In his four decades as a hands-on developer and serial entrepreneur, Larry Abdo has cultivated a killer knack for spotting, seizing and maximizing opportunities. The Abdo businesses cut across categories, from commercial and residential real estate to food service to hospitality. What they have in common is vision—and the Abdo team.
Years before anyone was using the term “work-life balance”, Larry had integrated his two great loves, family and business, into one impressive enterprise. At Larry’s side throughout his journey is Caryl, his wife and CFO—Chief Family Ocer. The two met as business students at the University of Minnesota and have been exploring opportunities together ever since.
Larry and Caryl built their businesses while managing a busy household of four children who each inherited the Abdo drive. All four children began working in various Abdo ventures as kids; as adults, each one is actively involved in running dierent aspects of the family businesses, from social media to real estate to daily operations.
“An entrepreneur says he can do more than one thing at a time,” Larry told the Minneapolis Star Tribune in a recent interview. “Let’s start with your relationship with your children and put them in absolute equal balance with your business.”
Larry’s passion to share his hard-won wisdom extends beyond his immediate family. He also regularly connects with the next generation of entrepreneurs. He is actively involved in advising and mentoring business students at his alma mater and at the University of Notre Dame, where two of his children graduated.