Portrait of John Morris

Rank #412

John Morris

Net worth $8.6B

Sporting goods retail · United States

Born
Mar 19, 1948
Age
78
Source
Sporting goods retail
Residence
Springfield, Missouri
Citizenship
United States
Marital status
Married
Children
4
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, Drury University

Net worth over time

Biography

  • John Morris is founder and CEO of $8.1 billion (sales) outdoor gear retailer Bass Pro Shops.
  • Morris started the company in 1972 by selling fish tackle from the back of his father's liquor store in Springfield, Missouri.
  • In 2017, he bought rival Cabela's for $5 billion, nearly doubling the size of Bass Pro Shops.
  • His Bass Pro Group also owns White River Marine Group, a leading manufacturer of fishing and recreational boats.
  • A noted conservationist, Morris spent $300 million to build a 350,000 square-foot museum and aquarium in Missouri that opened in 2017.
  • At 22 years old, Morris competed in the first national B.A.S.S. fishing tournament and came in 21st place.
  • His Big Cedar Lodge, a mountain resort in the Ozarks, hosts more than one million guests a year.