognizes business leaders who have demonstrated outstanding success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Glenn was recognized for his leadership in building one of Southern California’s largest mortgage banking companies.

In 2004, he and his wife, TV Personality Mindy Burbano Stearns, were chosen to play The Millionaire and His Wife of TBS’ most publicized reality show “The Real Gilligan’s Island”. Not surprising to anyone who knows him, Glenn won the show (beating out 14 other contestants including his wife who came in second place). Even less surprising was the demonstration his longtime commitment to troubled youth by donating all of the cash prize ($250,000) and MATCHING it (another $250,000) to the Stearns Family Charitable Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged youth reach their full potential.

Because of Glenn’s lasting commitment to troubled youth in the community, the mayor of Newport Beach, the Honorable Steven Bromberg, declared December 21 the Stearns Family Charitable Foundation Day. And, most dear to his heart, Glenn became a Grandfather at the age of forty by the beloved daughter he had as a teenager.

In 2007, Glenn received the Orange County Business Journal – Excellence in Entrepreneurship award.

In 2008, Glenn and his wife Mindy founded the Life Changing Lives organization, which honors American heros and supports multiple charities around the globe. They have donated over $4 million to date.

He is the 2010 Chairman of the Young Presidentsʼ Organization— Southern California Chapter and is a board member of The Joe Foss Institute, Canyon Acres Children and Family Services, Orange County PerformingArts Center, New Majority, and KOCE Public Television.

In 2011, Glenn received the Horatio Alger Award in recognition of his personal and professional success despite humble and challenging beginnings.

In 2012 Glenn and his wife, Mindy, were honored as the American Couple of The Year at the Starkey Hearing Foundation Gala, for their commitment to philanthropy and bringing hearing to those without.

Glenn’s extraordinary achievements in business, media, and philanthropy overshadow his humble beginnings, and his admirable work ethic has seen him through countless challenges, both personal and financial.