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By Kevin Gray
As the father of a daughter who was addicted to heroin, Roger Hansen ’65 knows the heart-twisting pain that seeing a child in the grips of dependence can impose upon a family. And as a successful businessman who cares deeply about his family and his community, he helped his daughter rebuild her life and, in the process, helped his community address the problem.
“The hardest part for a parent or relative of an addict is that you have to let them recover on their own,” says Hansen, an industrial engineering graduate. “It goes against your instincts. As a parent, the first thing you want to do is take care of them. But, you can’t make them do it and you can’t help them do it. It’s something that they have got to want for themselves. All you can do is love them.”
Following her treatment, Jennifer Hansen felt there was a need in New Jersey for halfway houses for recovering addicts as they get out of primary care. To help in the effort she spearheaded, Hansen and his family started the nonprofit Hansen Foundation. One of its initiatives—Hansen House—is a substance-abuse halfway house that opened in November 2004. It provides follow-up care to 24 men and 24 women. The foundation also opened Serenity House in Absecon, N.J., an extended care program for eight men who may live there for up to two years after completing treatment at Hansen House.
“My father always said that whatever you give to charity, you’ll get back tenfold, and I find that to be true,” Hansen says. “You never know where it’s coming from, but I have always believed that whenever you help the community, you’re helping yourself, as well.”
The Hansen Foundation is just one aspect of the Hansen’s successful endeavors. He began working at Ole Hansen & Sons as a 12-year-old sweeping floors during summer breaks from school. He worked his way up the company’s ladder to become president in 1978 and, in 1982, became chairman and chief executive officer.
“I had no idea that the company would grow like this,” he says. “Back when I was sweeping floors, we were just a small construction company. But sure enough, with the good investments that my father made and that my uncle made, and some of the investments that I have made, we have been able to turn it into a thriving business.”
One of the keys to the success of Ole Hansen & Sons has been the diversification of the business, based in Cologne, N.J. Fueled by Hansen’s vision and flexibility, the company has transformed from a construction business into a real estate management firm that boasts several ventures, including Blue Heron Pines East and West Residential Golf Communities, Hidden Creek Golf Club, Atlantic City Transportation Center, OHS Sand & Gravel Company, and Margate Bridge Company.
“I have always liked to take advantage of business opportunities, whatever they may be,” Hansen explains. “A guy came to me 20 years ago and said he needed a place to park buses in Atlantic City, so we envisioned a bus parking lot. The Atlantic City Transportation Center has become one of the largest centers in the country. Back in the early 1990s, we felt there was a need in our state for a high-end, daily-fee golf course, so we built Blue Heron Pines East and West Residential Golf Communities. Our business has been built by taking advantage of opportunities.”
Hansen credits his time at Lafayette for his success in both business and in life.
“I had a very well-rounded education at Lafayette,” he says. “I wasn’t the greatest student in the world, so Lafayette was a challenge for me. But, I was able to be an engineer and take a lot of liberal arts courses. Lafayette gives you a very well rounded education in a nice atmosphere. I don’t think I could’ve gone to a better school. It was exactly the place that I needed to be.”
Both Hansen and his father attended Lafayette, and both followed up their academic career with important service to their alma mater.
“My father and I both thought that the pinnacle of our philanthropic efforts was to sit on the Board of [Trustees],” he says. “I’ve met so many wonderful people. It was just a wonderful experience. At times, it was very trying, but just as with trying times in life, the experience and what came out of it was incredibly rewarding.”