Out of college, Pamplin got a job at Georgia Pacific, where he would work until the mid 1970s. During his tenure, he climbed the corporate ladder. Some of his titles included accountant, secretary/treasurer, and financial vice president. Then, in 1957 he became the president, and by 1968 he was the chairman of the board.

He realized that America was poised for growth. So, he positioned Georgia Pacific to be a beneficiary. For example, he was aggressive with mergers and acquisitions. At the same time, he ran a lean organization.

When he left Georgia Pacific, he was 65 years old. But he certainly didn't take much time to play golf or go on vacations. Instead, he built -- along with his son -- R.B. Pamplin Corp. In fact, it is now one of the largest privately-held companies in America. Interests span petroleum, refining, asphalt manufacturing, textiles, gravel mining, and so on.

Besides his business activities, Pamplin pursued philanthropy and even formed the Pamplin Historical Park, as well as the Pamplin College of Business Administration.

Interestingly enough, Pamplin's son wrote a biography about his dad, called Another Virginian: A Study of the Life and Beliefs of Robert Boisseau Pamplin. In it, he wrote: "Many times he would be criticized for bucking the trend, going against current thinking, but more often than not, his simple, straightforward, nonconventional approach to a problem would be correct."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and the founder of BizEquity, a free online business valuation tool for small businesses. You can reach him at his personal blog.