David Green and Bill High: How One Family Built a Billion-Dollar Company That Gives Away Half Its Profits

American Thought Leaders

The Epoch Times

Government, News, Politics

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 31 October 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What happens when a business decides faith matters more than profit? Apparently, it flourishes.

Hobby Lobby, founded by David and Barbara Green in Oklahoma City in 1972, is a private, family-owned corporation now with over a thousand arts-and-crafts stores nationwide. The stores are closed on Sundays, do not sell any Halloween-themed products, operate debt-free, and are run according to Biblical principles, emphasizing the value of faith and family life.

David Green told me in our recent interview: “God blesses us when we do what we should do, rather than what’s maybe most profitable.”

“When we closed on Sunday, we did less business. When we stopped selling Halloween, we did less business. I can name seven or eight different things that ... cost us, but it was the right thing to do,“ he said. ”So I think God is asking us to do the right thing and not what’s most profitable.”

In 2012, the owners of Hobby Lobby sued the federal government for requiring company insurance plans to cover four specific contraceptives—two morning-after pills and two copper IUDs—that they argued could end life after conception. Facing daily fines of $1.3 million, the Green family filed a lawsuit that culminated in a 5–4 victory at the Supreme Court.

In my interview with Green and his longtime friend and co-author of his many books, Bill High, we talk about their latest book “The Legacy Life.”

How do we build a lasting, meaningful legacy? How do we become good stewards of our resources, time, and talents? How can families ensure their values are truly passed on to later generations—and not lost over time?

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	It wasn't most profitable to sue the government, but at the same time I think God blesses us when we do what we should do rather than what's maybe more profitable.
0:09.0	What happens when a business decides that faith matters more than profit?
0:13.0	The government told me, you're going to do it, and if you don't do it, we're going to charge you $1.2 million a day.
0:20.0	From fighting and winning, a landmark Supreme Court case on religious liberty,
0:24.6	to giving away half of the company's profits,
0:27.2	Hobby Lobby founder David Green has always been true to his values.
0:31.1	We opened our first door in 72 right here in Oklahoma City,
0:34.1	and it was only about 600 square feet.
0:36.8	Now we've got over 1, a thousand stores and we're thankful.
0:40.8	He and Bill High, the CEO of Legacy Stone,
0:43.6	are co-authors of a number of books, including most recently The Legacy Life.
0:48.3	Every generation is responsible.
0:51.3	They should own this vision, mission,
0:53.3	values for the next generation.
0:56.1	One of the things that I tell them is I want you to be more concerned about your marriage
1:00.1	and your family and your children than Hobby Lobby. And that's why they work five days a week
1:04.1	and not six and long hours and that's why we closed on Sunday.
1:08.3	This is American Thought Leaders and I'm Yanya Kellick. David Green, Bill Hi, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.
1:18.6	Good to be here.
1:19.6	Good to be here.
1:20.6	Let's start by talking about something that the Hobby Lobby managed to do
1:28.3	at the Supreme Court.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Epoch Times, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Epoch Times and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.