Yesterday’s (January 5, 2015) Star Tribune (Koch Article ) carried a story
on the passing of David Koch. Now that may not mean much to a lot of people.
(No, he was not in anyway related to the Koch brothers.) But the reality is that
he affected us all, as he was an early pioneer in defining corporate responsibility.
Here is what the Star Tribune said:
He believed that if you made a good product,
treated your workers fairly and were generous in the community, the business
would prosper. And he railed against executive and Wall Street excesses of the
last generation, as he and his wife, Barbara, quietly donated much of their
wealth to charitable educational causes.
Although these words
sound more like Senator Elizabeth Warren, the fact is that David Koch was an
old fashioned traditional Republican. Deeply religious, he understood that
Christianity was about love and service and he lived his life accordingly. And
contrary to the greed merchants of today, he knew that good business practices
lead to profit and more opportunity for employees, shareholders and community
alike. He took Grayco from a small manufacturer with sales of $33 million and
turned it into a publicly-owned giant that today employs some 2,700 people
around the world and has revenues in excess of $1 billion.
On a personal level,
David was always welcoming, kind, generous, and humble. Simply put, he was
truly a “nice guy” in the best sense.
We in Minnesota have
been blessed with an endless array of giants in business who were committed to
the service of community while successfully growing their companies. I wonder
what Minnesota would be like without the Dayton brothers, Elmer Andersen, Edson
Spencer, the Pillsbury’s, Curt Carlson, Win Wallin, Carl Platou, and others now
gone who truly built our community.
Perhaps it would be
appropriate for the Carlson School of Management to do two things:
1 – Establish a
Business Hall of Fame to honor those who have advanced the values of business
success and community well being. It will serve as a beacon for the future
leaders coming through our excellent business school.
2 - Seek advice from those largely retired who
have and continue to excel in this area. The goal would be to integrate values
of service with excellence in business. Perhaps the best phrase would be
“stewardship”, the title of John Taft’s superb book on this subject.
The Star Tribune cited comments by such
likely outstanding participants, Dick McFarland and Chuck Denny. However, there
are others who would be honored to be considered and their input would be
invaluable.
Perhaps the finest
gift we can give to honor those who have provided outstanding
business-community leadership is to have their legacy passed on as an integral
part of the future.
I think David Koch
would be honored. And we all would be better off.
