Stephen J. Bisciotti

Born in Philadelphia on April 10, 1960, Steve Bisciotti moved with his family to Baltimore (Severna Park) in March of 1961 when Steve, the youngest of 3 children, was 11 months old. His father, Bernard, took the children to Orioles and Colts games. Sadly, Bernard died of leukemia when Steve was 8. His mother, Patricia, a huge Ravens’ fan, then raised the children alone.

Commonly described by his long-time friends and co-workers as a “regular guy,” Steve had always held part-time jobs…He mowed lawns (including at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church), pumped gas and babysat…And he played sports. “I wasn’t much of a high school athlete, but played football, baseball and basketball all the time when I was growing up,” Bisciotti adds. As a senior at Severna Park High School, Steve played on the football team for head coach Andy Borland…(Bisciotti transferred to Severna Park after 2 years at Severn School.)

After graduating from Salisbury (MD) State with a degree in liberal arts in 1982, Bisciotti worked in the temporary help industry…When he lost his job in 1983 (he was 23), he founded Aerotek with his 1st cousin, Jim Davis…They opened a basement office in Annapolis and furnished it with second-hand desks purchased from Goodwill…They offered aerospace and technology companies access to skilled temporary employees…Starting with 2 employees and 2 clients, Bisciotti and Davis produced $1.5 million in sales in the 1st year.

Aerotek grew into the Allegis Group, which currently is the 3rd-largest staffing firm in the United States – 6th in the world…The company, which is based in the Baltimore area and has offices throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, has over 6,000 employees and 65,000 high-end contract workers. Allegis Group, which, like Steve, does little self promotion or publicity, places employees in positions from engineers to cable installers, to computer programmers, to marketing specialists.

Until he bought the Ravens, Bisciotti’s incredible business success was not well known to the general public on a national level…In fact, it wasn’t even notable in the Baltimore area, where he and his partners kept a low profile.

How does Bisciotti describe his ownership style? “I’m very active, but would not describe myself as an owner who is involved in all of the day-to-day decisions. I want to be included and continually educated. But, in the end, I want those qualified in their respective fields of expertise to make the decisions. I don’t know more about acquiring players than Ozzie does. I don’t have the coaching expertise that [the head coach] has. We have a smart, respected team president (Dick Cass). But, I do think I know the right questions to ask,” Bisciotti states.

“There are many reasons why Steve is successful. One of those is that he can inspire people to do better, both individually and collectively. We see that regularly here. Steve gives us input on every significant decision we make,” says Cass, who was one of only two Bisciotti hires after he purchased total control of the Ravens.

Bisciotti directed the planning and building of the team’s state-of-the-art training and practice facility, which opened in October of 2004. “There is none better than [this one],” former head coch Brian Billick said. “A facility can’t win a game for you, but what Steve built gives [the team] an edge. Players spend more time here preparing to win because it’s a good place to get work done and hang out with teammates and coaches.”

Bisciotti, who is 48 and the 2nd-youngest owner in the NFL (to Daniel Snyder, 44), bought a minority interest in the Ravens in 2000 from Art Modell and completed the purchase of the franchise on 4/9/04…Steve’s initial investment in the team provided funds to secure free agents for the 2000 Super Bowl XXXV championship team…Steve’s influence in the NFL continues to rise – he currently is a member of 2 important ownership committees: Broadcasting and Digital Media.

As is his style, Steve quietly is dedicated to a number of important causes and projects, some associated with his deep Catholic faith…He is a board member for both Catholic Charities and Mother Seton Academy (Baltimore)…Bisciotti recently (2007) purchased a collection of Baltimore Colts and Johnny Unitas memorabilia, which he immediately loaned to Baltimore’s Sports Legends Museum. “It was important to keep those memories in Baltimore, and for fans to get a chance to see them,” Bisciotti explains.

Steve, who enjoys golfing, boating and a devotion to University of Maryland athletics, and his wife Renée (Foote), are the parents of 2 sons, Jason, and Jack, both college students…Renée helped design the interior and selected the furnishings at the Ravens’ training complex…The family lives in Millersville, MD.

Bisciotti is pronounced Bih-SHAH-tee.