b'ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSETLeslie Flegels entrepreneurial journey:Leslie Flegel. Welcome to your new home. Then, he came over andBut it was Flegels vision, drive and risk-taking that drove the A STORY OF RISK, REWARD embraced meit still brings tears to my eyes, Flegel recalled. Ibusiness to become the powerhouse it did under his tutelage. He finally felt at home, which is an important part of my story becausehad a vision to modernize the industry by updating its magazine its why I love Mizzou so much and why I continue to give back.distribution methods from regional distributors who used their AND PHILANTHROPY This is where I redeemed myself. I found my life. own fleet of trucks and drivers to a faster, nationwide system that Over the next four years, Flegel matured and took command ofrelied on UPS and FedEx to reach more customers at a lower cost. his life, making good on the first of three promises he made (andIn 2001, Flegel had Source Interlink purchased what turned out BY SARA DIEDRICHFlegel men were resourceful and innovative and soon discoveredto be a virtually bankrupt company because he recognized the they could turn a profit by shipping metal east to New York andcompany was using the more efficient UPS and FedEx distribution Leslie Flegel, A.B. 59, once promisedmodel. Despite the newly acquired companys poor financials, himself that if he ever made it big, heselling it there for more money. Eventually, Flegels father and twoFlegel used his business acumen and turned it around by the end would give back to his alma mater uncles used their earnings to open two used car lotsa smartof its first year. the University of Missouri.move in the 1940s.The demand for cars during World War II was through the roof,I recognized an opportunity when it came my way and found a Thenationallyrecognizedentre- way to capitalize on it, he said. preneurwhose 11-year tenure withFlegel said. My dad and his brothers would take the train to Pitts-Source Interlink grew the companysburgh, get used cars and drive them back with another car chainedAs it turned out, the near disastrous purchase was among Flegels sales from $2 million to $2 billion to the bumper. Then, theyd sell them. It was a very successfulgreatest deals because it paved the way for Source Interlinks has long made good on his promise,business. largest growth spurt.supporting the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr.Eventually, the family moved from St. Louis to Clayton, MissouriFlegel retired in 2006 and is now owner of Flegel Family Enter-College of Business for decades withwhere Flegel recalls an idyllic childhood, playing baseball withprises. his time, money and expertise. his cousins every day in the neighborhood. As a boy, Flegel lovedIf people say you cant do something, its usually because they The importance of giving back is a big lesson I learned from mysports and tolerated school. cant do something, Flegel said. When people doubt you, dont late wife, said Flegel, whose philanthropic partner of more thanI wasnt great in school, he said. I was a goof off and had a lotbuy into their doubt. Believe in yourselfand you believe in your-60 years, Elynor Flegel, died in 2021.You gain more from givingof fun.self by being more knowledgeable than they are, and you can than youll ever gain from taking. Thats a message I think entre- A devastating loss become more knowledgeable by working hard. At Mizzou, I learned preneurial people believe in. I enjoyed learning. I read great books and learned about greatIn 1995, then-dean Bruce Walker invited Flegel, a St. Louis native,Flegels life changed dramatically, however, when he was 15 andleaders. I became a different person. Mizzou did that for me.to be an executive-in -residence at the Trulaske College of Busi- his father died by suicide. The elder Flegel was losing his eyesightfulfilled) to his mother: complete college, join the Army and marry ness. Inspired by the experience, Flegel continued his involve- and struggling financially. His death left Flegel and his mothera Jewish girl. ment, joining the Davenport Society and serving on the Strategicdevastated and nearly destitute. Days later, a sad and angry Flegel Development Board [now known as thewas holed up at his sisters house, when heAfter graduating from Mizzou in 1959, Flegel took a job at an adver-Trulaske Deans Advisory Board] for a I finally felt at home, heard a knock on the bedroom door.tising agency in California. The gig was short-lived. His motherFLEGELS REFLECTIONS ON number of years. He also joined the univer- It was the family rabbi, and he had a messagedied and Flegel returned to Missouri, where he eventually joined which is an important part the U.S. Army and was selected as an outstanding trainee at Ft. sitys Jefferson Club and the Mizzou Alumniof my story because its why for the grieving teen: Everyone in life getsLeonard Wood. He also married his wife, Elynor, and together theyBEING AN ENTREPRENEURAssociation. In 2005, Flegel received thebacked up to a wall and feels like they arehad three children: Jason, Mark and Lauren. colleges Citation of Merit and spoke at theI love Mizzou so much glued there and can never get away. But you Trulaske College of Business commence- and why I continue to have two choices: You can stay there for theElynor was my rock, Flegel said. She was always very blunt.Believe in yourself.ment ceremony. Later, Flegel and Sourcerest of your life or fight your way back. TheAfter a few weeks of dating, she asked, Where are we with this Interlink pledged $400,000 over five yearsgive back. This is where choice is yours.relationship? I told her I had no interest in dating anyone else. SheLearn as much as you can about the business you areto support the colleges Center for Entrepre- I redeemed myself. The words hit hard, and Flegel cried for thesaid, I feel the same way about you, Leslie. We kissed and thatgoing into. neurship and Innovation. I found my life. first time since losing his father. In the yearswas how it was until the day she died in my arms. Start small and make mistakes when the stakes are low. Now retired, Flegel remains a staunchto come, the rabbis message would guideA risk worth takingsupporter of the college and believes entre- Leslie Flegel him, through good times and bad.Learn by watching what people do right, not by studying what Over the years, Flegel advanced in his career. By the mid-1970s, heyou did wrong. Study successful people. preneurship is the backbone of the country.With the help of his sister and her husband,was senior vice president of marketing for Aramark of St. Louis, No matter what you do, its those with an entrepreneurial spiritFlegel and his mother resettled in an efficiency apartment in Univer- a $4 billion diversified service company with more than 100,000Read the signs. The signs for opportunity are everywhere. who advance, he said.sity City. Still, Flegel felt untethered and flailed through high school,employees. While there, Flegel set up distribution of periodicalsBe ready to recognize an opportunity and capitalize on it. An idyllic childhood bouncing from one bad group to another until he stumbled intoto all the United States Naval bases throughout the world and to a supportive group of friends. Inspired by their influence, Flegelall ships at sea.Stay disciplined and dont let your ego get the better of you. Flegel and his older sister spent their early childhood amongst aapplied to Mizzou.Though he was successful at Aramark, Flegel wanted to challenge large confluence of Jewish immigrant families in a neighborhoodMy grades were horrible, but I got in, he said. It was at this pointhimself.Build strong business relationships; theyre essential for success. that today runs along Martin Luther King Drive in St. Louis. Histhat I was resolved to make something of myself. parents each arrived in the United States as children from smallIn 1981, he took a risk and struck out on his own, taking the first stepsPay attention to the trends. Things change and you must change villages in Ukraine. They later met on a blind date set up by PearlA new beginning towards building a business that would eventually become Sourcewith them. Flegel, his mothers friend and fathers sister.Once at Mizzou, Flegel pledged a Jewish fraternity called SigmaInterlink Companies in 1995. Over the next 11 years, Flegel moved the company to Bonita Springs, Florida, and grew its sales fromBe creative and think about how you are going to distinguish Relatives on his mothers side were deeply religious while thoseAlpha Mu, and the brotherhood was lifechanging.$2 million to $2 billion, making Source Interlink the leading Northyourself. on his fathers side were rough around the edges and supportedI walked into the front door of the fraternity, and there was a bigAmerican provider of magazine sales information and services by tough guys in the scrap metal business. But the hard-workingguy named Maurice. He was an upperclassman, and he said, Yourein 2006. 18 | TRULASKE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS TRULASKE MAGAZINE 2024| 19'