Respects paid to business titan — and friend
By DAVID KILMER
Captain and author
DBH. If you worked for him, collaborated with him or were friends with him, those initials stood for something.
I worked for Duane B. Hagadone for 30 years in several roles. Out of college, I joined his weekly Priest River Times as a reporter. Even before meeting him in person, I learned his practices were already hardwired into the company's DNA: keep a clean desk, outwork the competition and always take the upper road. I became editor of his CdA Magazine, a role I relish to this day.
More recently, DBH hired me as private captain to his family sailing yacht, a magnificent craft named Sizzler. The name came because he always enjoyed those extra touches he liked to call the sizzle. Sailing his beloved Lake Coeur d’Alene together, I came to know the man behind the legend.
Every time we embarked, I was tempted anew to ask him for his secrets to success. I knew they would make a good book, and could certainly make a better person out of me. But he was not in the habit of giving out advice. Instead, he built excellence through example. As Hemingway said, “The shortest answer is doing the thing.” DBH was that man of action. He studied, he listened and then he did the thing.
So I asked some of the people who knew him best. Those who dug the foundations in the early days. Those who spent a career in his employ. And fellow self-made men, powerful and successful, who despite everything they had built and seen, admired DBH immensely. Here are some of those words, compiled for another project, shared here to help paint a picture of greatness.
And as I reflect back on my own time with DBH, I realize he did teach me those secrets, after all.
By JOHN YOUNG
Builder
DBH has had a lasting impact on my life. He had a number of impressive character traits, and at the top I would have to say vision and tenacity.
I admire his behind-the-scenes support of our community. Not everyone is aware of the huge impact he and Lola made every year. I admire that he was approachable, even though the results of his hard work certainly put him in that group that usually doesn't allow people to reach out to them.
I think the Boss was a great man as he was always humble and cared for those people who are part of the companies he was involved with.
Duane made more impacts in my life than I can list, from my time at the Coeur d’Alene Press to Hagadone Construction to his support on community projects.
There is no specific act that I can identify as the most significant. It has all been a huge influence in my life. If I could tell him one last thing it would be, "Thank you for investing in your dreams and the people in our community!’”
By EVE KNUDTSEN
Owner, Knudtsen Chevrolet
My Dad, Wayne Knudtsen, and Duane spoke most every day, from wherever in the world they both might have been. They collaborated on many projects including car advertising and United Way, but most of all on a lifelong friendship.
When our family lived on Stanley Hill, Dad would go over to Duane’s almost every morning early to play tennis with Duane, who always loved starting his day early with some exercise.
Duane was quite the tennis player. My brother and I got to stay in Duane’s cabin at Casco Bay, swimming and sleeping on the screened-in porch. At age 15 I attended a political fundraiser at Duane’s, where I got to meet the man who would become our president, Ronald Reagan. It was truly one of the great moments in my life.
Duane was there for me during the most difficult time in my business life, at the end of the recession during 2009-2010. I told Dad I thought maybe it was time to call it quits. I asked Duane if I could come to his office for some advice. “No, Eve,” he said. “I’m coming to yours instead.”
I can’t tell you what it meant to see that blue Suburban pull up in front of our dealership. Already he had sent our employees a powerful signal. The door opened and out stepped Duane.
He took all the time we needed, looking through the business from one end to the other as only he knew how to do. He helped me find areas to reign in expenses and redefine expectations. He even suggested I was paying him (The Coeur d’Alene Press) too much, and renegotiated our advertising contract.
I followed every piece of advice he gave me and reported our progress to him. Things improved thanks to his incredible wisdom and caring ways.
There’s no way I can ever repay what Duane Hagadone did for all of us, so I’ll just have to pay it forward instead.
By JIM HAWKINS
Former Idaho Commerce director
I knew Duane since we were little kids. He always did everything first class. He worked in every position at that paper, from setting type and all the way through. He learned everything from the bottom up, and understood how it operated before asking anyone else to do it.
He was never afraid to work, and nobody ever worked any harder or longer than Duane Hagadone. He never stopped working. At his desk, on the phone, talking to people all the time. He always knew the pulse of the industry.
By JOHN BEUTLER
Owner, Century 21 Beutler & Associates
In 1984, I was a young Realtor just six years in the business having morning coffee at the Northshore. The front page story of the CDA Press was "Hagadone plans to build a $60 million dollar Resort. Forbes and three other large magazines wrote that the Resort was a poor investment and likely to fail.
The early '80s were very bleak economically.Interest rates were in the 14-16% range, a far cry from today's rates. Lumber and mining were down as well as tourism.
The 775 Realtors we had in 1980 plunged to a mere 110 by 1984. People were leaving and unemployment was at 21%. Coeur d'Alene was just a sleepy little town that needed a serious boost.
In addition to building The Coeur d'Alene Resort, Duane Hagadone along with Tom Richards, John Richards and Dennis Wheeler initially founded Jobs Plus. The main purpose of Jobs Plus was to stimulate economic recovery by recruiting businesses to our area. Today, we have over 100 companies that have relocated here since its inception. So many businesses and developments would not be in place today if Duane had not set the foundation.
He was a visionary with a unique and fascinating mindset. Duane was an inspirational leader. He gave business owners the confidence and courage to do better. Most locals would not be where they are today without his influence and impact.
He had a great passion for Coeur d'Alene. He told me stories about his early days as a paperboy and then selling advertising. He carried that same work ethic and passion from childhood throughout his life. He ran an incredibly strong business empire that generated many jobs.
Duane and Lola have done so much for all of us in this community. We will forever be indebted.
By JOHN BARLOW
Hagadone project manager
I started working for Mr. Hagadone in 1979. At that time, he was only in the newspaper business and wanted to expand his empire and develop some properties.
An interesting aspect was that everything we did he kept for his own portfolio and management. It always was done properly, often without regard for budget.
Mr. Hagadone taught me about attention to detail. Once it gets into your DNA it’s there for good. Everything I do drives my wife crazy because I see things others don’t. Mr. Hagadone is to blame for this. I can honestly say that he changed my life, and that other than my family, he was the most positive influence I have ever had. I feel blessed to have been a part of his team.
By AL GOODWIN
Pilot
One great example of Duane’s thinking outside the box was the construction of our first Learjet hangar. It later carried on into our Gulfstream hangar. With other hangars, it was always one door to pull the aircraft out for loading and departure, and then the reverse on arrivals. Duane came up with the idea of a drive-through hangar with front and back doors.
I can’t tell you how many times over my 31 years in the North Idaho climate we departed and arrived inside the Hagadone Jetport when everyone else was outside in the rain and snow. I remember that myself, Duane, architect RG Nelson and John Barlow drew up the tentative concept for the Jetport on a napkin at Templins restaurant during lunch.
The thing that impressed me the most about him was his vision. He could stand back and look at something, and I would see one or two things, but he would see nine or 10.
By CRAIG BROSENNE
Marine division leader
Definitely, one of his most amazing attributes is his vision. But what’s highly unusual is the level of detail along with the big picture to back that up.
When we renovated The Resort, we built four test rooms that were totally furnished out. I spent many hours in those rooms with Mr. Hagadone, standing in the shower, standing in the commode. He’d want to know, "How do you reach for the towel? Can you see the lake in the mirrors?"
I have always admired his tenacity and his mentorship. He inspired accountability. He didn’t micromanage. He set you up for success and let you go see if you could do your best.
I never saw him look back. He never held a grudge. He could let it go. That’s a huge trait that most people don’t have. I admire someone who always looks forward. For him, the windshield was a whole lot bigger than the rearview mirror.
By JERRY JAEGER
Former hospitality partner
Duane Hagadone was driven, extremely hard-working, firm, fair and consistent. He loved his family. A perfectionist willing to put his money where his mouth was in keeping his empire strong and in tip-top shape.
He was a great communicator and motivator. He always looked at things as, "What is fair?" I remember once, during tough economic times, he decided to reduce the price of the remaining Terraces. A couple had just bought one at full price and paid in cash. The money was in the bank and the deal had closed.
Living up to his philosophy of what's fair, and with absolutely no requirement to do so, he refunded several hundred thousand dollars they had paid. Amazing! The couple later bought an additional unit as a guest house and sewing room.
Duane motivated me to strive to do my best. I will always hold him in the highest esteem. If I would have written in his high school yearbook I would have picked him Most Likely to Succeed.
By RICK POWERS
Food and beverage professional
Mr. Hagadone was extremely creative. It showed in everything he did. He insisted that we deliver the sizzle in everything we do. Why settle for the ordinary when you can have the extraordinary?
You saw it in everything he touched. With his creativity, he could have been anything he wanted to be. He could have been a brilliant architect, product developer, designer or engineer. When told something was not possible, he would say, "If we can put a man on the moon we can figure out a way to make a floating green."
Mr. Hagadone was charismatic for sure. Watching him address a group was entertaining. He rarely had notes and always delivered his message with so much passion for what he was talking about.
He was committed to the development of his people. Look around through his businesses and you will see that he cared for the people who work for him, from the starting positions to the presidents of each of his companies. Many of them have started with him and have developed and grown with him over the years.
He cared about people, invested in people and demanded that his management staff value each and every member of his team as he did. Never will you find a company that has the longevity that we have with Hagadone Corporation. He understood the importance of hiring, and he never settled.
He once told me, "You can make it easy on yourself or hard on yourself as a manager. The difference is who you hire." He often said, "It’s amazing what can happen when you put the right person in the right position. It is absolutely scary how good it can be.’”
By SYD YOUNG
Boatbuilder
I was always pleasantly intrigued and fascinated by his acute interest in new gadgets and new technology. He introduced me to quite a few things. He was the first man to insist on a bow thruster. Once again, he was right. Hasn’t been a boat built since that time that doesn't have a bow thruster.
I admire what he did in his life, and I always appreciated that he included me in so many things. I admire the way he did things. Everything is first class. Every project, every facility is world class. Great sense of humor. I always got a kick out of listening to him. I admired his passion for doing everything right.
By BILL REAGAN
CDA Resort president
Mr. Hagadone's most impressive character traits were his leadership and integrity. He was a visionary leader always focusing on developing his team. His integrity was second to none and is the foundation of our organization’s culture.
What I admired most was his high level of intelligence, which always kept us on our toes. He was demanding yet generous, optimistic and witty. Most importantly he was adventurous, always wanting to try the latest and greatest.
What made Mr. Hagadone a great person was his desire to see the people he surrounded himself with be successful. He truly cared about our staff and community. His personality was always positive and uplifting. Finally, he strove to do the right thing even if it wasn’t the simplest thing to do.
He taught me to be a better leader by listening to my team and giving each of them an opportunity to be successful.
By RON NILSON
Businessman - and friend
Duane is a giver. When I asked him to be a part of the Coeur d’Alene Boys & Girls Club, he called me a number of times, asked what we were doing and wanted to see all the drawings.
He wanted to be 100 percent involved. So one day he calls me. "Don’t you want to know whether I’m in?"
He said, "I’m going to give you a million dollars." I started to cry, right there on the phone. I told him, "Do you know how many kids' lives you’re going to change with this?"
He said, "Ron, I’m not done yet. I’ll give you a million for the club, and another million to challenge our community to match my money."
He created a true legacy. He could have just written a check, but he wanted this community to experience what it was like to come together, and it did. We ended up at $4.3 million for those kids.
I think about the Kroc Center, the Humane Society, so many generous donations over the years. I look at a man who did so many things for our community, and never stood up to take any accolades. Anything I can ever do to show my love and appreciation, I’m in.
By MIKE PATRICK
Press editor
It might be a stretch to say Duane was a father figure to me, because while my dad kicked my ass good a few times when I was young, he never threatened to fire it.
Duane was one of the few men I ever truly looked up to. Over the past 20 years, Duane and I forged a strong relationship based on respect and sometimes even more than that. Not that every day was easy. I know I gave him more headaches than he deserved. But overall, I did my best to make him proud of me and his beloved newspaper, and I think when we looked each other in the eye, we could say we made a pretty damn good team.
Duane was one of the smartest, wisest people I've ever met. He saw not just what was, but what could be. And he figured out how to get there.
Not many people out-work me, but Duane sure did, even though he would have argued that he's never worked a day in his life. I've tried to adopt that attitude as my own, and for the most part, I think I have. But his work ethic was unmatched and one of the things I most admired about him.
If I had one word to describe what I think his greatest trait was, it would be the same word I hope others might say about me: Fair. Like all great leaders, Duane has made some unpopular decisions. I challenge any critic, however, to point out one that was not fair.
I know I worked for the greatest newspaper owner in the world.
