Passion Beyond ROI
Insight No. 1
“Passion is the ROI that outlasts money.”
Author: Mani Skaria, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M–Kingsville
President & CEO, US Citrus
Production Date: August 31, 2025
The Question about ROI
In April 2023, four businesspeople—hailing from America, Morocco, India, and
Sweden—visited me in Hargill, Texas. They came to showcase a rapid, one-day
composting unit. Their demonstration was interesting, but one question stayed with me:
“What is the ROI of your composting?”
I gave no direct answer. Return On Investment in numbers was not the essence of my work. My real
measure had always been passion, not profit margins.
A Lesson on Success
Years earlier, at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, two graduate students walked into my office. “Dr. Skaria, whatever you touch turns to gold,” they said. “Please teach us how to be successful.”
I asked them what they meant by success. Their answer was familiar: money, a good house, cars, and successful children.
I told them the truth: my children excelled thanks to my wife’s dedication, not mine. The graduate students saw the later stage of my life—businesses, a home, expensive cars—but not the earlier sacrifices, nor the small Subaru Justy car that carried me through the early years.
What surprised even me was my response: “I never did business to make money.” Both enterprises I started were born from curiosity, research, and passion. Over time, they evolved into multimillion-dollar operations, but profit was never the primary goal.
Passion Before Profit
In my first air-quality venture, we provided diagnostics for nearly every major insurance company, as well as many state and federal agencies. We assessed damages worth over $1 billion.
But at its heart, it was never about money. It was about solving problems with ethics and innovation, all of which were developed after I got sick in a house in Weslaco, Texas in 1988.. That same spirit drove my citrus innovations—programs that became law, technologies that disrupted traditions, and systems that still influence growers today.
The Insight (Key Takeaways)
• ROI measured in money is incomplete.
• Passion, not profit, drives innovation and resilience.
• Behind every visible success is unseen sacrifice and support.
• Ethics ensure that success sustains beyond the individual.
• True ROI is measured in lives impacted and communities served.
Applications
For Entrepreneurs: Build with passion and ethics first; money will follow.
For Growers & Farmers: Invest in practices that create lasting value, not just quick gains.
For Families & Children: Success is teamwork—behind every achiever stands a family’s
sacrifice.
For Students & Young Professionals: Don’t measure success only by material symbols—learn to define success in your own terms.
Quotes
Dr. Mani’s Quote
“The greatest ROI of my life has never been money—it has always been passion applied
with ethics.”
Famous Quote
Schweitzer.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” – Albert
Reflection Questions
• What does “success” mean in your life right now?
• Have you ever pursued something purely out of passion? What happened?
• How do you balance financial security with personal fulfillment?
• Who has silently contributed to your success that you should acknowledge?
3 | P a g eClosing Note
Thank you for reading this first insight in my series. My hope is that it helps you rethink
success—not as wealth, but as passion and integrity that ripple into lasting impact.
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� � � Dr. Mani’s Insights
Insight No. 1
Passion Beyond ROI
Author: Mani Skaria, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M–Kingsville
President & CEO, US Citrus
Production Date: August 31, 2025
“When passion is your compass, impact is your return.”
-Mani Skaria
