Tau Kappa Epsilon - Iowa State University

4 W hen Don Zimmerman '73 and Terry Lutz '73 arrived at Iowa State to wrestle for Dr. Harold Nichols and his powerhouse program, they were grappling with the idea of how they could join a fraternity and still be successful on the mat. After some encouragement to go through fraternity recruitment from Terry's older sister, who was a member of AOPi and a Teke Little Sister, Don and Terry found out that Epsilon Chapter was also cementing its status in the ranks of the elite at ISU. Don and Terry are in agreement that wrestling and TKE were pivotal in helping them lead successful lives. After serving as recruitment chairmen during the summer between their sophomore and junior years, Don and Terry are teaming up again to build something special at Epsilon Chapter. They have both contributed to the Securing Epsilon's Legacy campaign and are challenging their brothers to follow their lead. "I know if not for the TKE house, I would have not pursued opportunities the way I have. I've been very fortunate, and I think Don would say the same thing," Terry said. "I'm a big believer that if you're handed opportunities and you've got the means, then you should be willing to give back to what got you there. I think in doing that, hopefully you perpetuate more opportunities for other people." Don added, "The Chapter consisted of a lot of pre-med and pre-vet students and future architects and CPAs—just about everything there is. It gave you confidence and comfort to be a part of a group of guys who were on their way to succeeding in life. I think if I would've been in a separate dorm, I wouldn't have got that same feeling I got from the TKE house. The experience that we got from the TKE house just deserved something significant back." The confidence Don received from TKE was evident early on in his career when he surprised many of his peers by deciding to start his own business. Don had begun his career by spending nearly a decade with Montgomery Elevator Company and worked his way up to be the branch manager, but believing in himself and starting his own business paid off. He now has offices in San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and Dallas. "We pretty much cover the whole state of Texas and are the premier residential elevator and accessibility lift product company in Texas," Don said. "It's growing into a good business for me. It's just a good medium-sized small business in a really specialized industry that has limited competition because it's so specialized." Much like Don, Terry has leaned on what he learned from TKE and wrestling to become a successful small business owner. After spending a year at Fisher Controls in Marshalltown, Terry started working for McClure Engineering in 1978 in Fort Dodge. He eventually bought part of the business from John McClure in 1981 and purchased the whole business in 1985. "We were one office and 12 employees and stayed in Fort Dodge and ran the business for almost 30 years and then moved to Des Moines in 2010. We've grown the business and are at almost 190 employees and 10 offices," Terry said. "We're primarily in Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas, but we are doing work in 48 of the 50 states. We've been in Inc. 5000 five years in a row. The thing that I'm most proud of is our teammates voting us a great place to work through an independent survey conducted by Fortune Magazine five years in a row as well." While their respective businesses have kept them busy, Terry and Don always enjoy catching up when the opportunities present themselves. Through their gifts to the campaign, Don and Terry are ensuring that Tekes at ISU will reap the rewards of Epsilon Chapter for years to come. You can connect with Don at donz@homeelevator. com and Terry at tlutz@mecresults.com. Recruitment Chairmen Reliving the Glory Days Don Zimmerman '73 and Terry Lutz '73 Lead the Charge in Epsilon Campaign Terry Lutz '73 and Don Zimmerman '73 at the big TKE tent before Iowa State's Homecoming football game in 2015. Epsilon by the Numbers Statistics from the 2019-20 Academic Year $38,000 raised for philanthropic efforts 6,000 service hours 100% participation in risk management training 32 new members 3.60 spring 2020 GPA; 3.16 fall 2019 GPA

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