CHICAGO | Economic & Business Development

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Good to see him trying to make a difference .....or i guess i should say good to not see...

Apparently he inherited his money in 2015 when his father died in a plane crash and left him 1/3 of his fortune. I hope to "hear" more from him using that money for good around the world.

The article also states this:

After growing up in California and Jackson Hole, Wyo., and graduating from Colorado College, Walton came to Chicago in 2011 to work as an intern for True North Partners, a private-equity firm co-founded by his late father, John.

In a snapshot of Walton's still-emergent, publicity-shy status around town, foundation executives like the Chicago Community Trust's Helene Gayle say they've encountered him but not in depth.

Walton declines to be interviewed. A spokeswoman for the Walton family office says discussions about Builders Initiative are premature amid the pandemic.

Walton champions aquaculture and other sustainable food and energy sources, growing out of a childhood diet imposed by his mother after he was diagnosed with cancer, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Among Builders Initiative's beneficiaries are Openlands, Chicago's Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Nature Conservancy, but also Crystal Bridges, which received $2 million—the foundation's largest grant in 2018—according to a regulatory filing.

Walton holds a 22 percent stake worth about $1.5 billion in renewable energy firm First Solar, chaired by True North co-founder Michael Ahearn. Elementary and secondary education is another family cause. He donated $22,000 to an Illinois Network of Charter Schools political action committee, the Sun-Times reported in 2018.

To manage his personal investment portfolio, LTW Investments, Walton turned to Alan Chang, an alum of pioneering impact investor Capricorn Investment Group.

For Builders Initiative, Walton recruited Bruce McNamer to Chicago from the Greater Washington (D.C.) Community Foundation. His golden résumé lists a Peace Corps stint, a White House fellowship and positions at McKinsey and JPMorgan Chase, where he was "head of global philanthropy."

..

Before McNamer, 57, became president of Builders Initiative, the post was split between Walton and his wife, Samantha. An acquaintance says they met by chance in Chicago, leading to a relationship that helped anchor Walton here.