In our world, where wealth often equals power, being rich is not only a privilege but also a big responsibility. While sadly, there will likely always be plenty of well-off people who will do their best to shake off their duty to the less fortunate, there will also be some exemplary human beings who won’t hesitate to put people before profit.
One such person turned out to be Bob Moore of Bob’s Red Mill, who never forgot where he came from or the people who helped him get there. Having grown his small company into a very successful business, he not only didn’t sell his company until his last days despite the immense interest in it but also left it all to his employees. Scroll down to read the full story!
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Some rich people don’t let their immense fortune blind them and remain connected to those around them until the very end
Bob Moore tried out many different paths in life before starting Bob’s Red Mill with his wife at the age of 49
When you have a passion for something, it’s never really too late to start acting on it. If you’re looking for an example or inspiration, look no further than Bob Moore, the founder of Bob’s Red Mill.
Having been born in 1929, Bob served in the Army, owned a couple of gas stations, lived a farmer’s life, managed an auto center, and built Moore’s Flour Mill business from scratch before finally starting Bob’s Red Mill at the age of 49. Little did he know that this would turn out to be his most successful idea by far.
Over the years, his company grew into a multi-million dollar business, but Bob always had love for people and never forgot them
Offering the highest quality whole grain products with many recipes developed by Bob’s wife Charlee, Bob’s Red Mill grew into a multi-million dollar business and became a name known worldwide. But for the man himself, it was never really about the money.
“If I had to pick one thing about my life that stands above all others, it would be the people. I love them all. I just love them,” shared Bob Moore on his company’s website. To him, people always came before profit, and his highest priority was to ensure a good future for his employees.
When Bob retired from his CEO position, many people tried to buy his company, but he refused it all, instead leaving 100% of Bob’s Red Mill to his employees
That’s why, when Bob retired from his role as the company’s CEO back in 2018, and all the insanely attractive offers to purchase his business came flowing in, the man never considered any of them.
“They thought I was just a lame-brained idiot because I didn’t want to sell my company,” Bob shared his frustration in an interview with Fortune back in 2022. “They told me how stupid I was, but you can’t build what I’ve built and be really stupid.”
Instead, Bob, together with his financial partners, set up employee stock ownership plans. On the man’s 81st birthday in February 2010, one-third of the company was written over to the employees.
Bob Moore passed away a few days before his 95th birthday, having lived a long and fulfilling life while remaining true to himself until the very end
A little over 10 years later, the number increased to 100%, and so the company was now fully employee-owned. With that, more than 700 people working at the company had their future secured, and Bob’s legacy was ensured to live on for a much longer time than he himself.
Following his wife, who left this earth 6 years prior, Bob Moore passed away just a few days before his 95th birthday in February 2024. He lived a long and fulfilling life, building not only a very successful company but also raising 3 kids as well as having 9 grandkids and 6 great-grandchildren.
There aren’t that many rich people who remain in touch with the people around them instead of getting their minds consumed by the money. According to Clifford Thurlow’s blog, money usually comes with status and connections, which in turn makes you feel bigger, feeding your ego.
Greed is quite a human trait, and to say no to all of this is hardly the easiest task in the world. However, for some, it seems downright near impossible. Reaching a certain line defined by insane amounts of money, some people seem to simply lose touch with the reality most of us share.
Plenty of different reasons may be to blame here, but according to Joe Pinsker’s article in The Atlantic, it’s most often about measuring yourself with other people. It turns out that it’s the same game people have been playing for ages upon ages.
There are usually 2 key questions that people might ask themselves when wanting to determine if they’re satisfied with their life, whether it’d be wealth, attractiveness, skill, or anything else: Am I doing better than I was, and Am I doing better than others?
When the person is focused on doing better than others, the word ‘enough’ is unlikely to be found in their dictionary. That is especially true when it comes to money because there will always be someone richer than you, and while an additional million in their bank account might not change anything in their life, they no longer stop to think how much it could affect others.
Ultimately, being rich doesn’t inherently make you selfish or selfless. However, it puts much more weight on your choices and actions. In our world, money is power, and, in the words of Stan Lee, “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.” That’s why we should be grateful for people like Bob Moore, who get that people should always come before profit.
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