Forty Under 40: Cary Richardson

As large as poultry giant Tyson Foods Inc. is, Cary Richardson said there is still a family-oriented atmosphere around the workplace.

Perhaps that’s why Richardson, senior vice president and general manager of Tyson’s Retail Division, has grown so attached to Northwest Arkansas although he is originally from California.

The people are great here and we love living here,” said Richardson, 38. “Tyson is a really good place to work, partly because of the town and its people. That makes it such a joy to come to work.”

Richardson was born in northern California, got his MBA from UC-Santa Barbara and was an Agriculture Science graduate from UC-Davis. One of his first jobs was with California-based Foster Farms, later working with Nestle Foods.

“What I really enjoy about [Tyson] still is the diversity of the business,” Richardson said. “You always have to have a willingness to learn and be humble enough to learn from others in every facet of the organization.”

Richardson credits boot camp as a reserve in the Marine Corps for showing him how to work with people and “sticking with matters through thick and thin.”

He enjoys photography, camping and fishing, but has really developed a love for golf since coming to Arkansas.