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(Written
for Minnesota Technology Magazine, Fall, 2001)
MINNESOTA TECHNOLOGY 2001 TEKNE AWARD WINNER
PROFILE
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Charles M.
Denny, Jr.
On January 1, 2001, the Star Tribune ran an opinion piece
entitled, "Silent No Longer: a former CEO speaks out against
corporate greed, dishonesty and inflated executive pay and
severance packages." The author took to task self-centered
actions by a "relative handful of executives casting a
shadow of corporate incompetence, insensitivity and
skullduggery upon the business community, tarnishing the
reputations of the majority of executives who are honest,
thoughtful and caring individuals."
Strong words, perhaps made stronger because a member of the
CEO fraternity wrote them. Few Minnesota business leaders
would be surprised by the writer's name: Chuck Denny Jr.,
former CEO and board chairman of ADC Telecommunications. For
Minnesota's business community, it's just one more example
of Denny moving to the fore of a challenging leadership
issue. In a business career spanning more than four decades,
Denny reminds us that mixing fairness with business
pragmatism can work, and work well.
Denny's career started at Home Gas Company in the mid-50s
and joined Honeywell in 1959. In 1971, he became president
of ADC Magnetic Controls, where he set out to build on the
company's growing sales of equipment for telephone operating
companies. Under his watch, ADC attained solid financial
ground by 1974, and became the largest independent supplier
of test boards in the U.S. in 1976. In 1983, the company's
fortunes took off with telecommunications deregulation. A
year later, the company became ADC Telecommunications, a
number of successful mergers and acquisitions followed, and
ADC emerged as a leading player in the fast-developing
telecommunications industry, well positioned to serve
Internet-spurred growth in the 90s. In 1991, Denny retired
as president to become ADC's chairman of the board, retiring
as board chair in 1994.
While at ADC, Denny helped start and/or led the Minnesota
High Tech Association, Technology Corridor and Wellspring,
an inner-city jobs enterprise. He also worked with Edson
Spencer, former Honeywell CEO, to raise funds to endow a
University of Minnesota science-policy chair.
He's been called "a nonprofit's dream board member," a CEO
always willing to roll up his sleeves and do the grunt work.
He has served as: Interim Director, Minneapolis Community
Development Agency; Chairman, Board of Trustees, College of
St. Catherine; Chairman, Minnesota High Technology Council;
Director, Minnesota Symphony Orchestra; Director, Boys and
Girls Club of Minneapolis; Director, Minnesota Center for
Corporate Responsibility; Director, Citizens League. The
list goes on.
In October 1991, Business Ethics quoted Denny on the topic
of high CEO compensation. He said, "The only faith I have is
that history shows that morality and ethics come in waves,
and that some external conditions at times force the nation
to look in upon itself and begin to deal with the issues of
fairness," he said. "When that wave comes again, it is
possible that leadership will arise in the most visible of
society's institutions-including the business world-and
individuals will begin to take ethical or moral stances."
A
decade later, Denny punctuated the concept in his Star
Tribune opinion piece writing, "I believe our nation
desperately needs courageous business leaders who will speak
their personal convictions. Chief executive officers who
believe in responsible corporate leadership must proclaim
their beliefs beyond the borders of their organizations."
It prompted a public response from University
of St. Thomas Professor Fred Zimmerman who said, "Chuck
Denny's article . . . was a masterpiece and should be
republished every month or so to remind us all of our
greater responsibilities."
- Greg Irsfeld
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