Founder of Viking Range, LLC
Greenwood, Mississippi

Fred Carl, Jr. is a native of Greenwood, Mississippi. He attended Mississippi State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. He also attended graduate school in City Planning at the University of Mississippi. He is a U.S. Navy Vietnam-era veteran, where he served as a search and rescue helicopter air crewman.

In1984 Mr. Carl incorporated Viking Range Corporation, an industry-leading manufacturer of upscale kitchen appliances for the home, and served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company until his retirement in January 2013. Prior to founding Viking, Mr. Carl was a fourth generation building contractor, having been a design/build general contractor throughout his entire adult career.

Mr. Carl was inducted into the National Kitchen & Bath Association Hall of Fame in 1994 and was selected as the Mid-South Entrepreneur of the Year in 1996. He has also been inducted into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame and the Leflore County Hall of Fame. In 2002, Mr. Carl was named Man of the Year by the Greenwood Commonwealth. The Mississippi Legislature honored Mr. Carl in 2004 with a concurrent resolution commending his career and civic contributions. In 2006, Mr. Carl was awarded one of only eleven national American Spirit Awards by the Small Business Administration for his volunteerism and leadership in providing goods and services to areas devastated by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005. In 2009, Mississippi State University bestowed on Mr. Carl an Honorary Doctor of Science degree. He was also inducted into the 2009 Innovators Hall of Fame by the Mississippi Technology Alliance.

Mr. Carl served on the Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, serving as co-chair of the Housing Committee. He was subsequently appointed by the Governor of Mississippi as the Housing Chairman for Gulf Coast Rebuilding. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Mississippi State University College of Architecture.