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| Key to Webster Opens A Lifetime of Doors for SBT Alum Working in Iran before the overthrow of the Shah, patenting a heat exchanger for the Black Hawk helicopter, surviving cancer, becoming an author, and more
A consummate growth agent, Laken came to Webster University to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management because of Webster's open and welcoming atmosphere. Laken says he choose Webster after only his first visit because Sister Delgado in admissions trusted him enough to give him a key to all the buildings and classrooms so he could look around. That key ended up opening more doors than just those on campus. “Of all the schools that I considered, Webster was the only one that gave me a key to their school. It was a key that unlocked the secrets of knowledge for me!" Laken says. A dynamic and visionary leader with demonstrated skills in controlling costs, Laken has delivered innovative projects that meet market demands on time and within budget. For example, he was the pivotal force behind Watlow’s becoming number one in the U.S. marketplace and number three worldwide in temperature controls. He was also the driver behind the redesign of a product that quickly became one of the most lucrative in the company’s history. Laken’s highly respected for his ability to build and manage customer relationships with global and industry-leading organizations, including Kohler Corp., ThermoKing, Taylor Corp., Enodis Corp. and Puritan Bennet, Inc. He’s also known for building and leading strong cross-functional teams in achieving their bottom-line objectives. He has successfully led multiple global acquisition teams and directed start-ups for Watlow and has held full divisional Profit & Loss accountability and shared corporate responsibility for $280 million. Laken, who is also a pilot, was hired by Bell Helicopter International in 1976 as a trainer/manager. This was a few years before the overthrow of the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi in 1979 to the Ayatollah Khomeini. The helicopter facility was outside Tehran, Iran, and under the direction of the U.S. State Department. “I learned some Farsi, and my family and I ‘lived off the economy,’ which means we were not living in a U.S. compound or on a military base,” Laken says. “I was a civilian. Our experience was wonderful, and I made many friends in Iran and maintain relationships to this day.” While at Webster, Laken then shared his experiences of Iran through numerous speaking engagements at the St. Louis campus. Laken recalls: “Although I was under tight security with my job, by living on the economy, I was able to meet many Persians and learn a lot about the culture. The hostage takeover of the U.S. Embassy occurred about nine months after we left the country. Before we left, I was observing things going on in Tehran that, to me, indicated a big problem was arising. I was not at all surprised with the hostage crisis. Several factions were very upset with the Shah's regime, and once they united under Ayatollah Khomeini's leadership, we were doomed.” Laken also remembers a side of Iran not seen on T.V.: “The other side of the history of Iran, had nothing to do with the T.V. coverage of the takeover, but the fact that Persians admired America and Americans and would go out of their way to make Americans comfortable. The U.S. government policies, as they related to the Shah's regime, were the big elephant in the room, which no one would ever mention in public out of fear. Unfortunately, the brutality expressed under the Shah was related to U.S. training of Savak (Persian Intelligence) personnel and—whether true or not — fueled the hatred of those oppressed. Although I witnessed some of this, as did many Persians, it was not an issue with the average Persian any more than U.S. policy is an issue with the average American today. Most Persians are family-oriented, friendly and compassionate people.” Laken and his wife, Virginia, who is also a Webster alum with an M.A. in Management and Human Relations, took time to share some of their thoughts on their careers and the challenges facing graduates today: NB: What are the most important tools you received from your Webster degree? Keith: My advisor worked with me to structure an independent study into an area of technology that wasn't well known. That study was “Computer Fraud.” It was at a time when Apple computer had just released their first commercial circuit board for hobbyists, and I felt that computers were going to be a significant economic force, and I wanted to understand the potential problems that could accompany their use when in the hands of everyday people. The willingness to work with me provided me with many tools that were above and beyond what one considers as traditional education. Virginia: Practical insights into human development and group dynamics. NB: How did this degree help you strategically position yourself for your career? Keith: My vision was right and the rest is history. I was always well prepared to deal with product development issues and implementation issues as they related to systems robustness. The degree also gave me more confidence, mostly because I earned it myself, but also because I could hold my own academically with my peers and customers. Virginia: With this degree in hand I became a vice president of training and human relations for a large bank. From there I moved into creating training programs for a large retailer, then to having my own consulting business in business communications. Now I use these skills in managing our family-owned coffee shops. Because my degree was in the human relations arena, I could use these skills in every area in which I worked. Any kind of management of course benefits from an understanding of human relations and dynamics. It's all about people interacting with people. NB: What type of work do you currently do? Keith: I own Gription Resources, which is a consulting firm that delivers key business systems, strategy, leadership, or growth management. This is primarily for fast-growth family businesses and nonprofits. In some cases, I assist companies with development funding and new product development. Virginia: Currently I am an owner and manager of our coffee shops in Winona, MN. We currently own four and license two. NB: Tell us about the book you and your wife wrote after surviving cancer? Our book MAKING LOVE AGAIN; Hope For Couples Facing Loss of Sexual Intimacy, was published in 2004, by Ant Hill Press of Cape Cod, Mass. It deals with the topic of reframing and redefining intimacy in a relationship after medical or surgical intervention. As a result of this publication we have had the opportunity to speak across the United States to cancer groups, medical personnel, counselors, and medical students regarding the topic of the psycho-social implications of sexual dysfunction within a relationship. NB: What patents are in your name from Watlow? Keith: Patents with my name on them are in the area of "Thermopolymer Technology." This new field of heating, or perhaps of composites that either heat or are heated, was a Watlow brainchild. One patent was for a miniature fluid heat exchanger that we were hopeful would allow a miniature dialysis device to be implanted in a patient to allow continuous cleansing, versus present systems that are very awkward and are not quality-of-life friendly. Besides medical applications, the patents covered things such as outdoor heated birdbaths and a heat exchanger for the Black Hawk helicopter. The technology also covered dynamic insulation for aviation as well as some defense communications. NB: As a current pilot for LifeLine Pilots, tell us a little bit about them. Keith: Lifeline Pilots is a nonprofit that flies people with medical and financial needs for free. We coordinate more than 800 volunteer pilots in 38 states with passengers and hospitals, with a staff of three employees located in Peoria, Ill. The organization was founded 25 years ago by Wanda Whitsitt, a flight instructor in Champaign Ill. To date, Lifeline Pilots have provided free air transportation to patients or their caregivers at a value of more than $13 million! More info is at www.lifelinepilots.org, and the hospitality homes are at www.nahhh.org. NB: How much air time with LifeLine would you say you have logged since 1994? Keith: I fly about 200 to 300 hours a year to call on hospitals, and other referral sources such as Hope Lodges (ACS) or Gift of Life (Mayo)—all organizations that know the patients that need assistance. NB: What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing today's graduates, and how can they better achieve professional success?
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Keith: Their biggest challenge will be to understand where they fit in the world. As countries are more open to "enableism," the typical job of tomorrow will not pay enough to provide for their needs. As such, they will need to understand that they have to own their career and not depend on the government or their employer to take care of them. They have to make their own way. At the same time, our form of government is really broke and it will take the ambition of youth and their idealism to make the necessary changes by which America must redefine itself. Someone in the next few graduating classes will lead that change. So, the biggest change perhaps may not be the challenges of the graduates, but perhaps the biggest challenge may be to the educators as what do the students need to make new choices, when just repeating the same old choices won't continue to work.
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