As part of its Gruhn Distinguished Speaker Series in Finance, Lehigh University’s College of Business and Economics recently hosted real estate developer Daniel Haime, who graduated from Lehigh in 1982.
Haime is a native of Colombia. In his talk, he urged MBAs and undergraduate business students to pursue opportunities internationally. “The U.S. has it all, no doubt, but we live in a globalized economy, and the more bridges you can build, the more relationships you will profit from—in business and in life.” he said.
Haime earned his B.S. from Lehigh in industrial engineering. Throughout his career, he has specialized in steel pipe and tube production and distribution for the oil and construction industries, in addition to the cultivation of palm oil and its chemical derivatives. His role in production of industrial products led him into the field of real estate development, where he has led large-scale residential, retail and medical projects.
Haime said, “Lehigh’s demanding environment gives you the true grit to be a problem solver. What you get here at Lehigh is a toolbox that will reaffirm your aptitudes. With that toolbox, you can apply those abilities and succeed when the opportunities present.”
The Gruhn Distinguished Speaker Series in Finance was founded by Daniel M. Gruhn, a 1949 graduate of Lehigh in business administration. Now retired, Gruhn spent four decades in the financial services industry on the New York Stock Exchange. He is an active member of the College of Business and Economics’ Dean’s Advisory Council. In 2008, he established an endowment for the Speaker Series, in an effort to bring business leaders to campus for the benefit of the student community.