Faith Has Been My Greatest Influence

Reprinted from Traditions, Spring 2017-2018
July 20, 2017

Mike Kammerer'58, has found great professional success in the business world, working for Dresser Industries, later Haliburton, a multinational corporation providing a wide range of technology, products and services for developing energy and natural resources.  Upon retirement, he found his new passion and now owns and operates one the the most highly respected cattle ranches in Texas.

As owner of the Red Bird Meadows Ranch, he lives and works on a Texas ranch raising cattle, Kammerer finds himself a long distance from his St. Paul roots but his Raider ways have stuck with him no matter where he lived.

Born and raised in St. Andrew’s Parish in St. Paul, Kammerer went to Catholic schools, ‘because they were the best’ and ended up at Cretin High School, where he believes his value system was certainly fostered and cemented in his formative years.

Taught by Christian Brothers at Cretin, he and his fellow classmates were led by faith and discipline. “Integrity and hard work were expected in a way that was practical but not preachy,” explained Kammerer. “When you believe in God, you just believe in doing the right thing and doing it in the right way.”

Other than his parents, he believes Cretin has the most significant influence on his life values.

Such values were integrated all throughout Kammerer’s successful career and he believes, contributed to his professional and personal success.

Kammerer’s career with Dresser Industries, which later merged with Haliburton, is unique because he dedicated more than 30 years to one company, which is rare in today’s corporate world. He rose in the ranks of the company leadership, from a shop foreman to Senior Vice President of a Fortune 500 multinational company.

According to one of his business associates, “Mike’s unquestioned integrity quickly earned him the reputation of being a ‘stand-up guy’ among his coworkers, a reputation that served him well throughout his career at Dresser Industries. His proven leadership ability eventually took him to the highest level of the company, ultimately managing operations performing billions of dollars worth of business annually.”

When asked about his success in business, Kammerer points back to his values. “If you run your business legally, morally and ethically with a good plan, then you make money.” Sometimes, he pointed out, it is as simple as the lessons he learned in Catholic school, “You can’t make good decisions without the facts. If people are lying, you don’t have the facts. So we held people accountable.”

He also said that as a manager, he had common-sense expectations that were not unlike those he was held to at Cretin. “Do the job you have been hired to do,” he explained. Your manager shouldn’t do your job. A manager can help, but not make the decisions for you.”

Kammerer’s 30-year tenure with one company is another aspect of his career that makes him proud. He attributes much of his loyalty to Dresser to the fact they were loyal to him by giving him opportunities at all levels and he continually tried to meet those challenges by being a lifelong learner.

“One of the biggest things we can do for young people is to give them an education that prepares them to learn and how to solve problems,” Kammerer stated.

From Corporate VP to Cattle Rancher

Obviously a man who loves to tackle new challenges, when he retired in 2000, he passionately switched gears from the executive boardroom to establishing a highly respected breeding ranch.

He and his wife of 50+ years, Judy, settled into life on their 500-acre ranch in Montgomery, Texas – just outside of Houston. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys the nature trails, deer feeders and ponds stocked with trophy bass in addition to growing a highly respected herd of Brangus cattle. As a registered Brangus breeder, he is known for producing standout sires and cow herds that have grown in both quantity and quality. “It is so satisfying to continue improvement of the breed by way of the science of genetics. It is a seven-days-a-week job, but there is great reward in helping these animals thrive.”

Kammerer notes that his interest in cattle ranching started when he worked at one of the largest registered Angus and quarter horse ranches in Colorado as a young man. He had graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and spent much of his free time at the ranch learning about the operation of a ranch while tucking a dream of owning one some day in the back of his mind.

The agricultural bug stayed with him. Even while working at Dresser Industries, Kammerer purchased a rice farming operations in Chamber County, Texas which he operated for 25 years. In 1993, his dream of owning a ranch came true when he bought the Red Bird Meadows Ranch where they now live in Montgomery, Texas.

The Kammerer family, including his two sons’ and daughter’s families, have all settled in Texas. The children are quick to note that the one word people always say about their dad is “passionate,” whether they are talking about his friends and family, hobbies or his faith.

Perhaps that is why he has found the way to make his dreams come true in a way that honors the values that were the foundation for his success at both his corporate career and his working ranch.

“I feel as if Judy and I are blessed beyond our wildest imagination, and beyond anything we deserve!”

This article and more are featured in the Spring 2017-2018 issue of the CDH Magazine, Traditions.