News, Notes, and Nods: Graduates
1976
Carlos M. Echeverría ’74, MBA’76 moved to Costa Rica and reports that he is active physically and mentally and is writing a lot for the local media and attending radio and TV events.
1978
John Peters MBA’78 recently co-wrote two articles published in the peer-reviewed journal AELE Public Safety. The journal is a publication of the Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (AELE), a not-for-profit organization focused on the best legal, scientific, and evidence-based law enforcement programs. Peters co-wrote one article on scholarship as an integral part of leadership, and another on the liquid impedance of spit restraint devices.
1980
Louis Bibeau MBA’80 founded Logistik Unicorp (LU) in Canada in 1993 and recently announced LU is expanding to Togo in West Africa. LU provides uniforms and other managed clothing services for corporate and governmental organizations such as law enforcement and national defense entities. The company has steadily expanded and is now operating in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, wrote Felipe Haristoy-Lavin MBA’08. Haristoy-Lavin, director of supply and procurement at LU, credits Bibeau for the many milestones. “I’m currently working for LU,” he wrote. “(Bibeau’s) success story has built a global company.” Examples include LU’s new hub in Vietnam ensuring the international supply chain delivers ethical sourcing, the acquisition of Australian Defence Apparel (ADA), as well as a new garment factory LU plans to build in Togo.
1995
Jeannie Freis MBA’95 published a book titled Surviving Single Parenthood. Freis shares her journey through a combination of anecdotal tales, survival tips, and tricks acquired along the way. The book is available at Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Bookbaby.com.
Rosemary Sheehan MBA’95 was appointed to chair Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts’ board of directors in August. Sheehan, chief human resources officer at Mass General Brigham, has served on the board since 2019. “The pandemic has highlighted the inequities in our society and created a massive mental health issue,” Sheehan said. “I look forward to supporting the new strategic plan and helping the nonprofit play a pivotal role in supporting our youth as the new board chair.”
1997
Edward Nilsson MBA’97 contributed a chapter in the recently published book Urban Modernity in the Contemporary Gulf. The chapter—titled “History, memory and narrative of the past and future: The new souks in Kuwait”—is about Nilsson’s work in Kuwait with The Architects Collaborative (TAC). TAC is an architectural firm started in 1945 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for its postwar modernism style. Nilsson also appeared in a program now available on YouTube called “On Architecture: A Conversation About Ada Louise Huxtable,” where he presented his paper “No Place Like Home—Ada Louise Huxtable’s Ranch House as Her Housing Ideal,” and participated in conversations about Huxtable while on the program.
2001
Neil Geary MBA’01 was hired by The Procopio Companies to serve as the company’s first chief financial officer. Geary, who has more than 25 years of experience in real estate development and financial management, will be responsible for the financial oversight of Procopio’s rapidly expanding portfolio of national developments.
Michelle Vilms MBA’01, CEO of Vilms Consulting, was named a 2022 100 Top ProAdvisor in July by Insightful Accountant, an independent news source for accountants advising small businesses. Vilms also was named the Top QuickBooks Online ProAdvisor for 2022. Insightful Accountant said it tapped Vilms as the highest-ranking QuickBooks Online advisor based on her training, certifications, years of experience, client reviews, and peer evaluations.
2005
David Fernandez Neila MBA’05: See 1999, in Undergraduate news.
2008
Felipe Haristoy-Lavin MBA’08: See 1980, above.
2013
Mariana Robina MBA’13, senior vice president of investments and finance at Eagle Property Capital, was named Multifamily Executive magazine’s 2022 Rising Star. Robina earned the honor because she was the first employee at the vertically integrated real estate investment manager focused on the value-add multifamily space. She has moved through the ranks since starting in 2013 and is part of the executive leadership team at Eagle Property Capital. Robina also co-founded Eagle Property Capital’s property management firm, Vidalta, which she helped establish in 2015 and today has more than 5,000 units under management. “I am proud to be a Babson M’13 alum and wanted to share this achievement with the community,” Robina said. She was due to receive her award September 29 during MFE’s award ceremony in Las Vegas.
2019
ANCORE, a fitness company founded by Nathaniel Herring MSEL’19 and Isaac Lewis MSEL’19, has been tapped by the National Hockey League to provide its flagship product, the ANCORE Pro, in NHL locker rooms. The portable cable machine, which is about the size of a water bottle, allows the user to practice resistance training on the go. The NHL announced September 9 that the ANCORE Pro is now league-mandated in every visitor locker room, meaning that all 32 NHL teams are required to have ANCORE products. “What’s better than training with the same gear as the pros?” co-founder Lewis asked in an announcement. Mike Carlson MBA’19, ANCORE’s first employee, wrote that the Salem, Massachusetts, business is “a Babson company through and through. To say we are proud of our Babson roots is an understatement!”
2022
Catherine Crosby MBA’22 joined a proud family tradition when she graduated from Babson in the spring of 2022. Her father, Michael Crosby ’87, P’12 ’22, wrote that Catherine joined her sister, Carolyn Crosby Lavin ’12, and Carolyn’s husband, Thomas Lavin ’12, as Babson College graduates.
Connor Harbison MBA’22, founder of Atlas Urban Farms, recently installed a vertical wall panel at Pho Linh restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts. “We’ll be growing Thai basil in preparation for their grand-reopening in September,” wrote Harbison, adding that Atlas Urban Farms “will be adding additional restaurants and crops to our portfolio as we continue to grow organically.” Harbison founded Atlas Urban Farms, where he designs and installs vertical farming systems, so that independent chefs can grow their own ingredients, save time and money, and deliver fresher meals. Atlas Urban Farms was the graduate track winner of the 2022 B.E.T.A. (Babson Entrepreneurial Thought & Action®) Challenge.
MORE NEWS, NOTES, AND NODS FROM THE WINTER 2022–2023 ISSUE:
Undergraduates » In Memoriam »
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