Robert E. Rich Jr. (born January 25, 1941) is an American businessman, philanthropist and writer. He is currently chairman of the board and majority owner of Rich Products Corporation (Rich's), a large food processing company headquartered in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

Early life

Robert E. Rich Jr. graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

with a bachelor's degree in 1963 and Simon Business School in 1969 an MBA degree with honors.

Career

In 1964 he joined Rich Products, a company started by his father, as president of a start up subsidiary, Rich Products of Canada. Rich also served in the United States National Guard from 1963 to 1969 and was a member of the Army Reserve Officer school staff. He also earned an MBA (with honors) from Simon Business School at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

in 1969. Moving to Rich's American headquarters that year, he created the company's first marketing department and took on the new role of Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In 1978 he was named President of Rich's.Rich Products website When his father died in Palm Beach, Florida in 2006, Robert Jr., was elected to the position of chairman of the board of Rich Products.Forbes 2009

Outside activities

In 1969, Rich was an investor and member of the inaugural board of directors of the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

of the National Hockey League and later became Vice Chairman of that professional hockey team. In 1983 Rich Products Corp. purchased the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

minor league baseball team.Answers.com The Bisons are the AAA affiliate of the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. Rich's also owns the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, whic ...

(the AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals), and the

West Virginia Black Bears The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Granville, West Virginia, and play their home games at Monongalia County Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morgan ...

, charter members of the Major League Baseball Draft League. Rich serves as chairman of those three baseball clubs and is also a member of the Trustees Council of the University of Rochester. Rich has chaired many industry organizations including the National Frozen Food Association (NFFA), the Uniform Code Council (Bar Codes) the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and ENACTUS (formerly Students in Free Enterprise - SIFE). Rich was elected to the board of directors of Cleveland Clinic in 2002 and chaired philanthropy and a fundraising campaign for the Clinic that raised more than $1.5 billion. He then served as Chairman of Cleveland Clinic for two four-year terms from 2011 to 2019. He remains involved with the Clinic today, serves as their Chairman Emeritus and assisted in their Centennial Campaign that has raised $2.5 billion.

Personal life

Rich is married and has four children. His wife, Mindy, is vice chairman of Rich Products and has been with the company for more than 37 years. Rich has authored five books, the proceeds of which were donated to charities including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of Western New York, Project Healing Waters, and has co-written a sixth. His fifth book, a novel, titled “Looking Through Water”, is being produced as a movie and enters pre-production in 2022. Politically, Rich is an Independent.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rich, Robert E. Jr. 1941 births Living people Williams College alumni American businesspeople Buffalo Bisons (minor league)