For the Papé Group, doing the right thing is just good business.

Headquartered in Eugene, the fourth-generation family-owned heavy equipment supplier is rooted in the value of an honest handshake and a square deal.

For two years, it has presented the Randy Papé Oregon Advanced Strategy and Leadership Symposium in partnership with the Lundquist College of Business to University of Oregon students and community members. This year's theme focused on establishing your values as a company in decision making, culture, and place in society.

Another gift to the college helped to establish the Randall C. Papé Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

This gift was a natural extension of the Papé way of doing business, according to family members of the late Randy Papé.

“He wanted to help the business school," said his wife Susie Papé. “A symposium was suggested, and it fit so well with what Randy was interested in. He was an entrepreneur at heart."

In fact, Papé and his friend and fellow student Dan Giustina helped to create the curriculum for and teach the very first entrepreneurship course at the Lundquist College as teaching assistants in the 1970s.

Papé earned his bachelor's degree in business, finance, and accounting and eventually took the reins of the family business, then Papé Bros, Inc. He expanded the business into one of the largest privately held corporations based in Oregon. Papé also formed the Liberty Financial Group, whose businesses included Commercial Equipment Lease Corp.—a venture started by Papé as a class project at the University of Oregon business school—as well as Liberty Bank and Lane County garbage-hauler SaniPac. Randy Papé passed away in 2008 at the age of 58.

The Papé family supports a number of causes in Oregon and beyond. Asked why they chose to make a gift in support of education, Susie Papé said, “you can't take it away from someone who has it, but someone who has it can share that knowledge with someone else."

She added, “Whether it's trade school, a two-year college, or a four-year university, any student with a thirst for education should be able to attend."

Along with supporting University of Oregon faculty through establishing the chair in entrepreneurship and innovation, sponsoring the Oregon Advanced Strategy and Leadership symposium fit the mission of the Papé legacy with its emphasis on bringing together the business domains of finance, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and sports business into a holistic framework for the next generation of effective CEOs.

Honoring Randy for the father and businessman he was factored into the family's decision to make the gifts. They are quick to point out, however, that the patriarch would not have chosen to name the chair and the symposium after himself, but sometimes you just have to do what's right.

“He was a good father and a serious businessman," said son Jordan Papé, now CEO of the Papé Group. “But he never took himself too seriously," referring to a Halloween tradition that involved a bunny suit.

“His name was his bond," Susie said. “Honesty and integrity were paramount to him."

He was also a very proud Duck. “He just loved this university," son Ryan Papé added.