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Glen Gross is pictured with WMU President John M. Dunn following the Military Science Commissioning Ceremony where Gross was inducted into the ROTC Wall of Fame.
Glenn Gross
Glenn Gross, BA '67, MA '68, retired CEO of CamelBak, was inducted into the ROTC Wall of Fame last spring, as part of the Department of Military Science Commissioning Ceremony. Gross has a bachelor's in economics with a minor in military science.
Gross was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the ROTC program in 1967 and began active duty at Ft. Lee, Virginia, 1968, where he completed the quartermaster officer's basic and advanced courses and then was assigned to the New Cumberland Army Depot in Pennsylvania as a grant aid administrator to Southeast Asia. Subsequently, Lt. Gross spent one year with the 19th Supply & Service Company in Vietnam where he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Bronze Star.
Upon leaving the Army, Gross joined Kransco Manufacturing Company and spent 25 years in various positions, culminating as senior vice president. As a member of the company's executive committee, he helped orchestrate the growth of Kransco into the largest privately held toy company in the United States. Gross joined Camelbak in 1995 as president and CEO, retiring in 2005. CamelBak, the originator and leader in hands-free hydration systems, produces more than fifty lines of customized backpacks with built-in water storage and delivery systems. In addition to use in recreational activities, Camelbak is carried by all branches of the U.S. military, border patrol, FBI, customs service, national parks, secret service and many law enforcement agencies.
Class Notes
Myla D. Edmond, BBA '00, is on the board of directors for Semester At Sea. (She sailed on Semester At Sea while attending WMU in 1999.) She attended a forum on global engagement for the program and while there had the opportunity to speak to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor about her latest project, icivics.org. She also met civil rights leader Julian Bond.
1951
Roland "Hub" Broyles, BS, '51, went on to become a special agent in the FBI, where he served in various offices until retirement in 1975 in California. There until 1982, he was a real estate broker. For the next 18 years, he worked as a contract investigator in both California and Florida, conducting background checks for those needing security clearances for their work. He then turned to writing and now has a total of nine published novels and novelettes through Infinity Publishing Company.
Ken D. Cowan, Col. Ret., BBA '51, has been working on a family history/genealogy project for 15 years. He has documented 5,400 individuals in relation to this project and keeps busy approximately four hours a day with this work. He notes that the computer is a big help!
1966
David A. Dykstra, BBA '66, has again been included in the "Who's Who in America," 2010 publication.
1967
Congratulations to Robert Herr, BBA '67, Crowe Horwath LLP (retired), who was inducted into the Department of Accountancy Outstanding Alumni Academy for his demonstrated leadership in public accounting and his continuing support of WMU.
Frederick "Fritz" S. Kirkpatrick, BBA '67, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the C.S. Mott Foundation. He is vice chairman and CEO of the MFO Management Company in Flint, Mich.
1969
Rick F. Ricca, BBA '69, married his wife Linda, who also attended WMU, in 1968. They have two children, Derrick, BA '95, and Stephanie, BS '98, and four grandchildren. His business career has been with Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and Blistex Inc. as the vice-president of sales. After over 40 years of a rewarding sales/management career in the consumer package goods industry, he is planning to move to the Kalamazoo area in retirement.
1970
Dell Sweeris, BBA '70, a legendary West Michigan table tennis player and a member of the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame, worked diligently with sports organizations to bring the U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships to Grand Rapids, Mich., during the summer of 2010.
1971
Thomas Eurich, MBA '71, notes that after a long, successful career in design/construction and development, he has spent the last few years enjoying a slower pace of work. As a successful businessman and entrepreneur, he began, grew, led and matured a technically diversified design/construction/development firm, which eventually went public on the American Stock Exchange. Writing "reality inspired fiction" has become his latest passion, commencing with "The Tarasov Solution," a suspense/thriller/political/espionage novel (December 2009 Charles River Press), soon to be followed by "The Israeli Betrayal." Having traveled for pleasure and business for decades, he employs a rich backdrop for many of the scenes developed in his novels. Since he still writes an occasional business article, he writes his fiction under the pen name Richard Trevae.
1972
Wilfred Dennie, BA '72, MBA '76, was appointed senior vice president, corporate real estate and facilities operation, at Webster Bank N.A., Waterbury, Conn.
1973
Ronald E. Bigelow, BA '73, MBA '77, retired as CEO and president of Citizens Credit Union in Kalamazoo in 2008. He currently serves in the following positions: president of Vine Ventures, Inc. in Kalamazoo, treasurer of the Vine Neighborhood Association and treasurer of the Friends of Historic East Campus. He just celebrated his 38th wedding anniversary with his wife, Deborah (Loomis) Bigelow, BA '73. The couple met while attending WMU.
Larry A. Dickinson, BBA '73, (right) has joined iModules as senior vice president of client operations. In this position he will be responsible for all client interfacing activities, including sales, account management, implementation, data and design services, consulting and training. Larry brings iModules over 30 years of experience and executive leadership, having previously worked for Hoechst Marion Roussel and its legacy companies as well as Teva Neuroscience.
James W. McIntyre, III, BBA '73, MBA '77, (right) is serving a one-year term as president of the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo. The Rotary Club of Kalamazoo is the largest club in its district. McIntyre has been a member of the club for 10 years.
1974
Verna (Barden) McDaniel, BBA '74, was named Washtenaw County (Michigan) administrator. She has been employed by the county since 1982. She holds a master's from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Jewell (Mitchell) Street, BBA '74, (right) retired from her position as assistant director in the WMU Office of Institutional Equity. She has 31 years of service with WMU.
1977
Patrick J. Fox, BBA '77, is part of a new division of TSYS that will provide turnkey credit card programs for regional and community financial institutions. He has more than 25 years of experience in marketing and business development in the credit card industry.
Lelia (Brown) Nutting, BBA '77, married Angel Ferrar on February, 6, 2009 at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York.
Kathy Scheiern, BA '77, MSA '78, (right) has launched her new business in San Francisco, Calif., providing consulting and executive coaching to next generation business leaders. Her company PurposeWorks LLC supports leaders who are ready to move from fear-based command and control business paradigms into next generation leadership strategies based on values, trust and the importance of servant leadership. She notes, "We've known about the importance of these areas for years. Now it is time to actually put them into practice in our organizations and our lives."
Robert F. Wilke, BBA '77, has been named director of business development for the Middle East and Africa at Jet Support Services, Inc.
1979
Stephen J. Hohenshil, BBA '79, president of Glasco Corporation, was recently elected as president of the Glazing Contractors Association, a Detroit area organization of leading commercial glass companies. The primary functions of the group include negotiating collective bargaining agreements on behalf of the signatory companies as well as advancement of the glass industry at large. He is married to Lynn (Godoshian) Hohenshil, BS '78, and they are proud that the WMU legacy continues with their children.
Robert M. Johns, BBA '79, has been named vice president of sales at Ascent Solar in Thornton, Colo.
1980
Christopher B. Johnson, BBA '80, owns On Target Living in Haslett, Mich. He is a fitness and nutrition expert and author of the book "Meal Patterning," published in 2004.
Jeff Corey, BBA '80, was promoted to the position of vice president of public relations for Palace Sports & Entertainment. Corey, who joined the Detroit Pistons, right after graduating from Western, will be responsible for marketing and public relations for The Palace, DTE Music Theatre and Meadowbrook Music Festival.
1981
William D. Nance, BBA '81, was recently appointed as chief of staff at San Jose State University. Dr. Nance has been at SJSU for 19 years and previously worked in the Provost's Office as vice provost for academic planning and budgets. He is also a professor of MIS in the College of Business.
Lawrence A. Simon, BBA '81, director of Doeren Mayhew's corporate finance group, has been elected to the Joe Niekro Foundation Board of Directors.
Rick D. DiBartolomeo, BBA '81, served as the deputy campaign manager for Rick Snyder for Governor of Michigan.
1982
Joseph L. Mejaly, BBA '82, has been appointed vice president and president of ArvinMeritor's Aftermarket & Trailer Group and has been elected an officer of the company.
1983
Bhekokuhle L. Sibiya, MBA '83, has been appointed director and head of the Wits Business School at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
1984
Randy B. Brown, BBA '84, has been promoted to executive vice president for affiliate sales and marketing for the Outdoor Channel. Brown joined Outdoor Channel in September 2007, bringing more than two decades of proven experience from companies such as ESPN and Tennis Channel. Together with his six-member sales force, he secured nearly five million additional subscribers in 2009. According to Nielsen Media Research, Outdoor Channel was the 4th fastest growing network in 2009. In June 2009, both Brown and his team were awarded two prestigious CableFAX Sales Executive of the Year Awards in the category of Affiliate Sales Person of the Year (Mid-Size Network) and Affiliate Sales Team of the Year (Large and Mid-Size Networks). Brown was also honored with a CableFAX 100 award in December 2009, recognizing the most influential professionals in the cable industry.
Peggy (Flynn) Day, BBA '84, has been named vice president and regional banking officer at Monarch Community Bank in Marshall, Mich.
1985
John C. Mayleben, BBA '85, a national expert on credit card processing and other electronic payment systems, has been promoted to senior vice president of technology and product development for the Michigan Retailers Association.
Russ Gardner, MBA '85, (right) has assisted with the launch of Career Transitions Center of West Michigan, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing low-cost support and job coaching for self-directed, displaced mid-career professionals. To learn more, visit www.ctcwm.org .
1986
Daniel O. Kennedy, BBA '86, married Cynthia (Davis) Kennedy, BBA '86. They both graduated with JDs from Wake Forest University School of Law. Cynthia is counsel at Bryan Cave law firm and Daniel is vice president general counsel for RLI Corp. The couple resides in Peoria, Ill., with their three children, Connor, Bridget and Camille.
1987
Katherine (McGimpsey) Connelly, BBA '87, has been named senior vice president and human resources director of the South Florida affiliate of Fifth Third Bank.
Kayleigh Van Poolen, BBA '87, MBA, '93, graduated from DePaul University College of Law with her JD and a certificate in public interest law in May 2009. In addition to receiving the SBA Distinguished Senior Award, she was also the recipient of the DePaul Service Award, Pro Bono Project – New Orleans Service Award and Louisiana State Bar Association Recognition for service given to New Orleans post-Katrina. She is currently developing a career in public interest law, policy, program management, legislation and advocacy.
1988
Sharie M. Lesniak, BBA '88, is the vice president of marketing for Born Free USA, a non-profit wildlife and conservation organization based in Sacramento, Calif. The organization also runs a primate sanctuary, located in Dilly, Texas, which is home to over 500 monkeys, many of whom were rescued from abusive or exploitative situations.
1989
Jeffrey D. Saunders, BBA '89, has been appointed vice president and CFO of HomeBancorp and will be based out of the company's headquarters in Tampa, Fla.
K. Perry Wolfe, BBA '89, has been named community president and senior lender at Chemical Bank in Kalamazoo.
1990
Robert A. Dubault, BBA '90, a partner at Warner Norcross & Judd, LLP, has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® 2010. He was recognized for his work in labor and employment law.
Wayne D. Roberts, BBA '90, an attorney with Dykema in the taxation and estates practice group, has been chosen by the State Bar of Michigan to coordinate and produce a Law School for Legislators Taxation Matters program.
Michael W. Kozemchak, BBA '90, managing director at Institutional Investment Consulting of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was identified in April 2010 by 401k Wire as the nations No. 1 Large Market Retirement Plan Consultant. This recognition was added to a lengthy list of 2009 accomplishments, which included being identified as one of the nation's top qualified and nonqualified institutional retirement plan consultants by PLANSPONSOR Magazine, PLANADVISER Magazine, and 401k Wire and Pension & Investments Magazine. Kozemchak was also identified as one of the 100 most influential people in the retirement business by 401k Wire in December, 2009.
1991
Lynn (Cheney) Lullo, BBA '91, BA '92, earned degrees in both accountancy and Spanish as a Medallion scholar while at WMU. She notes, "Western was a great experience! I was fortunate to have great professors (Mr. Rozelle and Dr. Neubig stand out), belong to some good groups and learn with other students." Since graduation, she has earned her CPA license, worked in public accounting at Deloitte & Touche, and then spent 10 years in accounting and finance at Sara Lee. She earned her MBA in the Executive MBA program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern while at Sara Lee.
1993
Jeff Allor, BBA '93, has been named the director of sales for Elite Fitness Systems.
David O. Egner, MBA '93, has been named executive director of the New Economy Initiative, an effort by 10 national, regional and local philanthropic partners designed to accelerate the transition of Southeast Michigan to an innovation economy that expands opportunities for all. He continues to serve as president and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation.
Stephen L. Tupper, MBA '93, a member in Dykema's Corporate Finance practice group, has been named to The Best Lawyers in America® 2010. Tupper is the leader of the firm's privacy, data security and e-commerce practice.
1994
Timothy E. Miller, MBA '94, has been named community president at Salin Bank for the Fort Wayne market.
Daniel D. Ritter, BBA '94, is a director at AlixPartners, a global consulting firm of senior business and consulting professionals that specializes in improving corporate financial and operational performance, executing corporate turnarounds and providing litigation, consulting and forensic accounting services when it really matters – in urgent, high-impact situations. Most recently he served on the GM restructuring assignment. He married Kristin McCallum in August 2008, and they currently reside in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. He notes, "I frequently see fellow alumni at various events around the greater Detroit area."
1995
Tony J. Hubbard, BBA '95, MBA '99, has been promoted to senior manager of shopper marketing at Kellogg Company. He will be working on the Walmart team and will be relocating to Northwest Arkansas with his wife Kay (Allen) Hubbard, BBA '96, and their two children.
1996
Michelle McMahon, BBA '96, has been named a partner in the New York office of the law firm Bryan Cave LLP.
1998
Rebecca (Secco) Turner, BBA '98, has been named a new shareholder at Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller PC, a Southfield, Michigan-based law firm. Turner focuses her practice in the areas of franchise law, corporate and business law and real estate transactions.
2001
Robert A. "Alex" Schaffer, II, BBA '01, has joined Schaffer & Layher, PLLC, located in St. Joseph, Mich.
Robert G. Zinkil, BBA '01, was recently promoted to vice president/IT finance controller for Universal American Corp.
2002
Michael J. Morrison, BBA '02, was the 24th ranked beach volleyball player on the Association of Volleyball Professionals Tour in 2009.
Wendy R. Ulrich, BBA '02, MSA '03, CPA, is the chief financial officer of Air Services, Inc., located in Traverse City, Mich. She is also the treasurer of Encore Wind Symphony and member of the saxophone section.
Kevin J. Werkman, BBA '02, MBA '06, was recently promoted to senior accountant at the CPA firm Jansen, Valk, Thompson & Reahm PC.
2003
Trevor M. Brody, BBA '03, and his wife Jennifer (Stewart) Brody, BS '04, have purchased a new condominium in Chicago. Jennifer recently completed her master's degree in education from National Louis University.
Kennethe (Green) Vaughn, MBA '03, has been named the director of human resources at the United Way of Central Indiana.
Psychelia (Smith) Terry, BBA '03, is launching a new business, Urban Intimates Lingerie LLC, an online lingerie, skin care, and cosmetics company. In conjunction with her company, she has founded Our Urban Beauty Foundation, an organization with the mission to eliminate uterine fibroids by sponsoring scientific research, advocacy and education. A portion of profits from Urban Intimates goes directly to fibroid research. Look for Urban Intimates products being featured in Essence Magazine in 2011.
2004
Jessica Fisher Grant, BBA '04 (right) is the administrative manager for human resources at Bondi & Co. LLC. She is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management. She is very active in community service in the Kalamazoo area.
2005
Joseph J. Karam, BBA '05, graduated from Michigan State University with a JD/MBA in International Law and Marketing. Following graduation he passed the Michigan Bar exam and has been formally sworn in as an attorney.
Justin B. Wendzel, BBA '05, serves as manager at Gull Meadow Farms in Richland, Mich. The family-owned business has grown from a single picnic table to a fully operational 80-acre farm that attracts over 30,000 visitors each fall.
2006
Brandon J. Fournier, BBA '06, has been appointed city administrator for Southgate, Mich.
Anastasia L. Green, BBA '06, has joined the Kalamazoo Regional Chamber of Commerce as its information specialist.
Che M. Jordan, BBA '06, MBA '08, has joined Greenleaf Trust as an operations processor.
2007
Erin (Elwell) Kozminske, BBA '07, has joined Newhall Klein Inc. of Kalamazoo as an account manager.
Christopher J. Ryan, BBA '07, recently joined the law firm of Aardema, Whitelaw, & Sears-Ewald, of Grand Rapids, Mich., where he will work with the medical liability defense team. Ryan has served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medicine and Law at Michigan State University College of Law.
Windy Yeung, BBA '07, is enjoying work in Hong Kong and misses her days at WMU!
2009
Ryan A. Lasure, BBA '09, is pursuing his master's degree in information and communication sciences at Ball State University. He is currently working on a project that involves opening up the University's WiMAX network to its 20,000 students free of charge.
Biggs | Gilmore named 2010 Small Agency of the Year
Biggs | Gilmore, owned and operated by Mike Gerfen, BBA '87, was named by Advertising Age as 2010 Small Agency of the Year among agencies with 76 to 150 employees. The award was announced at a ceremony recognizing top U.S. small ad agencies held in New Orleans. Winners were named based on several criteria, including agency business performance, the impact of their work on marketers' businesses and their leadership and innovation. Biggs | Gilmore employs several Broncos. Gerfen is also a member of the Dean's Advisory Council.
Avoid E-mailgeddon with Alum's Bestselling Book
Randy Dean, BBA '91, consultant and nationally recognized expert in time management, has authored an Amazon bestseller, "Taming the E-mail Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing the Mess of E-mail Overload" (search "Taming Email" on Amazon.com). Based on his popular speaking and training program, Dean's "Taming the E-mail Beast," instructs readers on how to avoid digital downfall through practical strategies that help alleviate the strain of feeling stretched too thin by the constant demands of a growing inbox.
"I cringe when I hear people have hundreds or even thousands of e-mails in their inboxes or that they don't feel there are enough hours in the day to accomplish their goals. We can all become easily overwhelmed by all the technology and tools that are supposed to make our lives easier," says Dean.
Dean's goal is simple – to reduce "tech clutter" in our lives in order to maximize efficiency.
As a consultant, his client list includes Fortune 500 companies, departments of the U.S. government and several colleges, universities and professional organizations. In terms of running his own business, Dean finds microsegmentation his greatest tool.
Web Watch: Read more about Randy Dean at www.randalldean.com and view video of his strategies for getting your inbox to zero.
James Kitchen, BBA '90, A great deal of passion for the game of golf
For the last 20 years, James Kitchen, along with his father, Dennis, have owned and operated a very successful golf store and business, GolfTech in Novi, Mich. While many other stores in this category have come and gone, Kitchen has found the key to success is providing his customers with great service and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to custom club fitting and repairs.
"To say the very least, it hasn't been easy owning a retail store in metro-Detroit with how the economy has been over the last 10 years, but I always stay on top of all the new golf technologies, and I truly enjoy providing each client the very best of service I possibly can." A few years back, Kitchen purchased a computer golf launch monitor system that allows him the opportunity to gauge a given individual's golf swing and then fit that person with the proper club. In addition, GolfTech is one of very few golf stores that has a golf club loft bending machine.
Jason A. Mengel, BBA '01, and Jill (Tafel) Mengel, BBA '02, have recently relocated to Atlanta with their daughter, Ryan. Jason works for the PGA of America as championship manager of operations for the 93rd PGA Championship. Jill is employed by insurance company, Humana, as a small business sales executive.
On left, Joel Mueller, BBA '02, was the guest speaker during the kickoff meeting of Eclub, the new registered student organization for entrepreneurs. Mueller is the Bronco entrepreneur who started MacUpdate, which has been recognized as the 114th fastest growing privately held company in the U.S. and the No. 1 fastest growing company in Michigan by Inc. Magazine.
Cathy (Lentz) Luke, BBA '95
Cathy (Lentz) Luke, BBA '95, recently published her first book "Precious One: An Ultrasound Keepsake." She created "Precious One" after seeing countless expectant parents carry around and proudly show off their unborn baby's ultrasound photos. It became apparent that no one had a special place to keep all of them during pregnancy. She and her husband were no different, and the idea was born to provide parents with a unique keepsake book to cherish their baby's ultrasound photos, while celebrating the bond between mother and child.
In mid-January, members of the Haworth College of Business Advisory Council spoke to several classes through panel discussions, addressing how the businesses they represent are working through the tough economy. Pictured from left are Steve Parker, BBA '67, MBA '07, Pacific Corporation, Muskegon, Mich.; Jim Barnum, BBA '84, Fifth-Third Bank, Kalamazoo; and Joe Hemker, BBA '76, Howard & Howard Attys., P.C., Kalamazoo and Chicago.
Have you joined us lately?
Alumni celebrated St. Patrick's Day at The Kerryman in downtown Chicago. Dr. Mushtaq Luqmani, chair, Department of Marketing, and Dr. Ann Veeck, professor of marketing, joined the group to share information about activities taking place in the College.
Mr. David Rozelle, associate professor emeritus, and Dr. Donald Gribbin, chair, Department of Accountancy, met with alumni in Detroit during an event that drew over 75 guests at the Detroit Athletic Club in June.
In fall 2010, alumni and guests gathered at the Watermark Country Club in Grand Rapids, Mich., and at the Haworth Showroom in Troy, Mich., to meet
Dean Kay Palan.
A special gathering of young alumni at the Crossroads Mall Banana Republic in Portage, Mich., showcased the latest in fall and winter business attire.
Amway hosted an alumni event for the WMU alumni who work at the world headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich. Haworth College of Business administrators shared updates about the College.
… and … alumni, friends and guests have learned how to catch their own pancakes at the Haworth College of Business Homecoming Pancake Breakfast … a new College Homecoming Saturday tradition.
Above left: Banana Republic - Portage, Mich.; WMU Alumni at Amway, Grand Rapids; Left: Homecoming Pancake Breakfast, Kalamazoo.
