He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics while doing odd jobs on the Parkville Campus as part of Park College's work-study program. He also worked 30 hours a week at a local lumber company while attending class and training in the US. Marine Corps.
Jean remembers working the switchboard and performing various cleaning duties to pay for her Park tuition before the birth of their first child in 1954.
The couple struggled to juggle their many responsibilities.
“I think we were odd in those days. Most of the students weren’t married and starting a family while going to school like us. It was a challenging time,” Jean said.
Following graduation, Doug served as a captain in the Marines for three years. He then joined General Electric where he worked for 11 years before becoming vice president of finance at Franklin Electric Co. in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
While at Franklin, he led the company to become one of the first issuer members to join the National Association of Securities Dealers. After serving on the NASD committee to oversee regulations and operations for the NASDAQ stock market system, Doug was among the first to be elected to the NASD Board of Governors where he served for three years.
With success in the corporate world, Doug ultimately found an ideal fit as an entrepreneur. In addition to building and selling many of his own businesses, he helped others to succeed by investing in their ideas.
When he met two brothers who were building outdoor steel-coated furniture. he learned they were struggling to get financing. With his help. their business exploded to include customers such as Disneyland, as well as college campuses and even prisons before the company was sold for a handsome paycheck.
“I was always frugal and hesitant when Doug invested money in new business ideas, but he was always comfortable with risk", ]ean said.
Doug said, “I never met an investment I didn’t like, but I always did my homework to make sure I understood what was going on in the market. You don’t want to go upstream. Look for growth and quality.” After more than six decades in business, he said it also helps to keep good company. “I hung around with a lot of successful risk-takers.”
Jean acknowledges another trait that has been key to his success. “Besides being courageous, Doug is generous and kind. When he sold Flexible Personnel, all of his employees told me how much they adored him. I hear this everywhere he goes.”
Doug also credits his military heritage.
“My upbringing in an Army family and my training to become a Marine was, without a doubt, instrumental to my success in business. The discipline and structure of delegating authority and responsibility in the military just makes
sense to me,” he said.
Education makes sense to Doug, too. With his financial capabilities, he made it a top priority to pay for the education of more than 20 family members — including four children, 13 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and his wife, who after raising their family, returned to complete her degree at Park in 1957.
“It’s one of my greatest accomplishments to make sure my family has the foundation of a college education,” he said.
Today, Doug and ]ean are appreciating the fruits of their commitment to education and embracing risk in business. They’ve traveled around the world and when they’re not welcoming family visitors to their West Palm Beach, Florida home, ]ean enjoys tap dancing while Doug hits the golf course and rides his bike everyday.
“We’re living a dream life.", Jean said. “Knock on wood, what more could we want?"
Adapted from an article in the Spring 2106 issue of Park University Magazine
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