Archie Aldis "Red" Emmerson (born 1929) is the founder of

Sierra Pacific Industries Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) is the second-largest lumber producer in the United States. A privately held company, it was co-founded in 1949 by R. H. Emmerson and his son, A. A. "Red" Emmerson, the long-term CEO, and A. A. Emmerson's sons G ...

, a lumber products company that operates in California, Oregon and Washington. With 2.33 million acres, Emmerson and his family rank as America's largest private landowners, according to a profile by

Eric O’Keefe Eric O'Keefe (born March 11, 1961) is an American author, editor, and journalist based in Texas. He authored the book ''The Cup (book), The Cup'' (2009) and co-wrote the screenplay for the Village Roadshow feature film ''The Cup (2011 film), The ...

in the 2021 Land Report 100. As of March 2024, they had a net worth of $5.4billion.

Early life

Born in

Grand Ronde, Oregon Grand Ronde is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Polk and Yamhill counties, Oregon, United States. Historically noted as a village in Polk County, the sphere of influence and community is in both Polk and Yamhill c ...

in 1929, and lived his early years in meager surroundings. He attended school while his father, R.H. "Curly" Emmerson built sawmills in Oregon and California.

Career

In 1948, at age 19, Emmerson arrived in Arcata, California where he began working in mills learning as much as he could about every job in the plant. In 1949 Emmerson and his father formed a partnership and went into the lumber business together, eventually producing manufacturing facilities in the northwest. Under Emmerson's management the company grew into Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) – now the second largest lumber producer in the U.S. According to the Land Report 100, the Emmerson family is the largest private landowner in the United States.

Philanthropy

Through th
Sierra Pacific Foundation
the Emmersons have given millions of dollars in community contributions. The Foundation was established in 1979 by Red's father. Over the years, Red has continued to fund the Foundation to meet its philanthropic commitment to worthy organizations, community projects, youth activities, and student scholarships for the communities where the company has operating facilities.

Political activity

Emmerson contributed $45,000 to

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's 2020 presidential campaign.

Personal life

He has three children and lives in

Redding, California Redding is a city in and the county seat of Shasta County, California, and the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California. Redding lies along the Sacramento River, north of Sacramento, California, Sacrame ...

. His sons George and Mark are president and chairman of SPI. His daughter Carolyn is the president of the Sierra Pacific Foundation. His wife of 40 years, Ida, died of breast cancer in 1996.

Recognition

*1998 Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

*2008 New California Hall of Fame *2019 Timber Processing magazine's Person of the Year *2019 West Coast Lumber & Building Material Association (WCLBMA) Lifetime Achievement Award

References

External links

Sierra Pacific Industries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emmerson, Archie Aldis American billionaires Living people 1929 births 20th-century American landowners 20th-century American businesspeople