In 2006, Rob Wachler founded Threads for Success with the goal of empowering young men who were preparing for the professional world but who lacked coaching and mentorship in how to present themselves. He carried this mission for young people everywhere, but he started the foundation in Detroit–it’s where he grew up, ran businesses, got married, raised a family, and built a devoted network of friends, colleagues, neighbors, and city influencers, all of whom recognized his passion for helping others and felt his spark for building connections.

Professionally, Rob had a long career in the men’s clothing business as a successful haberdasher. For more than 25 years, he worked for the Tom James Company in Southfield, Michigan. Rob quickly rose to managerial and leadership roles and won sales awards for hitting sales goals. He sold clothes to Detroit’s top business executives, athletes, and leaders. But it wasn’t just the clothes he cared about, it was also about the people and the relationships he formed, including with young people who aspired to follow his lead.

Rob passed away unexpectedly in February of 2022 from an auditory nerve tumor. After he died, his mother, Barbara Wachler, reflected on how many times she heard from people who told her what he meant to them. “I heard from so many men and women who said ‘He changed my life.’” That’s because, for all his accomplishments in business and charitable work, Rob measured true success by the difference he made in the lives of others.

Rob’s vibrant and generous spirit lives on through his family, friends, colleagues and community members. It also shines brightly through the continued work and impact of Threads for Success, and the young people whose lives are changed because of its mission.