Burt Shavitz

Shavitz, a U.S. Army veteran and one-time photographer, was making a living by selling honey at a roadside stand in Maine when his life was altered by a chance encounter with a hitchhiking Roxanne Quimby, the Associated Press reported. She was a single mother and a back-to-the-lander who impressed Shavitz with her ingenuity. Their personal care company was started in 1984, after Quimby began making candles out of unused wax from Shavitz' beehives. The pair made $20,000 in their first year and soon the company grew from making candles to lip balm, soaps, face washes, lotions and other personal care products that can now be found in 40 countries. An image of Burt's face — and his untamed beard — adorned the company's labels. Burt's Bees relocated to North Carolina in 1994 and the pair's business partnership ended. In 2007, Clorox purchased Burt's Bees for $925 million. In a 2014 interview with AP, Shavitz said Quimby forced him out of the company after he had an affair with an employee. He received 37 acres of land in Maine and an undisclosed sum of money in the deal.