2. +
Biography
Timothy Kiel was born on the 30th of April in 1966, at 1:16 a.m.
at Pip community hospital. Tim’s parents are David Charles Kiel
and Judy Kiel, and he has two siblings, Angie and Freddy.
During Tim’s childhood he lived in a home built by his father in
Otsego Michigan. Tim met his future wife, Dana Leonard at a
meeting one day, and married her about a year later on May
20th1995. In 1996, Tim and Dana had their first child, Olivia,
and two years after that, along came David Luke. Tim currently
resides in Gobles, Michigan with his family. He works for
Schawk and in his spare time enjoys nature, his family, and
relaxing.
3. +
Childhood Dreams
Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s proved to be rough at
times for Tim, but he had high expectations for his future.
During the 1980s the American dream was to be
successful, and to do better than your parents did. When there
was conflict at home, a boyish and adventurous Tim would
head out to the river and live off the land. He enjoyed every
aspect of the outdoors and being on his own. Every day of the
summer, 10 hours a day, Tim would spend his time outside
exploring, and fishing. The time he spent on his own, made him
self-motivated. While playing on Otsego High School’s baseball
team, Tim was recognized for his high level of talent in
baseball, and he wished to go pro one day. However, real life
caught up with him at a young age.
4. +
Winds of Change
Real life proved to be an obstacle for Tim, who after high
school, longed to be a conservation officer in Alaska. Without
the proper funding for college, he decided he wanted to better
his life by getting a job. Starting at $3.96 an hour, and working
the third shift at age 18 at Schawk, Tim worked diligently and
honestly until he reached the high-management level he
remains in today. While reminiscing about his young-adult
years, Tim realized that the path to success would have been
easier for him with a college degree.
5. +
The Driving Forces
The motivation Tim received came in small amounts. His father
motivated him, because his father had played baseball at a
high level in his youth, but otherwise, Tim became a self-
motivated person. Hockey is a big part of Tim and his family's
life. A favorite player that inspired him was Steve Yzerman, who
he admired for his leadership capabilities and definition of
success. Tim wanted to be successful and lead like Yzerman
when he got older.
6. +
Friends and Family
As a young boy, Tim spent his years with
Chad Drobny, learning the values of a
farmer, which he liked. He sometimes
wishes that he could have been a farmer
like Chad, but was not cut out for the
farmer lifestyle. After high school, Tim
lived with his friend Jerry Bohl, who he
defined as incredibly intelligent and
honest. Tim recalls that his knowledge of
honesty came from Jerry Bohl, who he
says “Was one of the most honest
people I knew.” Tim’s father was the
largest motivational source for him, who
he learned from daily and admired.
7. +
Regrets and Advice
Although Tim has not reached his American dream, he believes
that he would not have done anything differently, because if he
had, he would not be where he is today. He enjoys his family,
the outdoors, watching his children compete and succeed in
school, and relaxing at home and would not trade it for
anything. He has moved on since his childhood years, and is
proud of the life he lives today. When I asked him for advice he
caringly, but seriously said, “Do exactly what you want to do,
don’t let money be the drive, and be happy.”
9. +
Accomplishments
During his high school years, Tim achieved all conference for
football, and all state for baseball. He believes that his biggest
accomplishment is his beautiful wife, and wonderful children.
Timothy was a normal kid, that circumstances did not allow to
get a college degree, that was able to make hard work and
dedication pay off, by working his way through an organization
to ultimately become the president of the Americas operations
for a billion dollar company.
10. +
Changing the American Dream
I asked Tim how he thought that the American dream has
changed over time. He told me that nowadays Americans have
begun to view life as what people and their country can do for
them, rather than what they can do for other people and their
country. “People have turned away from being proud of who
they are and what they are capable of, to having an expectation
of what people can do for them,” says Tim. He has come to the
realization that many people have gone astray from core family
values and turned towards corrupting ones.
11. +
Fixing the Dream
Fixing the ideology of the American dream is a never-ending
idea, because everyone thinks differently. Tim believes that with
the proper amount of responsibility by the individual, America
would be a better place to live. He knows that if people can
believe in the dream again, and forget what the media says
about what people think of us, and just being ourselves, the
dream will once again be attainable.
12. +
Advice for every Individual
“Stop trying to be who people tell you to be, and be the person
who you were meant to be.” Tim imagines that people should
love their families, because they only have one, and that they
should be proud of the culture in which they live, regardless of
skin color, ideas, and differences. Tim hopes that one day
people will all be proud of the country where they live, and
realize just how lucky they are to live in such a free land. He
agrees that everyone has the choice to be who they want to
be, and do what makes them happy, and that is the most
important aspect of the American dream.
