By Debbie Feit (BA ’88)

C. Robert Kidder (BSE IE ’67) might look at himself as he would a good bottle of pinot noir from Sanford Winery, his vineyard in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley – over the years both he and the wine matured into something robust and in great demand. However, whereas the wine bottle gathered dust in its rack, Kidder never stood still, developing from “a regular college student” into a vintage businessman, entrepreneur and non-stop supporter of education and the underprivileged.

Robert Kidder studies the label on a vintage bottle of pinot noir from Sanford Winery, his vineyard in California’s Santa Ynez Valley.

Kidder, the current chairman of Borden Chemical, Inc., started his journey to success with a CoE bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and a master’s in industrial economics from Iowa State University. He thanked his father for both degrees: “If you were a kid with reasonable grades and you wanted to make your way in the world, at least according to my dad, you got an engineering degree and followed it up with an MBA. It was random judgment at the time but it turned out to be correct.”

Kidder went on to serve with the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Naval Civil Engineering Corps. The stint gave him a prime opportunity to use his expertise in the theory of justification of capital projects. How? By writing the Navy’s policy on capital-project and cost-benefit justification. “From a business perspective,” he said, “it was great experience.”

He took that experience to Chicago’s McKinsey & Company, Inc., a global strategic management consulting firm. There Kidder prepared studies for a range of clients, including Sears and Ford Motor Company. He described his time at McKinsey as “life shaping.”

“Ninety percent of the people at McKinsey went to Harvard, Stanford or Wharton…a lot of smart people,” he said. “Ultimately I would credit whatever success I have to McKinsey.”

After six years in Chicago, Kidder moved to Los Angeles as senior vice president of Corporate Development for Dart Industries, where his responsibilities included strategic planning, merger and acquisitions and capital budgeting. In 1978, Dart acquired Duracell – a transaction that would lead to a series of corporate twists and turns which not only were critical to Kidder’s career but which demonstrate just how complicated (and interesting) the life of a major executive can be.

In 1980 – the same year Dart merged with Kraft – Kidder joined Duracell as vice president, Finance and Administration for Duracell Europe; a year later he became Duracell’s vice president of Sales and Marketing. He was named president of Duracell USA in 1982 and president of Duracell, Inc., in 1984. In 1986, Dart and Kraft parted company, but Kraft retained ownership of Duracell. Two years later, Kraft sold Duracell to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) in one of the largest leveraged buyouts in history – this would prove to be the most critical link in Kidder’s career chain. That same year, 1988, Kidder assumed the position of president and CEO of Duracell, which became Duracell International Inc. Eventually, Kidder became chairman and CEO, a position from which he stepped down in 1994.

The twists and turns didn’t stop there.

He and his wife Mary (BA ’66) retired to Santa Barbara. But the “retirement” lasted less than a year – KKR called, not once but twice, because Borden hadn’t faired well and needed a leader. KKR, which knew Kidder well, realized he was the right person for the job.

It was an intriguing offer, but Kidder had already poured himself into the business and art of developing “a good bottle” at Sanford Winery in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley.

Kidder, a partner in the winery, said that it was and is “a loveable investment – value is growing, the winery team is family, the Santa Ynez valley is beautiful, and tasting the wine is a love of my life.”

In other words, the Sanford Winery captured Kidder’s heart. However, it wasn’t something Kidder was able to commit to fully – KKR was still knocking on his door.

The first time KKR called, Kidder passed on the job. But that didn’t discourage KKR, which pursued him again with yet another offer.

“It looked like an opportunity to create value,” Kidder said of his ultimate decision to join the company. “I was still pretty young and I was looking to do something.”

And “do something” he did. Under his direction as chairman and CEO, a new structure was put in place that gave way to new companies – including Borden Dairy, Borden Food and Wise Foods – each with its own board, capital structure, business policies and management. Over the following years, these companies were sold off; only Borden Chemical and Elmer’s Products remain.

Today, Kidder also sits on the boards of Morgan Stanley, EDS, Children’s Hospital of Columbus and the Wexner Center for the Arts, the latter two as chairman and president, respectively. And the College of Engineering is fortunate to have him on its 150^th Anniversary Campaign committee, which is undertaking the challenge of raising $300 million.

As if to demonstrate a need to support more than the CoE institution, he and Mary took their commitment to a personal level, creating the C. Robert and Mary Kidder Endowed Scholarship Fund to help provide an engineering education for a scholastically talented and financially needy African American student.

Mary, who met Robert when they were both U-M undergrads, has kept pace with her dynamic husband. Following her graduation from the University, she worked as a journalist for the Ann Arbor News and the Cedar Rapids Gazette in Iowa, then moved on to work in public relations for Iowa State University and George Washington University. She’s a trustee of the Columbus Museum of Art, and a trustee of I KNOW I CAN, a scholarship program that guarantees all Columbus city school graduates an opportunity to pursue a college education or advanced studies and training. Mary also devotes time as a volunteer in the Columbus public schools, writing newsletters and helping to develop and implement educational enrichment programs.

With all of those commitments and responsibilities, it’s hard to believe that either Kidder would have enough time to enjoy even a cup of coffee. But they do. Kidder, for example, collects contemporary art that includes work by his favorites: Armand, Johns, Kiefer and Koons. He enjoys much of the music his two twenty-something children, Kevin and Karin, listen to, including David Bowie, Alanis Morissette and Peter Gabriel. And he considers himself something of a “techie,” spending two to four hours a day with his stable of toys, including PCs, a PowerMac and a Blackberry.

“A lot of folks can get their email,” he said, “and that’s about it. I can crash a computer and set it back up again.” He shrugged. “It’s not a unique talent by any means, but I get a kick out of it.”

In summary, Kidder is successful and respected in business; a non-stop supporter of education and the underprivileged; and a Californian with an eclectic ear for music and plenty of tech toys at his disposal. And, of course, he’s a vintner who, like his chardonnays and pinot noirs, has mellowed nicely over the years. So, how would he describe his varied, highly accomplished life?

“Great,” he said, “with a glass of wine.” —E

Debbie Feit is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Bride’s, Good Housekeeping, American Baby and numerous other publications.