Roxanne Quimby (born July 11, 1950) is an American

businesswoman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

notable for founding the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

-based

Burt's Bees Burt's Bees is an American multinational, personal care product company. The company is a subsidiary of Clorox that describes itself as an " Earth-friendly, Natural Personal Care Company" making products for personal care, health, beauty and per ...

personal care products Personal care or toiletries are consumer products used in personal hygiene, personal grooming or for beautification. Products Personal care includes products as diverse as cleansing pads, colognes, cotton swabs, cotton pads, deodorant, eye liner ...

company with the eponymous beekeeper Burt Shavitz.Associated Press
"Burt's Bees Founder Wants to Donate National Park"
''The New York Times''. Retrieved March 27, 2011.

Early life and education

Quimby was born in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

and raised in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

,Clark, Edie
"Roxanne Quimby: Controversy in Maine", Yankee Magazine, March 2008
yankeemagazine.com. Retrieved he in April 23, 2011. a daughter of an engineer and salesman father and a homemaker mother. Although her family was business-oriented, she initially took a different path, attending

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

, where she was influenced by the " back to the land"

homesteading Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale. Pur ...

ideas of

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

and

Scott Nearing Scott Nearing (August 6, 1883 – August 24, 1983) was an American radical economist, educator, writer, political activist, pacifist, vegetarian and advocate of simple living. Biography Early years Nearing was born in Morris Run, Tioga County, ...

.McFadden, Mike
/ref>

Career

In 1975, she and her boyfriend, George St. Clair, moved to

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, bought a tract of land near

Guilford Guildford is a town in Surrey, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Guildford, the Diocese of Guildford and the Parliamentary constituency of Guildford. Guildford, Guilford, or Gildford may also refer to: Places Australia * Guildfor ...

, built a cabin and

outhouse An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry toilet, dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may als ...

, and lived a rustic lifestyle. In 1978, the couple had twins; a little later, Roxanne left the family to move into another cabin. Eventually she met Burt Shavitz, and in 1984 began selling candles made of his beeswax at local fairs. After achieving a $20,000 profit the first year, the business grew steadily; in 1991 it introduced its best received product, a

lip balm Lip balm or lip salve is a wax-like substance applied topically to the lips to moisturize and relieve chapped or dry lips, angular cheilitis, stomatitis, or cold sores. Lip balm often contains beeswax or carnauba wax, camphor, cetyl alcohol, lan ...

. In the 1990s, Quimby threatened to sue Shavitz over personal issues; this ultimately led Quimby forcing him out of the company by acquiring his shares. In 2007 Quimby sold the company to

Clorox The Clorox Company (formerly Clorox Chemical Company) is an American global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. As of 2020 the Oakland, California based company had approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. Net sales ...

for more than $900 million. After turning Burt's Bees over to outside investors, she used her new fortune to deepen her long running conservation advocacy. The most visible action was the purchase of over 120,000 acres of Maine forest, which she then placed off limits to hunters, loggers, and other users. She has since arranged a donation of 70,000 acres of her land towards a new

National park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

located in Maine. An additional donation of 30,000 acres would be managed like a state park and would allow activities such as hunting and snowmobiling. This plan was originally controversial to some Mainers, including then Maine Governor

Paul LePage Paul Richard LePage (; born October 9, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 74th Governor of Maine from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, LePage served two terms as a city councilor in Waterville, Maine, before being ...

and Maine senators

Angus King Angus Stanley King Jr. (born March 31, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maine since 2013. A political independent since 1993, he previously served as the 72nd governor of Maine from 1995 ...

and

Susan Collins Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maine. A member of the Republican Party, she has held her seat since 1997 and is Maine's longest-serving member of Co ...

. Public opinion became positive after a series of listening sessions and meetings demonstrated positive intentions and the economic opportunities a new national monument would bring. Quimby transferred 87,000 acres of her land to the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

on August 23, 2016, valued at $60 million, along with $20 million in cash to fund operations. This transfer was a prelude to the establishment of a national monument. The

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is a U.S. national monument spanning of mountains and forestland in northern Penobscot County, Maine, including a section of the East Branch Penobscot River. The monument is located on the eastern b ...

was established on August 24, 2016, the day prior to the 100th anniversary of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. In September 2016, "Quimby . . . added a new parcel to her real estate portfolio on the

Schoodic Peninsula The Schoodic Peninsula is a peninsula in Down East Maine. It is located four miles (6 km) east of Bar Harbor, Maine, as the crow flies. The Schoodic Peninsula contains , or approximately 5% of Acadia National Park. It includes the towns of ...

– the 113-acre Ocean Wood Campground.... Quimby said she plans to reopen the property and its prime oceanfront camp sites once minor repairs are made". Quimby stated, "I'm pleased to now own this property, which I have admired for many years. It is our intention to restore the existing infrastructure and reopen the campground as soon as minor repairs and improvements can be made. It's our hope that Ocean Wood Campground will once again take its place among the many lovely landscapes and recreational opportunities of the Schoodic Peninsula". As of 2016, she is a resident of

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

, where she is a prominent

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

and leads a number of charitable organizations in the area. In 2019, she joined the faculty of Unity College in Unity, Maine.

References

External links

Foundation website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quimby, Roxanne 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 People from Cambridge, Massachusetts People 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 College (Maine) faculty 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesswomen American women academics