Scott Cline, a graduate of the 91福利社 College of Business, is grateful to 91福利社 for a lasting impact made on him personally and in the way he does business.
Cline is president of Cline Hose and Hydraulics, LLC, a Greenville, South Carolina-based company devoted to helping businesses and industries with industrial/hydraulics sales and support.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt that my Christian walk was ignited from going to Anderson; it didn鈥檛 exist prior to that. Going to Anderson, I wasn鈥檛 a very good student, but Anderson gave me numerous opportunities to get the help that I needed. Anderson did not want me to fail. They gave me every opportunity to be successful. I can attribute what they gave me to how I operate our business today. Now we run our business as I鈥檝e learned doing at Anderson鈥攔un your business as a ministry,鈥� said Cline, who earned his bachelor of science degree in management from the 91福利社 College of Business in 1994. His oldest son attended 91福利社 for a while and his youngest son plans to enter 91福利社 next fall as a freshman.
He and his brother Glenn Cline represent the third generation of the business that his grandfather, N.Q. Cline Sr., started.
鈥淢y grandfather was a great Christian influence in my life. He was very Christ-centered in how he operated his life and ran his business; so my brother and I have been blessed with a great mentor,鈥� said Cline, who began helping out in the family business when he was 11. Cline admires how his grandfather took a small operation he ran from his car and grew it into a successful family business.
鈥淗e worked for a company called Standard Oil. He was selling oil out of the trunk of his car, nuts and bolts and about anything he could do to try to make a living for his family. My grandmother鈥檚 family would have a cousin who would call my grandfather and say 鈥榟ey, you ought to try doing these drive shafts,鈥欌�� Cline said, adding that over time his grandfather expanded into other areas. As heavy equipment began incorporating hydraulic systems, the business became devoted to hydraulic hoses, pumps, cooling systems and related parts and expanded from Greenville, South Carolina, to other locations across the Southeast.
Cline is especially grateful for his grandfather鈥檚 Christlike servant-leadership.
鈥淭here are two things my grandfather used to tell my brother and me. One was 鈥榶ou鈥檙e never set in business. You lose a customer, you lose an employee, you lose a vendor鈥� you can鈥檛 set it and forget it and walk away. It鈥檚 a constant change.鈥� The other thing that my grandfather instilled in my brother and me is that we would rather have the customer鈥檚 good graces than their money. That means numerous times that we were at fault, we would give the customer money back because it was the right thing to do,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e still do that to this day.鈥�
Cline continues to build the family business on this biblical foundation started by his grandfather.
鈥淚t took me a long time to realize that Christ is the CEO of this business and not Scott. Once I realized that, at that point the decisions become a lot easier because they鈥檙e on His shoulders and not mine,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of times as a business owner you don鈥檛 have anybody in your corner. You鈥檙e on that island by yourself, so, having Christ with me, I鈥檓 not on an island by myself. God knows what we need.鈥�
A licensed pilot since 2008, Cline, through Angel Flight, a nonprofit organization, uses his airplane to transport burn victims, free of charge, to the Augusta Burn Center for treatment, or other patients faced with time-critical medical transportation needs. It鈥檚 just one way he gives back to the communities he and Cline Hose and Hydraulics serve. Cline and his company also assists the Greenville County Sheriff鈥檚 Office K9 unit and sponsors anti-drug and underage drinking ads that air on local radio stations. Every Christmas, company associates contribute their own time and money to families in need to ensure there are gifts under the tree.
In addition, Cline supports Connie Maxwell Children鈥檚 Home in Greenwood, South Carolina to honor the memory of his grandfather, who as an orphan lived there for a period of time.
鈥淭hat was near and dear to my grandfather鈥檚 heart, because it shaped him as well. He was an orphan who was there; his parents died of the flu. I think it was a few years after his parents passed away that he ended up living in Connie Maxwell.鈥�
Cline is also actively involved in C12, a business and ministry advocacy forum created by Christians in business for Christians in business.
鈥淲hat God is telling me through C12 is that with business as a ministry I have more chances to interact with people that do not know the gospel and do not know Christ,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t took me a long time to realize that if I鈥檓 going to make a change for Christ, it鈥檚 going to start with the people I work with on a daily basis鈥搕hey see me more than their family sees them.鈥�