March 2017: Donor of the Month featuring Bob Anders
Robert (Bob) Anders Class of 1970
Hello. My name is Bob Anders and I am a 1970 graduate of Villanova University with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. I love Villanova. I am a supporter of Villanova’s Annual Fund, the Athletic Fund and the Blue White Scholarship Fund. Let me tell you why.
I am from Harrisburg and attended Bishop McDevitt High School. I am one of five children of a family where my dad was a carpet cleaner, then a carpet installer and finally a carpet salesman. My mom was a housewife. Our family converted to Catholicism when I was in grade school and we moved from the public school system to Catholic schools. This was a tremendous sacrifice for my parents but they were resolute about us getting a good, Catholic education. When graduation approached, my dad told me that he could not afford to send me to college - I was on my own. I applied for every scholarship I could and was awarded two – one of which was a full tuition scholarship to Villanova. Accepting that scholarship changed my life!
While at Villanova I worked part time jobs to pay for my room and board. During first semester junior year, I attended a mixer at Immaculata and met the love of my life, Connie Murray. We got married during our senior year and are currently enjoying our 48th year together… and they said it wouldn’t last!
During my last semester at Villanova, I attended all the job fairs and got several job offers. I accepted an offer from the Square D Company and moved to Cleveland, Ohio. I was the first Mechanical Engineer hired for the electronics/electrical products development group. My boss told me that he hoped that I could keep up with the Purdue Engineers. After two years of working there, I felt very comfortable with how my Villanova education stacked up against engineers from all the best schools, not just Purdue! My engineering education taught me problem solving, critical thinking and time management in addition to all the traditional, rigorous Mechanical Engineering courses. Earning an engineering degree from Villanova was instrumental in my initial and continuing success.
After Square D, I worked for 2 other Fortune 500 companies (Eaton and TRW Corporations) and for a General Motors spinoff. I used my engineering skills to advance to Senior Engineering and then to Engineering Management positions. Later I was offered opportunities in Product Assurance and Operations Management. I became a Plant Manager for two plants with Eaton then the Director of North American Operations for TRW, where I was responsible for five manufacturing locations. After TRW was purchased, I was hired as the Chief Operating Officer for Guide Corporation – one of several General Motors Divisions offered for sale as GM approached bankruptcy. I took an early retirement after five years to try my hand at something new.
Retirement! In my years in senior management positions, the companies I worked for purchased lots of goods and services from small, sometimes even “mom and pop”, suppliers. I met a lot of really great people who were good entrepreneurs but lacked business skills. So I decided to volunteer my time with SCORE – a resource partner of the Small Business Administration. We help small businesses start up or, if they are already in business, we help them grow, get more efficient and become more profitable. Every day I use the experiences I had in my 38 years in the work world to help my 25 small business clients along the road to their entrepreneurial dreams. I could not have done this without that Villanova Scholarship!
