Page 7 - Priorities #14 2000-September

Trustee Profile
When Andy Schilling started his business career with Rolm in 1982, a life in financial management was far from his mind. In fact, he didn’t like math. He was hoping for entrepeneureal opportunities but in the marketing area, he thought.
Rolm’s Finance Department had just acquired some PCs and Visicalc spreadsheet software - the hot new technology of the day. Nobody wanted to touch it. Andy was a newly hatched Bowdoin grad with no particular computing or financial management skills, but he was willing to give it a shot.
“I figured I was going to need that corporate finance experience stamped on my resume somewhere along the line - might as well get it out of the way,” Andy said. He opened the manuals, and figured out what VisiCalc could do.
In the process he discovered what he loves about the money side of business - it’s a giant, fascinating, many-faceted puzzle. He has been hooked ever since.
“Looking at a new company is like reading a new mystery novel. You try to figure out the dynamics, you look for the missing pieces, see what you can do to solve the puzzle and what can be changed to make it better,” he explained.
Andy has headed up seven successful ventures since the VisiCalc days. He is currently chairman of a consumer products firm that was recently listed by Inc. magazine as one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the U.S. He is also president of two investment companies.
The Schilling family has an entrepreneurial history. Grandfather August Schilling arrived in San Francisco around the turn of the century and promptly formed a partnership - a coffee business - with a Mr. Folger.
When that partnership dissolved, August Schilling continued in coffee for a short while, then switched to what the Schilling name is synonymous with today - the spices in little jars with red caps and red labels.
Andy could stay as busy with non-profit work as he does with the companies he heads. He serves on four non-profit boards. One is with Peninsula Open Space Trust, a group he grew to respect when sitting across the table in negotiations involving a piece of land. Now he shares his professional experience as a member of their Advisory Board.
“They are bright, creative, people with a real talent in setting up ways to achieve their goals. It’s been a learning experience as much as an opportunity to share whatever expertise I might have,” he said.
As board president for the Peninsula Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Andy is assisting the group with its current major priority -implementing a new technology plan. It will bring 21st century resources to this vital volunteer organization, which provides a wide variety of services.
The Management Center, another non-profit commitment, offers a variety of much-needed services for non-profits. Management training, board development, job lisings, temporary consultations, even a matching service to bring together prospective board members and board vacancies, are available.
On WPS’s board, Andy helps oversee budget development and forecasting of financial needs.
“Being on the scene at the Priory to see the values I remember passed on to another generation is rewarding work, and I have confidence in this board. It has exceptionally good, knowledgeable people - and I’ve worked with a lot of boards,” he said.
“I haven’t thought a lot about why I work with non-profits. I learned that value at home, of course, and it was clearly reinforced and practiced at the Priory when I was a student there. Bowdoin College carried on that influence. Their motto is ‘for the common good’ and that motto pervades the campus life,” he said.
Now, the habit of giving back, for the common good, pervades Andy’s life.
Andy Schilling’s financial skills and business experience make him a desirable candidate for non-profit boards. His relative youth also helps — boards are glad to find younger people willing to serve.
Andy Schilling, WPS Class of 1978
Lives in Woodside,CA
Wife: Leslie
Children: Alec, 10, Lauren, 8, and Elizabeth, 3 Favorite Activities: skiing, flying, hiking and other outdoor activities, especially during the annual family vacation in Ireland Professional field: Investment management WPS Board of Trustees Assignment: Finance Committee
7