Robert E. Freer Jr. has witnessed a breakdown in free enterprise over the course of his career in law, which has included experience in government, private practice and as a senior officer and general counsel for Kimberly-Clark and other corporations. With the Free Enterprise Foundation, he is aiming to make a global change in business, emphasizing ethics and civic responsibility.
"I think the commercial aspects of business have overwhelmed the ethical nature, in many respects," he said. "I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, but I certainly see it in my own industry."
Freer was named the first John S. Grinalds Leader in Residence at The Citadel School of Business Administration in the fall, an honor he said is humbling. "What does John Grinalds stand for more than leadership," he said. "I feel humbled to do anything in John’s name. He has been such an era-changing force here."
Freer graduated from Princeton and earned his juris doctorate from the University of Virginia. He was an early leader in the field of corporate governance and was chairman of the ABA Corporate Governance Subcommittee of the Section of Business, Banking and Corporation Law from 1980 through 1982. He has served on many boards and is currently on the managing board of Rezfuzion LLC, an application software provider for the recruiting industry, among other for-profit, not-for-profit and public corporations.
The founder and chief executive officer of the Free Enterprise Foundation, Freer said he hopes to initiate a shift back to ethics in all aspects of business. "It felt to me that we were losing touch with the important well spring of the success of our society, which really is in the adherence to strong moral values and free enterprise," he said.
"We need to be successful as a nation; we really need to understand that there is a symbiotic relationship between free enterprise and our liberties."
Founded in December 2002, the Free Enterprise Foundation aims to preserve one of the cornerstones of American business, the free enterprise system, which now has global implications. While the Foundation is not distinctly Lowcountry in nature, Freer said it is fitting since "I view Charleston as essentially being one of the earliest and most prominent centers of commerce and of what we'll call enlightened thought."
Freer said he feels the city has hid its light "under a bushel basket for far too long."
"I wanted to start something here that the town itself could take as being proud of, and that was not just something Lowcountry," he said, "but really I was trying for a national and international mission."
In his work with the Free Enterprise Foundation, Dean Earl Walker said Freer has created Charleston’s first and only think tank, “a think tank dedicated to the pursuit of ethics, high standards and best practices in the corporate sector."
“We are delighted to have Robert here teaching in the school,” he added.
At The Citadel, Freer teaches undergraduate students and MBA candidates in business law and ethics. He said he does not preach about free enterprise in class, although "I try to encourage thought. Think about it. What is it that you really want out of life? What is really best? Particularly young minds, they don't know, they are looking to us."
He said it is not always possible to succeed as a model for students in this aspect, although "we do try to model appropriate behavior that, if you can get a hold of your appetites, you are going to lead a much happier, more fulfilled life than if you don't."
The Foundation prides itself on disseminating information about free enterprise, and is also looking to reward those that represent the essence of ethics and help promote this mission. Freer said the Foundation recently initiated an annual award recognizing ethics and civic responsibility in the business world. The first recipient is Mack Whittle of First Carolina, who was honored with a luncheon sponsored by the Free Enterprise Foundation and supported by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the South Carolina World Trade Center.
Freer said the Foundation has been funded by its board and through some foundation support. It is currently looking to solicit professional assistance and fundraising. A lot of the contributions have been in-kind from organizations, mostly in the use of facilities and the help of their professionals. Freer said the Foundation has a variety of naming opportunities available.
"I think that what I am trying to do is read in the mainstream what is The Citadel mission," Freer said, "and I hope that both the Foundation and my time here continue to flourish."
For more information on the Free Enterprise Foundation, visit http://www.freeenterprisefoundation.org/.
