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Thomas Duff (businessman)

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Thomas Milton Duff
Born (1956-12-31) December 31, 1956 (age 68)
Columbia, Mississippi
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCo-owner, Southern Tire Mart and co-founder, Duff Capital Investors
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDivorced
Children2
Parent(s)Ernest Duff
RelativesJames Duff (brother)

Thomas Milton Duff (born December 31, 1956)[1] is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. Alongside his brother, James Duff, he co-owns Southern Tire Mart, the nation's largest truck tire dealer and retread manufacturer, and Duff Capital Investors, the largest privately owned business in Mississippi. With a net worth of $3.3 billion, the Duff brothers are the wealthiest individuals in Mississippi. In addition to his business ventures, Duff has been involved in public service, serving on the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees and supporting Republican political campaigns. He is also known for significant philanthropic contributions to Mississippi universities.

Early life and education

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Duff was born on December 31, 1956, and raised in Columbia, Mississippi.[2][1] His mother is Bobbie Baggett Duff and his father is Ernest Duff, a lawyer and businessman on the side.[3][4] He has three siblings, James Duff, Stephen Duff, and Jane Duff Thomley.[4]

In 1974, he graduated from Columbia High School.[5] In 1979, Duff graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.[6][7]

Career

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Ernest Duff, Thomas’s father, founded Southern Tire Mart in 1973. Thomas and his brother James both worked there as teenagers and assumed control of the struggling company in 1983, later selling it in 1998 to Tire Distribution Systems.[2] In 2003, they purchased the company back for $15 million and rebranded it as Southern Tire Mart. At the time of the purchase, sales revenue was $90 million.[8] By 2023, Southern Tire Mart's revenues had grown to exceed $3.5 billion, making it the nation’s largest truck tire dealer and retread manufacturer.[2] It remains the largest of the companies under the Duff Capital Investors (DCI) umbrella.[2]

Thomas Duff and his brother James co-founded Duff Capital Investors, a holding company with total revenues exceeding $5 billion.[2] DCI is the largest privately owned business in Mississippi, employing over 15,000 people.[9] Since 2009, the brothers have been the only members of the Forbes 400 list from Mississippi.[2] However, the Duffs did not make the 2024 list, despite having a net worth of $3.3 billion.[10] Together, they remain the wealthiest individuals in Mississippi.[11]

Politics

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Duff is a major contributor to Republican campaigns in Mississippi.[12] He donated at least $32,000 to Governor Tate Reeve's campaigns.[13]

Duff formed a political action committee (PAC) in December 2024 to help elect Republicans in 2025 municipal and special legislative elections. He is considering a run for Mississippi governor in 2027.[14] He attended the Neshoba County Fair, the state's preeminent political gathering, in 2024.[14]

He supported Jeb Bush in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries.[15]

Philanthropy

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He and his brother have made contributions totaling around $50 million to the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of Mississippi, and Mississippi State University.[9][16]

Personal life

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He is divorced with two children and lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.[2] He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.[9]

Duff was the subject of a murder plot in 2016 to extort money; 3 individuals were arrested.[17][18]

References

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[1] [13] [14] [16]

  1. ^ a b c "New Arrivals". The Columbian-Progress. January 3, 1957. p. 2.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Forbes profile: Thomas Duff". Forbes. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  3. ^ Latino, Russ (January 8, 2025). "Businessman Tommy Duff launches PAC, adding to intrigue over potential bid for Governor". Magnolia Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Hahn, Tina (May 30, 2018). "Duffs Honor Late Father with Major Gift - University of Mississippi Foundation". The University of Mississippi Foundation. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  5. ^ The Cohian. Columbia High School. 1974. p. 140.
  6. ^ Corder, Frank (September 15, 2023). "Magnolia on the Move: September 15, 2023". Magnolia Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  7. ^ "Oak Grove's Thomas Duff elected to Mississippi Power's board of directors". Hattiesburg American. April 21, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  8. ^ Muslimin, Anis Shakirah Mohd (December 10, 2021). "How Two Brothers Became Billionaires -- And The Richest People In Mississippi". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Mississippi Public Universities - The Board of Trustees - Tom Duff, Board Member". Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  10. ^ Peterson-Withorn, Chase, ed. (September 1, 2024). "The Forbes 400 List 2024 - The Richest People in America Ranked". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  11. ^ Grosser, Annika (2024). "The Richest Person In Every State 2024". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  12. ^ Pender, Geoff (June 6, 2024). "Will a Mississippi billionaire run for governor in the poorest state?". Mississippi Today. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Pender, Geoff (June 6, 2024). "Will a Mississippi billionaire run for governor in the poorest state?". Mississippi Today. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c Vance, Taylor (January 7, 2025). "Billionaire Tommy Duff forms Republican PAC as he weighs gubernatorial run". Mississippi Today. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  15. ^ "@JebBush in Mississippi for fundraiser; Insurance Commissioner Chaney leads supporters". Magnolia Tribune. December 7, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Hahn, Tina (May 30, 2018). "Duffs Honor Late Father with Major Gift - University of Mississippi Foundation". The University of Mississippi Foundation. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  17. ^ Beveridge, Lici (December 15, 2016). "More charges filed in Tommy Duff murder plot". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  18. ^ Beveridge, Lici (September 26, 2019). "Man guilty of all charges in plot to kidnap, assault Mississippi businessman". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
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