Frederic Hamilton, H’98, P’82, has been named 2014 Citizen of the West by the National Western Stock Show. The award recognizes those who embody the spirit and determination of the Western pioneer and honor the West’s agricultural heritage and ideals. Fred is a philanthropist, advocate for the arts, and pioneer in the oil and gas business. In the 1950s, Fred and his brother, Ferris ‘50, P’88, ‘98 (since deceased), founded Hamilton Brothers Drilling Co. in Texas.
Ted Marks, owner of Atwater Estate Vineyards in New York’s Finger Lakes region, co-owns The Tasting Room, which opened in September in Watkins Glen. The store features Atwater wines with a selection of regional wine, hard apple cider, and cheese for tasting and sale.
Vin Gately (MBA’85) was profiled in the cover feature, “Pride in Our Dedication to Excellence,” in the Greater Boston edition of Builder+Architect magazine in September. Vin is president of Heritage Properties, a Sudbury, Mass.-based company he founded in 1992. He emails, “Heritage specializes in building and restoring luxury residential properties.”
Mandy Selber (left) emails, “Five suite mates from the 1976–1977 year and our wives met in Chicago in September. With me are (from left) Doug Mittelman, Gary Wasserson, Wayne Gould, and Bob Clay, all ’77. We live all over the country now—Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Massachusetts. I had not seen Wayne or Bob in 34-plus years. We were unable to locate one of our suite mates, Kenny Shashoua ’77. We hope to get together again next year.”
The 3rd Annual Babson Baseball Golf Tournament was held on Aug. 16 at Sandy Burr Country Club in Wayland, Mass. The winning team comprised Babson trustee Rick Renwick (left), George Salvitti ’81 (second from left), overseer Bob Kelly ’81 (right), and overseer Steve Connelly ’82 (not pictured). Rick emails, “To honor Norm Govoni (second from right), longtime assistant baseball coach and marketing professor, the tournament name has been changed to the Govoni Golf Classic. If you’d like to join us next summer, please contact event organizer Brian Tartufo ’03 at babsonbaseballalumni@gmail.com.”
Peter Cooper (second from right) is the owner of Lexus of Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pa. He emails, “This picture was taken in October during the Lexus National Dealer Meeting in New Orleans at its LFA owner event. The Lexus LFA is a race car, of which only 500 were built. Standing with me are (from left) Javier Quiros, MBA’80, a Toyota distributor in Costa Rica; Akio Toyoda, MBA’82, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp., with his son, Daisuke Toyoda, MBA’14; and my son, David Cooper ’10. Akio discussed the future of Lexus in the event’s keynote speech.”
Johanna Crawford has been named a 2013 Purpose Prize Fellow by Encore.org. The organization supports second careers that demonstrate the value of experience and prove that innovation is not the sole province of the young. Johanna is executive director and founder of Web of Benefit, a nonprofit that empowers survivors of domestic violence by awarding grants and providing access to services and resources.
Steve Connelly is the new coach of the Lincoln-Sudbury [Mass.] Regional High School girls basketball team. Previously, he was an assistant with the team. Steve is owner and founder of Connelly Partners, a Boston advertising firm, and a member of Babson’s Board of Overseers.
Beth Jackson is a market executive in the Minneapolis office of U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. She was profiled in a Sept. 22 article, “A Look at the People Behind the Numbers in Area Business,” in the StarTribune. Beth, who has worked in the financial services industry in the Twin Cities for more than 30 years, previously was president of Anchor Bank’s investment and trust business.
Mark Wasiele has been appointed vice president, sales for the Americas at VirtualWorks Group, a search and information optimization company based in Boca Raton, Fla. Previously, he had been a sales executive, transformational solutions at Cisco Systems for seven years.
Paul Clancy has been named to the board of directors of Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Cambridge, Mass. Agios develops drugs that treat cancer and rare metabolic genetic diseases. Paul has been executive vice president and CFO at Biogen Idec since 2007.
Jeff Johnson (MBA’92) emailed in August, “Rock and roll will go on forever. Like fine wine, it gets better with age (and less volume). Chris ‘The Bear’ Hebert ’79 (third from left) graciously hosted our informal jam session in his ‘Deluxebury’ studio at his home in Duxbury, Mass. From left to right are Sam Davis ’80, Jack Worthen ’80, Chris, Howie Hirsch ’77, myself, Dave Tashjian ’79, and our close friend, Jim Alger. We played together while at Babo and have played two to three times a year ever since.”
Joel Saslaw won a seat this fall on the city council of his hometown of Peabody, Mass. This was his first run for political office. Joel is a multimedia expert at SuperMedia.
Jeffrey Mortimer has joined the board of advisers of the Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance at Babson. A CFA, Jeffrey is the director of investment strategy at BNY Mellon Wealth Management and has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Michael Forrest (right, on keyboards) emails, “I play backup with my brother Sean’s Christian contemporary band. We play primarily to help raise funds for our orphanage, school, and medical clinic in Haiti. Haiti180 is a nonprofit founded by Sean, and I serve on its board of directors. The medical facility should be completed in early 2014, and we’re planning a home for the elderly near the orphanage. We hope to bring the elderly and children together, providing grandparents for the orphans and meaning and purpose for the elderly. Come join us on a mission trip!”
Overseer Amy Weil (front row, third from left) received the Cruickshank Alumni Leadership Award at an awards event in October during Back to Babson. The other Alumni Leadership Award recipients were (front, from left) Douglas Locke, P’13; Alyson Yablonskie ’03; Janet Strimaitis, MBA’81; Shaun Steingold, MBA’08; Jenny Estevez ’08; (back) Babson Alumni Association board member Dexter Williams, MBA’98; Martha Festa, MBA’93, P’13; Michael Festa, P’13; Patricia Locke, P’13; Bennett Savitz; Warren Jacobs, MBA’89; and overseer Stephen Martiros ’83, MBA’85. For more event information, please visit the Alumni and Friends Recognition page.
Howard Brown (left), Babson Alumni Association clerk, and Greg Tufankjian, both ’88 and members of their class reunion committee, enjoyed the annual Green & White cocktail reception with more than 250 attendees. Howard emails, “Back to Babson was an amazing weekend because it was our 25th Reunion. Our classmates wore special green beads, courtesy of Bill ‘Willie’ Nelson ’88 from New Orleans, and we enjoyed the festivities, including our high-energy class party.” Greg adds, “I had a wonderful time connecting with Babson friends and faculty. The campus looks a little different, but many of the faces look the same.”
Tom Carroll has been named CEO of Norwell, Mass.-based South Shore Medical Center, which recently completed construction of an 85,000-square-foot facility. Tom had been involved in the project since its inception and had been the center’s CFO for 16 years.
Dan McCormick has been promoted to senior vice president and COO of Shutterfly Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president and general manager at the Internet-based image publishing service, where he has worked for nine years.
Mark Gertzof has joined TCW Group as managing director of the direct lending group. Before working at TCW, an asset management firm, Mark co-founded Monroe Credit Advisors, a middle-market investment banking and credit advisory firm.
Terry Ober has been named regional investment specialist, Northeast, at investment firm Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC. Previously, he was a U.S. regional vice president at ING Investment Management.
Gregory White is the new CEO at Lamprey Health Care, a nonprofit community health center with medical offices in Newmarket, Raymond, and Nashua, N.H. A CPA, he previously was CFO at Lowell Community Health Center in Lowell, Mass.
Richelieu Dennis (right) is CEO of Sundial Brands, a skin- and hair-care company. He emails, “Nyema Tubman ’91 (left), COO; Mary Dennis, my mother; and I founded Sundial and our SheaMoisture and Nubian Heritage brands. Initially, we sold our natural products on the sidewalks of Harlem, but now our brands are carried by major retailers such as Whole Foods, Target, Walgreens, and CVS. We’re proud to give back by supporting women’s shea-butter co-ops in northern Ghana, a breast cancer support and advocacy organization, and a certified organic farm that provides produce to soup kitchens throughout Long Island.”
Gregory Santin has been appointed senior vice president and commercial real estate relationship manager, South Florida at Florida Community Bank. Previously, he was vice president, asset recovery and commercial real estate lending at BNY Mellon. Gregory is co-vice chairman of the United Way of Miami-Dade’s development committee, president of the Risk Management Association’s Southeast Florida chapter, an executive committee board member of Neighborhood Lending Partners of South Florida, a board member of the Babson Alumni Association, and president of the Alumni Club of South Florida.
Joanne Verkuilen has been named director of marketing and digital strategy at BlackArch Partners, a middle-market investment bank based in Charlotte, N.C. Previously, she was vice president for investor relations at Conversus Capital.
Cynthia (MacKinnon) Crossman emails, “In the fall of 2013, I completed an MBA with a concentration in organizational leadership from the University of Massachusetts. I live on Cape Cod with my husband and two children and work at Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Mass., as the assistant vice president for finance and administration.”
Denis Gagnon is vice president, international at Excel Dryer, a family-owned and -operated business in East Longmeadow, Mass. Dennis emails, “For 50 years, Excel has been manufacturing the industry’s finest quality American-made hand dryers including Xlerator, the original high-speed and energy-efficient hand dryer. On the wall behind me are several custom-covered hand dryers that we have produced for organizations, including the Patriots, Red Sox, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola. Since launching Xlerator, we have grown the company twelvefold. We are expanding rapidly into the global marketplace as we deliver a world-class, energy-efficient solution. For more information, contact me at djgagnon@exceldryer.com.”
Lee Kaltman emails, “ACEing Autism Inc., co-founded by Richard Spurling, MBA’08, held its inaugural Connect the Kids fundraising gala in October. Joining us at the Los Angeles event was Ara Hajian ’97, who owns The Hub Gallery, a fine art and antiques business. Aceing Autism celebrated its fifth anniversary and the opening of its 20th national satellite program to support students with autism by connecting them to tennis.” Lee is the founder of School.me Inc., an educational initiative.
Adam Sachs (left) emails, “At this year’s homecoming, the Class of ’93 sponsored a bone marrow drive with the Be the Match organization for Chris Sherman ’93, husband and father of three, who is battling acute myeloid leukemia. With me are (from left) Dan Nelson ’93, David Spinney ’93, Rock Roan ’72, Ralf Riehl ’90, a Be the Match representative, and Jaime Cacace ’90. Ray Forcina and Roy Avellaneda, both ’93, didn’t make the picture. Thank you to everyone who joined the registry. Chris is receiving a bone marrow transplant from a 20-year-old. Those who participated may be able to save a life, too!”
John Crowley has been appointed chief accounting officer, corporate senior vice president, and corporate controller at Charles River Laboratories, headquartered in Wilmington, Mass. A CPA, he previously was vice president, chief accounting officer, and corporate controller at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals.
Alexandra Aguirre, attorney and shareholder in the corporate and securities practice group at law firm Greenberg Traurig, has been awarded the Global Education Network Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising by the Family Firm Institute. The certificate is presented to professionals with the expertise to assist family business owners and family wealth clients. Based in Miami, Alexandra specializes in mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, corporate finance, and debt and equity private placements throughout Latin America.
Jay Gassner has been promoted to partner at United Talent Agency, a talent and literary agency with offices in Beverly Hills, Calif., and New York City. A motion picture talent agent, Jay joined UTA in 1998, became a TV literary agent in 2001, and moved to the talent department in 2007.
Raghav Rekhi has been appointed marketing director at Mars International India. He has worked at Mars International for 14 years and previously was marketing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. Raghav was featured in an article, “Chocolatier Mars Brings Galaxy to India: Scouts for Locations for Manufacturing Base,” in the Nov. 7 issue of The Hindu Business Line.
Jamie Siminoff is founder of DoorBot, a video doorbell for smartphones that allows homeowners, inside or outside their home, to see and talk with visitors. In November, Jamie presented his invention on ABC-TV’s Shark Tank.
Evan Kwee is executive director of Capella Hotel Group Asia, a luxury hotel and spa management company. Also a director of Pontiac Land Group, he is a third-generation member of his family to be involved in the real estate development company. Evan was profiled in a Nov. 21 article, “Next Tycoons: Singaporean Evan Kwee’s Passion for Design,” posted on travelsingapore.biz.
Christopher Norwood has been named president of NAI Norwood Group, a commercial real estate brokerage firm with offices in Bedford and Portsmouth, N.H. Previously, he was executive vice president at the family business, founded in 1968.
Paul Boots is director of DMCC Tradeflow, an initiative of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He emails, “I have been working on an innovative project for a Dubai government initiative. We have developed an electronic platform to enable Islamic banks to trade commodities in a Shariah-compliant way. This is the first mechanism of its type—in which real assets, title, and possession are transferred—that allows banks to do business in a fully compliant manner, instead of just having the paperwork done for them by external parties. An entrepreneurial mindset can create beneficial change.”
Andrew Bachman was featured in a front-page article, “Vigorous Times in the Tech World,” in the Nov. 12 issue of The Boston Globe. The article posits that he and other physically fit Internet entrepreneurs are common on the Boston tech scene and run counter to the stereotypical image of the out-of-shape techie. A serial entrepreneur, Andrew most recently founded Game Plan Nutrition, which makes protein shakes and supplements for athletes.
Eberhard Lange and Michael Talve are co-founders of The Expert Institute in New York City. Michael emails, “We connect leading law firms and financial services firms with subject-matter experts for litigation support and investment research/due diligence projects. Launched in 2010, The Expert Institute provides services to more than 2,000 law firms throughout the U.S., U.K., and Canada. It was voted one of the Best Expert Witness Referral Services of 2013 by New York Law Journal.”
Charlie Bogoian and Phil Tepfer are co-founders of Kenai Sports, which they originally launched while at Babson. The men were featured in an article, “Connecticut Company Rides Recycled Plastics into Clothing Industry: Kenai Sports Starts with College Sales, Aims for Bigger Markets,” in the Oct. 19 issue of The Hartford Courant. About 75 percent of the company’s sales are to colleges, and the next initiative is to develop sales to municipal agencies, such as police, fire, and school departments.
Phil Han is owner and founder of Dooby’s Coffee in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon neighborhood. He emails, “After two months in our pop-up space, we opened our main shop in late October. Highlights of our international menu include dark chocolate chip cookies, pork belly banh mis, and kimchi fried rice with egg and cheddar, as well as craft beers on tap. We’ve had great response from the community and have developed regulars who enjoy our specialty coffee and house-made pastries. Who doesn’t love to pair fresh pastry with their morning cappuccino?”
Laura Pastrana (left), Mayra Roa ’07, MSA’08 (right), and Mayra’s sister, Lorena Roa (center), founded Qvit and developed software that creates custom avatars for individual customers. Mayra emails, “Qvit promises chic styles with smart convenience. Our avatars allow online shoppers to see how a carefully curated boutique of designer garments will fit before ordering. Each Qvit avatar is a highly accurate, personalized digital replica of the shopper, allowing her or him to fall in love with individual garments from new brands with which they may not be familiar. We currently carry 80 brands for men and women.”
Katie Yeager was one of three entrepreneurs featured in an article, “Going for It: Young Entrepreneurs Have Little to Lose,” in the Oct. 17 issue of The Kansas City Star. She founded a startup residential real estate firm, Your Future Address, in Overland Park, Kan.
Fan Bi emails, “The vision of my company, Blank Label, is to make custom the new standard. We realized it wasn’t possible to achieve that vision as an online-only brand because most of our customers were still shopping offline. So we opened our Boston and Chicago showrooms in 2013 and moved beyond shirts to include custom suiting, chinos, and outerwear. We plan launches in Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, N.C., in early 2014.” Fan was an exchange student at Babson.
Alex Karsos emails, “I proposed to Alexa Padavano (MSA’09) in November outside Tomasso Hall, and she said yes! We were headed to campus to participate in the Coaching for Leadership and Teamwork Program. Alexa thought we were going to have our photos taken as part of a story on young alumni coaches when in fact the photographer was there to take pictures as the proposal unfolded. We hope to be married in the fall.”
Maxwell Finn is co-founder and COO of The Daily Hundred, a Tampa, Fla.-based startup that helps businesses create, monitor, and analyze real-time, location-specific mobile marketing campaigns. He emails, “In September, The Daily Hundred closed a Series A funding round for $500,000 to fuel product development and national sales and marketing initiatives. Our iPhone, Android, and Web apps help businesses reward customers for brand loyalty.”
John Thompson started Juice Burger, a gourmet food truck and catering business, in 2012. He emails, “Juice Burger is New Hampshire’s first farm-to-sidewalk food truck, offering high-quality, made-from-scratch street food at competitive prices. I strive to work with organic, GMO-free farms, and 100 percent of our ingredients are sourced from local suppliers. The company is committed to cradle-to-cradle sustainability. We closed for the season in mid-November, but we’re available for holiday catering and events. We’ll reopen in April. Follow us on Facebook and stop by when you’re in southern New Hampshire or over the river in Kittery, Maine.”
Hiba Haider (front row, left, white pants) emails, “I moved to the West Coast in August to work in the marketing department of Inflection, a tech startup. In October, I attended a Back to Babson event at Crissy Field in San Francisco. The view and the weather were absolutely flawless. Thirty alumni and their families showed up at the picnic, hosted by Babson and organized by Gerri Randlett, director of the College’s alumni network and service programs. Thank you, Gerri, for coordinating the event and making sure it ran smoothly!”
Zeke Testa has been named assistant men’s ice hockey coach at Babson. He spent four years as a goaltender for the Beavers, culminating with his second-team selection to the CCM Division II-III Men’s Hockey All-America East squad by the American Hockey Coaches Association. He was named ECAC East Goalie of the Year last season. Zeke emails, “Having played for coach Jamie Rice ’90 over the past four years, it is truly an honor to come back to the program and assist him this season.”
The first Babson Investment Banking Conference, hosted by the Babson Investment Banking Association and sponsored by the Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance, was held on campus in September. The opening remarks were delivered by President Kerry Healey (second from right), and the morning’s keynote speaker was Brian Moynihan (center), CEO of Bank of America. Joining them are (from left) Cutler Center managing director Mark D’Annolfo; overseer Stephen Cutler, president of Essex Investment Management; and Babson COO Ranch Kimball. The afternoon’s keynote speaker was Rebecca Shaghalian ’91 (not pictured), head of international sales and execution services in the U.S. at Goldman Sachs. Approximately 250 people—students, faculty, and alumni—attended the daylong conference.
Richard Garrett has received the Myra L. Herrick Outstanding Older American Award from SeniorCare Inc. The organization provides and coordinates services for elders and others so they may live independently. The Beverly, Mass.-based nonprofit agency honored Richard at its annual meeting in September for his longtime community service.
Frederick Harris has been named president of Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. He remains president of General Dynamics NASSCO, a position he attained in 2006. Prior to that, Harris was senior vice president for programs at General Dynamics Electric Boat, where he was responsible for the execution of submarine design, construction, and repair programs. Bath Iron Works and NASSCO are wholly owned and separate subsidiaries of General Dynamics.
Nick Genimatas and his sister run their family’s bowling alley, Bowl-O-Rama Family Fun Center, in Portsmouth, N.H. Nick was featured in a Sept. 23 article, “For Bowl-O-Rama’s Nick Genimatas, It’s All in the Family,” on seacoastonline.com. He also co-owns the commercial plaza where the bowling business is located and manages tenant leases. [Editor’s Note: See the Winter 2014 Babson Magazine article Come Out of the Cold]
John Hall has been elected a district governor of Rotary International, a nonprofit, humanitarian organization with more than 1.2 million members worldwide. He presides over the region north and west of Boston to New Hampshire, with 48 clubs and 2,000 members. A Rotary Club member since 1998, John has served as club president, assistant governor, and member of the board of directors. He is a senior vice president and manager of the commercial banking division at Salem Five, a Boston-area bank. John and his wife, Nancy Hall, MBA’91, live in Beverly with their children.
George Mandt has been named vice president, senior lender at TD Bank in Burlington, Mass. He is responsible for new business development and portfolio management for customers throughout New England. Previously, he was first vice president at First Niagara.
Dave Gravel has been re-elected councilor at large on the Peabody, Mass., city council. Long active in the city, he served two terms on the school committee and is a board member of the YMCA of Metro North and chair of the Peabody Education Foundation. Dave runs his business consulting company, GraVoc Associates.
Hal Masters (center, at head of table), hosted a dinner at his Bermuda home in October. Joining him are (from left) Julia Henderson ’02, Graeme Henderson, Aidan Stones, Kumi Bradshaw, MBA’06, Hal, Pell Price ’74, Marisa Stones, MBA’99, George Jones, MBA’98, leadership gifts officer Paula Weafer, and Craig Tucker ’81. Hal emails, “Our Bermuda reunion was but one of 10 celebrations held around the world in honor of Back to Babson’s on-campus weekend. We had a wonderful evening and look forward to an even larger event next year.”
Vin Gately (’74): See Undergrad News.
Robert Pepper has been appointed CEO of NeuroTrax, a Bellaire, Texas-headquartered company that develops tests to assess brain fitness. He has been a member of the company’s board of directors since 2008. Previously, Robert was chief marketing officer at Contact Solutions and was named a 2013 Executive Management Award winner by Washington SmartCEO magazine.
John Whorf has joined the team of Boston-based senior mergers and acquisitions advisers at Woodbridge International, an M&A firm focused on middle market companies.
Bill Duckett has been promoted to vice president for U.S. sales at VFA Inc. He is responsible for developing business in education, state and local government, and health-care markets. Bill has been working with the Boston-based capital planning and management company for four years.
Thomas Raffio co-wrote There Are No Do-Overs: The Big Red Factors for Sustaining a Business Long Term, which addresses the ins and outs of running a successful business. The authors posit that happy, empowered, and appreciated employees work harder and drive the success of a company, and the book proposes 12 concepts to create a strong company culture. Tom is president and CEO of Concord, N.H-based Northeast Delta Dental, which administers dental benefits of members in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The company has been recognized for its human resource management, corporate social responsibility, and management practices.
Thomas Brownell has been named president and CEO of Sentinel Asset Management, a Montpelier, Vt.-headquartered company that offers mutual funds, retirement plan solutions, and institutional investment management. He will continue to be chief investment officer at National Life Group, where he also has been promoted to executive vice president (National is an affiliate of Sentinel). A CFA, Thomas has held a number of positions within the affiliated companies during the past 21 years.
David Hogan, playwright and screenwriter, has written his first novel. He emails, “The Last Island, published by Betimes Books, is about a Boston fireman who becomes a bartender on a Greek island. He soon meets Kerryn, an animal rights activist, who believes dolphins possess consciousness, intelligence, and souls. But just as the fireman’s relationship with Kerryn deepens, her convictions force a fatal decision that changes the island and both their lives forever.” More information about David and his work can be found at davidhoganwriter.com.
Eric Hudson is founder of Waltham, Mass.-based Preserve, which produces a variety of recyclable home goods made from 100 percent recycled polypropylene. The company was honored in November as one of three recipients of the Innovation in Plastics Recycling award from the American Chemistry Council. Preserve’s Gimme 5 program, dedicated to recycling No. 5 plastic containers, was cited for its efforts to transform items such as yogurt cups into new products.
Marilyn Smith has been named vice president for information technology and chief information officer at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Previously, she was head of information services and technology at MIT, where she had worked since 2009. Marilyn is a member of the board of directors at CSP Inc., an IT solutions company, and serves on the board’s compensation and nominating committees.
Paul Barker owns Pauli’s, a fast-casual Italian restaurant in Boston’s historic North End. He emails, “Pauli’s, my fourth restaurant venture, offers an affordable and widely varied menu for families, professionals, out-of-towners, and native Bostonians. Known for its signature sandwiches, lobster rolls, and gourmet salads, the restaurant serves comfort foods as well as healthy options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pauli’s seats 20 guests, and we have a full catering business as well as takeout and delivery services. Drop in and check us out!”
Bill Gately has been appointed CEO at Iscon Imaging Inc., a manufacturer of infrared imaging systems for the security market. Before working for the Woburn, Mass.-based company, Bill was general manager of the nuclear detection division of Dynasil Corp.
Jeff Pzena (left), is founder of Cotton Tree Lodge in Belize, where he is shown with business partner Chris Crowell. Jeff emails, “I have started a service learning program for college students who attend with their professors. The course work ranges from international business to rain forest ecology. Also, I now have a cocoa bean export business, Maya Mountain Cacao, which exported about 100,000 pounds of cocoa beans in 2013, and two chocolate companies, Cotton Tree Chocolate and Moho Chocolate. The lodge runs Chocolate Week tours so groups can participate in the entire chocolate-making process.”
Derek Slayton has been named chief marketing officer at Waltham, Mass.-based NetProspex, a B2B sales and marketing data services company. Previously, he was vice president for marketing at VMTurbo.
Sarah Sykora (center), Babson’s chief marketing officer, accepted the Higher Education Marketer of the Year award on behalf of the College from the American Marketing Association in November. She is shown with Tom Abrahamson (left), chair of Lipman Hearne, an event sponsor, and Carol Arnold, senior director, professional development at AMA. Speaking at the Boston awards symposium, Sarah said, “By shattering traditional marketing silos and integrating our positioning into every aspect of the consumer journey, we have successfully repositioned Babson as the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds.®”
Evan Blaustein, CEO and founder of Mimoco, emails, “We just crowdfunded our newest product line, BatteryBot, via Kickstarter. BatteryBot is a character-based backup battery for cell phones and other mobile devices. I’m working on our reunion planning committee and hope to see you on campus in the fall. Please drop me a line at evan@mimoco.com.”
Krisztian Mehes (front, center), emails from Budapest, Hungary, “The annual Santa Speedo Run in Budapest supports organizations that help sick children. I borrowed the idea from Boston and started the run in 2004 with 12 runners and 24 police officers to secure the route. We now have about 100 runners and worldwide media coverage. I hope to find charity-minded runners to create a franchise in Europe and any place where it hurts to run in a Speedo in December. Contact me at krisztian@mikulaskocogas.hu.”
Clint Tankersley has joined Cadient Group as a director of commercial strategy and innovation. The digital, health-care marketing agency is based in King of Prussia, Pa. Previously, Clint was director of product development in the innovation group at WebMD, where he had worked for six years.
Brian Duggan (second from left), assistant class dean, and Lisa Thomas, P’17 (third from right), faith and service director, went on Babson’s annual Habitat for Humanity trip to Getsemani, El Salvador, in August. Brian emails, “Our group of students, staff, and friends were joined by Getsemani residents in front of their Habitat-built house, which is the office of the local business co-op and where we held entrepreneurship classes. Students from ESEN, a business school in El Salvador, also joined us for the week. We kicked off our trip by having dinner in San Salvador with Carlos Echeverria ’74, MBA’76, and his wife, Sara.” For more information, contact Lisa at thomasl@babson.edu.
Donna Ng has been appointed vice president for business affairs and treasurer at Scripps College, a member of The Claremont Colleges, in Claremont, Calif. A CPA, she had worked at Wellesley College for more than 10 years, most recently as senior associate provost for budget and planning. From 2001 to 2002, Donna was director, budget and financial planning at Babson.
Pamela Pantos sang “Habanera” from Bizet’s Carmen at the inauguration of President Kerry Healey in October. Pamela emails, “I was honored to sing at the dinner celebration. There have not been many opera singers who have gone on to receive MBAs and run an opera company. But I am pretty typical of the maverick/creative type of individual who attends Babson. We have both left and right sides of the brain going at all times. I believe that the success of Opera North is greatly due to the remarkable education that Babson offered me.” Pamela is the executive director of Opera North in Lebanon, N.H.
Simeon Margolis (left), cofounder and CEO of Good Day Chocolate, emails, “My business partner, Andrew Goldman, MD (right), and I have created ‘chocolate with benefits’ for hardworking adults. Good Day Chocolate’s Energy and Calm candy-coated chocolate supplements were shipped to Colorado retailers in October and will be available in a town near you sometime this year. Look for more benefits in our fun, limited edition flip-top boxes coming soon. Visit us at gooddaychocolate.com or email me at simeon@gooddaychocolate.com to talk chocolate.”
Prashant Parameswaran was featured in an Oct. 23 article, “A Cereal Story: Prashant Parameswaran Has Packaged the Humble Ragi into Tasty, Delicious, Healthy Breakfast Options,” posted on TheHindu.com. He has launched Soulfull, a line of breakfast cereals and instant dosa (pancake or crepe) mixes made in Bangalore, India, by Kottaram Agro Foods. Soulfull uses ragi, a nutritious, whole-grain millet, in its foods. For more information, visit soulfull.co.in and like Soulfull on Facebook.
Gil Allouche has been appointed vice president for marketing at Qubole, a Big Data services company. Previously, he was senior director of marketing at Karmasphere, a Big Data analytics company.
Petia Whitmore has been named director of Babson’s Graduate Admissions. Previously, she was senior associate director, which included managing operations and closely working with MBA candidates. Petia emails, “I’m leading the Graduate Admissions team with a focus on identifying entrepreneurial leaders to join our suite of graduate programs. I look forward to meeting many alumni and future students in our admissions events around the world.” Petia may be contacted at pwhitmore1@babson.edu.
Alexandru Bageac, a radiologist, earned a Certificate of Leadership Fundamentals from the Radiology Leadership Institute in September. He emails, “As a Babson alum, I advocate for a workplace culture that embraces change, anticipates trends and directional shifts, and creates collaboration and innovation.” He joined Radiology Specialists of the Northwest as medical director of nuclear medicine in 2006. Alexandru specializes in oncologic imaging and nuclear medicine and is president of the Portland, Ore.-based group of 22 radiologists.
Dan Brinderson launched Express Coin Laundry, his Southern California business, almost four years ago. The company offers various family-friendly amenities such as on-site video games, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and time- and energy-efficient washers and dryers at seven laundromats throughout Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Los Angeles.
Paul Costello is president of Agency 180, a database marketing agency he started at Babson. He and his Boston-area agency were featured in an Oct. 30 article, “The Anti-Mad Men of Marketing: Interview with Paul Costello of Agency 180,” posted on BeforeItsNews.com. Paul describes his firm as providing “big agency thinking without the big agency price tag and big agency inflexibility.”
Scott Rousseau is owner and president of Beyond the Shaker, which sells all-natural, gourmet sea salts. He emails, “I was featured in an article, ‘The Turning Point,’ in the October issue of Entrepreneur magazine, because I recently shifted gears within my company to concentrate on national, wholesale accounts. One turning point was exhibiting at a wholesale show in Maine for New England-made products. As the business continues to grow, I continue to focus on quality. I still mix every spice blend by hand in small 10-gallon barrels.”
Ben Seldon founded New York City-based Seldon Marketing in 2011. He emails, “My agency focuses on lead generation for small and medium-sized businesses. Marketing for these businesses is difficult, but utilizing the low customer-acquisition cost that search engine marketing can produce if done effectively was too attractive an opportunity to pass up. We are integrated with HubSpot, a marketing software platform, and recently achieved its Gold Level Agency status.”
Jay Hoflich is CEO and co-founder of ReconCraft, which designs and produces jet boats that can navigate in a few inches of water and over sandbars. ReconCraft was named one of The Fastest Growing (Best Run, Most Innovative, and Most Inspiring) Private Companies in America in the September issue of Inc. magazine. Listed as No. 206 of 500, the company was profiled in an article, “Protecting Our (Shallowest) Borders.” ReconCraft makes boats for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.
Andre Smith and his business partner were featured in an article looking at Veterans Incubator of Colorado, which supported them and their startup, Quick Inc.. The article, “Incubator Bridging the Gap Between Soldier, CEO,” was posted on Nov. 10 on DailyCamera.com. Quick Inc. plans to place QR codes and ID numbers on street lights so residents easily can report outages. This will improve safety and have the added bonus of earning residents credit on their electricity bills.
David Blutenthal is founder and CEO of Moodsnap.fm. He emails, “An image-based music streaming app, Moodsnap delivers contextually relevant music mapped to the user’s personal taste. Currently for Spotify Premium subscribers on iOS devices, Moodsnap categorizes music stations by emotive photographs, so users choose music by tapping an image. This instinct-driven experience is designed to make deciding what to hear as easy as knowing how you feel.”
Pierre-Emmanuel Meyer ’03 and Theresa Becker were married on June 21 in La Celle, France. Shown with the bride and groom are (from left) Alexander Thoma ’04, Heinrich Becker ’02, Johann Thorarinsson ’02, Shamim Ehsani ’03, Cornelius Becker ’03, Matthew Taravella ’02, Jonathan Abittan ’02, Paul Eng ’03, Arjun Jindal ’02, Gerald Siu ’02, and Sony Ubhi ’02. Pierre-Emmanuel emails, “It was the perfect occasion for a wonderful Babson reunion.”
Kristi Pearse was married to Aaron McKeon ’05 (center) on Sept. 14 on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H. Aaron emails, “Giving our best ‘blue steel stare’ (from Zoolander) are (from left) Charles Roberts ’05, Ben Coffey ’04, Brian Mak ’05, and Patrick Lehner ’05. For almost 10 years, I have been working for LeMaitre Vascular, managing the integration of newly acquired businesses. In October, I changed roles and traveled with my new wife to Melbourne to open and manage an Australian subsidiary.”
Alina Levin and William Gioielli, both ’06, were married on June 8 by good friend John Goscha ’06 in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Guests included the bride’s cousin, Elina Tirulnik ’09; Jocelyn Chao, Sophia Dubrovsky, Adriana (Talatinian) Fudala, Alex Galperin, Joseph Hanono, Allison Harden, Matthew Logan, Greg Neufeld, Courtney (Powell) Georgiev, and Brooke (Suslak) Giroux, all ’06; Chad Hollingsworth, Marc St. Pierre, and Richard Sussman, all ’07; and Jessica (Bishop) Logan ’08.
Tess Stern and Tom Salter ’06 were married on Aug. 31 in Incline Village, Nev., on Lake Tahoe. Friends at the wedding included (from left, back) Patrick Maguire ’06, Reid Halloran ’06, Julie Fitzgibbons ’06, Matthew Walsh ’07, Sam Saxton ’06, Michael Crain ’06, Marci McCormack ’06, MBA’11; (middle) Colleen McMahon ’06, Emily Tata ’04, Harris Glaser ’06, Cara Forsberg ’06, MSA’06, Jeff Avallon ’06; (front) the groom, Annie Kendrick, the bride, and Kristie Hambrecht.
Rashida Malcolm and Christopher Bradley, both ’08, were married on Aug. 23 at The Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, N.J. Among the guests were maid of honor Julianna Pham ’07; bridesmaid Sarah English ’08; professor and Posse mentor Richard Bliss; and Posse scholars Sterling Charles, Jenny Estevez, Shellana Henderson, and Daniel Torres, all ’08. The couple lives in Geneva, Switzerland.
Meghan Berggren and Chris Norwood ’03 were married on Aug. 3 on the top of Loon Mountain in Lincoln, N.H., where they met while skiing. Friends at the wedding included (middle row) James Saunders ’03, Lynn Partica ’03, Lauren Grumbles, Chapman Grumbles ’03, Melissa (O’Brien) Mamary ’04; (back) Jason Spencer ’00, Ryan Bielagus ’98, Matt Dayton ’03, Dan Indoe ’02, James Mamary ’03, MBA’13, Gabe Stalcup ’03, Melissa Graul ’03, and Craig Aronson ’03.
Aimee Wiercinski ’02 was married to TJ Carver on the Fourth of July on the top of Snowbird Mountain in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. Aimee emails, “We met while working from two cross-country offices of the same vitamin and sports nutrition company. I was a marketing manager in New York City, and TJ was a graphic designer in Utah. We now live north of Salt Lake City and visit New York often.”
Martha Heaney of Wellesley died on Sept. 18. The operations coordinator in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, she had worked at Babson since 1994.
David Kaplan of Peabody, Mass., died on Aug. 28. A lecturer and visiting assistant professor at Babson from 1975 to 1983, he also was a director of international internships for the graduate office. A World War II veteran, he earned a BA and MEd at Harvard.
Helena Kaushik of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., died on Aug. 24. A nurse, she was director of Babson’s Health Services in the early 1980s.
Jane Schaefer of Naples, Fla., formerly of Weston, Mass., died on Sept. 30. She started to work for Babson in 1975 and was the registrar for graduate programs when she retired in 1987.
Paul Riesen ’37 of Milwaukee died on Oct. 31. A World War II veteran, he was president of his family’s business, Riesen Chemical Co.
John Wickwire ’46 of Orchard Park, N.Y., died on Sept. 21.
Robert Gallagher ’48 of Riverside, R.I., died on Aug. 24. He served in the Merchant Marine during World War II. He was founder and owner of Robert J. Gallagher & Associates Insurance Agency.
Paul Chase ’49 of Winchester, Mass., and Naples, Fla., died on Sept. 6. He served in the Navy during World War II. A member of the Babson Corporation from 1976 to 1979 and the Babson Board of Overseers from 2002 to 2011, he also led many businesses. He leaves his daughter, Hillary (Chase) O’Connor, MBA’84.
Edwin Clapp ’49 of Atlanta died on Aug. 30. He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. He was vice president and broker at Harry Norman Realtors.
Ralph Hanson ’49 of Bristol, R.I., died on Sept. 27. He served in the Navy during World War II and was an account manager with Nabisco.
Robert Stillman ’53 of Boston died on April 22.
Michael Kopanon ’54 of Gloucester, Mass., died on Nov. 16. He served in the Army during the Korean War and practiced law.
Allan Wolfe ’53, MBA’54, of Bedford, N.H., died on Oct. 10. A member of the Board of Overseers and former member of the Babson Alumni Association board, he was a recipient of the Cruickshank Alumni Leadership Award and the Richard J. Snyder Distinguished Service to the College Award.
Irving Farrar, MBA’55, of Barre, Vt., died on Dec. 2. He served in the Navy during the Korean War and worked for Raytheon.
John Lyman ’55 of Wilson, N.Y., died on April 15. An Army veteran, he served in Korea. He opened and ran a picture frame shop.
Ivan Hartwell ’60 of Palmetto, Fla., died on June 14. A military veteran, he co-owned a cleaning business.
Robert Miskunas ’60 of Dedham, Mass., died on Nov. 1. He was a kitchen designer.
Arnold Lustig ’62 of Pittsburgh died on April 29.
Harold Roey ’62 of Sunnyvale, Calif., died on Sept. 18. An Air Force veteran, he was manager, contracts and procurement at SETI Institute.
Hilliard Huggins ’67 of Portsmouth, R.I., died on Oct. 13. He worked for the insurance industry.
John Banks, MBA’69, of Huntsville, Ala., died on Sept. 10. A Vietnam War veteran and career officer, he was a retired colonel.
Peter Shahpazian, MBA’75, of Cumming, Ga., died on Jan. 24, 2013. He was a partner in the accounting firm of Matson Driscoll & Damico.
Robert Kluter, MBA’76, of Natick, Mass., died on April 1. He designed and tested Meals Ready to Eat at the Army Natick Soldier Systems Center.
Anastasia Troubalos, MBA’79, of Weymouth, Mass., died on Sept. 10. She was a tax examiner for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Diane Redonnet, MBA’80, of Sebastian, Fla., died on Sept. 24. She worked at Wellesley College.
Robert Sheehan, MBA’80, of Summit, N.J., died on Sept. 7. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He worked for New England Telephone and AT&T.
Thomas Ehmann, MBA’82, of Venice, Fla., formerly of Wellesley, died on Oct. 24. He was a minority business consultant in the Boston area.
Margaret Fleming ’89, MBA’91, of Sarasota, Fla., died on Feb. 28, 2013.
Susan (Lopez) Belanger ’90 of Hudson, N.H., died on Aug. 25. She was a senior performing reporting analyst at Charles River Laboratories.
