January 20, 2009
Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you make your own
luck. Brian Baumann '78CBA, Chief Financial Officer of Brooks
Brothers, did both.
“I came to St. John’s in a roundabout way, but in a good way” noted
Mr. Baumann. “My Dad passed away when I was 12 and there
wasn’t a lot of money or college guidance around for me to take
advantage of.”
When it came time for college, Baumann took advantage of the New
York State Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP) which offered significant
economic help to students who enrolled at a college or university
within New York State. He was accepted into a branch of the
State University of New York (SUNY) system where he planned to
study accounting.
However, by the middle of his freshman semester Baumann knew that
SUNY was not for him. Coming home to spend Thanksgiving with
his family, a friend suggested that he consider transferring to St.
John’s. Following his friend’s advice, he visited the
University and was genuinely impressed by the warmth and
helpfulness of everyone he met.
“I never thought of actually going to St. John’s, mainly because of
the money”, he said. “But I thought it was a great gesture
when they invited me to come. The people at St. John’s helped
me to solve a problem that I thought was insurmountable.”
Baumann continued to study accounting and did well, but unlike many
accounting majors he chose not to pursue a career at a major
accounting firm. “When I graduated I wasn’t convinced I
wanted to go to a Big Eight accounting firm,” he said. “At
that time J.C. Penney was recruiting on campus and they interviewed
me and offered me a job. I thought that they were nice people
and decided to go with them. I’ve been in retail ever
since.”
An obvious people person, Baumann remarked about a chance encounter
he had with former New York State Governor Hugh Carey, another St.
John’s alumnus. “My wife and I were in Florida a few years
ago and we ran into former Governor Carey. I introduced
myself and we talked together for about two hours. He told me
that St. John’s has always been known as the ‘poor man’s private
school’. I had never heard that before, but it’s pretty
accurate.”
Baumann has always been impressed by the diversity of the St.
John’s students. He sees them as representing the melting pot
that has always been such a part of New York as well as a
reflection of the University’s Vincentian values of reaching out to
those in need.
Those values have always been important to Baumann, both
personally and professionally. “I always tell my kids that
we’re the product of our environment. I didn’t realize this
until after I had left St. John’s. It’s only afterward that
it dawns on you that you’re a changed person. You don’t
realize it’s happening right away, but the St. John’s values make a
difference in how we treat other people.”
One of the many reasons that Baumann is happy to be associated with
Brooks Brothers is that the company “…reflects a commitment to
support organizations that support other people. Many of us
at Brooks Brothers are thinking about our legacy. We want to
give back and do nice things.”
Baumann is pleased that Brooks Brothers recently partnered with St.
John’s on an
in-store event to support the University’s Carnesecca
Initiative, recognizing the mutually beneficial aspects of a
cooperative venture such as this. “The Carnesecca
[Initiative] event at Brooks Brothers was a great way to get people
together to do something for St. John’s as well as bringing
customers into the store. Brooks Brothers is an iconic
American brand and St. John’s and Lou Carnesecca are New York
icons. It’s a great combination!”
Returning to campus recently, Baumann was impressed by how much the
University had changed since his student days. “I recently
came back to St. John’s and it was eye-opening for me. The
changes that have taken place are tremendous. It made me
realize there’s some extraordinary things happening here.”
Baumann had some pertinent advice to pass along to St. John’s
current students. “When you’re sitting in class, look to your
left and look to your right. You’ll see real people sitting
next to you. At St. John’s you’re dealing with the real
world. It’s the mixture of society that makes St. John’s so
special. To me, that’s how people grow.”