Eric Smidt

Eric Smidt is an American businessman who is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Harbor Freight Tools, a national discount retailer of tools and equipment. He started the company with his father in 1977 and became its sole owner in 1999, building it into a chain of over 1,600 stores. In 2013, he and his wife established Harbor Freight Tools for Schools, a philanthropic initiative supporting skilled trades education in American public high schools; his net worth is estimated at approximately $18 billion.