The Cost of Good Business Ethics

Profile on: Henry “Hal” Thomas, co-founder of Dallas-based Corban  Communications

The higher you rise in the world of business, the stronger the temptation to exchange your principles for success. Few people know this better than Henry “Hal” Thomas, co-founder of Dallas-based Corban Communications. When he was just starting out, his unwillingness to compromise his beliefs cost him his job. But rather than end his career, that incident was only the beginning of something far greater than he had ever dreamed.

Hal takes a stand

In the mid-1980s, cellular phone service was just taking off, and Hal’s career appeared poised to soar along with it. Having been recruited by Southwestern Bell shortly after college, Hal was being groomed to play an active role in the founding of this new technology. But when something went wrong with one of their accounts, Hal was asked to randomly terminate five of his employees as a disciplinary measure. After mulling it over, Hal delivered his answer: “I told them that not only could I not do the task they had asked me to do, but if that’s the type of organization they were, that I could not associate with them at all.”

Help, God! What next?

Suddenly jobless, Hal and his wife Julie moved back from LA to Dallas, where he spent the next six weeks trying to figure out what to do next. The best idea he could come up with was to become a telecommunications consultant. This proved to be a good choice, and he eventually linked up with several other people who were in the same boat. Eventually, Hal decided to join up with two of these people and form their own company, COM2000+. At the time, the cell phone industry was expanding rapidly, and there was a lot of pressure to broaden the coverage area as quickly as possible. COM2000+ specialized in finding and assessing sites for new cell phone towers. The company expanded rapidly over the next three years, with revenues in the millions of dollars. “This was very exciting for us, to see the success God had brought our way through our commitment to grow the business by trying to honor him.”

An offering to God

Shortly afterwards, Hal and his partner David Kaltenbach had a falling out with the other principle of the company, who was not willing to submit the business to God. COM 2000+ soon dissolved. But Hal and David decided to reform the company and see if they couldn’t make a go of it again. Within ten months, not only had they reacquired their old customers, employees, and earnings, all of these things began to multiply exponentially. After earning over $1 million in revenue during their first year, COM2000+ quickly acquired ten other companies, with no signs of slowing down.

Thinking it was time to rename this rapidly growing entity, Hal sat down with a Bible dictionary one Sunday looking for ideas. When he hit upon the word, “Corban,” he knew he had it. The word meant “an offering to God,” which is exactly what Hal and David wanted the company to become.

Secret to success?

What’s their secret? “We owe all success to God’s grace,” says Hal. “The Bible tells us that God’s eyes are looking to and fro throughout the earth for those whose hearts are wholly committed to him. Every day, I pray that God would give us wisdom and that he would find us usable so that we can continue our mission to help others and to show God how much we love him.”

Have you ever felt pressured to compromise your values in order to succeed? If so, perhaps it’s time you asked Jesus to help you stand up for truth and justice. If you don’t know Jesus, we encourage you to pray the following prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Amen.

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