Alumni Board Meeting
State of the College
Alumni Engagement
Broad Grad and HopCat Owner Expands Business
Mark Sellers (BA Accounting ’98), the majority owner of BarFly, parent company to world-renowned beer bar and restaurant HopCat, received a $25 million investment to open additional locations. The restaurant company currently thrives in Grand Rapids, East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Madison, and Detroit.
Broad Alumnus Releases Newest Book “Spartan Island”
The New York Times best-selling author and Broad marketing graduate Erik Qualman released his fifth book, “Spartan Island,” a conspiracy theory work of fiction. Qualman is now a Pulitzer Prize-nominated author and named by Forbes as a Top 50 Social Media Influencer.
Broad Grad Using Celebrity for Good
Ryan Devlin (BA Hospitality Business ’03) secured celebrity status appearing on CSI, Brothers and Sisters, Jane the Virgin, and Law and Order, but recently found his calling after a humanitarian trip to Liberia, where he saw global hunger firsthand. He founded This Bar Saves Lives, a one-for-one nutrition bar. For every bar sold, packet of life-saving food is given to a child in need. To date, over 750,000 packets have been delivered to Haiti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Philippines, Nepal, and Guatemala.
Spartan Leads Whole Foods Market’s Newest Venture
365 by Whole Foods Market, led by president and Broad College alumnus Jeff Turnas (BA Hospitality Business ’95), opened its first store’s doors on May 25 in Silver Lake, California. The new chain will open locations in Bellevue, Washington and Portland, Oregon in the coming months, and expand to another 10 cities next year.
A Lansing Legacy Built by Broad
What does it take to keep a small business operating for 40 years in an uneasy economy like Michigan’s? Dedication, tenacity, resourcefulness, and strong family ties. The first three qualities might not come as a surprise, but for the Chapman Agency of Lansing, Michigan, three generations of Broad College of Business graduates have gotten their insurance agency through the worst of economic times.
Spartan Launches New Social Network
Jeremy Redman (BA Accounting ’12) struggled to find MSU connections to network with as he built a new life in Los Angeles, and Facebook and LinkedIn weren’t cutting it. He took matters into his own hands and launched AirFive, a social network and mentoring platform for college alumni.
MSU’s MBA: The Change the Chois Needed
For Kim-Lan (Kim) and Dean Choi (MBAs Finance ’07), Michigan State’s MBA program at the Broad College of Business holds a special place in their hearts. The two began their MBA journeys at different points in their careers, but in need of a change. Career changes they got, as well as the beginning of their lives together.
Passion: Your Professional X-Factor
Sometimes, an MBA is the missing link connecting passion and profession. Jeff Hecker (MBA Supply Chain Management ’13) graduated from Purdue University in 2007 with a political science degree, but he found he needed a solid business foundation to make an impact in the workplace. Today, he works for Intel Corporation as commodity manager in Hillsboro, Oregon – a profession that he feels passionate about.
Real-World Learning, Real World Success
When it comes to getting an MBA, only so much can be taught from a textbook. Keith Johnson (MBA Supply Chain ’07) began his career working for the State of Michigan, but he decided he was ready to take a leap into the business world. He quickly realized there was something more to MSU’s MBA program that he wouldn’t have gotten at other schools: real-world learning experience.
MSUFCU Hosts First Financial Literacy Competition for RBP Students
Eleven student teams of Broad’s Residential Business Program entered the MSU Federal Credit Union’s Financial Literacy Competition by submitting executive summaries on “The Potential Benefits and Pitfalls Facing College Students in Using Credit Cards.” The contest was judged by Dean Sanjay Gupta and MSUFCU President and Broad alumni April Clobes.
Entrepreneur Alumnus Skandalaris Spoke at Broad College Commencement
Broad alumni, entrepreneur, and business maven Bob Skandalaris (BA Accounting ’84) delivered the 2015 Broad Commencement speech to graduates and their families on May 7 at the Breslin Center. Skandalaris spoke about his academic path that lead him to business, and the importance of taking risks, chasing opportunities and always trying something new.
MSU Coaches Playbook: How to Build a Winning Team
From June 5–8, eight top coaches from MSU’s athletic department partnered with the Broad College of Business for the fourth annual “Building Winning Teams: A Quest for Excellence” program for executives. With John Duffey (BA Accounting ’82) as the kickoff event’s keynote speaker, the program equips business leaders with tools to navigate workplace challenges and harness team-building opportunities.
2016 Warrington Lecture to Feature Kim Popovits, Leader in Business & Biotech
Kim Popovits, CEO and President of Genomic Health Inc., will travel back to East Lansing to speak at the 2016 Warrington Lecture on October 27, at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center at 6:00 pm. Her innovation and leadership continues to transform the healthcare industry and appropriately, she plans to focus her speech on innovation and leadership.
$1M Gift from Al and Nancy Gambrel Creates Professorship in Management at MSU
In honor of Professor Larry Foster and his Organizational Development and Behavior class at MSU, Al (BA Human Resources ’76) and Nancy Gambrel pledged a $1 million gift to the Broad College to create the Gambrel Family Endowed Professorship in Management in hopes that future generations of Spartans will be inspired by a similarly dynamic professor.
Alumni Couple Pledge $1 Million to Create Named Professorship at Broad
John and Becky Duffey’s generous $1 million gift to MSU’s Broad College of Business will create a named professorship in the School of Hospitality Business, and a $1.5 million gift to Michigan State University Athletics will help construct a basketball hall of history and other improvements at Breslin Center.
$4.5 Million Gift From Alumnus Robert Burgess Supports Entrepreneurship at MSU
Alumnus Robert “Bob” K. Burgess, an accomplished business leader and longtime university advisor, committed a $4.5 million gift to the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. In honor of his gift and service, which includes a longstanding history of involvement, the Institute has been renamed Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Executives in Residence
Capital Campaign
Gift Highlights
$4.5M Naming Gift for the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Bob Burgess (BA Packaging ’66)
$2M Chair in Supply Chain Management
Brian (BA Finance ’88) & Shelly (BA Human Resource Management ’88) Kessler
$1M Professorship in Hospitality Business
John (BA Accounting ’82) & Becky (BS Med Tech ’86) Duffey
$1M Professorship in Management
Al (BA Personnel Admin ’76) & Nancy (BS Home Econ ’76) Gambrel
$1M Broad College Professorship in Business
Fred (BA Accounting ’53) & Marilyn (BA Music ’86) Addy
$500K United Shore Mortgage Faculty Fellowship in Sales Leadership
United Shore Mortgage – Mat Ishbia (BA Management ’03)
$1.5M Gift for Accounting, FMI, Pavilion, Athletics
Scott (BA Accounting ’78) & Pat Eston ($400K for Pavilion)
$1M Scholarship in Accounting
Val (BA Accounting ’04, MS Accounting ’07) & Robert Montgomery
Building a Vibrant Future
Gone are the days of traditional education. Today, students learn in a fast-paced and creative learning environment where they can solve problems and work together. To keep with the changes and continue an elite legacy, Broad’s future relies on big, bold changes, which is why the college has proposed the building of a new facility.
