Kleen Break

John Cloud is a born adventurer with a pilot's license and a keen business sense. “I've always been eager and enthusiastic as opposed to cautious and calculated,” says Cloud.

A love of photography as well as college summers with a local newspaper had him considering a career as an international photojournalist. But upon graduation from Vanderbilt University, an intriguing job opportunity with a company that engineered and manufactured state-of-the art catamarans confirmed Cloud's career path in business.

In 1983, after flying to Arkansas to solve a major production dilemma in his father's timber business, Cloud took over ownership. He grew that company from $1.5 million to $55 million in annual revenue at the time of its sale in 1998.