Ronald J. Graham ’61: Class assignment opens door to 40-year career
by Jessica Brown

Ronald Graham could never have guessed that an undergraduate research paper would lead to a career that has spanned more than 40 years. But a fateful class assignment did just that.

As part of an Introduction to Business course at Augsburg in the late 1950s, Graham and his classmates were instructed to write a paper based on a chapter in their textbook, and in "one of those little things that becomes a very big, life-defining thing," Graham was assigned the chapter dealing with ethics. He contacted the local Better Business Bureau, an organization whose primary focus is business self-regulation and advocacy for customer satisfaction, and scheduled an interview with Cecil Shirk, then-president of the Minneapolis branch.

Graham was intrigued by what he learned from Shirk about the BBB. He discovered that Minneapolis was the birthplace of the organization, and he admired the idea of businesses organizing themselves around the core principal of engaging in honest advertising and customer education. At the end of the interview, Graham's interest was piqued and he indicated his willingness to do volunteer work for the organization. Shortly thereafter, he became a "shopper" for the BBB, visiting local businesses and reporting on his experiences.

A year after beginning his volunteer role, Graham received a call from the BBB notifying him of an opening for department manager. Suddenly, he was faced with a difficult decision: stay in school, or strike out on a possible career path. Having spent time in the Air Force prior to enrolling at Augsburg, he was reluctant to halt his education once again. But upon hearing that these positions were hard to come by—approximately one opening every seven years—he decided to grab the opportunity in front of him. Although his time at Augsburg was cut short, Graham says that the College had an impact on his Christian values, pointing him in the right direction.

"Augsburg helped me to renew and refine my Christian faith, which in turn helped to shape and mold my business career," says Graham.

He soon realized that his work at the BBB served as his calling, and he continued working for the organization for more than 40 years. Eventually, Graham was promoted to general manager of the Minneapolis branch. After the Minneapolis and St. Paul branches merged in 1978, he became president of the BBB for the state of Minnesota.

Though semi-retired, Graham still operates the BBB University, an online Web site designed to train BBB personnel in basic operational and investigative skills. He enjoys the freedom that the Internet gives him to work as a consultant from home.

In addition to his continued involvement with the BBB, Graham serves on the board for the Minnesota News Council, the media's instrument of self-regulation, and on the Minnesota Consulate for Economic Education. "We need to train teachers on economic education before they can train their own students," he says.

Graham and his wife reside in Arizona for part of the year, but return to Minnesota for the summers.

—Jessica Brown is a communication specialist in the Office of Public Relations and Communication.