STUART ROSS

Co-Founder
Horizon Organic Dairy & Alfalfa Markets

I was born December 25, 1959 in the country formerly known as Rhodesia (now Zimba­bwe). Raised on a cotton, corn and cattle farm and attended government boarding schools through high school. 1977 – Entered the Rhodesian Air Force to complete my national service. Served as an armored car commander providing security for forward air fields. Completed my service in 1979. 1979 – Began working on the family farm growing seed corn, soybeans and running a 400 cow beef herd. 1982 – Left Zimbabwe to attend Colorado State University (CSU) where I received a BS in Agronomy in 1985. 1986 – 1988 – Worked as a Research Associate at CSU primarily on a dryland no-till project focused in eastern Colorado. 1988 – 1989 – Returned to CSU to complete my MBA with emphasis in Finance. 1989 – 1992 – Worked for a major Health Plan operating along the front range of Colorado in a variety of roles. 1992 – 1995 – I was involved with the startup of a Physician Hospital Organization (now known as an Account­able Care Organization) in the Denver market. The company continues to operate as Physician Health Partners (PHP). 1995 -1996 – Worked as a Health Care Consultant assisting large health plans around the country with the formation of Medicare Advantage programs. 1996 – I married Va­larie and returned to PHP in Denver as its Chief Operating Officer. 2000 – Valarie and I moved to Puerto Rico to build a new Medicare Advantage plan called MMM Healthcare. From our beginnings in August of 2000 with just four of us, we grew the company to 500 employees and annual revenue of $600 million by the end of 2004. At that time we sold the company and moved back to the mainland. Since that time we have built and renovated several homes in interesting locations – Kiawah Island, SC, Kauai, Telluride, CO and finally at our ranch near Glenwood Springs where we raise hay and feed half the elk population of western Colora­do! Since 2005 when we left Puerto Rico we have funded a charitable foundation which provides scholarships to students in Crops and Soils at CSU. We have invested in a healthcare software company in Longmont, CO, a gourmet food and wine store in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, a wine import business in the same area and we have sailed extensively in the Caribbean and the south Pacific.