Lee R. Anderson Sr. ’61, owner and chairman of APi Group, Inc., will be inducted as a Member of The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. This prestigious award recognizes exceptional leaders with a commitment to philanthropy and higher education who have overcome significant personal challenges to achieve success. The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging youth to pursue their dreams through higher education.
Upon receiving a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, Mr. Anderson launched a highly promising military career. However, his military career was cut short when his father suffered a serious heart attack. In the four decades since he returned home to Minneapolis to run his family’s construction business, Mr. Anderson has successfully grown the company into what is now APi Group, a multi-billion dollar company with more than 10,000 employees throughout North American and Europe.
Mr. Anderson and his wife, Penny, have given more than $60 million to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and are recognized as the largest donors in West Point’s history. In 2010 Mr. and Mrs. Anderson were honored with Minnesota’s Outstanding Individual Philanthropist Award. Together, they also financed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Hire Our Heroes” program aimed at encouraging businesses to hire military veterans.
Mr. Anderson is also a recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Graduate of West Point award.