Flathead senior: 'I don't plan on making more of a personal profit than $1 million'

Connor Roettig is driven, assertive, industrious, enterprising and a future entrepreneur and humanitarian with presidential aspirations.

The 18-year-old Flathead High School senior has set a life plan through the age of 43. If his plan works out, he will retire as president of the United States having made the country a better place.

Roettig, an International Baccalaureate Diploma recipient, will start by making his mark on the business world.

“When I was younger I wanted to be an inventor. I wanted to be the next Iron Man,” Roettig said.

“The one thing that distinguishes me now from then is then, I just wanted to be the richest man in the world. I wanted to outdo Rockefeller and that was my main goal. I eventually started to realize how many people were doing favors for me and you start to be introduced to all these people that don’t have the same opportunities as you,” he added. “That’s when I thought I should introduce more humanitarian aspects to my work.”

Roettig will start rolling out his business ideas at Princeton University in the fall where he plans to study mechanical engineering or Operations Research Financial Engineering. Roettig received a full ride to Princeton based on financial need.

“ORFE covers the statistical probability aspects of engineering — a lot like industrial engineering,” Roettig said. “Mechanical engineering would give me the tools to build things. ORFE allows me to put the mechanical engineering into a business or engineer it specifically to be produced on a mass scale [like assembly lines].”

These two programs will give him the footing to start an innovative campus club that joins science, technology, engineering and math fields to establish operating businesses. Roettig said with the degrees he will be able to understand how to build and set up large-scale production.

“Everything that we build is going to be written up into a business plan. Then we’re going to pitch it to venture capitalists to get the funding to start businesses as soon as we graduate,” Roettig said, noting that the goal is to provide students with a successful foundation after college.

“A lot of times, if a businesses fails in the first semester and if we want to really make sure those businesses survive we allow students to work together to start businesses and to produce their ideas and then just be assisted by everyone involved in the club,” Roettig said.

He said college is the perfect place to start such a club and Princeton will have many opportunities to meet people with the same vision.

“A college in general you have so much intelligence in such a close proximity that you can use that for an engine of growth. Now colleges can start providing sparks to the economy,” Roettig said.

Instilling an entrepreneurial spirit and a philosophy to help others help themselves is something that Roettig has come to believe. While ambitious he is not out for fame or riches.

“The club would understand that, yes, we are a business, and yes, we’re trying to post profits. In the end, we’re always going to try and give back and give opportunities to people,” Roettig said.

This summer Roettig is building a prototype (of what he wouldn’t say) only noting that it is related to environmental-type engineering along the lines of clean energy.

“It goes along with humanitarian aspects,” Roettig said.

After graduating from college, Roettig hopes to create products that move humanity forward, rebuild depressed cities such as Detroit and create opportunities. He explained his philosophy on the relationship between employer and employee.

“What I would talk to my employees about is you are going to get paid very well,” Roettig said. “I don’t really ever plan on making more of a personal profit than a million dollars; that would be satisfiable for myself, and then try and use the rest of the money on investments and for my employees and my employees are supposed to provide opportunities for those around them.”

At 25, Roettig plans to establish a business council that includes Fortune 500 companies to pool contributions from a percentage of profits toward charitable work.

“Businesses provide a lot of money to charities, but a lot of time those charities aren’t being as successful as possible. What if we combine profits and make a project more successful than leaving halfway-done projects. If we do it as a business council we can start rebuilding cities,” he said in addition to potentially making loans or scholarships.

“Now the 1 percent is trying to help everybody that isn’t there yet,” Roettig said. “Get rid of this idea that capitalism is just a driver of class stratification and more of a driver of growth and opportunity.”

He added that with opportunities, the recipients should aim to work just as hard.

At 35, Roettig plans to be in a position to campaign for president.

“It works out great because when I’m 35 it’s an election year. It’s like it’s meant to be and I can retire when I’m 43,” he said. “For me it’s not for politics. I’d run on a different party. I’m not playing power politics. I’m trying to make the world a better place.”

Roettig said his parents and his grandfather helped shape him into who he is today, encouraging him toward a business and engineering path where he could “institute really amazing change.”

“My dad was a businessman and he started his own business. My parents are both very charming people and my grandpa who was also integral to me being raised knows a lot about engineering,” he said.

His parents’ divorce when he was 11 also shaped his personality.

“I became the leader, the man of the household. Based on how I handled the situation, the drive that I developed there, I really started to think I could be a businessman,” Roettig said.

His four younger brothers have had a hand in reinforcing each other to achieve their potential.

“We’ve made promises to each other that we’re going to give it our all,” Roettig.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.