Scott Simplot (born 1947) is the American chairman and chief executive officer of the J.R. Simplot Company and formerly the wealthiest man in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

Early life and education

Simplot is the youngest son of J.R. Simplot, the founder of the diversified agriculture company J.R. Simplot Company, and his first wife Rudy Rosevear. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business from the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

in 1968 and went on to earn a

Masters in Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

(MBA) from the

Wharton School The Wharton School ( ) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia. Established in 1881 through a donation from Joseph Wharton, a co-founder of Bethlehem Steel, the Wharton ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1973.

Career

Simplot first obtained a seat on the J.R. Simplot Company board of directors in 1970 and was hired as the company's director of planning and information technology in 1973, following his graduation from Wharton. He was quickly promoted to more senior positions and became chairman of the board of directors in 2001 after he reportedly "pushed out" his father, J.R.; the two adopted different approaches to management. During his time at J.R. Simplot Company, Simplot has been credited with engineering the company's lucrative early-stage investment in

Micron Technology Micron Technology, Inc. is an American producer of computer memory and computer data storage including dynamic random-access memory, flash memory, and solid-state drives (SSDs). It is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Micron's consumer produc ...

, which grew to 22-percent of that company by 1996. He is also responsible for the company's 2003 purchase of the Australian arm of John West Foods. In addition to his seat on the J.R. Simplot Company board, he also serves on the boards of directors of nearly a dozen other companies. In 2016, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' named him the wealthiest man in Idaho, with an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion.

Personal life

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'' described Simplot as being "unassuming, with a thoughtful, almost professorial air," a marked contrast to his gregarious father, which was reflected in their different management styles with J.R. acting on hunches and Scott preferring detailed analysis of potential business actions. He is divorced and has two daughters. His sister, Gay Simplot, is also a billionaire and works with Scott in running the J.R. Simplot company. Gay is divorced from the former

Governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd List of Governors of Idaho, governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, h ...

. In 2004 Simplot received an honorary doctorate in Administrative Science from the University of Idaho in recognition of "lifelong achievement, public service, and significant contributions to the state of Idaho and the nation."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simplot, Scott 1947 births Living people Businesspeople from Idaho University of Idaho alumni Wharton School alumni American billionaires 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople