海角社区

• September 1 –
• September 7 – Labor Day
• September 17 –

By Lynne Winter ’17

A $3 million gift from Carl and Carla Hartman lays the foundation for student success.

For Carl and Carla Hartman, life is built on the belief that creativity, craftsmanship and knowledge shape a brighter future. Together, the Denver-based couple has combined their love of design, education and innovation to make a lasting impact on the next generation of makers.鈥�

Their recent $3 million gift to Metropolitan State University of Denver鈥檚 Department of Industrial Design includes two transformative contributions: a downtown Denver property, whose sale will fund scholarships, and an in-kind donation of high-end woodworking and computer numerical-control equipment to empower students with real-world tools.

Carl Hartman鈥檚 curiosity was shaped by his early years growing up on a farm in southern Ohio. He often reflects on the coincidence that he now lives in Denver, a city named after General James W. Denver, who grew up and lived in Wilmington, Ohio, where Hartman spent his formative years. His mother encouraged him to explore every skill he could, reminding him, 鈥淣o one can take education away from you, and developing skills will always help you find your way.鈥�

Hartman studied drafting and industrial design as a young man, which sparked a lifelong interest in building, engineering and art. He went on to earn a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Dayton and a master鈥檚 degree in Environmental Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.鈥�

After serving as an officer in the U.S. Army, Hartman began his career in engineering before transitioning into the food industry. Starting as a general manager at a small bean company, he rose to become CEO, expanding Trinidad Benham Corp. into a global leader, selling beans worldwide. He also founded an aluminum-foil and parchment-paper company, which supplies products to world-renowned brands. Under his leadership, Trinidad Benham adopted an Employee Stock Ownership Plan that鈥痵hares鈥痵uccess with employees.

Carla Hartman is a renowned educator and curator of design, with a particular focus on the legacy of her grandparents, Charles and Ray Eames. While serving as a Master Teacher at the Denver Art Museum, she developed her signature miniature chair-making workshops, through which she shares her inherited love of chairs. Chairs have become both her subject and her teaching framework, a lens through which Carla introduces students to the broader principles of design. Her classes are deeply rooted in Eamesian principles and parables, especially the idea of 鈥渓earning from primary experiences.鈥� Hartman鈥檚 lifelong dedication to design education embodies her conviction that teaching is a transformative force, a belief that resonates seamlessly with Carl鈥檚 own philosophy of education as a catalyst for change.

Carl Hartman hopes their gift inspires 海角社区 students to follow their curiosity wherever it leads.