CEOs of the 25 Largest Public Companies
Listed alphabetically | List information taken from the 2013 Business Information Guide
Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings, annual reports, company representatives, and websites. If you were not contacted for this list but would like to be in the future, please contact research@tcbmag.com.
Scott Anderson
| Patterson Companies, Inc. Mendota Heights $3,535,661 7,059
| 1993 2010
| $2,262,670
| Became president of Patterson Dental, the company's largest business, in 2006; senior management positions held with the dental unit also include vice president of sales and vice president of marketing. Began his career as a Patterson Dental territory sales representative.
| Distributes supplies for the dental, rehabilitation, and veterinary markets
|
Douglas Baker Jr.
| Ecolab, Inc. St. Paul $6,798,500 40,200
| 1989 2004
| $10,237,475
| Served in several leadership roles, including chief operating officer and president, before taking the reins as CEO in 2004, when Ecolab had $3.8 billion in sales; in 2011, sales topped $11 billion, and he steered the company through an $8.3 billion acquisition of Illinois-based Nalco, which is expected to nearly double sales in 2013.
| Manufactures and distributes cleaning and maintenance products for the hospitality, institutional, and industrial markets
|
William Cook
| Donaldson Company, Inc. Bloomington $2,493,248 13,000
| 1980 2004
| $5,483,791
| Has held various leadership positions, including senior vice president of international and CFO, and senior vice president of the commercial and industrial group; has served as general manager of high purity products, director of marketing and operations, director of logistics, and director of finance and administration for Donaldson Europe.
| Manufactures filtration systems and replacement parts for diesel equipment and industrial applications
|
Alec Covington
| Nash Finch Company Edina $4,807,215 6,342
| 2006 2006
| $3,034,568
| Joined the company with nearly 30 years of experience in food wholesaling and retailing. Prior to that, served as president and CEO of Tree of Life, Inc., a national distributor of natural, organic, specialty, ethnic, and gourmet food products; was also president and CEO of AmeriCold Logistics, a provider of supply chain solutions in the consumer packaged goods industry.
| Provides wholesale and retail food distribution services
|
James Cracchiolo
| Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Minneapolis $10,192,000 11,772
| 1982 2005
| $18,849,585
| Successfully marshaled the 2005 spinoff of American Express Financial Advisors into Ameriprise Financial, which became a Fortune 500 company in 2007; has more than 25 years of experience in financial services and has held a number of senior-level positions at American Express, including group president of American Express global financial services.
| Financial services company serving the comprehensive financial planning needs of the mass affluent and affluent
|
Richard Davis
| U.S. Bancorp Minneapolis $19,108,000 64,224
| 1993 2006
| $13,619,458
| Has held management positions with the company since joining Star Banc Corporation, one of its predecessors, in 1993; was appointed CEO in 2006 and guided the company through the banking woes of 2008 and 2009. Since being appointed chief executive, has grown the company's assets from $219 billion to $350 billion as of June 2012.
| Financial company that provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust, and payment services products to consumers, businesses, and institutions
|
Jeffrey Ettinger
| Hormel Foods Corporation Austin $7,900,000 19,600
| 1989 2006
| $10,946,422
| Has served in a variety of roles at Hormel, including senior attorney, product manager for chili products, and treasurer, before being appointed president of Jennie-O Turkey Store in 1999. Was named president of Hormel Foods in 2004 and CEO in 2006; grew the company to record sales of $7.9 billion in fiscal 2011.
| Manufactures and markets brand-name food and meat products
|
Benjamin Fowke III
| Xcel Energy, Inc. Minneapolis $10,654,770 11,942
| 1999 2011
| $9,676,420
| Took the reins after having served as president and chief operating officer, a role in which he oversaw corporate operations for Xcel's four operating companies; previously served as vice president and chief financial officer. Was a vice president in the New Century Energies retail business unit before the firm merged with Northern States Power Company in 2000 to form Xcel.
| Major U.S. electricity and natural gas company; provides energy-related products and services
|
Daniel Hanrahan
| Regis Corporation Edina $2,273,779 51,926
| 2012 2012
| $850,000
| Joined Regis following a career at Royal Caribbean Cruises, where he most recently served as president and chief executive of Celebrity Cruises; also served in an executive role at Royal Caribbean International. Before that, worked at Polaroid Corporation, Reebok International, and Nestlé Food Corporation.
| Operates beauty salons and hair restoration centers, and provides cosmetology education
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Stephen Hemsley
| UnitedHealth Group, Inc. Minnetonka $101,900,000 99,000
| 1997 2006
| $13,394,832
| Since joining the company, has occupied various executive roles, including president and chief operating officer. Guided the company through the recession, adapted to the changing regulatory environment, and helped grow revenues to more than $100 billion in 2011.
| Offers products and services through two platforms--UnitedHealthcare, which provides health care coverage and benefits services, and Optum, which provides information and technology-enabled health services
|
Gary Hendrickson
| The Valspar Corporation Minneapolis $3,952,954 10,020
| 1994 2011
| $8,788,086
| Joined Valspar's packaging business in 1994 after serving 11 years in the U.S. Navy, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. Moved to Australia to lead the company's Asia Pacific business in 1998, relocated to Hong Kong in 2001, and was named senior vice president in 2005 before assuming the roles of president and chief operating officer in 2008.
| Manufactures decorative and protective coatings, paints, varnishes, and stains
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Michael Hoffman
| The Toro Company Bloomington $1,883,953 4,700
| 1977 2005
| $4,873,398
| After joining the company in 1977, spent several years in service, sales, and marketing roles in its commercial and consumer businesses; held several executive positions before being elected president in 2004, CEO in 2005, and chairman in 2006. Played a key role in steering the company's landscape contractor and international businesses.
| Provides turf and landscape maintenance equipment and irrigation solutions for golf courses, sports fields, municipalities, commercial and residential properties, and agricultural fields
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Omar Ishrak
| Medtronic, Inc. Fridley $16,184,000 45,850
| 2011 2011
| $25,025,639
| Left his role as president and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems, a $12 billion division of GE Healthcare that employs 20,000 and operates in 120 countries, to take the helm; held several executive roles at GE prior to leading its health care systems business. At Medtronic, he's focused on global expansion.
| Designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of medical devices for global use
|
Hubert Joly
| Best Buy Company, Inc. Richfield $50,705,000 167,000
| 2012 2012
| $1,175,000
| Immediately prior to joining Best Buy, led global hospitality and travel company Carlson as CEO; before that, was president and CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel and held senior executive positions at Vivendi S.A. and Electronic Data Systems, which is now part of Hewlett-Packard Company.
| Specialty retailer of consumer electronics, home office products, entertainment software, appliances, and related services
|
Willard Oberton
| Fastenal Company Winona $2,766,859 15,168
| 1980 2002
| $3,258,911
| Has served as a director since June 1999 and has been president since July 2001; also served as chief operating officer from March 1997 through December 2002, as executive vice president from June 2000 through July 2001, and as vice president from March 1997 through June 2000.
| Distributes industrial and construction supplies, including threaded fasteners
|
James Owens
| H.B. Fuller Company Vadnais Heights $1,557,552 3,530
| 2008 2010
| $2,791,294
| Prior to taking the helm, served as the company's senior vice president for North America and then as senior vice president for the Americas. Before joining the company, was a senior vice president at Henkel Corporation, a German manufacturer of home care products and cosmetics.
| Manufactures adhesives, sealants, and coating compounds for industrial and consumer applications
|
Ken Powell
| General Mills, Inc. Golden Valley $16,657,900 35,000
| 1979 2007
| $12,191,017
| Served in a variety of positions before becoming CEO, including vice president, president, and chief operating officer; guided the company through the acquisition of Yoplait, which helped boost fiscal 2012 sales to $16.7 billion, up 12 percent from the previous year.
| Manufactures a wide range of food products under many different brands
|
James Prokopanko
| The Mosaic Company Plymouth $11,107,800 8,000
| 2006 2007
| $9,415,624
| Previously served as executive vice president and CFO of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its predecessor organization from January 2001 until October 2004; worked in various senior management positions with Honeywell, Inc., in the United States and Europe, including vice president and CFO.
| Produces and markets concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients for the global agriculture industry
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Wayne Sales
| Supervalu, Inc. Eden Prairie $36,100,000 130,000
| 2012 2012
| $1,500,000
| A member of the company's board of directors since 2006 and non-executive chairman since 2010, he previously served as CEO and president of Canadian Tire Corporation Limited, a general merchandise retailer billed as the country's largest independent gasoline retailer. Prior to Canadian Tire, served in senior leadership positions with Kmart Corporation.
| Provides retail grocery and supply-chain services
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Lee Schram
| Deluxe Corporation Shoreview $1,417,596 5,565
| 2006 2006
| $3,312,088
| Began his career with NCR Corporation in 1983 and served in a number of roles, including chief financial officer for its retail and financial group, vice president and general manager of payment and imaging solutions, and senior vice president of the company's retail solutions division.
| Provides customized checks and forms, along with Web and other services, to more than 4 million small business customers; offers various programs to financial institutions; sells checks and accessories to consumers
|
Daniel Starks
| St. Jude Medical, Inc. St. Paul $5,611,696 16,000
| 1996 2004
| $6,573,283
| Took the helm in 2004 after serving on the company's board since 1996; previously served as president and CEO of the cardiac rhythm management business. Was CEO of Daig Corporation before its merger with St. Jude. Has overseen significant acquisitions, including AGA Medical and LightLab, both of which were purchased in 2010.
| Designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of medical devices for global use
|
Gregg Steinhafel
| Target Corporation Minneapolis $69,865,000 365,000
| 1979 2008
| $19,707,107
| Was named president in 1999 following a two-decade career at the company involving multiple merchandising and operating roles; has significantly added to the retailer's footprint by bringing its total store count to more than 1,780, with plans to open 100 to 150 stores in Canada beginning in 2013.
| Discount retailer of general-merchandise consumer goods
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Inge Thulin
| 3M Company Maplewood $29,611,000 84,000
| 1979 2012
| $5,360,270
| Joined 3M in his native Sweden in 1979 and worked in various sales and marketing positions; later, held numerous leadership roles in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and became chief operating officer in 2011 after serving as executive vice president of international operations.
| Provides various technologies through its industrial, health care, consumer, safety and graphics, and electronics and energy business segments
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John Wiehoff
| C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Eden Prairie $10,336,346 8,353
| 1992 2002
| $3,966,071
| Joined the company as corporate controller and has held various positions since, including treasurer and vice president and CFO; his financial background, which includes a stint at Arthur Andersen, has kept the company focused on managing its costs and automating processes.
| Provides third-party freight transportation and logistics, fresh produce sourcing, and information services
|
Scott Wine
| Polaris Industries, Inc. Medina $2,656,949 3,900
| 2008 2008
| $7,227,350
| Prior to joining the company, served as president of Fire Safety Americas, a division of United Technologies, which provides high-tech products to the building systems and aerospace industries. Has expanded the company through acquisitions, including Global Electric Motorcars, LLC, Goupil Industrie SA, and Indian Motorcycle, in 2011; in 2012, Polaris announced a joint venture through which it plans to develop and market vehicles in India.
| Manufactures and sells snowmobiles, off-road recreational vehicles, including ATVs and side-by-side vehicles, and on-road vehicles, including motorcycles and small electric vehicles; supplies equipment and related services
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