EXECUTIVE
ANDREW TAKAMI
in balance at home. My wife Ann, in particular,
has sacrificed to ensure our kids have what they
need to ensure they are the individuals we wish
for them to be; parenting is so important and, to
me, our family’s needs come first.
Our immediate family has also been of great help
to ensure I am able to balance my responsibilities
at the office and at home. I do spend more time
than I once did, early during my time at Purdue,
with my kids over the weekends –– it is a special
time for us while we either have Ann join us or “give
mommy a break.” I also have an open calendar
with my family so we know how to share evening
duties at home when I am not working. It is not
always easy balancing a home and work life, of
course, but God has blessed us.
EXTOL: Why do you think a mentor is critical
to success?
TAKAMI: I believe mentorship, something
that has been standard through the ages, is more
important today than ever. Our society and culture
appears fragmented. We can learn many things
from people who have perspectives from years past.
When I met my mentor, J. Robert Shine, he was
74 years old; he served as a mentor to me for 20
years. He gave me many perspectives from his
years of living. (Mr. Shine was very active in my
life, until the accident that took his life; we enjoyed
weekly lunches, etc.)
Mr. Shine taught me many lessons, including
how to be a gentleman. He was well-known
himself as ethical and someone with high more
character –– a gentleman. I learned many things
from him, especially how he approached situations.
And often, when dealing with people, the most
66 EXTOL : FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020
important lesson I learned from him – more than
what he said – was, often, when he did not say.
He held everyone to a high standard. I saw how
everyone, including myself, conducted ourselves in
such a way as to bring distinction to ourselves and
to others. A joke around our house was “Andrew,
what would Mr. Shine do?” This was something
my wife would ask me from time to time.
Mr. Shine was very philanthropic. Many times I
watched how he expressed appreciation for when
he was solicited by nonprofits. And, almost always,
he would give charitably to support community
causes. He worked until he was 94 so he could
keep giving to others.
Another thing I learned from Mr. Shine was
to have faith in others, more than what might be
commonplace. He believed the best in people
and knew they would rise to the occasion with
him. I saw this dynamic play out many times. And
in the end, he was always about young people
learning – not just me, but others. Mr. Shine
wanted to impact our futures. And it was not to
pay tribute or recognition to him in any way that
we started a group called The Windsor Society,
but to help young people and the callings God
placed on each of us.
He was such a patriot. Mr. Shine loved our
country. And he saw a way to impact the direction
of our country by investing, locally, in many who
he believed would make a difference on a broader
scale - young people.
With my new business, I often wonder if Mr.
Shine would be pleased with what we have started.
I have concluded that he would be, as giving was
such an important part of his life.