Haworth College of Business Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award

Matthew Mace, B.B.A.'98

President and Chief Executive Officer, BlueGranite

Matthew Mace started his company, BlueGranite, during his sophomore year at Western Michigan University. The computer information systems graduate has served as the entrepreneurial leader of the company for 25 years.

Mace approached BlueGranite as an experiential learning outlet, applying programming lessons from WMU coursework to real clients and business problems. He recruited other Western students as interns and eventually full-time employees, growing the practice from a fledgling start-up to one of Michigan’s Top 50 Companies to Watch.

By 2006, Mace became the primary shareholder of BlueGranite and transformed the business into the Microsoft data and analytics partner it is known as today. The company now employs more than 80 team members nationwide.

Mace has maintained a close connection to WMU, volunteering on the Western Michigan University Foundation Board, the Haworth College of Business Advisory Council and the Department of Business Information Systems Advisory Council. He is also a member of WMU’s investment group, Sleeping Giant Capital, seeking to help Bronco alumni acquire local small businesses.