Norman Asbjornson on career
From Press conference: Norm Asbjornson's $50 million gift to engineering at Montana State University · · Montana State University
“I was an executive in AFF firm in Minneapolis at the time that I was courted by a Head Hunter to come down and take over an extremely small firm in Tulsa Oklahoma and they courted me for approximately one year because I had a reputation of being able to fix companies and fix situations so what did I do I shovel the snow again when it snowed Minneapolis it snows a lot and I got more tired of doing that of getting up at 6:00 in the morning to see if I had to shovel my driveways so I could go to work in the morning and so I finally said yes after they gave me a nice golden parachute.”
On , Norman Asbjornson, Founder & Director at AAON INC, spoke about career during Press conference: Norm Asbjornson's $50 million gift to engineering at Montana State University on Montana State University.
About Norman Asbjornson
Norman Asbjornson, founder and director of AAON, committed $50 million to Montana State University’s College of Engineering in 2014. At a press conference announcing the gift, Asbjornson said he considered it a responsibility to give back to those who helped him succeed, including MSU and his hometown of Winifred, Montana. He placed stock in escrow to guarantee the donation and encouraged others to contribute to the university’s plans for an innovative, collaborative educational structure. Asbjornson also reflected on his career and personal philosophy. He described being recruited to lead a small Tulsa, Oklahoma company, which he grew into AAON, citing 25 consecutive years of 10.8% compounded growth. He attributed his success to lessons in honesty from his parents, emphasizing the importance of self-honesty and learning from failure. He noted that he considered being born in the United States a privilege and shared his view that those who are most successful have often failed the most.