#MoversandShakers #MichaelShoule #EvertoExcel @BostonCollege #WeAreBC #Founder and #President of #ReadTogetherBooks @readtogetherbks and Customs House Broker, Foreign Freight Fowarder & Logistics Consultant at JW Hampton Jr & Co Inc

Michael Shoule

The day he left Queens to begin his freshman year at Boston College, Michael Shoule swore to himself, as the oldest of three children, that he would never move back home. Four years later upon graduation he stayed true to his word and moved in with his grandmother who lived 6 houses away. Two extended trips that summer – one to the West Coast and one to Charleston, South Carolina – were just the post-Senior week “recovery time” he needed prior to embarking upon an earnest job search that September. One month and a second interview later and Mike was taking the Long Island Railroad to midtown Manhattan every day to work in the garment district for the children’s apparel manufacturer Mighty-Mac Sports and the Haddad Apparel Group.

Competing for a seat during the morning and evening commutes plus the long days got old quick and just about twelve months later Mike handed in his letter of resignation advising his employers that he planned to move to Charleston where his aunt, uncle and cousins lived. Not that this was necessarily a clear thought process on his part, but his idea was that he could bartend and live with his family until he could find a real job since the overall cost of living was significantly less. Thankfully the powers that were at Haddad saw this as an opportunity for them to have their first ever Southeast sales rep and the timing could not have been better as their business was starting to grow. It didn’t take long for Mike to say yes to their offer knowing that a steady paycheck was a better option than working for tips and so he packed up his Toyota Corolla and began the drive down I-95.

Mike hit the ground running in Charleston, driving a cargo van with New Jersey license plates, and visiting nearly every JC Penney and Belk store in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky even venturing into Alabama occasionally. The van was outfitted with three iron poles running front to back filled with children’s garment samples and so Mike would pull into the parking lot, slide open the door of the van, fill the rolling rack with rompers, short sets and windsuits embroidered with the logos of licensed sports teams or Disney characters on them and head into the store to meet with the childrenswear buyer.

In 1996 the city of Atlanta hosted the summer Olympics and while attending some of those events with his parents Mike realized that being on the road 4-5 days per week staying in Motel 6s throughout the South and driving something like 40,000 miles per year for three years straight had hindered his ability to have a social life and enjoy the relaxed pace of Charleston. For the second time, Mike handed in his resignation letter to his bosses at Haddad.

Wouldn’t you know it, Haddad had an opening in their Bugle Boy and Harley-Davidson divisions that they wanted Mike to fill and rather than accept his decision they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. That offer was lucrative enough for him to rent an apartment on 34th and Broadway just across from Macy’s Herald Square where he could literally walk out the back door of the building each morning and be at his desk in about five minutes depending on how long the waits for the traffic light and then elevator were. For the next three years Mike handled Harley-Davidson dealers and department store accounts across the country until seeing the writing on the wall or maybe one should say the last name on the wall. He was not a Haddad and so after seven years with the Haddad Apparel Group the ceiling was more apparent than ever.

Thankfully there was a company that did have Mike’s last name on it or at least that had been in his family for three generations – JW Hampton Jr & Co Inc. – and so this third letter of resignation would be final. When his lease expired on his apartment he moved back to Queens since the family’s 125 year old logistics company that helped companies in all industries with their import and export shipments was based at JFK Airport. Mike joined his younger brother who had been with the company for about three years, along with his parents, his aunt, and their employees and was informed on Day 1 that you don’t use the word Mom in the office, she was Maureen to him.

While he was familiar with the business in general from working there during previous summers in high school and college, there was still a lot to learn. Once he got up to speed, Mike added visits to existing clients as well as prospective new ones to his responsibilities which enabled him to get out of the office once in a while. Working for the family business was something he expected to eventually be doing ever since he was young and while it entailed a lot of hard work and made the holidays challenging at times, it also afforded him the opportunity to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors on the side.

In January 2007 Mike’s first child was born. His now ex-wife was insistent upon them reading to their newborn every night claiming that that was how a baby’s vocabulary was formed (she was right of course). Mike was getting a bit tired, literally and figuratively, of reading Sheep In A Jeep and Hippos Go Berserk every night so upon returning from his 15 year Boston College reunion in June, Mike decided that he was going to write a book about BC football that he would actually enjoy reading to his son nightly. He figured he had some licensing knowledge from his days at Haddad and knew about importing from his family’s business so how hard could it be.

Very hard was the answer and it took nearly two years until the board book My Daddy Loves Boston College Football was self-published under his own Read Together Books publishing company. The intention was for that book to be the springboard to the My Daddy Loves… series that would include most if not all major colleges especially those who had a more consistent winning performance from their football team.

That goal got sidetracked by an unnecessarily long divorce process which was followed a few years later by Mike leaving JW Hampton for an opportunity in the window coverings industry. He was hired as the Northeast Sales Manager for Rollease Acmeda selling aluminum tubes, a variety of fabrics, motors, and components to companies that manufactured window shades. When it became apparent after three years that the private equity company that owned Rollease was going to sell the company and “restructure”, like the prodigal son, minus the fatted calf, Mike returned to JW Hampton where he has been ever since.

This past fall Read Together Books published its second board book, My Daddy Loves Clemson Football along with their first paperback title I Love Going to the Bronx Zoo which was inspired by Mike’s childhood love of the Bronx Zoo and a story he wrote for his sixth-grade yearbook at PS 188Q.

Two more titles My Daddy Loves Florida Football and My Daddy Loves Michigan State Football should be available this summer with more forthcoming in the fall just in time for the college football season.  We are absolutely thrilled to present Michael as our latest Mover and Shaker and we hope the Boston College twitter notices and retweets.  Peachy Deegan interviewed Michael Shoule for Whom You Know.

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What do you love most about Boston College? 

The friends that I made as a student who are still my closest friends to this day.

Why does BC have the best alumni network in the world? 

Many of us take the “Men and Women for Others” to heart and as a result strive to play an active role in our communities.

Why doesn’t everyone understand that excellence is the true goal? 

I wish they would for sure. In my experience though there are those who look for the path of least resistance rather than understanding how gratifying it is to continue to move forward towards your goals as you get closer and closer to excellence.

How will you be instilling the #EvertoExcel motto in your book brand? 

Dad’s need to excel when it comes to raising their children. My books are about a father sharing his love of his alma mater’s sports teams or other activities with his children. The thought is that a Dad can read these fun stories to his children pretty much from birth then attend a game with them. Then read about the fun they had over and over again. Then attend another game with them. The books first serve to create excitement around rooting for the team and build anticipation of going to the game. After attending the game and arriving back home the Dad and child can then read about it every night before bed. Sharing and building this bond is one way for a Dad to excel at the ever challenging vocation of fatherhood.

What do you love most about the Mets and what do you think will happen with the Mets this season? 

I love that I was born and raised in Queens so it’s root, root, root for the home team and that my grandfather was a Mets fan and my father and my son are Mets fans. Four generations of Mets fans – how great is that? The Mets have a ton of talent and if they can get and stay healthy by the end of the summer they should be in good shape to make a run to the World Series. LGM!!!

What makes a family business successful? 

Hard work, communication, respect for tradition and a common goal to sustain and grow the company for future generations.

What should everyone know about JW Hampton? 

From when we first started in 1865 until today, personal service and truly caring about our customers is why we are still filling the logistics needs of importers and exporters 158 years later.

What other authors do you admire and why? 

I love the wit of Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde both of whose works get me laughing and thinking at the same time. On the other hand, I find Flannery O’Connor’s short stories quite thought provoking despite the often-tragic undertones. And those guys who wrote the best selling book of all time deserve a ton of credit even if I don’t open that book nearly as often as I should.

What are your plans for Read Together Books? 

I have two more titles already written and illustrated that will be published this summer with more titles to follow in time for the college football season this fall.

What or who has had the most influence on your pursuit of excellence? 

No doubt my Dad. It annoyed the heck out of me as a kid when he would always say “Mark your work with excellence” no matter what the task was, but he instilled in me and my brother and sister the importance of anything worth doing is worth doing well.

What are you proudest of and why? 

Other than my two teenagers, I would say my two new books are what I am proudest of. I had big plans for Read Together Books when I started the company about 15 years ago. A prolonged divorce got in the way of those plans. I could have easily given up on that dream, but got back on track and the momentum is building.

What would you like to do professionally that you have not yet had the opportunity to do?

 I really enjoy sharing what I have written with others so I hope to have the chance to do a book reading and signing at the Bronx Zoo one day. That would be awesome.

What honors and awards have you received in your profession?

 I know this may sound corny but the loyalty of my JW Hampton clients and having those business relationships develop into friendships in some cases is a great honor. In terms of Read Together Books, I am not doing it for any awards or honors. Having a parent tell me their child wants to read my book every night or even better hearing the child sing the team’s fight song because they learned the lyrics from my book is the greatest reward and is affirmation of why I continue to write these books.

What one word best describes you and why? 

Grateful. I have been blessed with a fantastic family and awesome group of friends. Working for my family’s fourth-generation logistics company has given me the opportunity to travel for work along with the flexibility to start and grow Read Together Books.

What do you take your sense of identity from?

My faith and my upbringing have made me the man I am today.

What is your favorite place to be in Manhattan? 

 At a NY Rangers game although the American Museum of Natural History is a close second.

What is your favorite shop in Manhattan? 

Mets Clubhouse Shop

If you could hire anybody who would it be and why? 

My younger self. I know he would work hard and I could help him to use his strengths even more effectively to be successful

What is the best advice you’ve received in your career and what mentors have influenced you the most? 

At my first job out of college when I worked in the garment industry I remember being critical of a few of the styles for that season. My boss explained to me the importance of diplomacy and that I should limit my comments to constructive criticism in the way of that needs improvement rather than saying something was ugly. He continued to share with me that the designers worked very hard to come up with all of the styles and that I should be respectful of their efforts. He also taught me to always “ask for the order” at the end of a sales presentation. My freshman year adviser at Boston College has also had a great influence in my life and I am friends with him to this day. And of course my father, I mean my boss, for the past 20 plus years at JW Hampton has been a mentor for me since the day I was born.

What is your favorite drink? 

Root beer float or Tito’s on the rocks depending upon the event =)

What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you at a cocktail party? 

Does MaryAnn’s count as a cocktail party?

What is your favorite restaurant in Manhattan? 

Either Oscar Wilde on W 27th or Lillie’s on W 49th

What is your favorite Manhattan book or favorite character in Manhattan literature? 

King Kong

What is your favorite tv show and why? 

I am really glad season 3 of Ted Lasso has finally started. I had never heard of it before and then in the span of a few weeks last year two separate people who know me pretty well told me I reminded them of Ted Lasso. So of course I had to check it out (after I borrowed my sister’s Apple TV password). I felt pretty good about myself and took it as a compliment until Ted started having panic attacks. Then I wondered what was it about Ted Lasso that reminded them of me.

What is your favorite movie and why? 

The Sound of Music. Love the music. I had a crush on Liesl. Julie Andrews and I share the same birthday. I studied abroad in Vienna and fell in love with Salzburg which is where The Sound of Music takes place.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career? 

There is no such thing as a perfect decision or perfect answer or perfect plan so don’t waste time worrying about the outcome. Consider the options, make a well thought out choice and move forward. Avoid paralysis by analysis.

Who would you like to be for a day and why? 

Joe Manganiello…he’s Sofia Vergara’s husband right? Seriously though I would like to be a billionaire for a day. Knowing it would only be for a day I would be extremely philanthropic helping out as many individuals and organizations in need as possible so that the next day I would be a millionaire instead.

What would you like to be asked in an interview that you never have been asked, and how would you answer it? 

If you could have one well-connected person work for you for free who would that be? I don’t have a specific name in mind but it would be someone with a great network and years of experience in the field of marketing with the financial resources to help me grow the Read Together Books brand.

If you could have anything in Manhattan named after you what would it be and why? 

I wouldn’t want to take away from the history and nostalgia of our great City by putting my name on an existing museum or theater or skyscraper so I guess it would be a library or a school because I believe so much in the importance of education.

What has been your best Manhattan athletic experience? 

Scalping tickets on the corner of 33rd and 7th to watch the Rangers vs the Canucks in Game 1 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals at MSG and sitting in the blue seats with my Dad who used to have Rangers season tickets back in the 70s and 80s.

What is your favorite thing to do in Manhattan that you can do nowhere else? 

See the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center

If you could have dinner with any person living or passed, who would it be and why? 

My paternal grandfather who died before I was born. I would love to get to know him and also to have a window into my father’s childhood and personality. Having dinner with Jesus Christ would be pretty awesome too.

What has been your best Manhattan art or music experience? 

The Garth Brooks concert in Central Park in August 1997 was absolutely amazing. Jam packed with people and he put on such a great show. The Guinness Fleadh on Randall’s Island was a great time as well even if Van Morrison was a bit overserved before he went on stage. On a much smaller scale I had a lot of fun nights listening to live honky tonk at Rodeo Bar on 3rd Avenue before it closed.

What do you personally do or what have you done to give back to the world? 

I volunteer once a month at Marguerite’s Pantry in East Elmhurst. I donate platelets about 15-20 times per year. I participate in food drives held by the Knights of Columbus. About 15 years ago I started a bi-annual park clean-up in my community. I am still friends with the young man (who is now a father) that I tutored at East Harlem Tutorial program for 11 years. I try to pay it forward whenever possible and to raise my children to help make the world a better place.

What do you think is most underrated and overrated in Manhattan? 

Most underrated is how willing to help many New Yorkers are if you just give them the chance. Most overrated is the need that so many New Yorkers feel to always be in a rush.

Other than Movers and Shakers of course, what is your favorite WhomYouKnow.com​ column and what do you like about it? 

I think it’s a toss up between NHL Peachy and Big Apple Business. As Peachy appropriately states, the NHL playoffs are the “most wonderful time of the year”. And as a 158 year old company that used to have an office in the famous Woolworth Building across from City Hall, I have an affection for my fellow Big Apple businesses.

What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?

 I am horrible at social media which is not a good trait for the owner of a children’s book company. I have a hard time deciding if I am a beach person or a mountains person since I love both of them. I try to remind myself to not pre-judge because people will surprise you if you let them.

How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?

mike@readtogetherbooks.com