Allison Anglim ’16
President and CEO of Noble Gas Solutions and accomplished public speaker David Mahoney came to Siena on Monday, February 8 to lead a lunchtime lecture titled “Chasing Your Own Dream - How To Live the American Dream…. According to Dave.”
As a speaker in this year’s School of Business Lecture Series Program, Mahoney reminisced on the hardships he faced as a young boy growing up in Waterford, NY and explained his career paths to the students, faculty, and community members in attendance at the Key Auditorium.
From a young age, Mahoney was familiar with the importance of hard work. Being one of six children, he was unable to afford college tuition. Instead, Mahoney worked as a sales trainee for a local welding company to support his family. He moved his way up through the ranks, becoming sales manager in 1978, vice president in 1980, and president in 1985. In December of 1986, Mahoney purchased the company, and since then, has turned what was once a welding supply company into a nationally recognized player in the gas and welding supply industry.
“In America, you can be whatever you want to be, you just have to want it bad enough”, said Mahoney. Through his lecture, he encouraged students to “have faith in your [their] ability.” He explained the five qualities that he believes are needed to achieve big dreams; “be honest, show commitment, be persistent, have integrity and work hard.” From first-hand experience, Mahoney knows that these five qualities will help achieve dreams, because they helped him attain his.
Mahoney is dedicated to giving back to the community where he got his start. He is committed to practicing what he preaches through his volunteer work. He and his wife have raised over $2,000,000 to support local charitable causes and organizations.
In his concluding comments Mahoney urged those in attendance, “If you’re not happy waking up to do what you do every day then you are not following your dreams. Do what you love to do and you will live your life happy.”
