Greek-American Sam Galeotos Running for Governor of Wyoming (Video)

CHEYENNE, WY – Greek-American Sam E. Galeotos is running for governor in Wyoming. He told The National Herald that his “mother’s side of the family is from Thessaloniki” and “his father’s side of the family is from a village outside of Tripoli.”

During his time working in New York City, Galeotos noted that he became a TNH reader.

Galeotos was born and raised in Cheyenne. The Galeotos family established roots in Wyoming when Sam’s grandfather and his two brothers first arrived in the capital city in 1910. They quickly became a part of the local community, establishing businesses in the food service industry, and have remained active generations later. A founding member and current Parish Council President of Holy Apostles Orthodox Christian Church of Cheyenne, Galeotos and also serves on the Metropolis Council for the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Denver. He lives with his wife Stacey and his daughters Isabella and Nicolette on their ranch near Cheyenne.

Starting his own entrepreneurial endeavors at a young age, Galeotos worked for his grandparents, selling greeting cards door-to-door, managing paper routes, selling soft drinks at Cheyenne Frontier Days, and mowing lawns. He spent summers with his father Lee, a member of both Governors Hansen’s and Hathaway’s administrations, traveling the state.

During his junior year in high school, the family relocated to Washington DC, at the end of the Hathaway administration. While there, he experienced one of the most memorable events of his youth, attending the confirmation of Governor Stanley K. Hathaway as United States Secretary of the Interior. Also memorable for the young Galeotos was that he sat next to Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist at a reception after the event.

Returning to Wyoming during his senior year, he graduated from Cheyenne Central High School in 1976. Working at a local lumber company to earn money for college while taking classes at Laramie County Community College, Galeotos in one year began full-time at the University of Wyoming, ultimately transferring to the University of Arizona where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with dual majors in Accounting and Management Information Systems. He also attended The Wharton School’s Advanced Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Global Businessman & Technology Leader

After college, Galeotos returned to Wyoming once again. Unfortunately, there were not many opportunities for someone with his education and background in business and technology, so he responded to an ad in the Rocky Mountain News looking to hire computer system developers. It ended up being an entrepreneurial start-up company, developing automated accounting and reporting systems for the travel industry. Even better, the company had just been acquired by Delta Air Lines and was growing quickly. After several interviews and actually receiving a rejection letter, Galeotos convinced the company’s management to hire him, and in three years worked his way to the position of vice president of marketing and product development. The company was ultimately merged into Delta, relocating Galeotos to Atlanta, GA, with a promotion overseeing sales and service for Delta’s global reservation system.

Galeotos believes strongly in supporting community Initiatives. While in Atlanta, he served with the Boys & Girls Club of Cobb County, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, and the Georgia 100 Women’s Mentoring Program. He was selected as a “community hero” to carry the torch for the 1996 Olympic Games.

In 1998, Galeotos became part of the founding management team at Worldspan Travel Information Systems, a joint venture between Delta, Transworld (TWA), and Northwest Air Lines (NWA) and later became co-chief executive officer (CEO) responsible for global operations. Recruited to join Cheap Tickets Inc., as president and chief operating officer, Galeotos in one year added the duties of CEO, and was elected to the company’s board of directors. He facilitated the sale of Cheap Tickets to Cendant Corporation, and joined Cendant as CEO of strategic distribution and travel services. Cendant was a $15+ billion dollar global company employing more than 70,000 people, with a significant presence in the travel and tourism industry, owning and operating 13 hotel brands, AVIS rental car, Galileo International, and RCI. It also had significant operations in the real estate industry owning Century 21, Coldwell Banker, and ERA. At Cendant, Galeotos became president and CEO of Galileo International, a leading travel global distribution services company, while concurrently leading Cendant’s travel distribution services division. His division employed more than 5,000 people, with 10 companies operating in over 100 countries, and generated in excess of $1.5 billion dollars in annual revenues.

After fulfilling his commitments to Cendant, Galeotos returned to Wyoming where he immediately assumed responsibility for one of his greatest passions, the Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne. At Boys and Girls Club, he drove the funding and development of a new club facility, complete with a twelve-acre recreational complex. He has started and operated ranching, farming, and retail businesses in Albany, Carbon, Goshen, and Laramie counties. Galeotos currently serves as the executive chairman of the board for Green House Data Corporation, one of Wyoming’s premier technology companies. Green House Data started in Cheyenne and has now grown to nine markets across the United States.

Galeotos is dedicated to community service, serving on boards for The Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne, Wyoming State Travel and Tourism, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, the University of Wyoming College of Business Advisory Council, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, and the All Saints Foundation.

Based on his exceptional commitment and dedication to the community, Galeotos was named “Business Person of the Year” in 2016 by both the Cheyenne Board of Realtors and the Wyoming State Board of Realtors. He was elected board president of the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority in July 2017, where he has focused on revitalization of the downtown Cheyenne historic district.

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