In this article by Zatrun.com, we will provide a detailed overview of everything you need to know about Lynsi Snyder, the famous billionaire businesswoman that our readers are curious about.
Who is Lynsi Snyder?
Lynsi Lavelle Snyder-Ellingson (formerly Seawell, Martinez, and Torres), born in 1982, is an American billionaire businesswoman known as the owner and heiress of In-N-Out Burger. She is the only grandchild of Harry and Esther Snyder, who founded In-N-Out Burger in 1948, and the only child of Lynda and H. Guy Snyder. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Snyder was known as the youngest female billionaire in the United States in 2012. As the sole beneficiary of family trusts, she became the sole owner of the company’s shares and gained full control of the company on her 35th birthday.
Snyder was born to Lynda Lou (maiden name Wilson) and Harry Guy Snyder in San Dimas, California. Her father was of Dutch descent. When she was 12, her parents divorced and she started living on a farm in Shingletown, California with her mother. She graduated from Country Christian School, a private high school located in Palo Cedro, California. She has two sisters (Traci and Teri) through her mother. Traci is married to former In-N-Out President and COO Mark Taylor. Snyder’s uncle Rich died in a plane crash in 1993 and her father died of heart failure in 1999 due to excessive use of prescription drugs.
Career Life:
On January 1, 2010, Lynsi Snyder was promoted to COO, taking over for her uncle Mark Taylor, as the 6th President of In-N-Out. Snyder occupies the leadership position previously held by her grandfather Harry (1948-1976), uncle Rich (1976-1993), father Guy (1993-1999), and grandmother Esther (1999-2006). Prior to becoming President of In-N-Out Burger, Snyder released a message to all company employees regarding the transition and the future of the company. Esther Snyder’s signature was finally replaced by Lynsi Snyder’s signature on employee paychecks in 2009, three years after Esther Snyder’s death.
In 2006, Snyder and former In-N-Out executive Rich Boyd became involved in a bitter lawsuit. Boyd was accused of misusing company funds and was fired, but Lynsi Snyder and then-vice president Mark Taylor alleged that he was trying to oust elderly Esther Snyder from the company. Both Lynsi Snyder and Mark Taylor denied the allegations. Snyder said of the lawsuit, “It contains outright lies and gross misstatements to cover up their own mistakes. The most unfortunate thing is the lie about my relationship with my grandmother.” The lawsuit was settled out of court in May 2006.
Lynsi Snyder became the owner of her father’s stake in the In-N-Out company (50% of the company) on her 30th birthday and inherited the rest of the company left to her by her grandmother Esther upon her death. Snyder gained full control of the company at the age of 35. In February 2013, Snyder was ranked as a billionaire by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a valuation of $1.1 billion for In-N-Out. That same year, she ranked 93rd on Maxim’s annual Hot 100 list. Snyder is known for her commitment to service leadership and preserving her family’s legacy of “Quality and Service.” Under her leadership, In-N-Out expanded to Oregon and Colorado, serving customers in 7 states, including over 380 stores.
In addition, Snyder continued the tradition started by her uncle Rich of adding Bible verses to In-N-Out packaging. For example, she added Proverbs 24:16 to French fry containers, Luke 6:35 to coffee cups, and Isaiah 9:6 to holiday cups. In 2021, Orange County Business Journal named Lynsi on their annual OC50 list of the most influential 50 executives in Orange County, and she was named CEO of the Year at the 2021 Women’s Business Leadership Awards by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Snyder also regularly ranks among the top female CEOs on Glassdoor.com with a 96% approval rating.
Philanthropy:
Lynsi Snyder, along with her husband Sean Ellingson, is one of the founders of a non-profit organization called Slave 2 Nothing, which aims to create, educate, and support solutions to eliminate human trafficking and to help people experience complete freedom and healing from substance addiction. The foundation raises and directs funds to organizations combating substance addiction and human trafficking. In 2021, it awarded a total of 96 grants worth $1.7 million to non-profit organizations in seven states where In-N-Out restaurants are located.
Snyder is also the President of the In-N-Out Burger Foundation, which specifically supports abused and neglected children. The foundation was established by Lynsi’s uncle Rich Snyder, grandmother Esther Snyder, and mother Lynda Snyder. Additionally, Lynsi Snyder and Sean Ellingson founded a service called Army of Love in 2014, aiming to create a Love Army that will support, pray for, encourage, heal, guide, and free people from all walks of life who need it. Volunteers sign up by “joining” the service’s website and take a student training course to serve others in various ways.
