As a small-town Iowan who married his high school sweetheart, Mike McBride (State College of Iowa ’62, MA’69) never envisioned the success he would achieve. “Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would be president of a company one day.”
Mike’s road to success began in Oelwein, IA where he learned the importance of working hard and developing a strong work ethic. “The courses I took at UNI gave me a solid educational foundation as well,” said Mike. “I was also fortunate to have Dr. Blanford, who was head of the accounting department, contact Pricewaterhouse and initiate an internship program during my senior year. I was one of the first three interns selected. This experience gave me tremendous insight into public accounting.”
After finishing his internship, Mike was asked to join Pricewaterhouse as an auditor. He worked with numerous clients, including Allis-Chalmers, Dairyland Cooperative, Pabst Brewery and the Gustave A. Larson Company, which is a wholesaler of HVAC and refrigeration supplies and equipment headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Six years into his career, Mike was wooed away from Pricewaterhouse and joined Gustave A. Larson Company. Mike remained with the company for 32 years, retiring in 2000 as president and CEO. "I've heard that today's students will have four to eight jobs in their lifetimes. I had two!"
Mike was the first non-family member to become president of Gustave A. Larson Company. Throughout his tenure, Mike helped Gustave A. Larson Company grow from six branches in two states to 29 branches in nine states. He also maintained an exceptionally low employee turnover rate. “I was asked to hire four key people within the first five years after joining the company. Those people were there when I left and they’re still there today,” he said.
Mike’s affable nature helped him build rapport with employees, as did his management style – MBWA, or Management By Walking Around. “I always told people that within 24 hours after they were hired, they had to call me Mike, not Mr. McBride. I tried to create an atmosphere where they saw me as just another employee. Yes, I had the final say on a lot of things, but I was an employee, just like they were.”
Other keys to Mike’s success include being a person of integrity, being accountable for his actions and treating others fairly. And he encouraged his employees to embrace these qualities as well. “In my 32 years I saw some good dividends from that philosophy.”
Mike’s appreciation of the benefits of higher education and his desire to help students gain financial access to those benefits led him to establish the McBride Accounting Scholarship in 1991. This scholarship pays for an accounting student’s tuition and fees, room and board, and books for his or her years of study at UNI.
“We all know what it costs to attend college these days. It’s a great feeling to be able to call a student and say, ‘I’m going to pay for your education.’ It’s beyond their comprehension that someone would give them a free ride.” Similarly, Mike’s wife, Ginny, established a scholarship at Allen College of Nursing in Waterloo, where she graduated from in 1962.
Through the years, Mike has also given back to the university by serving as a UNI Foundation trustee and as a member of the Accounting Advisory Board. He and Ginny also supported the university’s Students First campaign to help fund the McLeodUSA Center on the UNI campus.
"Ginny and I have always felt that by caring for and sharing with others, our lives have been more meaningful. We have been very blessed and are thankful we have the means to help deserving students."
Updated 20-May-08
