Scott William McKinney

Scott William McKinney was born September 2, 1979, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to James and Carol McKinney. Scott graduated from Park Center High School in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, and was an Eagle Scout.  After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Boston University in 2002 with a BSBA in Business Administration and becoming a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Scott earned his MBA and graduated Beta Gamma Sigma from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2008.

In 2002, Scott began his career with A.G. Edwards in St. Louis, Missouri, but his love for New York soon took him to TM Capital in Manhattan. After completing his MBA, Scott was hired by Lehman Brothers just before the company went bankrupt in 2008. He was immediately hired by Barclays Capital as an Investment Banking Associate, progressing to a Vice President role. One of his favorite deals was “working on the rights to Snoopy”.  Scott’s next position was as Director of Investor Relations with Dick’s Sporting Goods in Pittsburgh. In 2015, Scott was hired as Vice President of Finance for Mattress Firm in Houston, Texas. While at Mattress Firm, Scott progressed into the Deputy CFO role. Following his experience at Mattress Firm, Scott went on to work with an investment group, pursuing opportunities in the restaurant space, and his most recent achievement was as CFO of TGI Fridays.

Scott met the love of his life, Tracy, while at Kellogg. They both moved to NYC after graduation and reconnected there. They were married November 5, 2011 in Naples, Florida, and had four children together.

Scott loved his family and adored each one of his four children. Scott also loved good food…especially steak and ribs…fine wines, and stone crab. Making ribs for the kids was one of their most cherished activities. He taught Clayton to make hot dogs and taught Katie to make perfect scrambled eggs. Reading to Tyler every night was a cherished activity for Scott and he loved playing with Madison in the yard.  Scott had a passion for cars and traveling.  He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro shortly after completing his MBA and could never decide afterwards if it was a good idea!

Scott is survived by his wife, Tracy, and their four children: Clayton age 10, Katherine (Katie) age 9, Tyler age 5, and Madison age 3; his parents Jim and Carol McKinney (Medina, MN); his brother Christopher and wife, Shylia (Overland Park, KS); his sister Kelsey (Corcoran, MN); and his many nieces and nephews. 

Although Scott left this earth too soon, it brings comfort to his family and friends knowing he could give the gift of life to many others since he was a registered organ donor. The family wants to thank the team of Life Gift at Memorial Hermann Medical Center for their tremendous support during the donation process. 

Scott is at peace and we will see him again in heaven one day. He lives on through every life he touched, every passion and dream he pursued, and especially in the hearts of his children.

A celebration of Scott’s life will be held at Bradshaw-Carter on April 27, 2024. Friends and family will gather from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. A memorial service will begin at 10:30. Click here to view a livestream of the memorial service.

A celebration is also being planned in Minnesota this summer.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Scott's memory to the National Alliance on Mental Illness or the International Bipolar Foundation.