Entrepreneur. Researcher. Benefactor. Friend: Dr. Willard R. Sparks.

Dr. Willard R. Sparks is Founder and Chairman of the Board of Sparks Companies, Inc., an agricultural research, information, and consulting firm, having U.S. offices in Memphis; Grand Rapids, Michigan; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Washington, D.C., as well as international offices in Canada and Argentina. Its customer base encompasses many of the world's leading agribusiness firms in the areas of comprehensive commodity research, analysis, and consulting.

Dr. Sparks is also part owner of Cattlco, Inc., one of the nation's largest cattlefeeding operations, and Vining-Sparks, a NASD-registered general securities firm headquartered in Memphis. He also is affiliated with Refco, LLC, one of the world's largest futures commission merchants headquartered in Chicago. Additionally, his farming and ranching interests extend through the Mid-South and the Midwest.

Dr. Sparks holds membership in major U.S. commodity exchanges such as the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Board of Trade of Kansas City, and the New York Cotton Exchange where he served on its Board of Managers for several years. In recognition of his expertise in agricultural economics, he was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1997 to serve a two-year term on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Advisory Committee on Emerging Markets. In 2002, Sparks was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Brangus Breeders Association headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Recently, the national Cattlemen's Foundation named Dr. Sparks as a 2003 Regional Vision Award recipient, a prestigious honor that recognizes individuals in the cattle industry for their innovative business and leadership practices.

In addition to his corporate activities, Dr. Sparks is a respected community leader who has devoted particular attention to supporting education and the arts, including service on the boards of the Memphis Arts Council, the Tennessee Arts Commission, Oklahoma State University, and Rhodes College. In 1987, he received the Humanitarian Award from the National Jewish Center and in 1992 he was the Honorary Chairman of the Memphis Heart Gala, Inc. For several years, he has served as Chairman of the Board of Visitors of The University of Memphis, as well as Chairman of the Public Building Authority of Memphis and Shelby County, an entity responsible for overseeing Memphis' famed Pyramid arena. Currently, Dr. Sparks is a member of the Board of Directors of The Society of Entrepreneurs and served as its president in 2001-2002. Junior Achievement and The Society of Entrepreneurs jointly have named Dr. Sparks as their Master Entrepreneur of 2003.

Dr. Sparks has been a loyal friend and supporter of Oklahoma State University and of The University of Memphis. He is a founder of the Oklahoma State 21st Century Center for Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources and a member of the Dean's Advisory Committee of the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. He has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Department of Animal Science as well as the OSU Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 1998, Dr. Sparks received an honorary doctorate in social science at OSU, being only the ninth person since 1927 on whom this honorary degree has been bestowed. He also endowed a chair in agricultural economics and, because of his generosity, the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center was opened in 1998. Since 1978, Sparks has provided scholarships to students in the OSU Department of Agricultural Economics; he also provides scholarships to high school students in his hometown of Dibble, Oklahoma.

At The University of Memphis, Dr. Sparks has received the Distinguished Friends Award from the Alumni Association and has co-chaired the Campaign for Memphis, the University's major fund-raising venture. He has established the Sparks Family Chair of Excellence in International Business and the Sparks Family Marketing Center in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. This spring, the Bureau of Business and Economic Research will be renamed the Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research to honor the time, expertise, leadership, and financial resources that he has contributed to the University. In addition, Dr. Sparks holds membership in the Ambassador Club, an organization whose members lend support to the University's athletic programs.

Sparks received bachelor's and master's degrees from Oklahoma State University and a doctorate from Michigan State University. All of his degrees are in agricultural economics.