June 14 Final_002houston 5/22/14 12:35 PM Page 40
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photography by max burkhalter
AN OPEN CONVERSATION WITH DAVID HAMILTON
by tricia Harrison
In today’s world, just about everything we do is automated and accelerated. Businesses everywhere accommodate our fast-paced lifestyles with cost-effective mechanized solutions to our needs to create a profitable bottom line. Not Hamilton Shirts. The oldest family-owned business in Houston meticulously crafts the finest shirts in America the old-fashioned way, with their hands. Through each step of production, every shirt is flawlessly constructed. And that’s the way it’s been since 1883. The family counts a veritable red carpet of dignitaries and celebrities among their clients, had their shirts dominate the cover of a Vanity Fair Oscars’® issue, and sells to retailer Barney’s to boot. Surviving hurricanes, wars, the Great Depression and recessions, Hamilton Shirts is indubitably a rarity and in today’s market – at 131 years old – a breath of fresh air. I sat down with DAVID HAMILTON (fourth generation), who runs the business with his sister, Kelly, to get to the heart of a Hamilton. A kind, polished, traditionalist, he shared his insights.
THE HAMILTON HERITAGE
HARRISON: HOW DO YOU FEED YOUR SOUL? Hamilton: Watching my daughter have fun, traveling with my wife, enjoying long walks while letting my mind wander.
HARRISON: Describe your most perfect Day. Hamilton: a summer day in telluride. starting the morning with coffee and a long hike. burger and beer for lunch. a good book and a nap in the early afternoon. exploring town later in the day. reading a little more at happy hour with a glass of wine. enjoying dinner in town that evening. Wake up. repeat. HARRISON: WHat’s your pHilosopHy of life? Hamilton: live and let live.
HARRISON: WHat’s tHe best cHristmas present you’ve ever receiveD? Hamilton: i had a steady succession of stellar christmases. He-man, voltron, transformers, atari and nintendo.
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HARRISON: name a time in your life you Were resistant to cHange occurring but it WorkeD out for tHe best. Hamilton: leaving the naval academy. it was tough. i liked it and put in all this time and paid my dues, but sometimes it takes courage to make a change. i admired people in the military but i realized i didn’t want it to be my profession.
HARRISON: WHat’s tHe best aDvice you’ve ever been given? Hamilton: to assume the best in people. sometimes, when you assume the best in people, it brings the best out in them. HARRISON: if you coulD meet anyone DeaD or alive, WHom WoulD you meet? Hamilton: einstein would be really fascinating.
HARRISON: WHat Has been tHe biggest cHallenge in your life anD WHat DiD overcoming it teacH you?
Hamilton: the recession. When i got into the business, everything was great for a good while. overcoming that without compromising what we do was hard. it taught me resilience and how to make the right decisions. you don’t learn as much about business when it’s good; you really learn when it’s hard. HARRISON: WHat favor WoulD you ask from goD? Hamilton: to have more time in my day. more spring, less summer!
HARRISON: if you Were stranDeD on a DeserteD islanD, WHat tHree tHings WoulD you Want WitH you? Hamilton: good company, good drinks and a raft with cup holder!
Founder and CEO of Catalyst Coaching + Consulting, a coaching and consulting firm, Tricia Harrison is a lawyer, writer, motivational speaker, life coach, consultant, and champion of our triumphant human spirit.