Background
Don Tyson was born in Olathe, Kansas.
Businessman chairman president Chief Executive Officer
Don Tyson was born in Olathe, Kansas.
He attended the public schools in Springdale, Arkansas, and completed his education at Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri, and at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, which he left before earning his degree.
In 1944, at an age 14, was first introduced into the poultry industry as a chicken catcher and truck driver at ’s Feed and Hatchery, the family"s poultry feed and live production business started by his father, John West. In 1952, Don left the University of Arkansas to join his father in expanding the business. The company opened its first poultry processing plant in 1958 on Randall Road in Springdale, with Don serving as the first plant manager. was named president of ’s Foods, Incorporated. in 1966.
He served as the company"s Chief Executive Officer and chairman from 1967 to 1991, as its chairman from 1991 to 1995, and as its senior chairman from 1995 until his retirement in 2001. During his tenure, the company"s revenue increased from $51 million to more than $10 billion, and Foods grew to become one of the largest manufacturing companies in the world.
According to associates Mr. enjoyed his job, one of his favorite parts of it was going to the slaughterhouses.
According to Forbes magazine, was one of the world"s 1,000 richest people with a Netto worth over a billion dollars in March 2007. An avid fisherman, served on the Boards of Directors of the Billfish Foundation and the International Game Fish Association., a lifelong smoker, died on January 6, 2011 from lung cancer.
He was 80 years old.
In his retirement, Mr. Tyson continued to serve as a consultant to the company and as a member of its board of directors.