International Success Story
By Dollie Elliott
Early in 2018, Kevin Hamm plans to be among the many Spears School of Business alumni who will return to Stillwater to celebrate the opening of Oklahoma State University’s new state-of-the-art Business Building.
Of all the 147,450 square feet of the five-floor building (including a basement), two particular spaces will have special meaning to his family: the Dr. B. Curtis Hamm Classroom on the second floor and the Dr. B. Curtis Hamm Office of the School of Marketing and International Business on the fourth floor — both named after his late father.
At the age of 13, Kevin was adopted by the legendary OSU marketing professor and traveled the 24-hour flight from Guangzhou, China’s third largest city, to Oklahoma, where he grew up in Stillwater.
“I have associated with OSU most of my life. I always knew OSU had the best business program and that it would prepare me for my future career, so (attending OSU) was an easy decision,” says Hamm.
Hamm earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in management information systems from OSU in 2001, the year before his father retired.
After graduating from OSU, Hamm worked as an intern at Simmons Bedding Co. LLC in Atlanta, and was soon promoted to project manager. Two years later, he was promoted to export manager and a year later promoted again to licensing manager for the Eastern Hemisphere.
During his eight years at Simmons, Hamm set up a new export sales channel throughout Asia, increasing his annual export sales by 300 percent for consecutive two years.
In 2009, he left Simmons to become CEO of Ceilea Cosmetic Co. Ceilea is one of China’s oldest cosmetic companies with 30 licensed retail chains across China.
In 2010 he also took on the role of CEO of the Xue Ya Gmp Cosmetic Factory.
Fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, Hamm spends most of his time working with his team on key business strategies and product development projects.
“I enjoy working with our team to develop great products that help our retail chain stores to grow and expand their business across China,” he says.
“When I took the job as CEO for Ceilea, I decided to upgrade and build the top-grade cosmetic factory in China. Our hard work and heavy investment paid off very quickly. Our new research lab has developed a unique bio skin care product that helped our retail stores grow from 2,000 stores to 2,800 stores around China within a year.
“My day-to-day work projects are all associated with management and marketing skills that I learned from the classes I took from OSU,” says Hamm.
“Our production facility is also a great place for OSU students to visit and learn about foreign production and management skills. There are at least three groups of OSU students who visit our facility when they travel to Guangzhou every year,” says Hamm.
“Visiting Mr. Hamm’s facility during the Hong Kong study abroad program was one of our most rewarding experiences,” says Greg Day, study abroad instructor and assistant professor of economics and legal studies in the Spears School. “He was extremely insightful, welcoming, and willing to share a wealth of information about the promises and challenges of being an entrepreneur in China.”
Besides Hamm’s classes in marketing, Kevin says he most enjoyed management classes taught by Ken Eastman, now dean of the Spears School, and Andy Urich’s business law classes. “Both professors were engaging and entertaining. I learned so much from them.”
B. Curtis Hamm, the longtime business school faculty member whose teaching career spanned 38 years, was a friend and mentor to many OSU students, many of whom are now successful in the oil and gas industry, attorneys, business owners, college professors, U.S. congressmen, and many other professions too numerous to list.
“To everyone, Bob Hamm was a Christian, a professor, an advisor, a businessman, a scholar. But to me, he was simply my father, my protector, my hero,” says Hamm’s son.
“He not only gave me the opportunity of living in the best country in the world but also provided me a family that I never had. He gave me the opportunity to travel all around the world with him and we learned about cultures, all so that I could become a better man. Most importantly he led me to understand the importance of having a spiritual belief that can help me sustain anything in life. I miss him.”
B. Curtis Hamm was held in such high regard that a group of former students helped fund a $250,000 endowed scholarship in his name. In recent years, former students also spearheaded an effort to honor Hamm by naming the classroom in the new Business Building in his honor.
“My dad dedicated most of his life to help countless students worldwide. He found great joy in leaving such legacies behind to do more of the same in the form of scholarships,” Hamm says.
Hamm met his wife, Cai Miao Miao, also a cosmetics CEO, at an industry conference. The couple reside in Guangzhou with their three sons: 6-year-old Curtis, 3-year-old Lucas and 6-month-old Marcus.
Hamm spends most of his free time with his family. They enjoy exploring different parts of China, learning different cultures.
“My dad’s values and beliefs will be passed on to my sons, especially about finding joy in helping and influencing others, learning how to share with those less fortunate, understanding the importance of having spirituality — things that are all critical to a happy and fulfilled life,” Hamm says.