Bio
Bill Rancic is an American entrepreneur who was the first candidate hired in national television by The Trump Organization at the conclusion of the first season of Donald Trump's reality business show, The Apprentice.
Rancic grew up in the modest suburbs of Chicago where he attended Carl Sandburg High School and went on to receive his bachelor of science degree from Loyola University, graduating cum laude in 1994.
His parents were both successful educators: Rancic's father, who passed away in 1999 after a battle with cancer, was a school superintendent and college professor while his mother worked as a school principal and now serves as an adjunct professor.
The profits Rancic earned from his own boat wash and wax business helped pay for his college tuition.
Rancic founded cigarsaroundtheworld.com eight years ago in a 400-square-foot studio apartment with very little money. Today it is a thriving multi-million dollar national operation that is part of a publicly traded company, Synergy Brands (sybr/nasdaq).
While Rancic still manages the day-to-day operation of the cigar business, he is also making a name for himself in the Chicago real estate market. He is a sought-after speaker at major universities and corporations where he talks about how, through hard work and thinking-out-of-the-box, success can be achieved even against the worst odds.
He also helps to pass on this message to the residents of the Mercy Home for Boys, where he has volunteered as a tutor for underprivileged children since 2002.
Rancic is a supporter of National Institution for Health, as well as the Youth Aids society.
Rancic is currently working for the Trump Organization and completed his second book, Beyond the Lemonade Stand, in 2005. The book is the follow-up to his New York Times bestseller You're Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life from the Winner of 'The Apprentice.'
Rancic began dating E! Entertainment presenter Giuliana DePandi in early 2006. The couple became engaged on 16 December 2006.