EMP-64

It is hard to believe that yet another quarter of the year has gone by the wayside, but many things have happened — mostly on the career front, but certainly on the family front as well.

Steve Downer EMP-64 took time for at least one photo during a business trip with GE to Sydney, Australia
Cheryl Hyman EMP-64
Joseph Klauzar EMP-64 with his new bride, Nicole, at the Hollywood Bowl
Matt McPartlin EMP-64 and his wife Barbara (Babs) and their children, Spencer (3) and Maura (1) on a spring vacation to Sun City, Ariz.
Joe Oberweis EMP-64 with family: wife Jennifer, baby Reese and kids Evan (2) and Drew (4)
Mark Rusiewski EMP-64 and his daughter Kendal during a tea ceremony in Himeji, Japan, while visiting his son Calvin
Cristina Sierra EMP-64, "hanging ten" during a surf trip with fellow classmate Carolyn Amato EMP-64 in Costa Rica

To start things off, Detroit, the motor city, may be looking to develop the next electric car, but is that the next technology? Not with classmate Jeffrey Adik in town! Jeffrey Adik reports that he is still continuing to develop Intraduce (which he started during class…er, I mean our program). Intraduce focuses on a next-generation transportation program based on a self-parking, self-fueling and self-driving value-added services initiative. He is happy to report that the company has arranged for its first investment from the Department of Defense. Further, they are continuing to aggregate interest for a cross-industry collaborative research and development facility and commercial pilot with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the auto industry and academia (represented by his alma mater, the University of Michigan). In addition, Intraduce was an in-kind sponsor of the National Summit in Detroit in June, where Jeffrey's intention is to aggregate and expose breakthrough innovation that enables best practices to be formed into a knowledge base for all to learn from (watch out Detroit!). Finally, Jeffrey reports that he made a trip out to the West Coast to attend the wedding of fellow classmate Joseph Klauzar.

Wilson Aihra reports that life has not slowed down. On the professional front, he accepted a position as a program director with Ingenix Consulting (a UnitedHealth Group Company) last year and that things are going very well. Wilson writes: "It's an exciting time to be in the healthcare consulting business ... with the Obama administration moving quickly to change the rules in this industry, companies are struggling to keep pace." On the personal side, Wilson reports that he and wife Rose were proud parents for the second time in June 2008 (they have two boys, Kyle (4) and Alex (1). In addition, they spent the month of January in Brazil hiding from the Chicago winter. Wilson adds: "Rose spent most of her time catching up with her mom and sister, Kyle spent time making people laugh with his Portuguese accent, Alex was busy doing baby stuff and I tried surfing." However, he admitted that he does not look as good on a surfboard (or off for that matter) as fellow classmates Carolyn Amato and Cristina Sierra. He hopes everyone is well and looks forward to the many traditional EMP-64 barbecues this summer.

Jason Chen reports that his address continues to change since graduation (something about those darn promotions). Jason and his wife moved to Singapore, where he is senior vice president and managing director of Asia for Cardinal Health. Congratulations Jason!

Yolanda Daniel said after reading each issue of Kellogg World, she says, "Self, you need to send a hello, update or something!" Well, we are happy to report that, with a little nudging, she has done just that! She writes: "I received an invitation to participate in a business forum at the White House. Ted Winslow, Cheryl Hyman and others helped me 'cram' for the topics that will be discussed, including healthcare, education, energy and the Recovery Act. As for other updates in my life, I enjoyed the Kellogg experience so much that I moved to Evanston seven months ago. I LOVE the city; work is interesting because of travel and I now know all the good jewelry shops in China. If you need a recommendation, let me know. Also, I never knew what an AK-47 — excuse me, several AK-47s — looked like until I went to Mexico City, but that's a long funny story. Finally, I have become very active in the nonprofit community — Kellogg service in practice. In that regard, if I happen to give you a call, remember, I was the one with the video camera and took photos of our entire two years. I miss everyone and do look forward to us getting together soon!" Congratulations to Yolanda and we hope to hear how the forum went along with more great news soon(er)!

Rick Dillon is happy to report that all is going well in Atlanta! His wife and children (ages 6 and 4) are doing fine. In addition, Rick was promoted to vice president of business planning and analysis at Newell Rubbermaid just about a year ago. A belated congratulations to Rick!

Steve Downer, the world traveler (sent in an update immediately following a brutal travel schedule through Asia), reports that he and wife Lori are still living in Brussels, Belgium, where he is the Europe, Middle East and Africa commercial leader for appliances at G.E. They are having a wonderful time in Europe and are continuing to explore the broader region and immerse themselves in the many cultures Europe has to offer. Steve was in Sydney, Australia, as part of G.E.'s business management course, where his team spent significant time with many customers throughout Asia.

Frank Franzese, always our shy/quiet classmate, reports that all is well with the Franzese household (in case you missed the holiday card). Frank's son John (12) is enjoying both his travel soccer and baseball teams. Not to be outdone, his daughter Grace (10) is enjoying her travel soccer team and will be trying a new sport this year, horseback riding. Matt McPartlin, his ever-generous classmate, knowing how expensive horses are to purchase, graciously offered to give Frank both of his family horses (transportation not included).

Frank continued that with all of the kids' activities taking up his free time, it is killing his golf game since he has no time to play or practice. (Funny thing, when it wasn't his kids taking up time, he blamed his poor play on studying at Kellogg. It's OK Frank, there has always been room on the course for duffers like yourself.) However, in a bittersweet note, Frank adds that his children will be entering sixth and seventh grades next year, which means "we will be losing soon to their friends … [but] maybe that's when I can start playing golf again."

Switching gears, Franks reports that he has not done a good job of staying in touch with everyone (hmm, we hardly noticed), but plans to change that this year. Further, Frank said, "given the economic times we are going through, networking with our class will benefit everyone." (Perhaps better stated, if you need commercial real estate help, call Frank now.) Frank does not miss going to school, but does miss the time we all had together, especially Gerry Wondrasek's constant jabbing.

Finally, Frank reports that work is going very well. "Somehow I am staying very busy and my clients are making deals … Lots of opportunity for me out there right now, so I have to stay on it while it's hot!"

Cheryl Hyman was promoted to vice president of operations strategy and business intelligence at Commonwealth Edison Company. This is a new department for ComEd that will cover the areas of operational strategic initiatives, business intelligence and operational analysis and serve as the strategic arm of the company. Cheryl was previously director of government and legislative affairs. In her new role, Cheryl will prioritize and manage the company's operational strategic initiatives and support a strategic focus on the vision, values and culture throughout the company. Cheryl has been with the company for more than 12 years and previously held positions in information technology, including liaison for transmission and distribution. Congratulations Cheryl!

Kadir Kadhiresan reports that he took a new job with Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation as one of the medical device investors. JJDC is the venture arm of Johnson & Johnson and invests in early-to-late stage life science start-ups. Also, after a year of commuting from Minneapolis, he finally settled in a home in Princeton, N.J. Great news, Kadir!

Joseph Klauzer married Nicole Lauren Leibovitz on Feb. 22 in Los Angeles, California. Joseph and Nicole, along with their children, Sebastian and Stevie, live in Beverly Hills, Calif. Jeffrey Adik witnessed the lovely ceremony. Congratulations to the lovely couple!

Eddie Kubo reports that he is still alive and not hiding (in case anyone has had as much difficulty getting a hold of him as I did!). Unfortunately, due to timing going to press with this report, he was unable to provide more info, but promised a more timely response in the future. Note, he does not check his Gmail address that often (funny thing, the new address he provided me didn't work that well either, but I am confident more information will be forthcoming).

Matt McPartlin reports that due to a little extra time on his hands, he is working with Cristina and Mitch to do class updates (hence the multiple e-mail requests). In addition, everything is going well in the McPartlin household. His wife Barbara ("Babs") is hoping to finish up her doctorate. His kids Spencer (3), and Maura (1) are growing like weeds and continue to surprise him with newfound words/phrases such as "NO," "I don't want to" or "I want that" (both in English as well as Spanish). The family took a trip to Sun City, Ariz., to visit the in-laws/grandparents in their winter home and had a great time.

Finally, Matt is excited to be wrapping up a project with a volunteer group, Compass. Compass is an organization made up of MBA graduates from Wharton, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, Kellogg, Darden and other top schools, offering pro-bono business consulting to nonprofit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area.

Jeff Neitzel left Klein Tools and took on a new position as director of marketing for ITW Hi-Cone in Itasca, Ill. ITW Hi-Cone is a leading supplier of plastic-based, multi-packaging systems for the worldwide beer, soft drink and general products industries. Fortunately, Jeff is still relatively close to the Chicago Indoor Racing track and looks forward to the next Kellogg Grand Prix!

Joe Oberweis is happy to report that he and his wife Jenn welcomed their third child into the world. Reese Oberweis was born on April 21 at 11:45 a.m. at a healthy 7 pounds, 10 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. Reese joins her other siblings Evan (2) and Drew (4). Congratulations Joe and Jenn!

Micha Onixt reports nothing too new … or at least nothing shorter than five paragraphs worth of updates! Micha is still a partner at his law firm (DLA Piper LLP) and is still primarily focused on life science/medical device mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, licensing and patents, etc., which is what he likes! In addition, he has some venture capital fund clients trying to raise money for some early-stage life sciences funds. If you know anyone that might be interested, PLEASE reach out to him.

On the education front, Micha never seems to be done racking up the degrees. He is almost done with his master's in molecular biology, with only three classes to go. He put the degree on hold during the MBA program, but got restarted afterwards. In his words, "slow and steady wins the race, I guess." (Micha, when exactly do you sleep?) He writes that it is very hard, but he is taking it one semester at a time. On the personal front, he and his family moved to the suburbs (Northbrook) about one and a half years ago. While his wife and kids love it, for dad it "ain't" the city! He further reports that he is still doing his crazy muay thai and Brazilian jujitsu. In addition, he is looking forward to football starting up again with the Bears and his beloved Wolverines. (He claims, mark his words: They will be much improved. Umm, we'll see.)

On the health side of things, Micha writes: "I still want to thank everyone for all their support during my cancer fight. It is STILL something that is a debt I can NEVER repay, and I am ALWAYS available and want to help others so please make that known. If my experience can help anyone, I really want them to know I am happy to share and/or help. I am still cancer-free, but developed metabolic syndrome from the chemotherapy. Not too big a deal, really. It is similar to Type II diabetes and I just have to be even more vigilant about cholesterol and sugar. Not that I wasn't before, but now I am even crazier, although not sure if that is truly possible. Hey, when you bake a cake — or cure cancer — some eggs have to break! I knew the chemo would cause some issues and if this is it, no biggie. I still consider myself the luckiest person around!"

He went on to add: "One new wrinkle: after chemo, I had decided I wanted to 'mark' my experience to remember it. There were three main things I used as motivation to get through it all: One, the support of my family and friends — especially my Kellogg family; two, my strong desire to get in the ring and spar again; and three, my strong desire to make sure that the next fall (I went through chemo in the fall) I would go to the Big House for another football game. So, to mark this strategy, I now have three tattoos: one, a big block 'M' on my right shoulder; two, a picture of my Brazilian jujitsu's school's emblem, two fierce bulldogs going head to head, on my left shoulder; and three, to thank my family and friends, the initials of my wife, my son and my daughter over my heart (I could not list all the friends and family, so that is meant to cover everyone that is close to my heart). Kind of goofy, but nobody accused me of being otherwise. Finally, I try to keep in touch with as many people as I can. Group K (at least those of us in the city) try to do lunch when we can. Miss those Kellogg days!"

Kevin Peters writes: "I made the transition from Chicago (Grainger) to Florida (Office Depot) about 18 months ago. Great new job opportunity and company. We're enjoying the great weather in South Florida. No shoveling snow, just plenty of sunshine! I've added the information technology area as part of my overall responsibilities, so I've got plenty to keep me busy. On a personal note, our youngest daughter will be a senior at ISU this fall, so we've almost made our last tuition payment! All the best to everyone in EMP-64!" Kevin, congratulations from all of us. You are modest as always — glad to see that Office Depot has a great individual, leader and classmate as an executive officer!

Mark Rusiewski reports that he is still in the banking business and having fun (OK, I am paraphrasing a few things here) with TARP, TAF, TLGP and toxic assets. He and his family found time to visit their son Calvin in Osaka, Japan, in March, where he is studying for his junior year!

Cristina Sierra and Carolyn Amato report that they "dared to duel" with Mother Nature during a surf vacation in Costa Rica. Giant, nine-foot waves clobbered them both. After surfing twice a day with some seriously talented instructors, their skills got a little better and the waves got a little smaller, so their focus shifted to food. How many MBAs does it take to negotiate fish tacos away from two guys making them in the back of a pick-up truck? More than you'd think. However, Cristina also reports that she implemented all of the best lessons from our negotiations class and went with the "take it or leave it, buddy" approach, which seemed to work best!

John Vanderpool writes that the Vanderpool family is doing very well. His youngest son Johnny had a great hockey season after being coached by a very modest "Coach of the Year." To provide further color, courtesy of the Sabre Newsletter (his son's hockey league): "John has spent many years coaching for the Sabre organization primarily as an assistant coach. This year the organization had a need for a coach at the Bantam Bronze level. Without hesitation, John agreed to take on that role. This past season, the Bantam A5 team finished with an overall record of 26-10. The team played in NIHL at the Bantam Bronze level. The team finished first in NIHL at 13-2, and was awarded the NIHL regular season President's Cup. The team then went on to HIHL tournament play and captured the inaugural Wolves Cup Championship. John and his family have been loyal, supportive members of the Sabre organization for more than nine years. John's character and class were a perfect fit for the Bantam A5 team. The Sabres wish to thank John for his years of dedicated service to the club and for continuing to help develop our kids into better hockey players and young adults." Congratulations John!

Ted Winslow happily reports that he and his wife Rosemarie now have five grandchildren, with the birth of Abby Winslow to his son, the "real" Dr. Winslow, who practices cardiology in Connecticut. Ted and Rosemarie were fortunate to be able to visit in April to attend the christening of Abby as well as the birthday of their other granddaughter, Madison. In addition, Ted was promoted to associate vice president at Sg2 and is enjoying the new job. Congratulations, Ted, on the new additions to your life!