Kenneth J. Douglas
Kenneth J. Douglas (1922 - 2007) was a former CEO of Dean Foods. An
ex-FBI employee, he used a smart, reasoned approach and disciplined
work ethic to help dairy company gain prominence. Colleagues praise
his integrity, modesty and devotion to his family
During his
entire tenure as chief executive officer and chairman of Dean Foods,
Kenneth J. Douglas never made more than $1 million a year.
Yet during his years as head of the company, Dean grew from $165
million in sales in 1970 to a $1.4 billion sales conglomerate in
1987.
"In Ken's history with the company, he had a record 44
quarters [of record growth] as CEO at Dean Foods," said friend
Edward Richardson, chief executive officer of Richardson Electronics
in LaFox, where Mr. Douglas served on the board of directors for 10
years. "I had a lot of respect for him."
Mr. Douglas, 85, of
River Forest, died of pneumonia Wednesday, Oct. 10 2007, in La
Grange Memorial Hospital. He had been battling Alzheimer's disease
for six years.
"He was a very disciplined executive and he
had a tremendous set of ethics and more. In my history he is one of
the finest executives I ever met. ... He always put his family first
and foremost; and his record -- that will never be duplicated as CEO
of Dean Foods," Richardson said.
As a conservative leader,
Mr. Douglas set the tenor for the company. Although he acquired many
smaller dairies to add to the fold of Dean Foods, he first
scrutinized them to see whether they were profitable.
"He set
the tone of the company because he was very disciplined and
conservative," said Tom Ravencroft, retired president of the dairy
division. "He had a good strategy. He believed in concentration on
the dairy and food industry and being opportunistic when it came to
acquisitions. But he saw that proper due diligence was done and the
prices paid for acquisitions were sound in his opinion and they
would make a good return to the shareholder.
"His whole
effort in managing was to see the shareholder had a good return.
Everything he led us to do was along that path."
Born in
Benton Harbor, Mich., Mr. Douglas and his family moved to Oak Park,
where his future wife, Ann, lived next door. After graduating from
Oak Park River Forest High School, he went to the University of
Illinois, but World War II interrupted his studies.
He
enlisted in the Navy, where he became a radio operator and ran the
motor pool.
"It was there that he saw these guys who were
doing the extra work that made everything happen. That gave him his
work ethic," said his son, Andy. "He said he may not be the smartest
guy around, but he could outwork anyone."
After his
discharge, he married Ann in 1946, and the couple moved to Hammond.
Mr. Douglas attended Kent Law School in Chicago and eventually
graduated first in his class in 1950.
He joined the Federal
Bureau of Investigation that same year and moved to Los Angeles,
then San Francisco. But four years later, he and his wife wanted to
return to Chicago. He wrote a letter to Sam Dean, founder of Dean
Foods, requesting an interview. At the interview, he was hired on
the spot, his son said.
He was named vice president of
industrial relations. Within his first week on the job, he faced a
challenge as the Teamsters called a strike. Mr. Douglas then worked
as vice president of finance until 1970, when he was named CEO and
chairman of the board.
"My dad was very modest. He would
always say that he happened to be in the right place at the right
time. ... He worked hard and he always put the shareholders first,"
his son said.
Mr. Douglas was recruited by other companies
but refused to leave Dean, his family and friends said.
"He
could have run any major company in America and have done an
excellent job. He was a man of outstanding character. You could take
anything he said to the bank. If you did business with him, you
didn't need a contract," Ravencroft said.
He retired as
chairman of Dean Foods in 1987 but was vice chairman until 1992. Mr.
Douglas served on the board of directors of American National Bank,
Centel Corp., National Can Co., Richardson Electronics and Andrew
Corp.
He also served as chairman of the board of West
Suburban Medical Center and the Economic Club of Chicago and was on
the board of the Milk Industry Foundation and a member of the board
of overseers of the Illinois Institute of Technology and
Chicago-Kent College of Law.
In addition to his wife and son,
survivors include a daughter, Connie Doran; and two grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in First
Presbyterian Church of River Forest, 7551 Quick Ave., River Forest.
Source: October 17, 2007|By Patricia Trebe, Special to the
Tribune
Ann
Elizabeth Douglas, age 86, of River Forest, IL; beloved wife of the
late Kenneth J. Douglas (former Chairman and CEO of Dean Foods);
loving mother of Connie (Don) Doran and Andrew (Sally) Douglas;
cherished grandmother of Paula and Charles Douglas. For many years
Mrs. Douglas was very active with the Oak Park and River Forest
Infant Welfare Society and the West Suburban Hospital Auxiliary. A
Memorial Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4,
2010 at the First Presbyterian Church of River Forest, 7551 Quick
Av., River Forest.
Any contributions to this item will be
gratefully accepted
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