Doing the right thing is at the core of the business philosophy at Blue Bell Creameries, from using only the highest quality ingredients in their famous frozen desserts, to keeping carton sizes at a half-gallon in the face of downsizing and cost cutting by virtually every other major ice cream manufacturer in the country. Part of that philosophy also involves giving back to the people and organizations that have made Blue Bell a success. Recently, Blue Bell CEO and President Paul Kruse ’77 announced that he and the company would jointly support another Texas icon: Texas A&M University. The gift of $500,000, matched by funds from Peggy and Lowry Mays ’57, will establish the Blue Bell Creameries Chair in Business at A&M’s Mays Business School in the total amount of $1 million.
“I believe in supporting an entity that is making a difference and Mays Business School is certainly doing that,” said Blue Bell Creameries CEO and president Paul Kruse ’77 (seen here talking with Mays students earlier this year).
“This kind of giving is something that I feel is important,” said Kruse, who holds an accounting degree from A&M. “A core group of our team, including the chief financial officer and controller, are Mays graduates. The college has had a direct impact on our business and we want to recognize that.” Kruse says that he hopes the gift will allow Mays to continue to grow and thrive.
“Attracting good students and attracting good faculty go hand in hand,” he said. “This chair will help the faculty end of the equation.” In addition to the funding the Blue Bell Chair professor will receive, Kruse says free ice cream will sweeten the recruiting effort.
“You cannot go anywhere on the Texas A&M campus without seeing the generosity of the Kruse family to our institution,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “While any endowed chair is a magnet to attract great faculty, having a chair tied to a great businessperson like Paul Kruse and a great success story like Blue Bell makes this particular position even more special.”
Blue Bell Creameries has a long history in Texas and with Texas A&M. The creamery opened in 1907 in Brenham, just 40 miles from the A&M campus, where many young Texan men interested in agriculture were being educated. Kruse’s grandfather, E.F. Kruse took over operations of the creamery in 1919, and his sons, Ed ’49 and Howard ’52 both majored in dairy science at A&M before joining the company in leadership positions.
Paul Kruse bucked family tradition by majoring in accounting before going on to law school at Baylor. He had a private law practice in Brenham for several years before being recruited by Blue Bell, where he has served in a number of capacities, from board member, to general counsel, to his current role at the helm of the company.
Blue Bell and individual members of the Kruse family have spread their support far and wide at A&M, giving generously to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Corps of Cadets, Bush Library, Association of Former Students, 12th Man Foundation, College of Veterinary Medicine, Singing Cadets, Century Council, Cushing Library, and scholarship funds.
This gift to Mays represents the largest single gift from Blue Bell, and is among the largest from one of the Kruses.
“I believe in supporting an entity that is making a difference and Mays Business School is certainly doing that,” said Kruse. Blue Bell also sponsors many community events in the local area and has given to children’s programs, such as 4-H and youth sports.
Kruse is a past chairman of the International Ice Cream Association, and has had previous leadership roles at Trinity Medical Center, the Blinn College Foundation and Dairy Products Institute of Texas. He is a member and past president of the Brenham Rotary Club and is a trustee of the Texas 4-H Youth Development Foundation and the Ron Stone Foundation.
In 2006, Kruse received the Soaring Eagle Award from the International Dairy Foods Association. This year he will serve as the chairman of that organization. In 2007 he was inducted into the Dairy Products Institute of Texas Hall of Fame and in 2008 he was recognized by Mays Business School with an Outstanding Alumni Award, the highest honor given by the school.
