Now and Then

Thirty years ago, Charlie Babb was a rookie defensive back

when the Miami Dolphins finished a 17-0 season by winning Super Bowl VII. Now,

Babb, 52, is president of North Fort Myers-based Raymond Building Supply Corp.

With more than 525 employees, Babb’s business team has been ranked one of the

top independent lumber companies in the country by Pro Sales magazine. As the

Dolphins celebrate the anniversary of the 1972 perfect season (with a special

ceremony on Dec. 9), Babb, who lives in Naples, explains how the lessons he

learned on the playing field have helped him succeed in business.

“During that year, the climactic moments were in the Dec. 24

playoff game against Cleveland, when I blocked a punt and returned it for a

touchdown, preserving the undefeated season and winning the Super Bowl.

“Believe it or not, not much talk came about an undefeated

season until the last couple of games. You set your goals based upon winning

the division, getting into playoffs, winning the AFC Championship and the Super

Bowl.

“The thing that is the hardest is making the adjustment from

being a professional football player into the business world or private

enterprise. After eight years, my career ended because of a knee injury. I knew

that I would no longer play and didn’t have to go through self-questioning

about whether or not I was good enough anymore. It took me probably six months

to a year to make that adjustment. But I got to be a kid until I was 30.

“Toward the end of my football career, I invested in the

building industry with a few others. I joined Raymond Building Supply in

January 1996 as president.

I manage the way I was taught by the coaches. As an athlete,

you learn how to interact with people and about self-sacrifice and dedication.

A team is a group of people working together to accomplish a common goal. I use

a phrase here with my management staff—‘I’m not going to make a lot of

decisions, but we as a group are going to make a lot of decisions.’

“Coach Don Shula was always very organized, very repetitious

but very consistent. I learned from him how to keep people working at peak

levels. I always say, ‘You’ve got to kiss them or kick them.’ I also make

statements like, ‘You can’t be a dinosaur.’

You can’t manage today the way Vince Lombardi used to coach where he

berated people.

“When I came to Raymond Building Supply, I analyzed the

company’s strengths and weaknesses and put together a game plan to grow the

business. That game plan required additional manufacturing capacity and better

distribution. We stuck to the game plan, and have more than tripled our

business in the last six years.

“I try not to make Charlie Babb the ex-Dolphin player be the

reason I’m in business. That was a different life. Typically, you’ve got to be

45 to 60 years old to remember those days, which is not a pleasant thought. But

if clients want to talk football, I’ll talk about it.”