James LeVoy Sorenson

James LeVoy Sorenson (July 30, 1921 – January 20, 2008) was the founder of Sorenson Companies, a parent company of 32 corporations. A noted philanthropist, he was the richest man in Utah with an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion at the time of his death. Sorenson was born in Rexburg, Idaho. With only a high school diploma, he made a fortune in local real estate before expanding in other directions such as innovative technology. Sorenson holds roughly 60 patents, and is credited with a number of medical inventions including the disposable surgical mask and the disposable venous catheter. One of his companies, Sorenson Genomics, has also begun a genetic database known as the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, and claims to be the...