Before founding Overstock.com, Patrick served as Chairman, President and CEO of Centricut, LLC, a manufacturer of industrial torch consumables, then held the same three positions at Fechheimer Brothers, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company and manufacturer of police, firefighter, and military uniforms.

In 2001, Patrick began Worldstock.com, Overstock.com’s socially responsible marketplace for handcrafted products created by artisans from developing nations and in rural areas of the United States. On average, artisans receive about 60% of the sales price. To date, more than $30 million dollars has been returned to artisans, and allowed them to better their lives through re-training and make improvements to their housing and healthcare.

Patrick is a former professor whose personal education includes a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in philosophy and Asian studies, a master’s degree in philosophy from Cambridge University as a Marshall Scholar, and a doctorate in philosophy from Stanford University. In the United States, he serves as the co-chair of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and supports legislative reform. Patrick has also founded 19 schools internationally that currently educate more than 6,000 combined students.

A self described “classical liberal,” Patrick believes that sound financial policy is essential to our nation’s economic health. In 2005, he began a vigorous campaign against securities manipulation. His stance quickly caught the attention of Wall Street analysts and reporters and remains a point of high controversy today.

Patrick has a black belt in tae kwon do and once pursued a career in boxing. After surviving cancer, he cycled across the country four times. His last ride, in the summer of 2000, helped raise awareness and record-breaking funds for cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. 

Patrick M. Byrne's Endeavors on Behalf of Education

Academic & Professional

• 1985 BA from Dartmouth College in philosophy and Asian studies.

• 1989 Masters in Philosophy from Cambridge University as a Marshall Scholar.

• 1994 Ph.D. in philosophy from Stanford University.

• 1999 Visiting Professor, Dartmouth 1999. Led Dartmouth College students to Beijing, China and taught a course on the country’s socio-economic history.

• Frequently guest lectures at colleges and universities throughout the country on topics ranging from stock market manipulation to ethics in business.

• Chairman & CEO of Overstock.com, and Worldstock, a fair trade division of Overstock selling handmade products from thousands of artisans globally.

Philanthropy

• Founded 19 schools internationally since 2005, all named in honor of his mother, Dorothy Byrne. Funding has reached countries including Afghanistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Malawi, Sudan, Ghana, and Liberia. Since inception in 2005, more than 7,000 boys and girls have been educated through these schools.

• Children First Utah – a private voucher program for low-income Utah students.

Activist for School Choice and Education Reform

• 2002 - present Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation – Director

• 2007 - Primary sponsor of Utah’s Referendum One, an effort to enact a universal school voucher program in Utah. Personally campaigned for the referendum and participated in numerous debates on the controversial issue.

• 2005-2007 Founded First Class Education, a 501c4 dedicated to instituting the 65 Percent Solution, an education reform initiative to require all 50 states to spend 65 percent of every education dollar on classroom instruction. Launched a national campaign for the 65 Percent Solution in 2005. As of July 2008, Kansas, Texas, and Georgia implemented variations of the 65 Percent Solution. Legislation is pending in South Carolina, South Dakota, and Vermont.