Art of deal

The first job Bob Gries had, mowing lawns in cemeteries around Cleveland in 1974 for $3 an hour, didn't cut it.

Gries sought a gig that paid more money. So he covertly went into the family business: His father owned a 20% stake in the Cleveland Browns NFL football team and Gries got a job selling hot dogs at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Vendors, he heard, could make $75 or even $100 a game. Gries was too young to sell beer.

But Gries didn't want the other vendors, many of whom came from tougher backgrounds, to know he had connections to the owners. He parked his car a mile from the stadium and walked to work. The plan worked because Gries, who attended private schools, saw a side of life he hadn't seen much of growing up. And the job beat the monotony of mowing lawns.