Courtesy Ole Miss News
Mechanical engineering alumnus founded his own global investment firm.
Destiny is largely determined by our choices. Richard D. Spitzer can certainly attest that continuing his family’s agricultural legacy would probably have been his future had he not decided to venture beyond the boundaries of the comfortable and familiar.
“I grew up on a big farm that was in my family for multiple generations,” said the native of Malden, Missouri. “I had a great set of cousins, the Tatums, in Oxford who convinced me Ole Miss was the place (to attend college). And so it was.”
After finishing high school, Spitzer enrolled at the University of Mississippi and majored in mechanical engineering. An exceptional student, he found his professors and their courses intellectually stimulating.
“Engineering school at Ole Miss was not easy,” he said. “There’s no party school in that world. Still, I had several favorites, including Dr. Karl Brenkert, Dr. John Fox, Dr. Sam Wang, Dr. Shields, Dr. James Vaughan and Dr. Jeff Roux.”
Roux, professor of mechanical engineering and former chair of the department, remembers Spitzer as an outstanding student.
“Richard was a very, very gifted guy,” Roux said. “He was the kind of person who saw being a mechanical engineer as an important goal to strive for. Still, his abilities were such that he was bound to be successful in whatever he chose to do.”
Spitzer also enjoyed his professors outside of engineering.
“Dr. Charles Alexander in the (Department) of Mathematics and Dr. Woods who was an economics professor in the business school,” Spitzer said. “All these professors were top-notch.”
Spitzer’s intellectual prowess also impressed then-graduate student Tyrus McCarty. The two became lifelong friends who continue to stay in touch since their days at UM.
“Richard was always an exceptional individual in every respect,” said McCarty, associate professor of mechanical engineering and assistant engineering dean for special initiatives. “He and I spent many hours in lively discussions that were thought-provoking and enlightening.”
During his undergraduate tenure, Spitzer was an active member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Spitzer’s roles in both organizations later proved instrumental in getting him jobs at Texas Instruments and beyond.
The degrees that Spitzer earned include a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in1986 with honors and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University, also with honors.
“Interestingly, Dr. Gerald Turner was the chancellor at Ole Miss back then, and is now the president of SMU,” Spitzer said.
Founder and CEO of the Spitzer Group LLC, he works predominantly with a closely held private equity group on acquiring and turning around or originating automotive and related business-to-business and business-to-consumer assets globally, including interests in India/Southeast Asia, Africa, China/Northeast Asia and the Americas. Reflecting upon his success, Spitzer said he thinks every step has had its moments.
“Graduating with honors at Ole Miss and SMU, getting my PE, winning awards at work, getting voted top 25 consultants in Consulting Magazine were all wonderful,” he said. “But nothing happens without help and support from family and friends.”
Spitzer said his wife, Dainty “DD,” and their daughter, Morgan, are fundamental to his sense of achievement.
“I’d say I’m most proud of my daughter getting elected president of the Academy of Finance at Memorial Senior High School in Houston,” he said. “She also got an internship this summer with Ernst & Young.”
When not working, Spitzer enjoys exercising, being with his family and spending time with other Ole Miss and SMU alumni.
Courtesy Ole Miss News
By Edwin Smith
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