by Lisa Boghosian Papas
For Arsham Ohanessian, building the Iraq Petroleum Pipeline was an experience tantamount to the Tower of Babylon coming to life again.
"Imagine the mechanics and logistics of laying down a 36-inch wide pipeline in the middle of the desert, with no conveniences, and tens of thousands of people from all different cultures working together," says Arsham. "I saw the worst and best of behaviors. It made me realize that a man's education is less significant than his attitude. Man is able to do great things with the right attitude. Without it, he is severely handicapped."
A native of Baghdad, having worked for the British Intelligence Service (CICI) on a project to study the Arab tribes in the Middle East after graduating from secondary education, Arsham started with the Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC) in 1943. It was his six years there, in the wilderness of the Iraqi-Syrian land, that Arsham's eyes were opened to the larger world. Today, reflecting upon that experience, he says it was that very environment which helped shape his ideas for life.
"The contrast between the bareness of the desert and the plentitude of people was something you can't imagine," describes Arsham. "From chaos came creation. I met many people who were highly competent and extraordinary- and people who had great endurance, talent and respect for each other. Through these individuals, I was able to learn different human characteristics and value systems, and see how people behave under stress and solve problems. This then became my yardstick to assess individuals, organizations, and talents in the future."
Spending the next 40 years in management consulting, Arsham drew upon his desert experience every day of his career to stage what he calls "constructive revolts" in the workplace. Having left the desert at age 27, Arsham went to England where he studied economics at London Polytechnic for two years. Meeting his future wife, Arshalous Ajanian, a native of Massachusetts who was working as a Wave Secretary for the Navy assigned to the American Ambassador in England, Arsham left Great Britain in 1952 and headed to Boston where he was married one year later.
Working in the human resources department for Star Market in Massachusetts, Arsham gained further training in the field of management. Then in 1956, after meeting with several top-level managers in the Chicago area for business, Arsham learned that Minnesota was a good place to start his own business. Securing a foothold as a human resource advisor to a couple of different companies there, Arsham began providing outside valuation on management style and teamwork to corporations such as Whirlpool and Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Corporation (3M).
Reporting to the boards of directors, Arsham, along with his two business partners, analyzed several different companies looking at the talent, capacity, strength, and weakness of operations- and later recommending solutions and changes. Starting with customers first, Arsham worked his way up to the top of the organization to uncover problems. Many times issues were revealed from the onset. Such is the story of one of his clients with whom he unveiled a quality problem after talking to their customers. It turned out that upper management was not aware that defective parts were being shipped. Other times, problems were found at the top of organizations, and Arsham would have to convince the presidents of large corporations that their departure was in the best interest of the firm.
Over the years, Arsham concluded from his assessments that there are five basic qualities a good manager will possess. They include the willingness to change; alertness to self-performance; eagerness to learn with all possible opportunities; confidence to make mistakes; and readiness to form or receive suggestions. "If a person doesn't have the capacity to reflect on himself or herself and feel a certain sense of shame for a poor result," says Arsham, "then all the management training in the world will only bear mediocrity. People who want to manage, have to learn to manage themselves first and become an example to their subordinates."
Upon his move to Minnesota 43 years ago, Arsham has ardently enjoyed Minneapolis, its people and its spirit, and is grateful for the friendships and associations he's made in the Twin Cities. Though he claims he's been fortunate, from the onset of his arrival, to form lasting relationships with prominent civic leaders, Arsham's esteemed reputation in the community was built by, no one other than, him. Invited to speak at Rotary Club meetings, to spend evenings with politicians at the Minneapolis Athletic Club, and to conduct business with presidents of major corporations, Arsham, known as Arsham "Oh How Nice I Am" by Rudy Boschwitz, former Republican Senator and Chairman of the Near East Subcommittee, has made his mark on Minnesota. So much so that his dearest friends, Rhoda Lund, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee of Minnesota, and her late husband, Russell Lund, founder of the upscale Lund's Grocery stores, suggested a while back that Arsham run for public office as a U.S. Senator or Congressman.
"Since I first came to the Twin Cities," says Arsham, "I have been blessed to meet such prominent people as the Lund's. It is through friendships like theirs and through others, like Tom and Jim Hartzel, owners of the Hartzel Corporation, and Tom Hartzel's wife, Joyce, daughter of the chairman of 3M, that I was able to meet many more wonderful and influential people in this state and outside of this state-including President Richard Nixon-who used to stay at the Lund's home, just down the street from ours.
They have provided me with my most cherished moments, including the day that Russell Lund, III, grandson of Russell Lund, invited me to join the Board of Directors of the company. I've enjoyed watching him increase the business by five-fold. The Hartzels were the mainstay of my business and friendships, treating Charlotte and me as members of their own family. For over four decades I worked intimately with Tom and Jim, and from the earliest moments experienced the loyalty, commitment, and trust that survived Tom's untimely death in an airplane accident in 1977. They were my most passionate salesmen, referring my skills to all they met. I am deeply grateful to them and their families."
Today, though he's technically retired, Arsham remains active in the Twin Cities community. Aside from catching up on reading he's postponed throughout the years, music, concerts, friends, and his Friday night "POETS" club meetings (standing for phooey on everything tomorrow-it's Saturday) Arsham's sizable donation to St. Thomas University has provided him with the opportunity to inject a bit of his Armenian heritage into the veins of the Minnesota public.
Through the establishment of a "Justice and Peace Studies" program at St. Thomas University, a series of symposiums, lectures and conferences will now be available with the purpose of educating, revealing, exposing and exhuming the first Genocide of the 20th Century-the Armenian Genocide. "The idea is to publicize the Armenian Genocide with the goal of raising awareness that Genocide is an inhumane act, not something to be habitually shrugged aside," says Arsham. Along with University officials, Arsham is currently in the planning phase of the first conference.
His generosity also extends across the seas to Armenia, where he is confident that the funds from a substantial future gift to AGBU will be used to further develop the skills of the people in Armenia. Drawing upon his management expertise, Arsham states, "Like Arnold J. Toynbee said in his Study of History - 'it is more germane and relevant to examine the life of civilizations.' Classifying civilizations in terms of the severity or mildness of the challenges they faced, Toynbee believed that when the challenge is excessively overwhelming, the State crumbles because of its inability to cope with the struggle. When the task is too feeble to evoke an intelligent response, the reaction of its citizens is to sit back and become complacent. The most fruitful alternative occurs when the challenge and response are well balanced in terms of the severity and the means available to combat that severity. If we measure the challenge and response balance of Armenia today, we may discover that at no time in its history has the challenge been so relentless and perhaps excessive."
In his opinion, Armenia will benefit from an evaluation of priorities, an adjustment of attitude, and a dose of inspiration. Arsham explains, "Armenians have a tradition of resourcefulness. They have a reputation for 'karen hatz ge shineh' -- meaning producing bread from rocks. The question is not what can Armenia produce that would be sold in foreign markets, but how will they do it?"
Though he favors what Dr. Olvi Mangasarian calls 'optimization'-a look at the goals and objectives that will maximize the use of Armenia's educated men and women, Arsham believes that organization and skill are not enough to achieve Armenia's long term objectives. Asking himself the same question he asked every employee whom he interviewed in the business world-Arsham says that if he were king for a day, in Armenia, "he would insist that Armenians learn to find inspiration and encouragement in self-sacrifice and integrity."
"The essential ingredient, above all else," Arsham says, "is the attitude with which we embark upon our challenge. Are we willing to accept toil and endeavor as the only reward of being fortunate to be alive? Can we get a thrill from self-sacrifice? Can we delight in austerity? In a new revival of the Christian faith for which we have given so many lives, can we praise the good Lord for giving us the biggest ordeal Armenia has ever faced?"
