A Greek businessman on the cover of Forbes magazine

He is known for his ability to take beaten-down brands and spruce them up

Greek-American Businessman and investor Dean Metropoulos is on the cover of the May issue of the prestigious Forbes magazine.

The 66-year-old billionaire, known for his ability to take beaten-down brands and spruce them up, sold Pabst Brewing in 2014 for an estimated $750 million, i.e. three times what he paid for the company in 2011.

His latest success and the reason why Forbes magazine decided to do a cover story on him, is the rescue of Hostess Brands, which brought the creative businessman and Apollo Global’s Andy Jhawar a $2 billion gain.

According to the article, Hostess Brands, the bakery that pumps out classic American treats like golden Twinkies and swirl-topped Cup Cakes was shuttered by debt, pension costs and mismanagement in 2012.

However, after the aquisition of the emblematic company by C. Dean Metropoulos and Apollo Global senior partner Andy Jhawar, everything has become much more efficient. “The new factory is bright and clean. Tight rows of Twinkies m arch along the $20 million Auto Bake system with the precision of Soviet soldiers in a May Day parade. Yellow robotic arms, which look like they should be welding Teslas rather than boxing Twinkies, stack snacks with hypnotic rhythm,” says the columnist, describing the amazing transformation.

“In truth, it’s more a resurrection of an American icon than a ribbon-cutting,” the article says, noting that Hostess’ closing was a cultural moment across the U.S., offering proof of the dire state of American manufacturing.

When the two businessmen acquired the company, they plunked down $410 million for the cake brands and promised to inject another $250 million to rehabilitate the business.

Now, just two years after buying Hostess, they sit atop what will likely be a $2 billion win.

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