Charles W. "Charlie" Ergen (born March 1, 1953) is the co-founder and CEO of EchoStar Communications Corporation, the parent company of Dish Network.
Born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Ergen's father William Ergen was a nuclear physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and his mother Viola Ergen is the retired business manager of the Children's Museum of Oak Ridge. After graduating from Oak Ridge High School in 1971, he graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (BA) and Wake Forest University (MBA). He worked as a financial analyst for Frito Lay and as a professional blackjack player until he was kicked out of a casino for card counting.
In 1980, he founded EchoStar with his wife Candy and Jim DeFranco, targeting rural audiences for satellite dish service. He hosts a show called Charlie Chat on the Dish Network.
He is the 27th richest American with a net worth of $10.2 Billion.
One of his brothers is a physician at St. Mary's, Dr. Fred Ergen.
