Burger King mogul John Gullo shares memoir highlighting philanthropy over profit

John Gullo describes a life that began in a rough Italian neighborhood of Buffalo and culminated in a sprawling Burger King franchise empire spanning Utah, Arizona and Wisconsin, highlighted by the first gas-station-attached outlet in Hurricane, Utah. At 82, he has turned his attention to a memoir titled "Extraordinary Adventures of an Ordinary Man," written with Bridget Cook-Burch, to convey the lessons he wants young readers to learn.

Central to his story is the American Dream Foundation, launched with early business profits and responsible for over $2 million in donations to organizations such as Prevent Child Abuse, the Children’s Justice Center, Enable Industries, and the Treehouse Children’s Museum. Gullo also credits pickleball, which he embraced after heart surgery, with revitalizing his health and prompting him to fund hundreds of courts and create the Professional Pickleball Federation.

His longtime friend, former NBA player Thurl Bailey, contributed the book’s foreword and has partnered with Gullo on charitable events for two decades. All proceeds from the memoir will be directed to further philanthropic projects.