Herbert V. Kohler, Jr., a business titan who built his family’s namesake manufacturing company and put Wisconsin on the world golf stage with the creation of a course called Whistling Straits, has died.
Kohler was 83 years old when he died on Saturday.
“His zest for life, adventure and impact inspire us all,” his family said in a statement Sunday. “We travel together, celebrate together and work together. He was involved, all along, leaving an indelible mark on how we live our lives today and carry on his legacy.”
Kohler was CEO of Kohler Company for 43 years before turning the role over to his son, David Kohler, in 2015. Since then, he has remained with the company as CEO.
During his time as CEO, Kohler grew the company from a $133 million operation in 1972 to one approaching $6 billion in annual revenue by 2015.
The company credits Herb Kohler with having the foresight to understand that the company’s business, although it involved manufacturing plumbing fixtures, was actually about designing products that create pleasure for users. Under his leadership, the Kohler Company created products that were not simply functional, but created a joyous and memorable experience for those who used them.
By the early 1970s, the “Kohler Bold Look” became more than just a marketing slogan. Under Kohler’s leadership, he became a guiding spirit that guided the company and unified its associates, the company said.
“We have the people, the products, the focus, the resources and the passion to fulfill our mission and compete successfully,” he once told associates.
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He was described in a Journal Sentinel story as “a striking figure: bushy gray hair, bushy eyebrows, a lush beard, and a gravelly voice,” who had “a commanding presence.”
When Kohler took The American Club, built in 1918 for immigrant workers in Kohler, and transformed it in the early 1980s, he was also transforming hospitality in the state.
“Taking a small town like Kohler and transforming it into a destination hotel facility was a definite achievement,” said Greg Hanis, president of Hospitality Makers International. “He took an old building and completely renovated it and turned it into a destination facility.”
While the town of Kohler might not have been as well known to many outside of Wisconsin, Hanis said word of the resort spread around the world.
“Once people got there, they were literally blown away by Kohler’s elegance and luxury,” Hanis said. “Of course, the bathrooms he installed at that hotel and resort had all of Kohler’s state-of-the-art features, from sinks to tubs to showers. Honestly, the bathrooms were probably one of the highlights of the building.”
Hanis said Kohler “set the benchmark” for hospitality in Wisconsin.
“He definitely challenged other people like Marcus Corp. with their conversion of facilities on Lake Geneva with the Grand Geneva,” Hanis said. “I think he set the benchmark and said if you wanted to be a five-star resort, this is what you had to do.”
Hanis said Kohler knew his background wasn’t hospitality, but that didn’t stop him from creating a world-class resort.
“He knew how to hire the right people; had a great management team running that complex and they achieved a great milestone,” said Hanis. “It is a legacy. It is a legacy installation.”
That five-star, five-diamond resort led to championship golf courses, Blackwolf Run and strait of whistles.
Gary D’Amato, a writer for Wisconsin Golf and former reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said Kohler “transformed golf in our state.”
“He is probably the single greatest figure in Wisconsin golf history,” D’Amato said. “We were a flyover state until he built those fields. No one came to Wisconsin to play golf from other parts of the country.”
In 2019, when Whistling Straits was chosen to host the Ryder Cup, Kohler said it was a “once in a lifetime” event for the state and an estimated economic impact of $135 million.
The Ryder Cup was delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but in 2021 it welcomed golf fans from all over the world.
“We had a worldwide spotlight on our golf here in the state, and golf is booming in our state,” D’Amato said. “If I hadn’t built those fields, none of this would have happened.”
[6:02 PM] Torres, Richard
While Kohler was known for his family business, he also helped build Wisconsin’s golf industry with courses like Destination Kohler, anchored by The American Club, a five-star hotel, and championship golf courses Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run.
Gary D’Amato, a writer for Wisconsin Golf and a former reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said Kohler “transformed golf in our state.”
“He is probably the single greatest figure in Wisconsin golf history,” D’Amato said. “We were a flyover state until he built those fields. No one came to Wisconsin to play golf from other parts of the country.”
D’Amato said that when Kohler was planning to build Blackwolf Run, he wanted to price it at $42 for a round of golf, which people thought at the time was too expensive.
“He was proposing something that a lot of people thought was outlandish, but he certainly pulled it off,” D’Amato said. “I think Whistling Straits now charges about $500 for a round of golf. He definitely brought that traveling golfer, a golfer with a lot of disposable income, to our state. And they’re not just playing his courses, but now they’re touring the state and they’re playing Erin Hills, playing Sand Valley … and that traveling golf doesn’t come to Wisconsin if he doesn’t build those courses. ”
In 2019, when Whistling Straits was chosen to host the Ryder Cup, Kohler said it was a “once in a lifetime” event for the state and estimated an economic impact of $135 million.
The Ryder Cup was delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but in 2021 it welcomed golf fans from all over the world.
“We had a worldwide spotlight on our golf here in the state, and golf is booming in our state,” D’Amato said. “If I hadn’t built those fields, none of this would have happened.”
But all of that happened thanks to the push of a man who didn’t get into the sport until he started building courses.
“He told me he would play once or twice a year with his father’s hickory sticks at company outings,” D’Amato said. “But that was the extent of his golf. But once he started building courses and immersed himself in that culture of golf course development and being around the game, he really fell in love with it.”
“He played often, not very well.”
D’Amato said that Kohler played with a group of friends who called themselves the ‘Gnarly Balls Gang’ and flew all over the world to play golf.
“They played in all kinds of weather,” D’Amato said. “The nastier the better. He loved playing in the rain.”
Kohler was born on February 2. 20, 1939, to Herbert Kohler Sr. and Ruth Myriam DeYoung. He was the oldest of three. He had a sister, Ruth DeYoung Kohler II, and a brother, Frederick Cornell Kohler, who preceded him in death.
Kohler graduated from Yale University in 1965, after spending time at a couple of other universities. He started at Yale but left after a year and went to Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he studied drama and met Linda Karger, whom he married in 1961. Kohler then enrolled at Furman University in South Carolina and he worked on the side, before returning to Yale to get a degree in business administration.
Although his grandfather, John Michael Kohler II, founded the Kohler Company in 1873 and Herbert Sr. served as CEO for 28 years, Herbert Jr. recalled in interviews that he had not wanted to be a part of the family business.
But after graduating from Yale in 1965, he went to work at Kohler. He was 26 years old. Kohler became president and chief executive officer of Kohler Company in 1972, where he served as chief executive officer for 43 years.
Kohler and Karger had three children: Laura Elizabeth Kohler, Rachel DeYoung Kohler, and David Karger Kohler. Kohler and Karger divorced in the early 1980s. In 1988, Kohler married Natalie Ann Black.
Private services will be held, but the company will hold a Kohler tribute at a later date for associates.
Contact Ricardo Torres at ritorres@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RicoReporting
