Executive Team
George W. Schaeffer
President & CEO
George W. Schaeffer’s story is a unique and inspiring example of living the American Dream, filled with adventure, philanthropy, and entrepreneurial spirit. The son of Holocaust survivors, Schaeffer was born in Hungary and immigrated to America with his family in 1956. He developed a strong work ethic and passion for business as a young boy. After receiving his degree from City College of New York in 1970, he worked in his family’s garment manufacturing business in New York City.
In search of new opportunities and challenges, Schaeffer moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and started a business that would ultimately become a dominant global consumer brand, OPI Products. He built OPI from the ground up and introduced the world to the nail lacquers now preferred by professionals and loved by customers.
With an eye for detail and a unique name for every color, Schaeffer shaped and infused OPI’s brand with his passion for excellence and innovation while creating a work environment that treated everyone like family, regularly providing new computers and school scholarships to children of OPI employees.
As the company thrived, Schaeffer maintained a top priority of giving back to his community. He formed the George and Irina Schaeffer Foundation, which has donated millions to charities worldwide, including the American Heart Association, the Leukemia Research Foundation, and the National Lung Association.
In 2012, the City of Hope Cancer Center presented George Schaeffer with the hospital and research center’s most prestigious honor, the Spirit of Life Award, in recognition of his compassion, dedication, and generosity to important charitable causes. Schaeffer also is actively involved as Chairman of the Board of the Bnai Zion Foundation, which supports critical health and education projects in Israel.
After building OPI to be one of the top brands in the world, Schaeffer sold the company and, in 2014, assumed the role of Chairman and CEO of People’s Trust Insurance, a Florida-based homeowner’s insurance company he co-founded in 2008.
In an industry not known for innovation, People’s Trust has pioneered a solution that provides affordable rates and a concierge claims service through its preferred contractor. Built on the fundamentals of preparation and responsiveness, this unique approach to addressing one of Florida’s most formidable challenges was recognized as the 2013 Enterprise Florida Innovators in Business Award winner.