Livingston, MT – Wilcoxson’s Inc., a cherished Montana Ice Cream maker, known for its handwritten recipes, announced today that Montana native Neil Schultz has acquired a majority stake in the company from long-time President and CEO Matt Schaeffer. Matt, who first joined the company painting trucks and running the Yellowstone National Park delivery route, has dedicated over 40 years to Wilcoxson’s and will remain actively involved as a minority shareholder.

Wilcoxson’s was founded in 1912 by Carl Wilcoxson and has served its famous ice cream throughout Montana and Wyoming for more than a century.

Neil Schultz, who grew up in Billings and graduated from Billings West High School, has deep Montana roots and a passion for celebrating the state's shared culture and heritage: he credits his appreciation for community care to his parents, both of whom worked in the medical field in Billings. “Montana is home,” he says, “and Wilcoxson’s tastes like the best of childhood.”

Neil graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business where he met his wife Kimberly, an attorney. They now live in Bozeman with their two young sons.

"We will continue to celebrate the people, land, and culture that makes our state so special,” Neil says. Under his leadership, Wilcoxson’s will retain its core values and traditions with no plans to change its time-tested recipes or production process.

Neil has experience in food production and packaging, developed while training in industrial design and working for a food manufacturing startup, Juicero. He later co-founded Altrac, a successful agricultural company specializing in irrigation and frost protection automation used by Western growers, including in Montana’s Flathead Valley. Altrac was purchased by the Canadian AgTech company Semios in 2021.

““I'm old as dirt and stubborn, wasn’t gonna let Wilcoxson’s go out of state. It belongs here, always has. Neil’s a good kid. He’ll do fine.” Both Neil and Matt express satisfaction with the transition, particularly the fact that Wilcoxson’s remains under local, Montana control.

"Matt and I are glad we found each other," Neil says. "Montana is Wilcoxson’s country and keeping Wilcoxson’s in Montana hands was important to both of us. We’re keeping jobs here in Montana and excited about creating new opportunities for folks."

Looking forward, Neil’s vision is to carefully bring Wilcoxson’s into the 21st century, respecting its rich heritage while modernizing operations through thoughtful expansions in distribution and freezer capacity.

He concludes. "We’re honored to guide Wilcoxson’s into its next 100 years, ensuring future families can enjoy ice cream exactly as the Wilcoxson family intended.”