By
Christine Imbs
Carl Hausmann’s
philosophy is simple. So simple, he denies
having one.
“I’m a business man. I don’t have a philosophy,” he says. “But
I do believe it’s important to look for a job in something you
like, not in something that pays well. If you don’t like what
you do, then you’re dreary. I don’t want to do anything that
is dreary.”
Hausmann’s life has been far from dreary. A New Jersey native,
he’s lived in 10 different countries including France, Italy,
Brazil and Africa. He speaks four languages comfortably—French,
Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish—and saw combat in Vietnam as
commander of a swift boat in the Mekong Delta in the same squadron
as Sen. John Kerry. Yet, it’s his current role as CEO of St.
Louis-based Bunge North America, one of the nation’s leading
food and agribusiness companies, that really sparks his enthusiasm.
“It’s a fun business—one that is mine. Of course, it’s really
not mine. But after 30 years in the business, it feels like
it,” he says. “And here I have plenty of challenges, plenty
of world prospects and plenty horizons for me to still feel
very excited and passionate about my work. And this industry—I
know it. I like it. It’s exciting. And I think living around
the world has added very much to my credentials and competencies
to do my job.”
But growing up, Hausmann says no one ever thought he’d become
a world traveler and international businessman—not even him.
His childhood was spent in a small New Jersey suburb where he
attended school. Later he went to Boston College. And that’s
what perplexes his family. He has absolutely no New Jersey accent.
“My brothers and sisters say, ‘What happened to him? Why does
he talk funny?’ They still sound like they come from New Jersey,”
he says. “But I was really the only one who started traveling.”
It started when Hausmann left the military. Instead of returning
to the States, he had his belongings shipped back home, picked
up his pay and a plane ticket, and began a six- month tour of
Europe. It was then that his life took a decidedly different
turn.
“I was going to bum around Europe for six months. But whatever
plans you may have, life takes over,” he says. “I ended up living
in Europe for a year and surprise, surprise, got a European
girlfriend. One thing led to another and I got a job and was
going to school over there. I guess I had an adventurous spirit,
because once I got my MBA, I had some job offers in Europe which
seemed like a good thing to me.”
Hausmann worked for several different companies while abroad,
before becoming involved in the agribusiness industry in 1978.
Continental Grain Company needed someone to work in their flour
mill in Zaire, and having previous experience working in Africa
for an African political organization, he got the job. Since
that time, he’s worked in agribusiness for various companies
in Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. It’s a
business, he says that offers lots of opportunities to feed
his passion.
“And what I’m really passionate about is how dynamic this industry
is vis-à-vis pricing and world trade, which gets me involved
in a lot of things, like negotiating with countries like China
or France,” he explains. “But typically, I think on the East
Coast and sometimes in the Midwest, people think of agriculture
as a boring area where farmers grow stuff. But the food ingredient
business, that I consider Bunge in, has really consolidated
to a large extent around the world. And that’s very exciting.”
Hausmann admits that, since 1968, he’s never lived anywhere
for more than three years at a time. He’s already been in St.
Louis that long. But he says those feelings of wanderlust have
faded somewhat.
“I think whatever bug bit me back when I was twenty, I’m over
it,” he says smiling. “Also I’m still very passionate about
my job. Bunge is growing and it is exciting. And I’m 60 now.
My mother used to say to me, ‘When are you going to grow up?’
Well, maybe I have to now.”
