Broad Vision
ALUMNI CORNER
Broad Graduates are Making their Mark in a wide range of industries. You can help us keep our global "address book" current by entering your news online at http://www.bus.msu.edu/alumni. It's the easiest way to stay connected with other alumni and for us to stay up to date with you. If you prefer, you can mail your news to Kristen Lare Flory, editor, Broad Vision, or email her at flory@bus.msu.edu.
1941
William L. Porteous, BA '41, has been selected as the 2001 Reed City High School Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. In 1998, Porteous was nominated and became a finalist for the Governor's Lifetime Achievement Community Service Award in recognition of his commitment to community and volunteerism. He served as president and chairman of the board at the Reed City State Bank, growing it from a small community bank to one with nearly $60 million in assets, repeatedly recognized by banking publications as one of the top performing banks in the country.
1959
Norman F. Rodgers, BA, '59, has been selected as the Banker of the Year for 2001 by the Board of Trustees of the Robert M. Perry Schools of Banking, sponsored by the Michigan Bankers Association. He has been president of Hillsdale County National Bank since 1983. Rodgers currently serves as a director of the American Bankers Association, and was past member of its Government Relations Council, and Banking Leadership Council.
1967
Bill Winstead, PhD, MBA '67, has been named the Madisonville Community College Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year for 2000-2001. Winstead teaches American History, History of Women in America, and Adolf Hitler/Nazism. He is retired from the United States Air Force.
1970
Ross Carter, BA '70, has joined Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc., as an investment executive in its Grand Haven office. Carter received his Series 7 license from the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD). Prior to this position he was responsible for all Licensing and Business Development in the Midwest for Allied Domecq LTD.
1971
William C. Alsover, BA '71, has been appointed chairman of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., Small Firm Advisory Board. Alsover also serves as an elected Industry member of the NASD Board of Governors.
Alan H. Russell, MBA '71, has been appointed as senior business analyst for International IT at Air Products and Chemicals, Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is responsible for oversight of the IT activities in 20-plus countries in Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe. He also is the board chairman of Lehigh Valley Christian High School.
1972
Paul Chimienti, BA '72, has recently been hired as the vice president in charge of retail banking with Continental Community Bank in Aurora, Illinois. He will be responsible for all retail banking products, including direct and indirect consumer lending. He previously managed the Personal Banking Department at Old Second Bancorp.
1973
Dean Leutscher, BA '73, has been named manager of Performance Development at Universal Forest Products, Inc., based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He oversees performance-improvement initiatives, including all training for the corporation, which currently has 85 plant locations throughout North America. Leutscher previously worked as an independent corporate communications consultant, performance analyst, and training designer, developer, and facilitator.
1979
Nancy Vella, BA '79, was honored by Deloitte & Touche with the Mike Licata Award for excellence in client service. Vella is a senior manager in the Private Client Advisors group.
1980
Kathryn L. Ossian, BA '80, has received the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, given by the Catholic Youth Organization in recognition of excellence and dedication in bringing the spirit of the Catholic faith to youth through service in scouting. Ossian is a principal in the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock, and Stone, Detroit office.
1987
Joe Winowiecki, BA '87, has joined Cherryland Electric Cooperative as chief financial officer. He will oversee financial operations at Cherryland, including electric, long distance, propane, and online services.
William J. Papp, Jr., BA '87, was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci and Lieutenant Governor Jane Swift to the Massachusetts State Workforce Investment Board and currently sits on the Executive Committee. Papp also sits on the board of the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Corporation, and is the senior vice president in the Equity Capital Markets Group of Prudential Securities, Inc., in Boston.
1998
Brian Calley, BA '98, has been promoted to assistant vice president, commercial loan officer for Ionia County National Bank. Calley also serves as a Junior Achievement consultant for St. Pat's School in Portland, Michigan.
Committing to Executive Education
Alex Trotman, MBA '72, retired chairman, president, and CEO of Ford Motor Company knew he wanted to make a contribution. "I wanted to make this gift to Michigan State because of the great need for non-traditional avenues of delivery for top-notch business education," Trotman says. "I received my MBA from The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management through evening classes at Mercy College. I know that many Ford employees are engaged in continuing education of all kinds. "Executive and continuing education programs have certainly helped me," he added. "The expertise available at a place like Michigan State is invaluable to those wishing to advance their businesses as well as their careers. "The great thing about education is that it continues to give long after the classroom experience," added Trotman. "Certainly, I use the skills from my MSU MBA every day."
The Eli Broad College of Business Honor Roll 2001
This honor roll recognizes contributions from individuals to the Broad School received between July 1, 2000 and June 30, 2001.
JOSEPH R. WILLIAMS SOCIETY
($5,000,000+)
Anthony C. and Delia Z. F. Koo
FRANK S. KEDZIE SOCIETY
($1,000,000Ð$4,999,999)
Lee A. and Carol W. Bowen
Denver D. and Jeanne C. Day
Philip J. May
ROBERT S. SHAW SOCIETY
($500,000Ð$999,999)
Robert K. and Georgia A. Burgess
William H. and Jean G. Clement
Edward E. and Sylvia Hagenlocker
Russell G. Mawby
John D. and Dortha E. Withrow
THEOPHILUS C. ABBOT SOCIETY
($250,000Ð$499,999)
Kenneth D. and Patricia A. Hill
Rick and Joyce Inatome
Lewis W. Kaminga
Edward J. and Julie Minskoff
Jack D. and Marilyn E. Rutherford
Terry L. and Janet E. Sanborn
Agnes F. Sidoti
John C. St. John
Gary C. and Margaret A. Valade
Kenneth L. and Marilyn J. Way
JONATHAN L. SNYDER SOCIETY
($100,000Ð$249,999)
William M. Beachler
L. Bradford and Julie A. Campbell
Mark J. and Sandra I. Ehlert
Robert B. and Dolores L. Hughes
Ronald J. and Marlene M. Slank
Millard E. Smith
B. Thomas and Sarah M. Stover
JOHN A. HANNAH SOCIETY
($50,000Ð$99,999)
Seymour L. and Patricia M. Adler
Keith R. and Margaret A. Burns
Richard S. and Suzanne C. Johnson
Christine M. Litchard
Earl D. and Mary Kay McCracken
Eugene H. and Melissa S. McKay
William M. and Jennie C. Milne
Roger M. and Kim L. Pitzer
Nicholas E. and Sharon W. Popp
Gary A. and Beverly A. Zell
BEAUMONT TOWER SOCIETY
($25,000Ð$49,999)
Carol J. Ashley
Martin Louis Clemens
Richard D. and Suzanne C. Fleming
Pauline A. Jones
William F. and Margaret A. Kruger
Dennis R. and Jolene E. Shrake
John W. and Wilma L. Tysse
Matthew J. and Mary Ellen Zabik
PRESIDENTS CLUB
($10,000Ð$24,999)
Gordon D. Cameron
Thomas D. and Beverly E. DeShetler
David M. and Janis L. Forbord
Patrick J. and Ruth E. Harrison
Craig S. and Mary K. Heldman
F. Edward and Carol J. Lake
John R. and Carol Nyland
Michael W. and Ann Snyder Rishell
George L. and Victoria A. Rock
Douglas A. and Patricia F. Smith
Daniel G. and Shannon L. Stewart
Mark and Kazue Wakuta
Dan F. Weinman
Outstanding Alumni Award
The Outstanding Alumni Award is bestowed upon graduates whose successes embody the high level of accomplishment exemplary of a Broad graduate. Past recipients occupied many walks of life-from Fortune 500 executives and entrepreneurs to academics and politicians-yet all are representative of success in their professional and family life and involvement with their alma mater and community.
Darryl Allen
Darryl Allen, of Toledo, Ohio, graduated in 1965 from The Eli Broad College of Business with his BA in Accounting. He is currently a director of Milacron, Inc., Fifth Third Bancorp and Fifth Third Bank of Northwestern Ohio. Darryl served as the chairman, and CEO of Aeroquip-Vickers, Inc. from 1986-1999, at which time Aeroquip-Vickers was purchased by the Eaton Corporation.
Darryl is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. He has been a member of The Eli Broad College of Business Alumni Association Board since 1998, and served as president of the board in 2000. He has been a trustee of the Toledo Museum of Art since 1987 and was a member of the ProMedica Health System Investment Committee from 1983 to 1998, serving as president in 1995.
John Griggs
John Griggs, of East Lansing, Michigan, graduated from The Eli Broad College of Business in 1967 with an MBA in Marketing and in 1968 with his PhD in Business Administration. He is currently chairman/president of GSC Mobile Solutions, and has held this position since 1985.
John co-founded Systems Research, Incorporated in 1967 and served as chairman/CEO from 1967-1981. He later co-founded Technology Venture Management, Inc., in 1982 and served as chairman/CEO from 1982-1985.
John continues to be actively involved with the Broad School. He served as a visiting professor from 1994-1996 and taught Marketing Management at the MBA level. He continues to lecture on field-force automation to both undergraduate and graduate classes that are focused on sales management.
James Proebstle
James Proebstle, of Deer Park, Illinois, graduated from The Eli Broad College of Business in 1966 with a BA in General Business Administration and in 1968 with an MBA in Marketing. He is founder of Prodyne, Inc., and has been the president for 10 years.
Prior to creating Prodyne, Inc., Jim worked in sales at IBM and Xerox and was in charge of Xerox sales and region management. He was the vice president of sales and marketing at OCE Business Systems and the vice president of sales at Bell and Howell.
Jim has served on the Membership Committee for the Broad School, and is a former president and board member of The Eli Broad College of Business Alumni Association Board. He also served as chairman of the Greater Chicago Golf Outing for the Broad School.
Glenn Schafer
Glenn Schafer, of Newport Beach, California, graduated from The Eli Broad College of Business in 1971, magna cum laude, with a BS in Accounting. He is currently the president of Pacific Life Insurance Company.
Glenn joined Pacific Life in 1986 as vice president of Corporate Finance. He was later elected senior vice president, chief financial officer in 1987, then executive vice president and chief financial officer in 1991. In 1995, he was elected president and member of the board.
Glenn is a past member of the Eli Broad College of Business Alumni Association Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is a member of the board of directors of Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Donald Kniffen
Donald Kniffen, of Holly, Michigan, graduated from The Eli Broad College of Business with an MBA. He is currently the vice president, assistant treasurer and assistant secretary of ThyssenKrupp USA, Inc.
Besides being involved with ThyssenKrupp USA, Inc., Don is the corporate treasurer of The Budd Company, and has been with the company since 1986.
Don has been active in a number of service organizations including United Way and the American Cancer Society. He has been actively involved in various campaign activities for the United Way of Southeast Michigan since 1988. He also has been a part of the Boy Scouts of America Career Exploring Program and fundraising for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Michigan.
The Music Man
By Kathleen Farrell
Even though Broad School graduate Andy Hopping is considered at the top of his field in business, deep in his heart he is a singer/songwriter. After years of putting his music on the back burner, he decided it was time to make an album. "I've always written songs, but I've never really produced anything," says Hopping, who played in various small clubs throughout East Lansing and the Detroit area while he was in college. "For my 40th birthday, my wife said, 'Why don't you go do what you've always wanted to do? Spend the money, hire the musicians, hire the studio, and make an album.' So, that's how it started."
He released his first album, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" three years ago and his latest effort, "It's All About Heart," this past summer.
As chief financial officer for Jackson National Life Insurance Company in Okemos, Michigan, and treasurer for the Broad School's Alumni Association Board of Directors, Hopping may have chosen a different path for his career, but he has still managed to nourish his passion for songwriting at the same time.
He and his wife, Alicia, both certified public accountants, met at Michigan State and have been married for 20 years. As Hopping worked his way up to a highly successful career in business, his music ambitions eventually became secondary to his career. Now, however, he sees an added benefit to that shift in focus.
"The best thing about not having to do [music] for a living is you can write songs you believe in as opposed to what you think will sell or what you think somebody will want to hear," he says. "My music is fairly emotional and honest, things about families and people and relationships."
Hopping's next goal is to start performing again. He hopes to help raise money through a charity performance for Ele's Place, a non-profit center for grieving children and families.
Hopping and his wife, Alicia, live in Okemos with their two children, Zachary, 9, and Alexandra, 6. You can find both CDs online through amazon.com as well as at Marshall Music and local Beaner's coffee houses in Lansing.
Broad Grad is Top Dog
By Kathleen Farrell
Joshua de los Reyes has a bunch of them. Every pun in the book. As one of 12 "Hotdoggers" driving an Oscar Meyer Wienermobile last year, it may even have been in the job description to slip them into every day conversation. "It's a dog with the works," he says dryly, describing Oscar Meyer's colorful, 27-foot promotional vehicle shaped like a giant hot dog resting in an oversized bun. "It's not a wienie-bago, so we don't sleep in it. It's a Lambor-wienie..." Reyes could go on and on, and does. But the puns are highly entertaining, as was Reyes' 14 months as a Hotdogger. Reyes graduated from the Broad School in June 2000 with a bachelor's degree in finance and landed the highly coveted position after a series of interviews. He was one of 12 "Lucky Dogs," or graduating seniors, from colleges across the country chosen to drive the Wienermobile for a year. It was an experience he says he'll never forget.
"I was at a crossroads whether I was going to go strictly finance or not and I just interviewed for this and totally lucked out." Reyes, 23, says requirements for the job include a good driving record, good communication skills, and a fun-filled spirit.
There are six to eight Wienermobiles on the road at a time, with two to three Hotdoggers per vehicle. The schedule is coordinated by Oscar Meyer's corporate offices and the drivers travel everywhere from grocery stores to Mardi Gras to the Superbowl. The Hotdoggers promote the Oscar Meyer brand and give out "Wienie Whistles" wherever they go. Reyes has encountered some interesting fans along the way, including two Chicago police officers who pulled the Wienermobile over one night simply to take a look inside.
Reyes is now in his first semester as a graduate student in the MSU School of Labor and Industrial Relations and hopes to someday work in recruiting or corporate human resources. But now, as he tackles his new studies, Reyes can look back fondly on his year as a Hotdogger. "We had buns of fun," he says. "We were traveling the hot dog highways of America bringing miles of smiles to kids of all ages."
Alumni Achievement Award
The Alumni Achievement Award was created this past year to honor alumni who graduated in the past ten years and have shown a strong record of accomplishments-outstanding contributions to their employer, history of quick promotion, military accomplishments, service to the college, continued education, and other noteworthy achievements.
Jeffrey Kuhlman
Jeffrey Kuhlman, of Detroit, Michigan, received an MBA from The Eli Broad College of Business in 1999. He is currently serving as director of Communications for General Motors Corporation's Cadillac Division. Before joining Cadillac, Jeff served as Energy and Environmental Director of Communications for General Motors Advanced Technology Vehicles.
Jeff is responsible to strategically plan, develop, execute, and coordinate all external and internal communications. He also leads a team to develop and ensure consistency of all Cadillac communications.
Jeff is a member of the Michigan State University Alumni Association and is actively involved in his com-munity, most notably as a volunteer for the Michigan Lupus Foundation.
Manoj Saxena
Manoj Saxena, of Austin, Texas, received his MBA in Marketing from Michigan State University in 1991 and received an MMS degree from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Pilani, India. He is currently serving as president, CEO, and co-founder of Exterprise. Prior to founding Exterprise, Manoj served as a business unit manager at 3M.
Manoj has more than 15 years of experience in business development, product marketing, and strategic planning in the telecommunications, medical, and manufacturing industries. He is a board member of the United Way, an advisory member of Life Works, a charter member of The Indus Entrepreneur, and a member of the Mayor's Task Force in Austin. In addition, he serves as an advisory board member for many seed stage and start-up companies including Olive Systems, Machine Generation, and Spark5 systems.
Prescription for Success
By Kathleen Farrell
Even though she is a successful physician in Cadillac, Michigan, specializing in internal medicine and infectious diseases, Hoda Asmar, MD, always keeps her eye on the business side of medicine, hoping to move her career in an administrative direction. However, she knew it would take years to gain that knowledge working strictly as a physician. Instead, Asmar chose to attend the Broad School's 18-month Weekend MBA program, which she completed in December 2000. It wasn't long before Asmar began to see the fruits of her hard work. This past February, a mere two months after graduation, Asmar was named vice president of Medical Affairs for Mercy Hospital in Cadillac. In addition, Asmar serves as provisional medical director for the area's Public Health Department, overseeing 10 counties, and medical director for Mercy's Hospitalist Program. She also continues to see patients four days a week.
Asmar has accomplished a great deal at the young age of 37, and shows no signs of slowing down. "I get a lot of questions about the future, and I'm pretty honest about it," she says. "When I reach my 40s I'm not sure I want to be in clinical practice. I want a different lifestyle. I will probably move toward full-time administration and management." Asmar says growing up in Beirut, Lebanon, has had a huge effect on her drive and commitment to success. "My parents never had any education, so for them it was very important that we went to school. I also lived in a country where there was civil war for 20 years, so that drives you to want to make a difference."
Asmar encourages other physicians to consider a business degree. "It's good because I can see both sides. I can really be an advocate for physicians."
For more information on The Eli Broad College of Business' Weekend MBA program, call (517) 355-7603.
Where was I?
It looks a lot like a band shell, but no one has seen it recently. The first person to accurately identify where this landmark was will receive a free gift. If you can tell your favorite experience in connection with this landmark, we'll publish it in the next issue of Vision.