Watch Video

S ometimes, not knowing what you might be getting into can be a good thing. That's how Doug Hertz - president and CEO of Smyrna-based United Distributors Inc., and the 2009 Business to Business Philanthropist of the Year - feels about the sequence of events that led to the creation of Camp Twin Lakes, a camping facility designed for chronically ill and disadvantaged children that he helped found in 1989.

Doug was talking with the late Hamilton Jordan about how he could help with Camp Sunshine, a summer camp he and his wife, Dorothy, had founded for kids with cancer. He soon discovered that one of the biggest challenges they faced was finding an accessible facility where they could hold camp each summer. Turns out the Jordans weren't alone: Many other camps for kids with various illnesses and disadvantages were having the same problem, and were actually competing with each other for facilities.

"So I simply asked why these different groups hadn't gotten together to build one camp for special needs kids that they all could use," Hertz says. "The idea for Camp Twin Lakes was born very innocently, but I had no idea what I was getting into.

"I thought it would just be building a few cabins in the woods," he continues. "This was pretty naïve, but if I'd known then what I know now, I might not have undertaken the challenge."


The Vision Takes Shape
Thousands of children with serious illnesses and life challenges are thankful that he did. Located on 500 wooded acres 50 miles east of Atlanta, Camp Twin Lakes provides a year-round facility that's designed specifically for children with serious illnesses and special needs. More than 30,000 kids and volunteers have attended weeklong summer sessions and fall and spring weekend retreats at the camp since it opened in 1993.

More than 30 different partners are currently using the Camp Twin Lakes facilities, representing children with a wide range of serious illnesses and disabilities ranging from cancer and epilepsy, to brain injuries and spina bifida. Here, these kids can partake in the many joys of camp - swimming, canoeing, horseback riding and campfires - without compromising their medical care. "Participating in our recreational, therapeutic and educational programs in a supportive and fully accessible environment gives them an invaluable sense of self-esteem, self-awareness and independence," says Camp Twin Lakes Executive Director Eric Robbins.

Robbins says Hertz, who is chairman of the Camp Twin Lakes Board of Directors, is the kind of leader who "has the ability to connect the dots to help organizations like ours move forward. He's a brilliant individual who quietly gets the big picture and knows how to take an idea and make it reality."

Comer Yates, the immediate past president of Camp Twin Lakes and a close friend of Hertz since childhood, concurs: "I realized very quickly even back when we were kids how smart Doug was." Yates recalls how Hertz and his father used to finish the word jumble in the newspaper on Saturday mornings "in about 15 seconds. It was obvious even then that he was incredibly bright and had a really quick mind."

Yates says that Camp Twin Lakes was "completely identified with Doug in the beginning. I was simply in awe of how he basically willed it to happen - I don't know of anyone else who could have pulled it off."

Helping Georgia Families
In recent years, the bulk of Hertz's philanthropic time and energy have been devoted to Children's Healthcare - the largest pediatric children's healthcare system in the country - where he serves as chairman of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Board of Directors. Operating three hospitals and 15 separate neighborhood locations in Atlanta, Children's Healthcare is recognized for excellence in cancer, cardiac, neonatal, orthopedic and transplant services, as well as many other pediatric specialties.

Right now, his work with Children's Healthcare is at the top of his volunteer priority list. "The impact we're having on so many kids and families in Georgia is really special," he says. Of course, Camp Twin Lakes will always hold a special place for me since I was there at the beginning."

"Doug's involvement with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is extraordinary," says Children's Healthcare of Atlanta President and CEO Donna Hyland. "He is very committed and works hard in every way to help support our mission. He's very creative - constantly thinking about how to help children and ways we can do more for children and do it better. Of course, he's a great businessman and brings those talents and skills to the table in his role here as well."

Hyland explains that in his current role, Hertz has oversight over the entire Children's Healthcare of Atlanta organization: more than 12,000 employees (including 1,400 pediatric physicians) and volunteers serving more than half a million patients each year. "I don't know how he does it," she says. "He's always available to us - always respectful and kind and never makes you feel like he's rushed. His wife is the same way; she's also committed to a number of different philanthropic endeavors. The Hertz family is truly a gift to Atlanta."


Finding The Right Balance
In addition to his work with Camp Twin Lakes and Children's Healthcare, Hertz is chairman of the Georgia Cancer Coalition and sits on the boards of The Marcus Foundation, Tulane University (his alma matter), Woodruff Arts Center and Hands On Atlanta. He was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year by the Georgia Association of Philanthropy, and was one of 20 recipients of the Jefferson Award in Washington, D.C., for distinguished service to children.

How does he balance all of his philanthropic and volunteer activities with the demands and responsibilities of running United Distributors, a wholesale beverage distribution company with 1,200 employees and nearly $700 million in revenue that is one of the top 25 private companies in Atlanta?

"First, I'm blessed with a family that has encouraged me to be involved in activities like these," he says. "Also, if our senior management team wasn't doing such a good job managing the business, I wouldn't have time to do what I do when it comes to volunteering and serving the community."

Yates stresses that Hertz is far from a hands-off business owner who let's others handle the details of running his company. "Some people think that others must be running United Distributors for Doug, since he spends so much time in his volunteer activities, but that's not the case. He is heavily involved in the day-to-day workings of the company and has a complete handle on the business.

"And the growth of the company has been stunning since Doug took over as CEO," Yates continues. "He has an incredibly keen mind to keep all the balls in the air."

Integral To The Mission
Not surprisingly, volunteerism and philanthropy are core values at United Distributors. "Philanthropy is part of our company's mission statement," Hertz says. "We believe it's important for all of our associates to be involved in their communities and help make them better places to live. We're fortunate to have been successful in our business, so I believe that giving back is part of our job."

Yates says he clearly sees this culture of volunteerism at the company: "It's reflected in the company's values and everything they do. There's a total seamlessness in how they live their lives professionally and personally."

Of course, Hertz's main motivation in giving time and resources is to help others, but he notes that both he and his company benefit as well. "In many of my philanthropic activities, I end up creating relationships that turn out to be beneficial for our business and for me personally. They all give me a different perspective and I learn things that help me be a better executive."

He says his involvement with Children's Healthcare is a good example: "It's a big organization with more than six thousand employees and a few billion dollars in assets that needs to be run like a business. And serving on the board of Tulane University is exposing me to a different business model and teaching me how a private university is run."

Hertz admits to being a little selfish about how he spends his volunteer time and energy these days. "Before getting involved, I ask several questions: Is there a real need in the community here that others aren't stepping up to fill, and will my experience here help the most? And will this be an exciting and intellectually stimulating activity for me that will also help me become a better person and business owner? If the answers to these questions are yes, then a cause will become a high priority for me."

The Importance of Giving Back
It's not surprising to learn that Hertz believes CEOs and executives have a responsibility to devote some of their time, resources and energy to giving back and helping their communities. "We all have an obligation to help," he says. "Atlanta is blessed with many CEOs who feel a civic responsibility to help make Atlanta a better place to live. The safer and better educated Atlanta is, the better it is for all of us."

Hertz points to a number of different Atlanta business leaders and CEOs who have impacted and helped guide him over the years. "Charlie Yates and Bernie Marcus have been great mentors to me. Over the years, Pete McTier, Russ Hardin, Erwin Zaban and Jimmy Williams have always inspired me - they've taken me under their wing and given me advice and encouragement. When men like this are in your corner, it makes things easier and gives you confidence to move forward in whatever you're doing."