James Clarke

People, Not Potatoes, Are Idaho’s Greatest Export

James Clarke · RizeCon 2026 · Pocatello

James Clarke grew up in Rexburg, Idaho. Worked a farm from age 12. Attended Ricks College. Served a mission in the Dominican Republic. Came home to a first boss who, when his business fell apart, gave James an office and told him to start something competitive inside it. That gift, James says, is where everything that followed began.

What followed: co-founding Clearlink in 2001, six weeks after 9/11, in the middle of the dot-com crash. A nine-figure exit in 2011. Serving as chairman of PetIQ — the fastest ride to a billion dollars he had ever experienced. A portfolio that now generates roughly $5 billion in annual recurring revenue. A family office, Clark Capital, that has allocated or raised approximately $2 billion. And $60 million in philanthropic giving over the last decade, with commitments already made for the next tranche.

He came to RizeCon to talk about the Idaho Advantage, give back some of what he learned, and take questions from the room.

What he covered

The Idaho Advantage is real — and undervalued. James argues that the grit, grind, and gumption that come from growing up in Idaho — working the land, doing hard things early, building a work ethic before you have a business — creates a founder profile that outperforms. When you’ve pulled dirt out of your ears after a long day in the field, everything in business is comparatively easier. That quality, he believes, flows down I-15 into Utah’s technology corridor and accounts for a disproportionate share of what has been built there.

Every problem has a first and last name. James doesn’t experience business problems as abstract challenges — he experiences them as people problems. Every difficulty he has faced, every great outcome he has seen, traces back to a specific human being. That framing shapes how he invests, how he builds, and how he hires. He bets on horses more than races. The quality of the operator matters more, in his view, than the quality of the market.

People, Not Potatoes, Are Idaho’s Greatest Export

What he covered

Rize Above.Build What's Next.

Rize Above.
Build What's Next.