Leland Tollett is an American businessman.
/ref>Bloomberg BusinessWeek
/ref>Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame
/ref>
/ref> He served as chief executive officer of

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...

() from 1991 to 1998, and as interim CEO in 1999.Tyson Foods CEO retires as a for-life consultant
''

Amarillo Globe News The ''Amarillo Globe-News'' is a daily newspaper in Amarillo, Texas, owned by Gannett. The newspaper is based at downtown's FirstBank Southwest Tower, but is printed at a facility in Lubbock. History The current-day ''Globe-News'' is a combin ...

'', December 23, 2009

Biography

Early life

He graduated from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkans ...

in 1958 and received an MSA from the same university in 1959.

Career

He started his career at Tyson Foods in 1959. He became Chief Operating Officer in 1981. He joined its board of directors in 1984. He served as president and CEO from 1991 to 1995, and as chairman and CEO from 1995 to 1998. He also served as interim CEO in 2009, until he was replaced by

Donnie Smith Donald W. Smith (born December 7, 1990) is an American retired soccer player who previously played as a left back for the New England Revolution of MLS and the Charlotte Independence of the USL Championship. Career Charlotte 49ers As a fou ...

.Tyson Foods replaces interim with new CEO
''Amarillo Globe News'', November 20, 2009 He is under contract to serve as a consultant to the corporation until he dies. He has sat on the board of directors of

J. B. Hunt J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. is an American transportation and logistics company based in Lowell, Arkansas. It was founded by Johnnie Bryan Hunt and Johnelle Hunt in Arkansas on August 10, 1961. By 1983, J.B. Hunt had grown into the 8 ...

, a trucking company listed on the

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

, and Worthen Banking Corp., a financial institution (later acquired by

Boatmen's Bancshares Boatmen's Bancshares Inc. was one of the 30 largest bank holding companies in the United States when it was acquired by NationsBank in 1996. Until its acquisition, Boatmen's traded on NASDAQ with the ticker BOAT. The company, founded in St. Louis, ...

, followed by

NationsBank NationsBank was one of the largest banking corporations in the United States, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company named NationsBank was formed through the merger of several other banks in 1991, and prior to that had been through mul ...

and finally

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...

). He was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2012.

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) University of Arkansas alumni American chief executives of food industry companies Tyson Foods people {{Arkansas-stub