Greg Robertson ’65: Why I VMI

“All you need to do is look in any community around the state or in the country and find VMI people and look at what they’ve done and their contribution to that community. … We continue to produce those solid citizens who become the backbone of the activity in their communities.”

So says Greg Robertson ’65, a former member of the VMI Board of Visitors, the VMI Foundation Board of Trustees, and VMI Investment Holdings, LLC, in explaining the value of VMI graduates to the world at large.

“VMI is unlikely to produce a Nobel Winner in physics or anything like that,” he acknowledged. “But if you go into the heartland of America and look at who’s doing what in those local communities, don’t be surprised when you find there’s a VMI person deeply involved in that community. This participation may be uncelebrated but is so important to the fabric of our country.”

VMI, Robertson believes, teaches the kind of collaboration and cooperation that makes for good citizenship, and his own experience bears that out.

“The three biggest things that I took away from VMI were how to get along with people, how to listen and factor other people’s thoughts into your own outlook, and the importance of hard work,” the longtime business executive observed.

Developing these skills, he believes, is the result of living in close quarters with individuals whose backgrounds may be wildly dissimilar to your own.

“One of the greatest things about coming to VMI is that you are forced to engage with people you might otherwise not encounter,” he said. “I always shared a five-man room and believe it was an integral part of my education because of our differences. One was a football player. One was a true scholar. I happened to be pretty good in STEM. So, it was a blending of different talents, experiences, and backgrounds that we brought. And I just love that part of my education.”

A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, Robertson was born into a VMI legacy family as the son of John M. Robertson, Class of 1928, whose three brothers and several nephews also graduated from VMI. When it came time for Robertson to choose a college, he followed his older brother, Dr. John M. Robertson, Jr. ’62, to the Institute, and like his brother, he planned to major in biology and possibly attend medical school.

Very soon after matriculation, though, Robertson changed course, majoring in chemistry instead. And by the time he graduated, he’d realized that his heart didn’t lie in medicine after all. After service in the U.S. Army, he earned an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and entered the high-pressure, high-stakes world of investment banking, where he rose to the position of vice president at Goldman, Sachs & Co., one of Wall Street’s most prestigious investment banking firms, before leading the formation of TM Capital Corp., a boutique financial advisory firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions.

Having held high positions himself, Robertson has a word of advice for current cadets: “If you’re about to graduate, strive for the highest possible position in the best firm in your chosen field,” he counseled. “Seek responsibility and don’t be scared to fail. You will never know your potential unless you put yourself to the test.”

Just as importantly, Robertson has encouraged many young people to put themselves to the test that is VMI.

“I firmly believe in what VMI does for young people based on what it did for me, my classmates, and members of other classes with whom I shared time at the Institute,” he stated.

Continuing, Robertson observed, “Some matriculants are fortunate to arrive in Lexington firmly committed to an academic major, enjoy strong family support, and the self-control to achieve those goals. Others arrive lacking those assets but possess intelligence, pride, and potential. VMI provides the direction, support, and discipline to transform those individuals into extraordinary success stories.”

Two of Robertson’s proteges, Scott Bacci ’08 and Nick Cutting ’08, were high school classmates on Staten Island, New York, and together attended a VMI open house. “Scott and Nick are now very successful engineering executives with two of the nation’s largest construction companies, and both regard VMI as the launch pad for their careers,” Robertson noted. “That’s what VMI can do for young people who need a little guidance and encouragement. To me, that’s what VMI is all about.”