Roxanne Quimby
#294,560 Most Popular
About
American businesswoman, landowner, and conservationist most famous for founding Burts Bees personal care products. She created the brand after meeting beekeeper Burt Shavitz, whose image appears on the company's branding. After selling the company in 2007, she used profits to buy massive amounts of land to turn into national parks and protected spaces. She is a philanthropist and professor at Unity College in Maine.
Before Fame
She was born and raised in Massachusetts. She earned a BFA from San Francisco Art Institute.
Trivia
The first Burts Bees products were honey and candles sold at local fairs in Guilford, Maine. At one point, she opened up Burts Bees to investors and took some of her earnings to expand upon her advocacy for conservation, which included the decision to purchase more than 100,000 acres of land in Maine and prevent it from being hunted on and logged.
Family Life
Her father was a salesman and her mother stayed at home with her and her sister. She has two children with George St. Clair.
Associated With
Her creations of national parks and purchases of many acres of land in Maine were seen as controversial by politicians such as Paul LePage, Angus King, and Susan Collins.