What is Robert W. Plaster’s net worth? Robert Plaster is a giant of the gas industry, as well as an investor and entrepreneur who has branched out into many fields.
His Robert Plaster Foundation gives generous grants to college students and to young entrepreneurs.
The story of how Robert Plaster is so rich is actually quite amazing, a sort of American Dream tale.
| Net Worth 2024: | $5 Billion |
| Born: | September 3, 1929 |
| Age: | 95 |
| Native Country: | United States |
| Place of Birth: | Jackson County, Missouri |
| Source of Wealth (SOW): | Business |
| Updated: | March 12, 2023 |
Be assured that by the time you finish this article, you’ll know not only Robert Plaster’s net worth but also his life story.
Robert Plaster’s Early Years
Robert Plaster was born in 1930 and raised in the rural town of Uniontown, PA.
He was taught by his mother that “can’t never will” and he took that lesson to heart.
Unfortunately, Plaster’s father died when he was young.
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We don’t know a lot about Plaster’s childhood per se, but we know he went out to Missouri to attend Joplin Community College.
He then settled in a small town called Neosho, working for a company that sold farm equipment.
Empire Gas Corporation
Not long into his adult life, after doing a few different jobs, including working for the IRS, Plaster had saved up some money and got substantial loans to supplement these earnings.
He thus started the Empire Gas Corporation. Due to his know-how and leadership skills, Empire Gas really took off and launched Robert Plaster’s net worth into orbit.
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It became one of the top retail LP gas purveyors in the U. S. and was traded on the NYSE.
He sold the company in 1996, opening up free time for many ventures for which he’s now known.
CITGO Petroleum Corporation
Before starting Empire Gas Corporation, Robert W. Plaster had worked briefly for another company called Gulf Oil.
Well, in the 80’s, Gulf merged with Cities Service Company to form CITGO Petroleum Company.
Plaster became CEO and chairman of the board. Safety became a major concern for Plaster soon after he took over at CITGO.
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He began using a newer form of warning system that monitored possible leaks.
But perhaps more importantly, Plaster took advantage of technology to reduce his employees’ exposure to harmful chemicals.
Robert Plaster as Philanthropist
One of the things that Robert Plaster is most known for–and rightly so–is his philanthropy.
Robert Plaster is a giant in the field of developing foundations and otherwise giving back to the community.
Robert Plaster Foundation
Having attained a high net worth and incredible success, Plaster decided to initiate his Robert W.
Plaster Foundation to help small businesses and organizations. The mission of the Foundation is to boost free enterprise and to help college students succeed.
They’ve given dozens of grants to colleges and universities to help them provide state-of-the-art facilities without having to charge additional tuition.
Robert Plaster Stadium
Fortunately for us, a lot of people with Robert Plaster’s net worth of something like it do give back.
A lot of times they give back to universities or other institutions that they’ve been a part of at one time or another.
Robert Plaster is definitely the top of the line of philanthropists. In fact, he has donated so much money to various institutions for facilities that it can be a bit confusing.
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First up is Robert Plaster Stadium. This is located at Southwest Baptist University, located in the quaint town of Bolivar, MO.
In 1984, Plaster generously donated a quarter of a million dollars to this learning institution for this stadium.
Robert Plaster Sports Complex
One can’t be blamed for feeling some confusion as to various facilities that Plaster has endowed.
There’s Robert Plaster Stadium, above, but also the Robert Plaster Sports Complex.
Here’s the story: in 1991, Robert Plaster donated $1.5 million dollars to Southwest Missouri State University to expand what was then called Briggs Stadium.
When the project was completed, it was renamed the Robert Plaster Sports Complex.
Robert Plaster Student Union
Here’s another work of philanthropy from Robert Plaster, and at yet another university, demonstrating that he doesn’t give only to his alma mater.
In this case it was Missouri State University. Plaster donated $1 million to the school’s foundation to renovate and expand the Student Union, now called the Robert Plaster Student Union.
Other Donations
Who knows how high Robert Plaster’s net worth would be if not for his many massive donations.
But as a society, we must be grateful for his generosity. Here are just a few of his biggest donations:
- $250,000 to SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) for its world headquarters in Missouri so it could have state-of-the-art facilities.
- $500,000 to Crowder College in Neosho, MO.
- $2.5M to College of the Ozarks for the Robert W. Plaster School of Business.
Evergreen Crystal Palace
Yes, Robert Plaster has done an incredible amount of philanthropy, but sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind and build a ridiculous monument to your own success and to your future efforts to rake in even more dough.
For Robert Plaster, that is the Evergreen Crystal Palace, a gigantic glass beast of a mansion, sprawling 28,000 feet.
It was built near Table Rock Lake, near Branson, MO. Supposedly, Evergreen Investments would use it as a corporate retreat, and Plaster would live in it.
But since the mid 90’s the place has just sat there and was finally put up for sale in 2021.
Robert Plaster Net Worth
We now know that Robert Plaster learned some business administration chops from his time at Gulf Oil, which he really put to use with profitable natural gas exploration while helming the Empire Oil Corporation.
Later, he would branch out into software development companies and Evergreen Investments.
What an ambitious businessman.
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So how rich is Robert Plaster? Well, those who know these things place Plaster the Master’s net worth at over $5 billion.
Now, he’s given a lot away and his foundation has also received quite a few donations, so it all evens out.
There’s no doubt that he earned every penny of his net worth, since he’s a self-made man, rising from poverty to amazing riches and success.
It is important to bring attention to the fact that the net worth of Robert W. Plaster is not publicly available and the specific amount cannot be determined.