David Kepler

David "Dave" Kepler (born December 12, 1952) is a former American business executive who worked at Dow Chemical Company for 39 years managing the company's safety, environmental and health resources through risk management and cyber security. He was honored in 2002 as a 20/20 Vision Award recipient. After retiring at age 62, he founded several Midland, Michigan businesses, serves as president and chairman of the non-profit Four Lakes Task Force and is co-chair of his family's foundation.

Early years Kepler was born in 1952 in Pleasant Hill, California, east of San Francisco. He was the oldest of three male children of David Kepler Sr and his wife, Donna Jeanne Speer. A sister died as a toddler.

Kepler's father and uncle had a hardware store and nursey, and all three brothers worked there as teenagers. His early work experience taught him three things: spend company money like it belongs to you; good customer relationships are essential; and "cash flow is critical".

Business Dow He was hired by Dow Chemical fresh out of college in 1975. In 39 years at Dow he worked in operations, supply chain, marketing, business management and information technology. Although his education was chemical engineering, he spent most of his career in IT. “Computers were being used [for] controlling plants, and that got me into the broader IT area,” Kepler commented.

Kepler became Dow's CIO in 1998 at age 46. Four years later he was recognized by CIO Magazine as an individual in IT who significantly impacted business. The magazine's bio of him called him a "practical risk taker"

Ice cream The year he retired, TCP purchased Cottage Creamery, a popular ice cream store adjacent to a micro-brewery in Midland They almost match Baskin-Robbins with nearly 30 flavors and offer shakes, malts, floats and sundaes in addition to cones or cups with a wide variety of toppings. For something less heavy, they make real fruit smoothies. featuring the original recipe for "Red Keg Beer" and despite a resurgence in local microbreweries, the business stumbled and was close to foreclosure after a few years. When Kepler became aware of the situation, the TCP team inspected the plain brick building and discussed options. They decided to purchase it in 2016 and make it successful.

Two years later, MBC expanded to include a banquet hall to accommodate 100 guests on the property at a cost of $1 million. The entrance of the Red Keg Barrel House is a huge red keg; it is a unique space for private events and is available for use by the community.

Developments Beginning in 2018 TCP created three real estate developments in the Midland area. Pathfinder Commons and Pathfinder Terraces are 1 or 2 bedroom, one bath apartments; two bedrooms, two bath apartments, respectively. The Cove provides coworking office space solutions for remote workers, freelancers and entrepreneurs. The Cove 2 is currently under development.

Corporate involvement Teradata Corporation, board member

Civic involvement National Safety Council, board member

Foundation In September 2015 David and his wife Patti established the Patricia and David Kepler Foundation in Wilmington, Delaware with a $3+ million endowment. Their stated mission was: "To improve the quality of life for families in our community." Over the past 8 years grants have averaged over $600K per year. Core beliefs: Volunteering and financial assistance should be together; human service providers require stability; social and economic development are linked for a better future. The focus of the foundation: independent living for disabled individuals; children and young adults must grow and develop; preserve and enjoy nature; improve the culture and economics of the community; community services should support families.

Ranch The Kepler family operates the Lazy Turtle Ranch near Edenville, Michigan for fun experiences using outdoor and indoor play structures intended to engage youth/adults with nature. Their safe outdoor locations include the "Party Barn", a pavilion, a playground, and a campsite. The facilities are available for local non-profits that adhere to the foundation's mission. Typical organizations are Midland ARC, Scouting America, Girl Scouts, independent community living and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Task force The Four Lakes Task Force was founded in 2018, two years before the Edenville and Sanford dam failures, the resulting flood and emptying of Wixom Lake, Sanford Lake and lowering the water level of two others. Kepler, a property owner and member of the Sanford Lake Association, took an unpaid leadership role in the task force and has been a spokesperson for the non-profit, government-affiliated organization since then.

Honors Kepler was designated a 20/20 Vision Award individual by information technology periodical, CIO Magazine.