HARRISBURG, Pa. – As far as he has come from his early years in Lebanon, George Altirs has managed to hold onto the things that have helped shape him, and the companies he has built.

Now, he’s aiming to bring the same success that he has found in both the fashion business and soccer to the Harrisburg City Islanders. Announced as the club’s new majority owner last Friday, Altirs believes he has the right formula for success, no matter the field he’s working in.

“I’m lucky,” he said with a laugh recently. “In all seriousness, we work hard and focus, and have good people around you and do things the right way from the beginning so you don’t need to stop and fix problems. Do business with the right people, hire the right people, work with the right people, pick the right partners. We work very hard, myself and the team with me, just to make sure that we do business with the right people and do the right thing so that we don’t get interrupted by issues or problems, and usually it works, so we do it very well.”

Altirs’ investment in soccer can be traced back to his childhood in Lebanon, where his passion for the game first developed. He and his friends would live and breathe the sport, either playing outside or watching the World Cup and whatever else found its way onto their television screens.

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When he moved to the United States after completing his studies, he continued to follow the game. But after he and his wife began the Capelli clothing line, and then started a family, Altirs’ involvement in the sport took a different turn. First creating the Cedar Stars Academy, and then outfitting the club’s teams in Capelli uniforms, the new designs began to turn heads at the tournaments the club participated in.

“My boys play and my wife is a designer, so we decided to make it a little family affair with the youth club and the professional teams, and also the Capelli Sport team uniforms and soccer balls and accessories and supplies,” Altirs said. “We did it for Cedar Stars, and then everyone from Cedar Stars got good compliments on their uniform, and they asked if we could do uniforms for other clubs, and I said OK. We’ve gone from one team uniform in our factory to a full Capelli Sport division.”

Capelli Sport now sees its name on the Rochester Rhinos’ stadium, with the club also debuting its new uniforms this season. The City Islanders’ new Capelli Sport uniforms also debuted this past weekend in Richmond, adding to the growing list of clubs that have helped the organization branch out into multiple countries.

“I think George is the type that once he got a bit of a taste of it, once he got a taste of the success that we’ve had building and growing something, I think he really enjoyed it and wanted to be very involved in being a leading component in the landscape of soccer here, professionally and youth,” said Jason Arnold, the Sporting Director at Capelli Sport. “That’s just part of his make-up, part of his personality. He really loves this game and he’s very passionate about the kids and giving everybody opportunities, and that really fits into what this sport is about.”

Altirs also invested into ownership in the sport, including purchasing a stake in German club MSV Duisburg having previously invested in current PDL club Wilmington Hammerheads FC. His new investment in the City Islanders came to fruition recently after meeting the City Islanders’ President Eric Pettis frequently at USL functions. As Altirs and Pettis worked on a partnership for Capelli Sport to become Harrisburg’s official apparel supplier, an even bigger deal began being discussed.

Things moved quickly from there, as Altirs made the move with the goal of driving the historic USL club’s forward.

“It was very quick. I went there, [Pettis] came here to New York, we met each other and we ended up making a deal,” Altirs said. “I love the USL and what they’re doing. That was a no-brainer knowing that we have a few-thousand players in New Jersey and Cedar Stars, having a USL close by, it was a great opportunity for us and we’re very excited about it.”

With the City Islanders aiming to push forward on multiple fronts, both in securing a long-term home for the club and to get the two-time USL Cup Finalist back to its former glories on the field, Arnold believes there’s no-one better to lead the way than Altirs, whose eagerness to get things accomplished remains undimmed.

“For me that’s the driving force that’s made him who he is today, that work ethic to get things done, and he’s still that way now, he’s very involved at every level,” said Arnold. “He wants to know what’s going on, he wants to make sure that he’s involved with it, that he understands, and that it all fits together.

“He’s a very family-oriented man as well, he’s got seven kids, six boys and one girl, and that’s obviously a big part of his life, but I think the people he surrounds himself with and the people he works closely with he considers family as well. He’s got this very tight-knit group of people that he trusts and works with on these major projects.”

At its root, though, is Altirs’ love of soccer, which continues to drive him to bring as much opportunity to those he works with on and off the field.

“It’s a great game,” said Altirs. “I love the athletes. I love the creativity. It means a lot to me. It makes me happy. This is a sport that makes me happy. When I watch the sport, I’m in heaven, so it means a lot to me. Every night when I come home from work I watch 10 minutes, 15 minutes before I go to bed. I watch the major matches, I watch my kids playing from eight years old to 16. It’s a big part of our life – a very big part of our life.”