Harold Clark Simmons

Harold Clark Simmons (born 1931, Golden, Wood County, Texas) is an American businessman and billionaire whose banking expertise helped him develop the acquisition concept known as the leveraged buyout (LBO) to acquire various corporations. He is the owner of Contran Corporation and of Valhi, Inc., (a NYSE traded company about 90% controlled by Contran). As of 2006 he controlled 5 public companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange: NL Industries; Titanium Metals Corporation, the world's largest producer of titanium; Valhi, Inc., a multinational company with operations in the chemicals, component products, waste management, and titanium metals industries; CompX International, manufacturer of ergonomic products, and Kronos Worldwide,...