Donald Friese | $1B+

Get in touch with Donald Friese | Donald E. “Don” Friese rose from an orphanage in rural Pennsylvania to become a self-made billionaire. He joined C.R. Laurence in 1961 as a warehouse worker, bought full ownership by the 1990s, and grew it into the largest glazing‑supplies company in the U.S. He sold the business in 2015 for $1.3 billion while personally gifting more than $86 million in bonuses to employees and remains active philanthropically through the Friese Foundation.

Donald Friese (born October 3, 1940) is an American billionaire businessman, and the chief executive (CEO) and former owner of C.R. Laurence Co., Inc., a glazing supplies company.[1] Donald Friese Friese in 2020 Born 3 October 1940 (age 84) York, Pennsylvania, U.S. Occupation(s) CEO of C.R. Laurence Co., Inc. Title Founder and CEO of C.R. Laurence Co., Inc. Spouse Andrea Friese Children 3 Website www.crlaurence.com Contents Early life edit Donald Friese was born in 1940 in York, Pennsylvania, the third of 13 siblings.[2] After his high school graduation, he joined the U.S. Army in 1958, trained as a missile mechanic, and was stationed in Taiwan and Okinawa.[2] He served in the army for 3 years before moving to Los Angeles with $125 in his pocket to find a job.[3] Career edit Friese started at C.R. Laurence in Los Angeles, which then had just one location, with an "entry-level job", as its sixth employee.[1][2] A few years later, Bernie Harris, the owner, sold him a 10% stake, and he gradually acquired more, eventually buying Harris out when he retired.[2] When Harris retired in 1997, Friese bought the 50% he did not already own. He expanded the business by acquiring competitors and launching a manufacturing operation. By 2015, the company manufactured more than 65,000 products for the glass industry.[3] In 2015, Friese sold the company to the Irish conglomerate CRH plc for $1.3 billion cash, retaining most of the real estate and continuing as CEO.[2] It was reported that Friese made $885 million from the sale of the company.[3] Personal life edit Friese and his wife Andrea live in Chatsworth, Los Angeles. They have three children.

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