William F. "Rick" Cronk (born October 4, 1942) is an American businessman who was co-owner and president of Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. He is a former national president of the Boy Scouts of America and chairman of the World Scout Committee of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
Rick Cronk
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| 32nd National President of the Boy Scouts of America | |
| In office 2006–2008 | |
| Preceded by | John C. Cushman |
| Succeeded by | John Gottschalk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 4, 1942 Lafayette, California |
| Occupation | Chairman of the World Scout Committee |
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After graduating from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in 1965, Cronk started his career with Eastman Dillon & Co. In 1972 he started a restaurant chain called "Vintage House" in the same vein as theme eatery pioneer Victoria Station. The chain struggled and in 1977 Cronk and T. Gary Rogers purchased Dreyer's, then a popular ice cream company operating exclusively in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cronk built Dreyer's from a $6 million company to a $1.5 billion company. In 2003, Cronk retired after 26 years, having expanded Dreyer's to be the number one ice cream in the United States.[1]
Cronk joined the Boy Scouts of America as a Cub Scout. As a Boy Scout he advanced to Life rank. As an adult, Cronk became a volunteer leader to support his sons, all three of whom are Eagle Scouts.
Cronk served as a district chairman, council president, area president and chairman of the World Scout Foundation. He received the Silver Buffalo Award in 2001.[2]
Cronk was the National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America from 1999 to 2004. He then became an executive vice president in 2006 before becoming the president in 2006.[3]
At the 2008 World Scout Conference, he was elected to a three-year term on the World Scout Committee, and subsequently elected the chairman of the committee. He was also presented with the Bronze Wolf award.[4] Cronk is a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, the organization's governing body.[5]
| World Organization of the Scout Movement | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chairman, World Scout Committee 2008-2011 |
Succeeded by |
| Boy Scouts of America | ||
| Preceded by | National president 2006 – 2008 |
Succeeded by |