Wealthy businessman in Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Pamplin is the CEO of R. B. Pamplin Corporation, a family-owned holding company for a variety of businesses which produce a combined revenue of nearly $1 billion per year. Dr. Pamplin has diverse holdings in a variety of industries. His businesses include: Ross Island Sand and Gravel, KPAM newsradio, and the Portland Tribune newspaper. Others include Mt. Vernon Mills (Greenville, South Carolina), Columbia Empire Farms (Sherwood, Oregon), the Christian Supply bookstore chain, and Pamplin Music.
Dr. Pamplin has numerous college degrees, including an honorary LL.D. from the University of Portland, two Masters degrees (Business and Education), and advanced degrees from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Salem, Oregon. The Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech is named for both Dr. Pamplin and his father, Robert B. Pamplin Sr., who moved to Oregon from Virginia.
In 1998, Dr. Pamplin's net worth was estimated by Forbes at $560 million, making him the second richest Oregonian after Phil Knight of Nike.