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John Rochon is founder and chairman of Richmont Holdings. Mr. Rochon is a veteran of more than three decades of successful leadership in finance, marketing, sales and operations. After spending the early part of his career working for Chesebrough-Ponds (Unilever) and Ecolab International, he joined Mary Kay Inc. in 1980. In 1984, he became chief financial officer. Mr. Rochon was the architect of Mary Kay’s management-led leveraged buyout in 1985, arranging the financing and executing the transaction. That LBO is regarded as one of the most successful in business history. During the following 16 years, the company’s retail revenue grew from $500 million to almost $3 billion and Mary Kay became the world's best-selling brand of skin care & color cosmetics. Mr. Rochon became vice chairman in 1987 and chairman and CEO in 1991. With Mr. Rochon as its General Partner, Richmont Capital Partners I became the largest shareholder in Avon Products, Inc., which subsequently experienced tremendous growth. Mr. Rochon has managed the growth of dozens of Richmont entities, in such varied industries as financial services, marketing, international trading, food services and office supplies. Mr. Rochon is the chairman and controlling shareholder of privately-owned Nukote International. Nukote is a leader in the imaging industry providing high quality products such as aftermarket laser and inkjet printer cartridges, as well as a range of commerical imaging products. A Nukote subsidiary, EnviroSmart, is the world's largest collector of empty printer cartridges. By collecting and remanufacturing printer cartridges, Nukote makes major contributions to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. Mr. Rochon holds a B.Sc. and an MBA from the University of Toronto and has written and spoken extensively on topics relating to business strategy. He is a member of the School of Administration Advisory Board of the University of Texas at Dallas and is a past trustee of the University of Scranton and serves on The President's International Alumni Council of the University of Toronto.
Mr. Rochon established and heads the Rochon Family Foundation to assist victims of violence against women, particularly sexual assault. | 