Jorge Vergara facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jorge Vergara
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Vergara in 2015
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| Born | 3 March 1955 Guadalajara, Mexico
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| Died | 15 November 2019 (aged 64) New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation | Businessman, film producer |
| Known for | Founder of Grupo Omnilife Owner of C.D. Guadalajara |
Jorge Carlos Vergara Madrigal (born March 3, 1955 – died November 15, 2019) was a Mexican businessman and film producer. He was famous for starting a large company called Grupo Omnilife. This company sells health products. It also owns a well-known football (soccer) team, C.D. Guadalajara. Vergara also owned other football teams, like Saprissa in Costa Rica and Chivas USA in the United States.
Besides his business, Vergara produced movies that became known around the world. These included The Assassination of Richard Nixon and the Oscar-nominated Y Tu Mamá También. He made these films through his company, Producciones Anhelo.
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Jorge Vergara's Career Journey
Starting His Business
Jorge Vergara was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. When he was younger, he sold tacos on the streets. Later, in the 1980s, he sold vacation homes in Manzanillo. There, he met John Peterson and they started working together.
Peterson became a salesperson for a company called Herbalife. He asked Vergara to join him. Together, they began selling Herbalife products in Mexico. At first, they had to bring the products into the country without official approval.
After some time, Herbalife noticed their success. They started the process to get government approval in Mexico. Vergara helped the company's founder, Mark R. Hughes, with this process. This experience taught Vergara a lot about how big companies grow and expand.
Vergara later started his own company, Omnilife de Mexico, in 1991. It began as one company and grew into nineteen different companies. Today, millions of people sell Omnilife products in many countries. The company makes billions of dollars in sales every year. Vergara was the director of Omnilife de Mexico until he passed away.
Becoming a Film Producer
In 1999, Jorge Vergara met a film director named Alfonso Cuarón. Vergara was looking for filmmakers to create videos for his company. But Cuarón was more interested in making a movie called Y Tu Mamá También. He showed Vergara the script.
Vergara loved movies, so he read the script and decided to help make the film. They created a production company called Producciones Anhelo. This company went on to help make other famous movies. These included The Devil's Backbone by Guillermo del Toro and Crónicas by Sebastián Cordero.
In 2002, a magazine called Variety named Vergara one of the "Ten Producers to Watch." This showed how important he had become in the film world.
Owning Football Teams
In 2002, Vergara bought the famous Mexican football team C.D. Guadalajara, also known as Chivas. He was very excited about football.
In 2004, he announced plans to expand the Chivas brand to the United States. He created a new team called Chivas USA in Los Angeles. The team played its first season in 2005.
Chivas USA did well at first, reaching the playoffs for four years in a row. However, after 2009, the team's performance and attendance dropped. In 2014, Major League Soccer bought Chivas USA from Vergara. The team eventually closed down after the 2014 season. A new team, Los Angeles FC, was started later, but it had no connection to Chivas USA.
His Family and Later Life
Jorge Vergara had six children.
He married Rossana Lerdo de Tejada on June 10, 2017, in Guadalajara, Mexico. She is his widow.
His Passing
Jorge Vergara died on November 15, 2019. He was 64 years old. He passed away in New York City due to a heart attack. Error: no page names specified (help).
In Spanish: Jorge Vergara para niños
