David Green

David Green

The fall semester of his junior year of high school was only a few days old when Dave asked one of his teachers. “Mr. Weatherford, what is this course? What does ‘D.E.’ mean on this class list?”

Mr. Weatherford looked up from the papers on his desk as his student continued softly, “I mean, I was just wondering?” His voice trailed off.

“Dave, you know this just might be something that might appeal to you. It is ‘Distributive Education.’ Sometimes students like you who are not working to full academic potential are very successful in this program.”

“Ok, but what does it mean? How does it work?” Dave’s eyes held a glimmer of interest.

“Well, it matches students with part-time jobs in a local business. You leave school to work at the job part of the day and you get credit for the class and you learn about the business. And,” Leaning closer with a gentle smile, the teacher continued, “You get to keep the money you earn.”

“Leave school. Money.” Dave couldn’t believe his ears. D.E. sounded like a God-sent opportunity. He was one of six children. His Father was pastor of a small Church of God congregation in Altus, Oklahoma. The church could not afford a large salary, so money was a scarce commodity in his house. Things were not much better at school. Dave was naturally a shy young man and High School can be tough on any one, especially a Preacher’s kid wearing hand-me downs.

Dave stood at the door of McClellan’s five and dime on a dusty fall afternoon in 1958. This was an exciting moment. His family rarely had the spare cash to shop in this store. And now he was going to be paid to work here! To explore its wealth of merchandise! To meet the other workers who populated its different departments and learn the many secrets of its varied treasures! Dave was thrilled.

Mr. T. “Texas” Tyler approached the student with a warm welcome and promptly set-about teaching Dave the fundamentals of the retail world.

“Here, grab that broom and start cleaning up.”- Lesson One.

Dave enthusiastically performed every task that Mr. Tyler asked of him and learned the retail business literally from the floor up. While some tasks were more satisfying than others, he soon fell into the routine of the store and school and continued to bring his earnings home to help out his family.

Mr. Tyler shared the many business decisions and facets of merchandising that contributed to a successful business. He taught Dave how to pay attention to the details that best served a customer while keeping the over-all view of his business. Everything counted, cleanliness, variety, quality, price and customer service. Dave proved an eager student and soon realized that he wanted to pursue a career in retail.

Working at McClellan’s five and dime was full of exciting activities. Dave soon learned how to stock the shelves, arrange attractive displays and check inventory as it arrived. Mr. Tyler taught him about merchandising, buying and pricing items according to his customers’ needs and how to maintain his records. This was heady stuff to Dave. And he certainly enjoyed his paychecks. He diligently studied every aspect of the business and was enthralled as his duties and responsibilities expanded.

One of the less glamorous duties was cleaning the restrooms. Dave usually tried to skim through this duty without touching the distasteful parts. One day, however, Mr. Tyler called him to task.

“Look, if you are going to do something, do it right.” The older man exclaimed sharply and then proceeded to clean the toilet thoroughly and efficiently by himself. “Details matter.”

His boss’ words stung and Dave was still subdued that evening when he returned home. His father noticed.

“You look upset. Did something happen today? What is wrong, Son?”

Dave tried to explain. “I thought that once I learned all the important aspects of running a business, then I would not have to perform the simple, un-skilled tasks. Mr. Tyler seems to think I am not capable of a promotion from the boring clean-up.” He proceeded to tell his father about the incident over cleaning the rest room.

“Maybe I am not cut out for a career in retail after all. Now what will I do.” Dave looked crushed.

His father, the pastor, sat quietly for a moment in thought or prayer and then rose from his chair and walked to his desk. He picked up his Bible and then moved to sit next to his son on the sofa. They sat for a minute longer in companionable silence. They could hear the sounds from the kitchen of the clean-up activities from the evening’s meal. The warm inviting odors of savory meat, buttered vegetables and just baked apple pie lingered like perfume in the air.

“Dave, you have known the Lord since you were seven years old. He is always watching out for you and you can look back and see how He has led you to this point in time. He is not going to abandon you now. Let’s pray about this.”

Dave watched respectfully as his father turned through the well-worn pages to a passage and began to speak. “What you have just mentioned is a concept that every one has to come to terms with. God knew that man-kind would have difficulty remaining conscientious sometimes. He gave a very wise man some inspiration to pass on to future generations that speaks to this very issue. King Solomon wrote this a long time ago. He began to read from Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

“Oh,” Dave whispered as it became clear to him. “I guess I got my focus wrong. I have been focused on working for my benefit and forgot all about how God allows me to work in the first place. I’m sorry.”

“God is a gracious and generous God, Son, and he’ll not only forgive you, but he will bless your work and your business and your life. He just expects us to keep our focus on Him.”

Father and son talked and prayed long into the night and from then on, Dave was diligent in every aspect of his life. He was faithful in working as though everything he did was for God. And God allowed him to prosper.

After many years “on-the-job” training working for other retail stores, David Green and his wife, childhood sweetheart Barbara, opened a small store of his own in 1970. At first, he sold picture frames that he manufactured and within just three years he opened the first Hobby Lobby on August 3, 1972 in North Oklahoma City. This modest beginning has grown into 381 stores (as of December 2006) with projected sales of 1.65 billion dollars in 2006. The company now operates in a 30 state area.

From modest beginnings to enormous success, the once shy and awkward young preacher’s son still attributes all of his accomplishments to one thing only, total dependency upon God. Through prayer and faith, God helped David build a model corporation founded on integrity. He continued to give God all the glory.

David Green does not measure success by today's standards of dollar signs; he measures success by God's Biblical standards. In a September, 2004, he told ChristiaNet, Inc. "There is no success outside of success with the Lord. True success has to do with eternity and that has to come only from the Lord.”

Green is quick to tell anyone that his success is hinged on prayer. When others question his true motives or his natural business talents, Green states, "It was all because of prayer. Yes, God did give us some talents, but who do these talents really belong to? They are God's. We are completely dependent upon Him."

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Matthew 6:23-25 (NKJV)

Thanks to the following for contributions to this article:

David Green, More than a Hobby

christianet.com

hobbylobby.com

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