Kinder Morgan CEO focused on philanthropy

He's known to eschew attention, but Rich Kinder -- a world-renowned businessman and philanthropist -- can't help but be in the public eye.

Kinder certainly is in Cape Girardeau, where he and his wife, Nancy, will donate $1 million for the planned Cape Girardeau Central High School auditorium. The money will be used to build a balcony, which will add 250 seats to the $7.1 million auditorium, slated for completion in 2012 and to be named the Richard D. Kinder Performance Hall.

Kinder's family name is on a growing number of projects he and Nancy have helped fund.

Kinder, a 1962 graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School, is chairman and CEO of Kinder Morgan, one of the largest pipeline transportation and energy storage companies in North America. The Houston-based firm has grown from 150 employees and a value of $325 million in 1997 to some 8,000 employees and a value of more than $30 billion today. Kinder Morgan is one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Companies in America.

Area residents may recall Kinder Morgan's attempt to build a $300 million power plant in rural Cape Girardeau County several years ago.

Earlier this year in an article in CultureMap Houston, Kinder, a recipient of Morningstar's CEO of the Year award, said successful businesses have three things in common: a strategic vision, financial excellence and operational excellence.

"Corporate graveyards are littered with companies and leaderships that had great vision but didn't know how to execute," he told the publication.

These days, his vision is trained on philanthropic work, including the Kinder Foundation, dedicated to supporting education, urban green space and other quality of life issues. Kinder and his wife have contributed millions of dollars to causes in Houston, like the recent $15 million gift to what has been renamed the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University to support expanded research in Houston and in major cities around the world. Perhaps the couple's $1 million gift to the auditorium is no surprise; they have long been supporters of the arts and education through the Kinder Foundation.

In an e-mail interview with the Southeast Missourian, Kinder talked about his Cape Girardeau roots, his approach to business and his vision for community.

Question: What was it like growing up in Cape Girardeau in the 1950s? What are your fondest memories?

Answer: Very calm and safe environment with the freedom to play. You never encountered a locked door. My fondest memories are of times with family and friends.

Q: Tell me about your time at Cape Girardeau Central High. How has the public school system changed since your student days?

A: Very rewarding. We had great teachers some of whom had Ph.D.s in math or English. It was a good environment to learn. Overall, public school systems have declined in recent years, which is why education is an important area for the foundation my wife, Nancy, and I founded.

Q: What's right with public education in the Cape Girardeau School District in particular and the system in general? What needs improvement?

A: I have great-nephews and a great-niece who are doing very well in the school district. Nancy and I believe that the role of the teacher is absolutely critical -- finding, motivating, educating the right teacher is paramount to the success of any K-12 education enterprise.

Q: How did you get into the fuel transport business?

A: I went to work for pipeline company in Florida in 1980 and was eventually transferred to Houston. In 1997, my old college friend and I formed Kinder Morgan.

Q: Kinder Morgan has become a globally recognized corporation. How did you accomplish such growth, and what is your philosophy to business operation and building?

A: My philosophy is to run the business conservatively. To take advantage of opportunities and build off assets that have solid cash flow and growth potential. I want to lead by example.

Q: Tell me about your charitable work. What interests you in these particular challenges?

A: Education, as I mentioned, is of great emphasis to the foundation, and we have supported teacher reward programs in both Cape Girardeau and Houston. Other areas of support include the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University and the urban park Discovery Green.

mkittle@semissourian.com

388-3627