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John C. Herklotz was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from high school at age 15, prior to entering the U.S. Army in 1943, he was employed by Chicago Title & Trust and the Chicago Tribune. During this period he attended college to accomplish his early goal to become a Certified Public Accountant.
While serving with the U.S. Army, he was a member of the 44th Infantry Division, the Army Specialized Training Program at the University of South Dakota and completed his service with the 191st Signal Repair Company in the China-Burma-India area. Following his military service, John entered DePaul University to further his education goals while working part-time at the Tribune. After graduation from DePaul with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Price Waterhouse employed him for two years during which time he obtained his C.P.A. license.
In 1951, John returned to the Chicago Tribune where his professional experience included employment as Internal Auditor, Manager of the Tax Department and Chief Financial Officer for the Tribune's subsidiary companies. In addition, he was Auditor and Controller for WGN Continental Broadcasting during seven years of their expansion. In 1968, John left corporate life to pursue a career as a media financial consultant and broadcast station broker. During the next twenty years, he rendered consulting and brokerage services to numerous radio, television, and cable companies.
In 1988, John formed the Cellular Financial Corporation and actively pursued opportunities in the new and expanding cellular telephone industry. The federal government awarded John's company a rural telephone license in New Mexico covering 22,000 square miles of service area including the cities of Santa Fe and Los Alamos. In 1990 he sold his company to Centel Corporation to pursue his lifelong dream of devoting time and resources to charitable and worthwhile causes. Over the last twenty-five years, John has established a legacy of helping numerous worthy causes. John was also the Chairman of Tesuque Radio Company that operated a communications site on Tesuque Peak, New Mexico. In December 2017 Tesuque Radio Company was sold to XCell Towers II, LLC.
As owner and Chief Executive Officer of Herklotz Enterprises, Inc., John produced a feature film, "The Giant of Thunder Mountain", a heart-warming story for the entire family. As Chairman of Plaza Entertainment, Inc. and the Family Universal Network, John worked closely with C.E.O. Eric Parkinson on the marketing of the home video of "The Giant of Thunder Mountain" to sales of more than 400,000 VHS tapes in 1998 - considered to be a record sales achievement for a limited release, independent family film. Additionally, the video marketing of this film included a charitable element which paid out over $500,000 in donations, including sums to the Children's Miracle Network, the USC School of Film & Television and the House Ear Institute.
John's charitable endeavors include his role as financial contributor and Chairman of the Board of Directors of American Happenings. John has generously contributed to more than 50 meritorious groups, including the release of over $35-million from his Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust upon his death.
