Page 307 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

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PETERSON UNIVERSITY BUILDING THE BENCH
In 1919, Howard Peterson quit school to work for his brother-in-law, industrialist R.G. LeTourneau. He went on to form his own company and enjoy great success, but he always regretted his lack of formal ed- ucation. “My grandfather was always self-conscious about only having an eighth-grade education,” says
Duane Doyle Sr., “but he was exceptionally smart in certain areas—especially math. They would grade papers off his homework. And because of that self-consciousness, when it came time to name our new corporate training facility, we decided on Peterson University in his honor. It was a fitting tribute.”
Despite quitting school early, Howard embraced change and innovation his entire life—both at work and at play. In his forties, he hired a tutor to help him with his grammar and writing skills. He constantly pushed the limits, which meant continuous learning, both for himself and his employees. “In the company’s early years, Howard sent employees back to the factory in Peoria to learn about the new products because that’s where they had the training aids and instructors,” explains Bill Doyle, Peterson’s second-generation owner. “Cat wanted to teach us how to teach our own employees. So selected employees would go to the factory to learn and then come back here and teach our own people.”
Peterson’s early training efforts were a combination of on-the-job mentoring, factory training, and technical training through the local union. As an eleven-year-old kid, Duane Sr. was able to witness some of it out at his grandfather’s ranch in Dublin, California. “Peterson held hands-on sales training out at the Triple J in the ’60s. While the salesmen were in the hay barn learning about new equipment, I was out driving machines with Hugh Dolly [Peterson’s equipment demonstrator]. Then they’d come out and operate the equipment themselves. I specifically remember running a No.12 motor grader by myself.”
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