Perspective
From Larry King

CNN

Jon Meade Huntsman may well be the most remarkable billionaire most of America has never heard of. Legendary in petrochemical circles, he operates around the globe in a quiet, determined, respected, and caring manner. For nearly two decades, he found himself in the upper tier of Forbes magazine’s list of wealthiest Americans, but it wasn’t always that way.

Jon is the embodiment of the American Dream. His was a journey from hardscrabble beginnings to chairman of America’s largest family-owned and operated business. (In early 2005, he took the sprawling Huntsman empire public.)

As is the case with each Horatio Alger character, Jon Huntsman was afforded nothing but an opportunity to compete on the field of dreams. The rest—vision, determination, skill, integrity, a few breaks, and ultimate success—was up to him.

He won that incredible race fair and square, fulfilling his dream with moral principles intact, his word being kept, dealing above board and fairly with colleagues and competitors alike, and displaying a demeanor of decency and generosity.

All this, to me, is the essence of Jon Huntsman. It is why he has written this book and why it is worth your time to read it.

His career was launched with an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an education made possible by a chance scholarship from someone who already had it made. Jon went on to build an empire and render an accounting for the favors and breaks he received along the way.

You may not have heard of Jon Huntsman, but the folks he has assisted over the years sure have.

Ask patients at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Hospital, a world-class research and patient facility in Salt Lake City exploring how we might prevent and control the dreaded disease, especially hereditary cancers. The Huntsman family has given a quarter of a billion dollars so far to that effort and vows to double that amount in the coming years. Jon lost his mother, father, stepmother, and grandparents to the disease. He himself has had cancer and beaten it. Twice.

Ask students and faculty at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he became chairman of the Board of Overseers. His gift of $50 million made possible Huntsman Hall, a state-of-the-art business school complex, and the nation’s leading international undergraduate program. Remembering what the chance for a college education meant to him, he has awarded several million dollars in scholarships over the years to employees’ children and random students.

Ask the people of Armenia. Now there’s a story worth telling.

On the evening of December 7, 1988, Jon and Karen Huntsman were watching the news in the living room of their striking Salt Lake City home. He was chief executive officer and chairman of Huntsman Chemical Corporation—an upstart in the stodgy and traditional chemical industry.

The lead story on that nightly news was unsettling: An earthquake had devastated much of Armenia. Jon was riveted by the scenes of destruction unfolding before him: factories and apartments in rubble, roads and railways little more than twisted pretzels of concrete and steel, school buildings flattened, frantic survivors clawing through debris for loved ones.

A year earlier, Jon Huntsman probably could not have located Armenia on the map, but in the six previous months, he had negotiated with Aeroflot, the airline of the old Soviet government, to manufacture in a new Moscow plant plastic service ware for in-flight meals. In the process, he became the first American permitted to own a majority interest in a Soviet business. He had become fascinated with the USSR bear, and now disaster had struck one of its satellite states.

“We have to do something,” he said to Karen that night. He was taking the suffering before him personally. That’s how Jon Huntsman is.

The aid that followed ranged from expertise and resources for a modern cement factory that would produce concrete that could withstand most quakes to food and medical equipment to apartment complexes and schools—all as gifts to a grateful, battered nation.

Before he was finished 15 years later, the Huntsman family had infused $50 million of its money into Armenia, visiting the nation two dozen times. Yet, on that December 1988 night, he had no ties to that region of the world. He didn’t know the name of a single victim. But the name Huntsman is not unknown in Armenia today, where Jon is an honorary citizen and recipient of the nation’s highest award.

Who is Jon Huntsman? Ask those who have been helped. Ask the communities around the globe where Huntsman Corp. does business. They will tell of the deep, personal interest he has in their fortunes, their families, and their futures.

Perhaps that generosity is the residual of growing up on the other side of the economic tracks. If so, it is only part of his philanthropic equation. Jon also subscribes to the obligation of everyone to be generous. Throughout the ages, charity has been a cornerstone of most world cultures.

The Gospel of Giving according to Jon holds that every individual—whether financially stretched or of means, but especially the rich—is duty-bound to return a portion of his or her blessings.

Jon Huntsman is a different breed. He believes business is a creative endeavor, similar to a theater production, wherein integrity must be the central character. Notwithstanding what you hear on the nightly news or read in newspapers, decent and ethical behavior is not a moral heirloom of the past. He believes in being honest, fair, and gracious—even when it costs him several million dollars.

This book isn’t simply a marketplace catechism for moral behavior. In every chapter, there are nuggets of good management techniques for those who run companies or organizations, solid instructions for those in mid-management, and a bigger picture for employees and memberships. With an MBA from the University of Southern California, Jon is not only an entrepreneur extraordinaire but also an experienced CEO who has seen it all.

For the past 35 years, his business has gone from scratch to annual revenues of $12 billion. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. He was on the verge of bankruptcy twice, but his reputation for tough-but-fair negotiations, a gracious and sensitive demeanor, an entrepreneurial sense, and a remarkable philanthropic commitment give him a unique perspective from which to offer these rules of the road.

Jon Huntsman is living proof that you can do well by doing right. Leo Durocher was quite wrong when he said, “Nice guys finish last.” Not only can nice people finish first, they finish better. Jon has little patience for situational ethics in the marketplace or life. He paints proper behavior in bold, black-and-white strokes. He believes in the adage that if you have one clock, everyone knows what time it is. If there are two, no one knows the precise time.

In 2002, I named him the Humanitarian of the Year because of his generosity to others. (Business Week ranks him among America’s top philanthropists.) He even surprised me with a large, unexpected contribution to the Larry King Cardiac Foundation to help those who suffer from heart disease. My spouse, Shawn, and I count ourselves fortunate to have been friends of the Huntsman family for many years. I enthusiastically recommend his take on life.