December 21, 2009
When James W. Christmas ’70CBA accepted an internship at the
accounting firm of Arthur Andersen during the summer between his
junior and senior year at St. John’s University, he embarked upon a
stellar professional career that would be bounded only by the
limits of his tireless energy, creative imagination and, most
important, an absolute willingness to take a chance and try new
things.
Coming to St. John’s as a married transfer student from Niagara
University, Christmas had previously been working long hours to
support himself and finance his education. “I came from no
money,” he recalled “and worked in construction during the day and
at a restaurant at night to pay for my education. When I came
to St. John’s, instead of going back to construction, I was
fortunate to get that internship. While I didn’t make quite
as much money as I did when I was working in construction, it
started me on the right foot in my career.”
The management team at Arthur Andersen immediately recognized
Christmas’ exceptional talents and offered him a paid position upon
graduation. During his career at Arthur Andersen, Christmas
worked with a variety of clients, primarily in the energy areas of
oil, gas and electric utilities. He left Arthur Andersen as
Senior Manager in March, 1978 to accept the position of Corporate
Controller at National Utilities and Industries, a diversified gas
utility company with a variety of ancillary energy
businesses. While at National Utilities and Industries his
responsibilities included troubleshooting problems at a number of
subsidiary companies, and his success led him to also serve as Vice
President and/or President at several of these
subsidiaries.
Christmas had been serving as Vice President of Planning and
Development when he orchestrated the spinoff of National Utilities
and Industries’ non-regulated businesses in 1988 and became
President and CEO of KCS Group, a newly created company which later
became KCS Energy. Under his leadership, KCS grew from a tiny
startup to a nearly $2 billion enterprise. In 2006 KCS Energy
merged with Petrohawk Energy Corporation, an independent energy
company engaged in the acquisition, production, exploration and
development of oil and gas. It is one of the premier oil and
gas companies involved in the new shale gas technology which is
adding significantly to the nation’s gas supplies.
Christmas currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of
Petrohawk, and credits the Vincentian values that he received at
St. John’s for contributing to his reputation as one of the
corporate world’s most respected leaders. “I got a great
education at St. John’s,” he said. “It was challenging, and
St. John’s provided the right atmosphere and set the foundation for
who I am today. Ethics was an important part of what was
being taught at the University back then [in the late ’60s], long
before it became as popular in the business schools as it is
today. St. John’s was way ahead of the curve on that
one!”
It was his sense of affection for and gratitude towards St. John’s
that led him to underwrite the Alumni
Relations Business Plan Competition, an innovative opportunity
for students and recent graduates of St. John’s The Peter J. Tobin
College of Business to create original business plans that will be
judged for cash prizes by a panel of successful St. John’s
alumni. “I wanted to get more involved with and give more
back to the University, and so when the idea of underwriting a
business plan competition was presented to me, I thought it was a
great idea. I really believe that if something like this can
spur some of the young people at St. John’s to take a chance and to
pursue their ideas, that will be a great thing.”
Christmas has some practical advice for students hoping to
follow in his footsteps. “Remember that the reality of being
an entrepreneur is taking an idea in a little different direction
and trying to make something of it that others aren’t seeing.
Don’t be afraid to fail, and don’t be afraid to make a
mistake. Just don’t make the same mistake twice. If
you’re willing to look for new things you can find new
opportunities and get to a different place. If you don’t try,
you’ll never win.”