A successful businessman is giving back to the community college that launched his career with a generous $100,000 donation.
After graduating high school in 1977, Greg Dougherty was searching for a long-term career path. He visited Northeast Iowa Community College and was debating between bricklaying and welding. Greg figured welding would be a lot less back-breaking work, so he went with that.
It was a good choice. He graduated from the college’s welding program and headed west to Wyoming, where oil field work was booming. Greg ended up launching and building many companies, helping customers and partnering with employees along the way.
When Greg retired last year, he took care of his team, giving his employees a bonus of $1,000 for every year they worked for him. Greg also wanted to give back to the school that set him up for success — so he returned to Northeast Iowa Community College and handed over a $100,000 check.
“It’s my roots,” Greg said. “My beginning. NICC taught me how to weld. It’d be nice to see some kids come out, get good jobs, and be productive people.”