The Inspiration Business
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focus PHILANTHROPY The Inspiration Business JACK KRASULA MADE A FORTUNE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY; NOW HE’S GIVING IT ALL BACK — ONE DIME AT A TIME BY TOM BEAMAN ack Krasula settles into his chair before the mi- out to Ford’s Lee Iacocca. As part of the deal to en- crophone in WJR Radio’s Production Studio 1. tice Iacocca, Riccardo offered to relinquish his CEO JThe host of Anything Is Possible, which airs Sun- position to him a year after Iacocca started. Once days at 6 p.m., is recording his 91st show today. Across Iacocca was on board, Chrysler’s outlook began to the desk from him sits 83-year-old John Riccardo, improve, but things got worse for Riccardo. As part former president and CEO of Chrysler Corp. Ric- of the federal loan guarantee agreement that he and cardo seems nervous; this is the fi rst interview he has Iacocca negotiated with Congress and the Carter given in 27 years. But as the show begins, Riccardo Administration to save the company, Riccardo was forcedforced toto resign,resign, thethe symbolsymbol ofof thethe oldold regimeregime thatthat waswas blamedblamed fforor CChrysler’shrysler’s wwoes.oes. IIacoccaacocca ttookook overover asas cchairmanhairman iinn 11979979 aandnd tthehe rrest,est, aass ttheyhey ssay,ay, isis history.history. Talking with Krasula, Riccardo sounds up- beat,beat, almostalmost noble,noble, asas hehe describesdescribes hhowow hhisis tteameam negotiatednegotiated thethe bailoutbailout andand howhow hehe symbolical-symbolical- lyly sacrifisacrifi cedced hishis career.career. “The“The greatestgreatest dutyduty ofof a CEO,” Riccardo says, “is to ensure the continu- ity of his company. Courage is falling in battle for the right cause.” Overcoming adversity is a common theme on Anything Is Possible, whose guests have ranged from astronaut Gene Cernan to Beverly Hills divorcee-turned-nun Mother Antonia. “The AWE-INSPIRED show is meant to inspire people,” Krasula says. Krasula with The birth of the show is a classic example of be- Pope John Paul II. ing careful what you wish for, lest you get it. He’s met scores of other luminaries, Krasula, 58, was frustrated with what he sees as as well. today’s mean-spirited media culture. “When we were kids, we had heroes,” he says. “Now, the media wants to knock everybody down.” That concernconcern surfacedsurfaced duringduring a 20052005 golfgolf gamegame withwith goodgood relaxes and talks about the various chapters of his life: friend Mike Fezzey, who just happens to be WJR’s FROM LEFT how, as the son of poor Italian immigrants, he helped president and general manager. “I told him, ‘Mike, support his family by manually bending handlebars you need more positive stuff on the radio,’” Krasula in a bicycle factory; how, during World War II, he recalls. “’You should have a show on once a week : COURTESY OF drove trucks into China along the Burma Road; how where you highlight one person who started with he earned a master’s degree in economics from the nothing, overcame great odds and is giving back — University of Michigan; and how, in 1959, he gave to inspire people.’ A couple weeks later Fezzey called JACK KRASULA; BRAD ZIEGLER up the chance for a lifetime partnership at accounting and said, ‘Jack, I love the idea and I think you’d be fi rm Touche Ross in order to join Chrysler. the perfect host!’” In the 1970s, as president, Riccardo was leading But Jack Krasula isn’t just the host of a radio Chrysler’s efforts to survive in the face of increased show. He’s also an entrepreneur, an investor, an foreign competition and government regulation. Des- art collector, and a world-class sports fan. His day perate for management talent, the company reached job is president of Trustinus, LLC, the Southfi eld- 38 DBUSINESS: JULY/AUGUST 2 0 0 7 based executive-search firm. But it’s prob- ably more accurate to say that Krasula is in the encouragement business. “I see myself as a motivator, a nudger — someone who inspires people to reach a little higher,” he explains. He modestly downplays the “bucket of money” he made from the sale of his first company, Decision Consultants Inc. (DCI), claiming that he gets more satisfaction from helping friends. Coming from most people, that could sound disingenuous; coming from Jack Krasula, you believe it. The company, a forerunner to today’s mammoth informa- tion-technology industry, was sold for $55 million in 2002. Krasula is also a philanthropist, and his generosity has benefited, among others, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, whose edu- cational arm provides baseball-themed lesson plans to 20 million schoolkids a year. “Jack is the most optimistic, forward-looking per- sonality I’ve ever met,” says Dale Petroskey, Hall of Fame president and an Inkster native. “Nothing is going to stop him from trying to do good and reach his goals.” Krasula credits his work-ethic and glass- half-full outlook to his parents. “From my dad, I learned that you get up early, you work hard, and you stay humble; and from my mom I learned [to] be good to people, treat people special,” he recalls. Young Jack took this advice to heart and began working at an early age, sweeping up behind the el- ephants in a downtown Chicago parade. He also took inspiration from his hero, Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame shortstop Ernie Banks, whose positive outlook earned him the nick- name “Mr. Sunshine.” Krasula earned a B.A. in mathematics from Lewis College in Romeoville, Ill. He says he was a good student, but school was never im- portant to him. “All that mattered was to fin- ish the homework so I could go out and play sports,” he says. Realizing that he would never play at Wrigley Field, Krasula began to look for a more traditional career. His lightning-bolt moment came during college when a friend told him how someday he could make $15,000 a year programming computers. “That’s the SIGNATURE MAN Krasula has day I decided what I was going to do,” Krasula collected thousands of signatures says. “I didn’t know what the heck they were, from pro athletes, politicians, and celebrities. The list includes Mario but $15,000 was like $5 million.” Andretti, President George W. Bush, Not long after receiving his master’s de- Mary Kay Ash, and Mark O’Meara. gree from Loyola University in 1972, while DBUSINESS MAG.COM: JULY/AUGUST 2 0 0 7 39 focus PHILANTHROPY With George Brett, Yogi Berra, and Bill Murray. With Ernie Banks. With Rudy Giuliani. working as a programmer at Illinois Bell, Krasula got a call to do for an encore. “[Executive search] made all the sense in the from a recruiter at information technology services fi rm Cut- world,” he says. “I know a lot of people in town. People trust me; ler-Williams, who offered him a job in Detroit. Tempted as they’re always looking for stronger leadership.” much by the prospect of his fi rst airplane ride as by the job Since 2003, Trustinus has matched presidents, vice presi- offer, he fl ew to Detroit with the promise that the fi rm would dents, COOs, and CFOs with some 50 companies. As Kra- move him back to Chicago in six months. Four years later, sula describes his business, his homespun philosophy is clear: still in Detroit, Krasula left Cutler-Williams and formed DCI “We don’t have any clients,” he says. “All we have are Jack’s to serve his fi rst client, American Motors Corp. DCI’s fi rst friends. We can’t let a friend down. To have your friend from month’s billings were $2,700. the company who gave you the search say, ‘Jack, she’s doing The company grew, taking on contracts ranging from fabulous’ — that’s much more rewarding than the check that maintaining corporate average fuel-economy data to tracking comes. It’s all about encouraging people.” railroad freight cars. At its peak, DCI was the largest privately Krasula won’t divulge the fi nancial state of the privately held IT services fi rm in the country, with 1,800 employees, held Trustinus, but his reputation is well-known. “The guy annual revenue of $150 million, and offi ces throughout the is a master,” says a competitor who requested anonymity. “If United States and in India. I could buy stock in a person, In 2002, Krasula sold DCI to With mementos I’d buy it in Jack.” Colorado-based Ciber Inc. for of “Shoeless” Krasula’s strong work $55 million. Joe Jackson. ethic and steadfast determi- It was at DCI that Krasula nation to see a job through fi rst began to put his inspira- his way emerged in the third tional skills to work on a large grade, when he received an scale. Twice a month for 26 assignment to write to fi ve years, his employees received politicians. He would have a signed letter with their pay- nothing to do with that. Be- checks. The letters contained ing an avid sports fan, Krasula messages about teamwork, instead wrote to his favor- TOP: COURTESY OF serving the customer, or going ite baseball players, includ- the extra mile. “It was a way ing Banks, Willie Mays, and to propagate our culture and Mickey Mantle. Such insub- to inspire people,” Krasula ex- ordination didn’t sit well with JACK KRASULA; BRAD ZIEGLER plains. He still sends at least fi ve the nuns who taught him. handwritten thank-you letters But what was seen as a snub a day. of their authority set Krasula After making his mark in off on a lifetime endeavor that the IT industry, Krasula didn’t provides more than a glimpse have to think twice about what into what makes him tick.