Thomas Harding, Alumnus (A.A. '83)
Thomas Harding, a member of the college’s Alumni Society Board of Directors, entered the former General College as an average student with a decent grade point average but a less than stellar ACT score. In the two decades since he graduated from the University, Harding has gone on to become the successful owner of Plymouth-based Infinity Direct Inc., building the direct marketer into a $17 million company with 33 employees. He’s also remained a lifelong booster of his alma mater.
He says the college was vital to his success because he was able to take a wide variety of classes in small classrooms, rather than getting lost in auditoriums with hundreds of students. He also learned about hard work, improved his critical and logical thinking skills, and gained the confidence to take risks.
“I have a lot of loyalty to it because it gave me, an average student, a chance to excel, where if I had entered the regular system, there’s no way,” he says. “I would have just drowned.”
Harding also competed on the University’s track and field team, running the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter races. “The track and field experience with Roy Griak gave me lifelong discipline,” says Harding, who says the legendary coach helped shape him into the person he is today. “He was tough but very caring.”
He gained a cachet of experience through his first jobs out of college, primarily in sales and marketing. Partially out of stubbornness and partially out of a desire to be his own boss, he pursued his dream of starting his own company, launching Infinity Direct in 1991.
“I have my own visions,” he says. “It’s easier for me to create my own destiny vs. trying to navigate through the corporate world. The only one I can blame for failure is myself.”
As was the case with many General College students, Harding was the first in his immediate family to earn a college degree. He continues providing support for students in similar situations by offering the Harding Family Scholarships to male CEHD students on the track team who are the first in their families to attend college.
Meanwhile, when he isn’t building his business and supporting the college, he keeps his stride, getting out at least twice a week for 10-mile runs. He’s also preparing to launch an athletic apparel company.
Story by Andrew Tellijohn | Photo by Justin Evidon | January 2010
