The value of a strong work ethic

By Michael T. Schueler, Chairman and CEO, Schueler Group

Actions and opportunities in one’s early years can have positive or negative effects in one’s later years. My work ethic was handed down to me by my parents, who encouraged both my brother and me to work hard and make things happen. In my early 20s, I had not yet heard of the word entrepreneur. I realize now, that out of the fifteen jobs I held at an oil company earlier in my career, ten of them were newly created positions. Even further back, at the age of 7 or 8, I sold pumpkins out of a red wagon in the neighborhood, and at the age of 13, my first “real” job was at a picnic grove where I took care of ponies.

So, I continued working for the oil company for 17 years, while also getting my M.B.A from the University of Chicago. In 1974, I moved to Ohio and joined a farm/land sales developer named George Henkle, who owned a business in Warren County. George was a mentor to me, and by 1976 I became president of the company, ultimately expanding the business to include four successful companies: Henkle Schueler & Associates (commercial real estate), Bunnell Hill Development, Bunnell Hill Construction, and Henkle Schueler Property Management.

I now own four convenience stores/gas stations (“Big Mike’s”), in the Cincinnati/Dayton area. I get to manage the business, along with lending my support to the many employees who work in our stores.

During my granddaughter’s 2021 summer break from West Virginia University, my wife and I played host and mentor to her, as she worked at her first “real” job in the hospitality business. While we were determined to provide our granddaughter with some work and life guidance, and hopefully set her on a positive track, we also wanted to provide a solid base from which to begin her career. We had no idea whether she had a work ethic or whether she would be able to hold onto any hard-earned cash at the end of the summer. It would be an interesting experience for all of us.

Watching her with her fresh eyes and eagerness to gain work experience, I was reminded of myself at her age. While in my junior year at Northwestern University, I was in dire need of tuition funds, and began working at a service station for the American Oil Company. I was the only person to attend classes in a work uniform. I stayed with the oil company while attending school. At one point in my oil company career, I was given one million dollars to get 20 service stations up and running in a little over a year in Dayton and the surrounding areas. And I did exactly that.

Hard work and dedication make us better at what we do: self-reliance, putting in the work, showing up on time, building personal relationships, and forging ahead and figuring it out as we go – reaps great rewards at any age and can help build successful careers. We all have a responsibility to ensure younger generations understand the value of a work ethic, by sharing our successes, as well as our failures, with them.

It has been rewarding to help our granddaughter get started along her path and to reminisce about my own long path to success. This past summer reminded me of how much joy there is in helping younger generations move and shake the world.

For more information, contact Michael T. Schueler at mschueler@hsabh.com or 513-932-6010.

Schueler Group is a Goering Center sponsor, and the Goering Center is sharing this content as part of its monthly newsletter, which features member and sponsor articles.