Roxanne Quimby
Roxanne Quimby | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 11, 1950 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, conservationist |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Known for | Co-founder of Burt's Bees; conservation efforts in Maine |
Roxanne Quimby (born July 11, 1950) is an American entrepreneur recognized for co-establishing the personal-care brand Burt's Bees alongside beekeeper Burt Shavitz in North Carolina.
Early life and education
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and raised in nearby Lexington, Quimby is the daughter of a father who worked as an engineer and salesman and a mother who was a homemaker. Although she came from a family with business roots, she chose to study art at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she adopted the homesteading ideals inspired by Helen and Scott Nearing’s "back to the land" philosophy.
Career
In 1975, Quimby and her partner George St. Clair relocated to Maine, acquiring property close to Guilford to live a simple, rural life. They welcomed twins in 1978, but Quimby later separated from her family to reside in a different cabin. It was during this period that she met Burt Shavitz, and by 1984 they began vending beeswax candles at local markets. The venture generated $20,000 in profits during its inaugural year and experienced steady growth; their most notable product, a lip balm, debuted in 1991. Throughout the 1990s, Quimby acquired Shavitz’s stake for $170,000, effectively ending his involvement. In 2007, she sold the company to Clorox for a sum exceeding $900 million.
Following the sale of Burt's Bees, Quimby dedicated her wealth to environmental preservation by purchasing more than 120,000 acres of forestland in Maine and imposing restrictions on activities such as logging and hunting. She contributed 70,000 acres to facilitate the creation of a new National park in Maine, while managing an additional 30,000 acres similarly to a state park that permits hunting and snowmobiling. Although initially met with resistance from local officials including Governor Paul LePage and Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, community outreach efforts eventually swayed public sentiment favorably by emphasizing the economic advantages.
On August 23, 2016, Quimby transferred ownership of 87,000 acres valued at $60 million along with $20 million in cash to the U.S. Department of the Interior to aid park management. This donation led to the establishment of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument on August 24, 2016, coinciding with the centennial celebration of the National Park Service.
In September 2016, Quimby purchased the 113-acre Ocean Wood Campground located on the Schoodic Peninsula, with plans to renovate and reopen its oceanfront camping facilities. As of that year, she resides in Portland, Maine, where she actively participates in philanthropy and leads multiple charitable initiatives. In 2019, she became a faculty member at Unity College situated in Unity, Maine.
External links
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- American conservationists
- American company founders
- American women company founders
- American landowners
- American women landowners
- American women business executives
- American business executives
- 1950 births
- Living people
- American cosmetics businesspeople
- American food company founders
- Businesspeople from Portland, Maine
- North Maine Woods
- Philanthropists from Maine
- Philanthropists from Massachusetts
- Businesspeople from Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Businesspeople from Lexington, Massachusetts
- People from Guilford, Maine
- People from Portland, Maine
- San Francisco Art Institute alumni
- 20th-century American businesspeople
- 21st-century American businesspeople
- Unity Environmental University faculty
- 20th-century American businesswomen
- 21st-century American businesswomen
- American women academics