Glen Taylor

:"For the Idaho Senator, see Glen H. Taylor."

Glen A. Taylor (born April 20, 1941) is an American businessman and the head of Taylor Corporation, a privately held multinational company in the printing and electronics businesses with more than 15,000 employees.

Taylor grew up on a farm in Comfrey, Minnesota. He graduated from Comfrey High School in 1959, and received a B.S. from Mankato State University (now Minnesota State University, Mankato) in 1962. He also attended the Harvard School of Business.

During and after college, he worked at Carlson Wedding Service (later Carlson Craft), a Mankato print shop specializing in formal invitations. When the company's owner was looking to retire, Taylor offered to pay $2 million over the course of 10 years for the company. This purchase (which he paid off early) formed the basis for the Taylor Corporation, based in North Mankato, Minnesota.

Taylor was a Republican Minnesota State Senator from 1980 to 1986, serving as assistant minority leader from 1982 to 1984 and Minority Leader from 1984 to 1986.

Taylor is also known for being the majority owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team, which he purchased in 1994. Taylor purchased the Minnesota Lynx WNBA basketball team in 1999. Taylor was in talks to buy the Minnesota Twins but nothing has come of it. In 2005, he was also rumored to be a possible buyer for the Minnesota Vikings, but was outbid by Zygi Wilf.

Taylor has been ranked #149 on the Forbes 400 and his company #254 on Forbes ranking of private United States corporations. His net worth was reported by Forbes to be $2.7 billion in 2007.

References

* [http://www.mnscu.edu/media/newsreleases/2005/091405taylorbio.html Biography on the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities website]
* [http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/54/richlist07_Glen-Taylor_3SB7.html Listing on 2007 Forbes 400]
* [http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/21/biz_privates07_Taylor_S1QR.html Taylor Companies on Forbes private corporations list]