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Get the "Scoop" on Dr. Chuck Hermans
By
Mary Chin
Who is
fortunate enough to proclaim, “I have the best job in the world! It is fun
to go to work everyday.”? International marketing professor Chuck Hermans,
that’s who, and with all sincerity. Hermans’ road to professorship zigzagged
from a change in college majors, through real estate, entrepreneurship, and
a gamut of personal pursuits. If you’re thinking that most professors are
somewhat one dimensional, Hermans’ quest dispels the myth. Follow his path
from teen motorcycle racer to lead vocalist in a contemporary Christian
band.
As a
teenager in New Mexico, Hermans’ passion was racing Yamaha and Honda
motorcycles. As college life beckoned, his original major at New Mexico
State was electrical engineering, influenced by his father’s career with
Raytheon. Hermans explains, “From age four to twelve, I lived on Kwajalein
Island, part of the Marshall Islands. My father was involved with developing
radar and missile guidance systems for the U.S. government, which were
primarily tested in the South Pacific. Kwajalein Island, about three miles
long and one-half mile wide, was home to approximately 5,000 expatriates,
those working for the U.S., but living outside of the country.”
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“I have the best job in the world!
It is fun to go to work everyday."
Chuck Hermans |
Realizing that engineering was not his calling, Hermans dropped out of
college in the mid 80s to “find himself.” Hermans recalls, “The process took
me to Washington, D.C. where I started my own home remodeling business. In
its best year, the company grossed more than $4 million and was ranked in
the nation’s top remodeling companies by Remodeler Magazine.”
However, his wanderlust continued, resulting in a move to Miami Beach. Here,
Hermans invested in two ocean-front condominiums, renting one and residing
in the other. After contemplating life on a surf board, he was ready to
return to New Mexico State University.
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Dr.
Hermans discusses International Marketing concepts with senior Katie McKean. |
Hermans’ real estate savvy fueled his undergraduate degree in the same area.
He explains, “I finished my B.B.A degree in two and a half years, which
included one 27-credit hour semester with a 4.0 G.P.A. While in college, I
continued my ventures in real estate, managing properties, investing in
strip malls and office buildings, and flipping houses." |
(continued)
"By 1995, my wife and I had
purchased a 5,000 square foot restaurant and bar called the Great American
Food and Beverage Company. I spent over a year doing everything –
bartending, pizza prep, waiting tables and coordinating the live
entertainment. We had rock-n-roll bands in the evenings, catering to the
college crowd, including headliners such as Warrant, Slaughter and
Deep Blue Something.”
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Hermans, as a teenager, engaged his passion for motorcycles.
Here he flies through the air during a race in
Las Cruces, New Mexico. |
Hermans’ M.B.A in finance
followed his bartending stint. At this time he veered into advertising,
employed by Bolwin Outdoor Advertising, an AMEX company. It ultimately
merged with Lamar Outdoor Advertising, where he assisted the CFO in putting
together the organization’s IPO, raising $8.8 million in capital.
His entrepreneurial real
estate spirit continued, however. Hermans successfully managed multi-million
dollar office and retail properties from El Paso to Houston. But, he had
come realize that something was missing. “I knew the back-end of business,
finance, production and capital budgeting, but I lacked the up front
marketing know-how. So I decided to pursue my PhD in marketing, with the
intent to add to my knowledge base, but at that point I hadn’t decided I
wanted to be a teacher. A year into my program I found I really enjoyed
teaching, and I had become passionate about it.”
So, how does someone with
such a diverse background, having lived all over the country, wind up in
Springfield? Hermans explains that the decision was easy. “My wife,
Michelle, and I wanted a homey community to raise our family. I had a few
offers on the table a year before completing my PhD, including one from SMS.
When I interviewed here, it was the people in the Marketing Department and
the town that sold us.”
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“...it
was the people in the Marketing Department and the town that sold us."
Chuck Hermans |
These days, Hermans no
longer races motorcycles or contemplates life while surfing. Weekends are
family events that include the kids’ soccer and football games, boating and
skiing. On Sundays he enjoys being the lead vocalist at his church in their
contemporary Christian band. He likes to play the guitar, and an occasional
game of chess. Come Monday mornings, he then resumes “the best job in the
world!”
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