Ross Perot has been called many things—some nice, some not so nice. But if you want a rarely seen side of the North Texas billionaire, talk to Gary Kusin.

Kusin is now a senior adviser at the Fort Worth, Texas, private equity firm TPG, but may be best known in technology circles as a co-founder of the pioneering Dallas software retailer Babbage’s Inc. Kusin remembers when he and partner James McCurry went to Perot—an early backer of the company—to seek help on a big problem: Mall owners simply didn’t understand the Babbage’s concept, and thus weren’t letting it set up shop.

According to Kusin, Perot called the late Ray Nasher, developer of Dallas’ NorthPark Center, and said, “Ray, I’m going to send over two boys to meet you, and you’re going to let them open their first store.”

Nasher agreed, and they did.

Kusin and other North Texas business leaders say Perot has quietly been a financial backer and mentor, providing invaluable guidance as they navigated the often stormy seas of building a successful organization.

Perot “made himself available to entrepreneurs many, many times when they called him for advice,” said Ebby Halliday, founder and chairman of the board of Ebby Halliday Realtors in Dallas. “He’s very generous, not only with his funds, but with his expertise, with knowledge, and with his heart.”

In an interview, Perot acknowledged helping Kusin “a little bit,” but largely dismissed the notion of himself as a role model or supplier of sage advice.

He preferred to give credit to executives and employees of companies he has run, and to steer the conversation toward one of his passions, helping military veterans and prisoners of war.

Perot said he likes working with people who have had success since they were children and who like to win.

“The success of a company is in recruiting really outstanding people,” he said. “It’s all about the quality of the people.”

The Dallas Business Journal spoke with three North Texas entrepreneurs who said Perot—who is scheduled to celebrate his 80th birthday later this month—was instrumental to the success of ventures they’ve run. Their stories are below.

Wendy Kopp, Teach for America

Wendy Kopp, a Dallas native and Highland Park High School graduate, wrote her senior thesis at Princeton in the late ’80s on the need for a national teacher corps, similar to the Peace Corps.

Nice idea, said her thesis adviser, but how will you find the money to launch it?