Always Looking for Work
Many people dream of retiring early, but Steve Osman was shocked at 52 to find himself with time on his hands. He had started working in the warehouse of his father's wholesale drug-distribution business at age 12, and his Tuck education had helped him steer the company for 30 years through industry upheaval and declining margins. But in 1986, a wave of consolidation had made selling the business lucrative. "I expected to be at the helm until I was 95,” he recalls. "Selling was a real jolt for me. I had a lot of people reporting to me, and then I didn't. You lose a lot of adrenaline.”
Fast-forward 21 years, and Osman is getting all the adrenaline he needs. He is part of a successful real estate venture, a collector of world-class vintage photography, a consultant for high-tech businesses, a public servant, and a philanthropist whose love of learning motivated him and his wife, Harley, to fund and help develop the popular Osman Tuck Alumni Lifelong Learning (TALL) Program. "The program gives alums 'take-home value' at events around the world and in Hanover,” says Osman. "And it's wonderful to be able to give back because Tuck has enriched our lives."
Shortly after Osman had sold his business, a friend asked, "What do you want to do?" "Real estate, like you," Osman replied. After a crash course in his friend's office, he joined with a partner to form Cambridge Hanover, an investment firm that acquires, renovates, and leases industrial buildings nationwide.
At the urging of another friend, Osman sought a seat on Stamford, Connecticut's Urban Redevelopment Commission and has been its chairman for the last 10 years—a hot seat that he finds energizing. As chairman, he forms coalitions to get things done, raising tens of millions of dollars along the way. Recently, he pushed to structure a new river park conservancy as a collaborative, "which means everyone has to agree on everything before walking out of the room," he says. "You'd think it wouldn't work, but it does because everyone is committed. Because of my civic work, I'm a much more collaborative, inclusive, and patient person."
His position has opened up novel business opportunities. After exploring the possibility of a free Wi-Fi network downtown, for example, he was asked to consult on business strategy for a top information-technology company. "Here I am, a Tuck '57, working with a company on leading-edge technology," he jokes. In fact, he often works with entrepreneurs as a mentor, advisor, or investor. Currently, fund-raising is at the top of his list as he seeks $80 million to renovate the Mill River waterfront in Stamford. And he spends hours poring over rare photographs, a thousand of which he and Harley have donated to Dartmouth's own Hood Museum of Art.
"I've found the last 20 years much more stimulating than the wholesale drug business,” Osman says. "I do many different things with many different people and have worked out a really wonderful life, which includes time with my seven grandchildren.”
He expressed his own life motto when talking about entrepreneurial mentoring: "I'm open to that at all times." He advises people "to make time for civic work. You never know where it's going to lead.” As for himself, he chuckles, "My father died at 102, so I'm looking forward to a lot of action.”
