Forty Under 40: Louis C. Gottsponer

As liaison between Tyson Foods Inc. and its investors, 36-year-old Louis Gottsponer has been busy.

“Especially in the past 12 months, without a doubt,” he said.

The poultry producer’s impending $4.42 billion deal to buy beef and pork producer IBP Inc. of Dakota Dunes, S.D., has been reflected in the price of Tyson stock.

“Any investor that needs information to make an informed decision on investing in Tyson stock, I’m at their beck and call,” Gottsponer said. That includes taking day-to-day phone calls, updating the company’s annual report and preparing for shareholders’ meetings. It also includes maintaining an investor relations Web site and going on “road shows” to financial markets to explain the company’s investment appeal.

Gottsponer joined Tyson 14 years ago as a leasing manager and has progressed through the ranks. He is also president of the Fayetteville Public Library board of trustees, which is building a new $23 million library.

“I agree with [Zig] Ziglar’s philosophy that ‘You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want,'” Gottsponer said. “More than anything, I seek God’s will in my life and pray that He will reveal it to me.”