Sweet inspiration: Erik Hom and John Slater of EMP-46 met Ben and Jerry's founders Ben Cohen, far left, and Jerry Greenfield, far right, at the ice cream company's annual meeting.

EMP-46

It certainly has been a busy past few months for EMP-46! Please note the new address for Alan. He is settled into his new condo and still living the good life in Chicago. Alan, your classmates would like to know if you plan to host the “Survivor II” party at your new home.

The highlight of the holidays for EMP-46 was the annual holiday party Dec. 4 at Maggiano’s. Bernie Birt, from the Kellogg leadership team, joined us. The group shared a great meal and conversation and looks forward to the next event.

Tony Garcia has transferred with Household to Southern California in a new position as division general manager, Southwest. Tony is responsible for the branch network in Southern California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. The Garcias will be making their home in Laguna Niguel, Calif. Reach Tony at 909.397.3939.

Tony and Darrin Reilly are neighbors in Southern California. He has graciously volunteered Darrin and Jane’s palatial estate in Coto DeCaza, Calif., for an EMP-46 fly-in event. Those of us they left in Chicago think mid-winter would be perfect.

Daryl Gormley has made the transition to Sara Lee and Cincinnati smoothly. He is working in food service as director of brand marketing. He’s had the pleasure of working closely with a fellow Kellogg grad, Liz Geraghty. Daryl says: “ I miss Chi-town, but manage to get back fairly regularly for work and play. I would love to hear from other EMP-46ers.” Reach Daryl at work at 513.936.2586.

Paul Herring and Mike Jakolat continue to build their consulting practice, The Beacon View Group, and have recently expanded their offerings to include strategic planning and performance improvement solutions. They are looking for introductions to companies in the $100 million to $500 million range.

Darrell Jackson recently earned the title of CEO to go along with the title of president of the Illinois west region at Northern Trust. Darrell is one of 43 diverse Chicago executives recognized by Chicago United for their outstanding leadership achievements and commitment to the community. DJ was later featured as one of 15 leaders of color in DuPage County by the Business Ledger.

Claudio Lanciotti has taken the position of marketing director, IP/data and voice services for Telecom Italia Sparkle. He will head up the Middle East and Africa region. For those who can’t make it to Southern California, Italy will be the next class trip. Reach Claudio at work at +39.06.3689.3189.

Jose Martinez still holds the title of the classmate with the most new email addresses since graduation. He has started a new position as vice president of sales for Precision Systems Concepts, a consultancy in Chicago. His new contact information is: Jose Martinez, vice president, Precision Systems Concepts, 1051 Perimeter Drive, No. 500, Schaumburg, IL 60173.

Therese McCall writes that she is now director, regional medical and scientific affairs, for Takeda Pharmaceuticals. This reflects her increased responsibilities to support the launch of a new drug in 2005.

Sam McClive would like to share news of Draper and Kramer Agency: The firm has expanded its offerings to provide risk management services to all types of businesses.

Susan Nedza is now chief medical officer for region V of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the Department of Health and Human Services. She admits it has been a fascinating transition to the job of regulator, and that she now has a greater understanding and appreciation of the power and role of the nonmarket forces that Professor Diermeier taught us about. Reach her at 312.886.5341.

Janine Nye is now the Falcon Edge program manager, Northrop Grumman.

Vern Reizman accepted a position as CFO of a privately held company in the die casting industry, RCM Industries. This is the parent of four die casting companies. (Two in Chicago and two in the South Carolina/North Carolina area.) He will oversee the plant controllers and financial affairs of all four plants. He will also assist the president and owner directly with his other diversified activities.

Vern added the following personal note: “Thanks to everyone who wrote and contacted me, especially Paul Herring, who put me on to the Finance Leaders Association Web site and FENG. This position ultimately came though a finance leaders posting. This was definitely the most difficult search I have had. If anyone is starting a search or mired in one and wants some ideas, feel free to give me a call or an email. The one thing I learned is that there is no single solution anymore. You need to multitask in various channels and you must use various résumés and methods.”

Harriet Seymore has formed a consulting firm called Ayam LLC (pronounced “I am”). It is targeted at the not-for-profit sector. Ayam provides a strategic, well-planned and executed approach to program evaluation and outcome measurement. Among other things, Ayam helps businesses conduct program evaluations, incorporate evaluation information in continuous improvement efforts and identify key performance drivers. Reach Harriet at 312.545.5552.

In the truth is stranger than fiction category, the award goes to John Slater. After 16 years of management consulting, he decided it was time to recharge his batteries and give back something to the community at the same time. What is it you ask? John and Erik Hom, his close friend since age 3, have become Ben & Jerry’s ice cream scoop shop developers and will soon be franchise operators in Marin County, Calif. After a few years in the making, they opened their first shop in late February and have some great things in store for the community. John is really excited about it, and you can just imagine how popular his kids are in the community. He will be supplying the ice cream for the party that Daryl and Tony throw in Southern California.

David Susalla continues to enjoy his work as vice president, finance and operations for ProActive Inc. He reports that ProActive, a leading strategic communications and events firm, has been awarded the prestigious 2003 Meeting Professionals International Global Paragon Award for Avaya’s event week, held in November 2002. This award recognizes the best overall event in the global meetings industry over the past year. Congratulations, David!

Rob Strahs has moved to Rochester, N.Y. He is the vice president of sales and marketing for Arnold, The Magnetics Products Group of SPS Technologies. Rob says they make all types of magnets and magnetic and nonmagnetic assemblies at plants in the United States, United Kingdom and China. Your computer, car, cell phone, copier, and yes, the knickknack holder on your refrigerator probably contains some of their magnets. The Virtual Social Committee is investigating the possibility of using this technology to monitor class activities. Rob’s new email address is rstrahs@rochester.rr.com.

Peter Zaleski sends his regards to all and confirmed that he has been working hard these past few months with the Computer Sciences Corp. EMEA in support of a major potential client in Poland.

The EMP-46 family grows: Ken and Ann Dow welcomed their son, Bradley Foster Dow, on Jan. 2.

On May 29, Melissa Siebert gave birth to twins Charlie and Caroline Siebert. They weighed just over 4 pounds each at birth, and both spent about a month in the neonatal ICU before coming home in late June/early July. She confirms that it is crazy around their house but that they are having a lot of fun. Melissa, are you using methods you learned in operations management to get things under control? Perhaps it would make a great case study.

Nizar Jiwani and his wife Salima, announce the birth of their son Keyaan Jiwani on July 24. Keyaan weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, and measured 18.5 inches.

Charitable challenges: Susan Andrews-Winter has enjoyed her transition to being a parent since the birth of her son Rhys. She is following in the footsteps of Paul Herring and is participating this year in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program. She will be running a marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. She is asking our support for her effort. Please send an email to her at sandrews44@charter.net for more information.

On Oct. 12, Gregory L. Calloway participated in the 26th annual Chicago marathon sponsored by LaSalle Bank. His goal was to fully fund one student scholarship.

As we complete our three-year anniversary since graduation, it is important to reflect on how much our time at Kellogg has affected our lives. Alan and I are continually impressed by how our very talented group continues to grow and to accept new personal and professional challenges.

Alan and Sue