Robert D. Walter

2025-03-10T17:18:20Z

67.52.60.158: /* Personal life */

{{short description|American businessman (born 1944)}}
'''Robert D. Walter''' (born 1944) is an American businessman best known for his role in the creation of [[Cardinal Health]].

==Early life==
Walter graduated from [[St. Charles Preparatory School]] in [[Columbus, Ohio]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bell|first=Jeff|date=5 November 2012|title=First Look: St. Charles building new athletic complex in boost to neighborhood|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2012/11/first-look-st-charles-building-new.html|access-date=|website=Columbus Business First}}</ref> and received a B.A. degree from [[Ohio University]] in 1967.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ohio receives $10 million gift|url=https://www.dispatch.com/article/20110112/BLOGS/301129704|access-date=2020-07-13|website=The Columbus Dispatch|language=en}}</ref> Walter later attended [[Harvard Business School]], where he received an MBA.<ref>{{cite web|last=Galuszka|first=Peter|date=|title=The $9 Billion Company Nobody Knows|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/1997-03-02/the-9-billion-company-nobody-knows|access-date=May 18, 2016|website=Bloomberg|quote=}}</ref>

==Career==
In 1971, he founded Cardinal Foods after purchasing Monarch Foods, a small [[Ohio]] food [[wholesaler]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Mark|date=26 February 2003|title=Cardinal Health CEO Quietly Builds Powerful Company|url=https://www.theledger.com/article/20030226/News/608096394|access-date=2020-07-13|website=The Ledger|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Richison |first=Nancy L. |title=Dublin |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4396-4828-5 |location=Charleston, SC |pages=127 |language=en}}</ref> In less than a decade his company became a regional food distributor.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Kuglin |first=Fred A. |title=Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: Drug Quality and Security Act |publisher=CRC Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-040-08490-8 |location=Boca Raton, FL |language=en}}</ref> In 1979, the company acquired Bailey Drug Company and began wholesaling drugs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hensley|first=Scott|date=19 April 1999|title=THE CARDINAL RULES: GROWTH, AGILITY: CARDINAL CEO ROBERT WALTER HAS USED RELENTLESS DEALMAKING TO BUILD A DIVERSE HEALTHCARE GIANT|url=https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/19990419/PREMIUM/904190325/the-cardinal-rules-growth-agility-cardinal-ceo-robert-walter-has-used-relentless-dealmaking-to-build-a-diverse-hea|access-date=2020-07-13|website=Modern Healthcare|language=en}}</ref> He renamed the company Cardinal Health.<ref name=":0" /> By 1983, the company went public and, under Walter's direction, achieved $1 billion in revenue in 1991.<ref name=":1" />

In subsequent years, the company experienced extraordinary growth, "one of a handful of large U.S. companies that had achieved earnings-per-share growth in excess of 20 percent for 15 years straight."<ref>{{cite web|last=Teagarden|first=Mary B.|date=March 11, 2009|title=Cardinal Health, Inc. (Case Study A)|url=https://hbr.org/product/cardinal-health-inc-a/TB0001-PDF-ENG#more|access-date=May 20, 2016|website=Harvard Business School|quote=}}</ref> Cardinal Health is now a [[Fortune 100]] company and one of the largest distributors of [[pharmaceuticals]], health & beauty products, and hospital supplies in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=2015|title=Fortune 500|url=http://fortune.com/fortune500/2015/|access-date=May 18, 2016|website=Fortune|quote=}}</ref> In 2007, he was #14 on ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine's list of the 25 top-paid male executives, with total compensation of $42.7 million the previous year.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=25 Highest-paid men|url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/fortune/0709/gallery.women_men_highest_pay.fortune/14.html|access-date=May 20, 2016|website=Fortune|quote=}}</ref> He retired from Cardinal Health at the end of the 2008 fiscal year.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2007-09-24|title=Cardinal names CEO Clark as chairman|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/cardinalhealth-ceo-idUSWNAS467220070924|access-date=2020-07-08}}</ref>

In 2016, after serving on the board since 2006, he was named non-executive chairman of [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]] based [[Yum! Brands]], the parent company of [[KFC]], [[Pizza Hut]] and [[Taco Bell]].<ref name="Dispatch2016">{{cite news |last1=Dispatch |first1=The Columbus |title=Cardinal Health founder Bob Walter now chairman of KFC, Pizza Hut parent |url=https://www.dispatch.com/article/20160308/NEWS/303089835 |accessdate=5 August 2019 |work=[[The Columbus Dispatch]] |date=March 8, 2016 |language=en}}</ref> Walter previously served as a director of [[American Express]], [[Nordstrom]], [[CBS]], [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] and [[Westinghouse Licensing|Westinghouse]].<ref name="talismancp">{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Our People {{!}} Bob Walter|url=http://talismancp.com/people/peopleinfo/bob-walter|accessdate=5 August 2019|website=Talisman Capital Partners}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He is married to Margaret "Peggy" Walter, who also attended Ohio University.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Walter Hall {{!}} Ohio University |url=https://www.ohio.edu/building-directory/walter-hall |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=www.ohio.edu}}</ref> The Walters have given support to the Ohio University community including Margaret Walter Hall, and to the [[Columbus Museum of Art]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2015/08/31/WALTERS_WING.html |title=Columbus Museum of Art names new wing in honor of benefactors |publisher=[[The Columbus Dispatch]] |first1=Nancy |last1=Gilson |date=31 August 2015 |accessdate=1 November 2015 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924083955/http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2015/08/31/WALTERS_WING.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> where they donated $10,000,000, the largest gift in the Museum’s history, in 2015.<ref name="columbusmuseum">{{cite web|last=|first=|date=31 August 2015|title=Columbus Museum of Art Announces Margaret M. Walter Wing|url=https://www.columbusmuseum.org/blog/2015/08/31/columbus-museum-art-announces-margaret-m-walter-wing/|accessdate=5 August 2019|website=Columbus Museum of Art|publisher=[[Columbus Museum of Art]]}}</ref> Walter resides in [[Columbus, Ohio]]; [[Boca Raton, Florida]]; and [[Park City, Utah]].

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.cardinal.com/aboutus/history/index.asp Our history | About us | Cardinal Health]

{{American Express}}
{{Yum!}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Robert D}}
[[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]]
[[Category:Ohio University alumni]]
[[Category:American businesspeople|Walter, Robert D.]]
[[Category:American Express people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Dublin, Ohio]]
[[Category:1944 births]]

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Robert D. Walter