It’s been 25 years since the Muehling triplets graduated from Illinois State University. All three have gone on to successful careers, thanks in part to the years they spent on campus. Now 47, Damon, Darin, and Doug (in their birth order) are scattered across the country from coast to coast but remain close to one another.
Born in Kankakee near farmland where their parents grew up, they consider Bloomington to be their hometown. They attended Normal Community High School and graduated from Tri-Valley High School in nearby Downs.
While their parents, Ross and Nancy, who now live in the Indianapolis area, did not attend college, they made sure all four of their children did. The Muehling brothers had a good example to follow in their older sister, Julie (Muehling) Bush ’93, a chemistry graduate and former Bone Scholar.
All three boys graduated in 1997 from the College of Business; Darin and Doug earned finance degrees while Damon’s degree was in accounting. As first-generation college students, they made the most of their opportunity.
“Our father grew up on a farm, and he had to go to work, so he pushed us to see that we got ahead because he didn’t have the opportunity,” Damon said. “Because of that, I’ve had a career where I’ve gotten to work with people I never thought I’d meet.”
Damon has spent 20-plus years working in investment banking and private equity in Chicago and New York City, and now lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Darin does analytics work for the federal government and splits his time between Nevada and Scottsdale, Arizona. Doug is an executive in the insurance industry in New York City. Julie works in global regulatory affairs for Eli Lilly in Indianapolis.
Two Business professors in particular, Drs. Anthony Ostrosky and Joseph Trefzger, made a big impact on Damon and his brothers. And Illinois State was an important moment that pointed the triplets in the right direction.
“We met professors here who gave us guidance,” Damon said. “ISU is the place that gave us a path in life.”
