YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
President, Mueller International, a subsidiary of Paul Mueller Company, 1600 W. Phelps, Springfield. Paul Mueller Company is a manufacturer of stainless steel processing equipment for the food, beverage, dairy farm, chemical, pharmaceutical and water industries. The company was started in 1940 by Paul Mueller, who currently serves as chairman of the board of directors. Today, the company has approximately 1,000 employees with company headquarters in Springfield. Another manufacturing facility is located in Osceola, Iowa. In addition, Mueller has licensed a manufacturer in Holland for its dairy farm equipment for the European market. Total company sales are approximately $90 million. Paul Mueller Company is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ. The international division currently exports to more than 50 countries per year, which accounts for approximately 22 percent to 25 percent of the company's overall sales. The international team is responsible for the marketing and sales of all Mueller product lines outside of North America. Hetherington is also vice president of the Greater Ozarks Trade Association and a member of the Missouri District Export Council, an organization established by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. Each member of the Missouri District Export Council is appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. As a group, the members meet on a regular basis to help establish recommendations on international business policy for the U.S. Department of Commerce, as well as fostering international business activities in Missouri.
Age: 43.
No. of years in Springfield/area: When he was 12 (in 1966), Hetherington's family moved from Springfield to California.
Education: A 1972 graduate of Republic High School, Hetherington received a degree in marketing from SMSU in 1978. He then attended and graduated from the American Graduate School of International Management in 1979, where he received a master's degree in international business.
Early career: "Having been born on a farm, I feel that I have always worked," Hetherington said. He also had a paper route and mowed neighbors' lawns, but his first full-time, hourly paying job was the summer soon after he turned 13. He worked at a gas station 50-plus hours a week, pumping gas and assisting the owner with mechanical work. This included overhauling engines, tire repair, tune-ups, etc. "Living on a farm, I took those savings and was able to invest them in cattle. Between my savings and the cattle, I was pretty well able to work and finance my college education," Hetherington said. After graduate school, his first job in international business was with Paul Mueller Company, where he was area manager for the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Subsequently, he was offered a job with a division of Peabody International called Peabody Tec-Tank in Parsons, Kan., where he was director of international marketing and sales. He worked there for four years and was then offered a job as director-international with the films-packaging division of Union Carbide in Chicago, Ill. In fall of 1991, he was offered the opportunity to return to Paul Mueller Company as president of the international division.
Current projects: Mueller just received a $6 million order from Japan for its newest product line Mueller Brewery Systems. The company also expects another $2 million in business from the same project during the first quarter of 1998. "This year will be critical for implementing this project and showcasing it for our other customers worldwide."
Management philosophy: "I try to use four basic guides for my business/management style: hire and keep happy the best team possible; foster a positive, can-do attitude; 'seek first to understand before being understood,' (Steven R. Covey); and have fun," he said.
Spare-time pursuits: In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, activities with his children, good books and beating John Boyd at racquetball.
Family data: Single with four "great children," Marisa and Kristina, who are attending college out west, and Stephanie and Christopher, who attend Glendale High School and live with their mother.
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