Elder Richard J. Maynes

Of the Seventy

When asked to compare his new responsibilities with his more than 20 years of international business management experience, Elder Richard J. Maynes, newly called member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, responded, “The Lord’s work is vastly more important. The eventual results are eternal in nature, not temporal.”

Elder Maynes, born in Berkeley, California, on 29 October 1950, took an early interest in sports. He entered Brigham Young University on a basketball scholarship in 1968 but then realized there were others more skilled. He soon accepted a call to serve a mission in the Uruguay-Paraguay Mission.

“My companion and I had the opportunity to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the mayor of Montevideo and his wife. Their son had just died in an accident, and they were looking for answers,” recalls Elder Maynes. The opportunity to teach meaningful doctrine to the family weighed heavily on Elder Maynes and brought him humbly to his knees. “I received answers to my prayers and was able to help this great family,” he says. “Since that moment of spiritual confirmation, the Lord has blessed me with many testimony-building experiences in life.”

Following his mission, he graduated from BYU. He married Nancy Jane Purrington on 17 August 1974. The couple moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he received a master’s degree in international business management. He and his wife have four children.

He began working for Wiebe Manufacturing, and later, when it was purchased by the Raymond Corporation, he stayed as president. The company engineered, manufactured, and installed automated production line equipment worldwide. Five years into the contract he was called as president of the Mexico Monterrey Mission, where he served from 1989 to 1992.

Following his service in Mexico, the family moved to Utah, where he became CEO and chairman of Fountain Fresh International, Inc. During this period, he served as stake mission president in the Kamas Utah Stake. He has also served on the boards of directors of several companies and foundations.

“I feel honored and blessed to focus my entire attention on the Lord’s work,” says Elder Maynes.