Early Life
William Wrigley Jr. II, or Beau Wrigley, was born on October 6, 1963. He is the son of William Wrigley III and Alison Hunter, and the great-grandson of William Wrigley Jr., the founder of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. He graduated from Phoenix Country Day School in Phoenix, Arizona.
Rise to Success
Wrigley earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Duke University in 1985. He later attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, completing the Advanced Management Program. He joined Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 1985. Under his leadership, the company expanded by acquiring Altoids and Life Savers from Kraft Foods in 2005.
Key Business Strategies
In 2008, Beau Wrigley led the sale of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company to Mars, Inc. for $23 billion. Following the sale, he moved into the cannabis industry, becoming CEO of Parallel, a company that produces cannabis products. He is currently the chairman of Parallel.
Philanthropy
Beau Wrigley co-founded the Sue Hostetler & Beau Wrigley Family Foundation in 2017. The foundation supports initiatives in arts equity, reproductive health access, and mental health resources, among other causes.