Roxanne Quimby is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who is known for co-founding the natural personal care products company Burt's Bees with Burt Shavitz in 1984. Quimby was born in 1954 in Watertown, New York and grew up in a working-class family. She attended college at the University of New Hampshire, where she studied art and design. After graduation, Quimby worked as a graphic designer and later started her own design firm.
In the 1980s, Quimby met Burt Shavitz, a beekeeper who was selling honey and beeswax candles at a local craft fair. Quimby saw the potential in Shavitz's products and decided to partner with him to start a business. Together, they founded Burt's Bees, which initially sold beeswax candles and other natural products such as lip balm and hand salve.
Over the years, Burt's Bees became a successful and popular brand, known for its natural and environmentally friendly products. Quimby and Shavitz grew the company from a small, local operation to a national brand, and in 2007, they sold Burt's Bees to the Clorox Company for $925 million.
After the sale of Burt's Bees, Quimby became a philanthropist, using her wealth to support various causes, including land conservation and environmental protection. In particular, she has focused on preserving land in the state of Maine, where she now lives. In 2016, Quimby proposed donating 70,000 acres of land in Maine to the National Park Service to create a new national park called the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The proposed park would protect the land and its natural resources, including forests, waterways, and wildlife habitats.
However, Quimby's proposal has been met with some controversy and resistance from local residents and politicians. Some people have expressed concerns about the impact the park would have on the local economy and on property rights. Others have questioned the feasibility of managing such a large park in a rural area.
Despite the controversy, Quimby has remained committed to her vision of creating a national park in Maine. She has argued that the park would provide economic benefits to the region through tourism, and that it would be a valuable resource for the local community and the state as a whole.
In conclusion, Roxanne Quimby is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who has made a significant impact on the natural personal care industry through her co-founding of Burt's Bees. She has also been a strong advocate for land conservation and environmental protection, particularly in the state of Maine. While her proposal for a national park in Maine has met with some resistance, Quimby's dedication to her vision and her commitment to the well-being of the community and the environment make her a notable figure in the field of conservation and sustainability.
