# Tom Chappell

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For the music publisher Thomas Patey Chappell, see [Chappell & Co.](/source/Chappell_%26_Co.).

**Thomas Matthew Chappell** (born 1943) is an American businessman and manufacturer who co-founded [Tom's of Maine](/source/Tom's_of_Maine) in 1970, and Ramblers Way, a wool clothing company, with his wife, artist [Kate Chappell](/source/Kate_Chappell).[1]

Chappell graduated from the [Moses Brown School](/source/Moses_Brown_School) in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1961,[2] and from [Trinity College](/source/Trinity_College_(Connecticut)) in [Hartford, Connecticut](/source/Hartford,_Connecticut), with a B.A. in English in 1966. Chappell and his wife, cofounder Kate Chappell, moved to [Kennebunk, Maine](/source/Kennebunk,_Maine), in 1968 to raise their family. Tom and Kate now share a summer home on [Monhegan, Maine](/source/Monhegan,_Maine).

Chappell earned a [Masters in Theology](/source/Masters_in_Theology) at [Harvard Divinity School](/source/Harvard_Divinity_School) in 1991. He is active in the Episcopal Church of Maine, was a deputy to the 1991 and 1994 Triennial General Conference of the [Episcopal Church](/source/Episcopal_Church_(United_States)), and was a member of the Environmental Stewardship Team of the national Episcopal Church. He is active in many cultural and philanthropic organizations, among them the Dean's Council for Harvard Divinity School, the Advisory Council for the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at Harvard Divinity School, and the Board of Fellows for Harvard's School of Dental Medicine.

He has authored several books, including *The Soul of a Business: Managing for Profit and the Common Good* and *Managing Upside Down: Seven Intentions for Values-Centered Leadership*.

In 2006, a controlling 84% stake in Tom's of Maine was purchased by [Colgate-Palmolive](/source/Colgate-Palmolive) for $100 million.[3]

In 2009, he and his wife received honorary degrees from [Colby College](/source/Colby_College).[4]

In 2010, Chappell and his wife founded [Ramblers Way](/source/Ramblers_Way), a wool apparel company. The clothing is made from American-raised [Rambouillet sheep](/source/Rambouillet_sheep) wool, silk thread, and vegetable dyes, and spinning, weaving, and knitting is done in East coast states to keep the sourcing local and sustainable. The silk thread used is a reminder of the [Cheney silk mills](/source/Cheney_Brothers_Historic_District). Kate is a descendant of the Cheney family.[5][6]

## References

1. Tsetsi, Kristen J. (February 18, 2013). ["Fabric of their lives"](https://www.journalinquirer.com/living/fabric-of-their-lives/article_80712117-f34b-5bdc-ae8a-ba9f741c0248.html). *[Journal Inquirer](/source/Journal_Inquirer)*. Retrieved March 15, 2020.

1. ["List Detail | Moses Brown School"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150627175439/http://www.mosesbrown.org/page/List-Detail?pk=33380&fromId=159037). *www.mosesbrown.org*. Archived from [the original](http://www.mosesbrown.org/page/List-Detail?pk=33380&fromId=159037) on 2015-06-27.

1. Reidy, Chris (March 22, 2006). [Colgate will buy Tom's of Maine.](http://archive.boston.com/business/articles/2006/03/22/colgate_will_buy_toms_of_maine/) *[Boston Globe](/source/Boston_Globe)*

1. [Colby College website](http://www.colby.edu/news_events/commencement/2009/honorary/tkchappell.cfm). Retrieved June 17, 2013.

1. Tsetsi, Kristen J. (February 18, 2013). ["Fabric of their lives"](https://www.journalinquirer.com/living/fabric-of-their-lives/article_80712117-f34b-5bdc-ae8a-ba9f741c0248.html). *[Journal Inquirer](/source/Journal_Inquirer)*. Retrieved January 6, 2020.

1. Gentile, Annie (June 21, 2018). ["Art Gallery Dedicated At Cheney Homestead"](http://www.courant.com/community/manchester/hc-mr-manchester-cheney-homestead-art-gallery-dedication-0621-20180621-story.html). *[Hartford Courant](/source/Hartford_Courant)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200108172721/http://www.courant.com/community/manchester/hc-mr-manchester-cheney-homestead-art-gallery-dedication-0621-20180621-story.html) January 8, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 8, 2020.

## External links

- [Thomas M. Chappell corporate biography](http://www.tomsofmaine.com/about/bio_tom.asp)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tom Chappell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Chappell) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Chappell?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.