EMP-39

Hello! Hope you all enjoyed your summer.

Barry Cooper has been active in St. Louis. He writes: “Things here are very good. When I last updated you, I was searching for a new job because MetLife had purchased my company and we elected not to relocate to the East Coast (two kids in high school at the time and aging mothers). I went off the payroll on Sept. 30, 2001, and came back to work in the same office the next day as a consultant. I worked on that assignment for eight months and decided it was time to leave. This turned out to be the best thing I did because it really helped me focus on finding the right opportunity and get serious about this project. I spent the summer at a great outplacement firm in St. Louis and looked at a number of opportunities. Happy to say that it turned out great. I accepted the CFO position on Sept. 30, 2002, at Laclede Group, a publicly traded natural gas distribution company for the St. Louis metro area (stock symbol LG). I report to the CEO, who is really a neat guy to work with and for. They wanted someone outside the industry who wasn’t afraid to shake up the culture at this 150-year-old company. It has been a lot of fun and I’m really glad I waited for the right position.

“ I would note that the degree from Kellogg really set me apart in the job market. With so many folks applying for so few positions, I found that the Kellogg experience had major brand name recognition and was a great point of differentiation for me (despite the alleged rumors that I might have taken a short nap or two in the back row).

“ Our family is doing real well. Our older daughter is completing her freshman year at the University of Missouri in Columbia (Mizzou). Our younger daughter will be getting her drivers license next month.

“ My new contact info is: Barry Cooper, The Laclede Group, 720 Olive, Suite 1522, St Louis, MO. 63101; Tel: 314.342.0508.”

Dennis Blyly saw Barry’s update and was quick to write: “Congratulations, Barry! I’m glad things worked out so well. Business at Martin Capital has been great. We have more than doubled in size in the last few years, and I have been developing and growing a young research team (we are currently looking for someone with an investigative reporting background), which has been exciting. Caron and the kids are busy with sports, school, piano . . . well, many of you know how it is.”

Chris Storm was at it again this summer, entering the Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest, taking with him his EMP-39 fan club, which includes Cheryl Duda-Harte and Mike Weiss. Chris writes: “I reached the final 20 in Key West once again, but didn’t win the prize. The winner was there for the sixth consecutive time, so I may have a few more dues to pay. Mike and Deanna and Cheryl and Eric came down once more, although Cheryl and Eric had to leave early because his father had some health problems. Next year: July 22-24.

“ Not much new to report. I sold my Cobra. I’m still president/CEO at Boys Ranch. Grite is working as a freelance translator and studying for her certification in three languages: French, English and Dutch (Flemish). If anyone needs some help in this regard, she’s good, quick and not too expensive. She’s in France now with our two grandsons, age 9 and 2. I’m jealous.

“ Leslie Schmidt came to God’s Country (Amarillo) this spring to visit the Cadillac Ranch (Boys Ranch also, but the other is more well known).”
Cheryl Duda-Harte writes: “Things here are good. My husband, Eric, and I moved to Houston in February of this year. He was relocated with EDS to run their business with Continental Airlines. My partner, Amy, and I are still running our business, Geode Partners, a management consulting firm for emerging tech companies. Most of our business is in Dallas and Austin, so I do the car commute most weeks to one place or another. It’s been almost four years since starting Geode, and it’s been big fun. It was tough getting started, but now it’s pretty nice. Most of our business comes from referrals. We have a dozen contractors whom we use on projects (it’s nice to scale the business without having employee hassles). My favorite part of the job? I don’t work Fridays. This year has been pretty fun. I just got done teaching a market strategy course to an MBA class at St. Edward’s University in Austin. They have an MBA with a specialty in entrepreneurship. It reminded me just how much fun Kellogg was and that I miss all you guys a bunch. That’s pretty much it. I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s updates. Here’s my contact info: Cheryl Duda-Harte, 46 Redbud Ridge, The Woodlands, TX 77380. Tel: 281.367.5459; Mobile: 214.663.6143; Email: cheryl@geodepartners.com.”

Tim Wulf was promoted to director of operations at ACMI Corp. I am still in awe after the Harley-Davidson 100th birthday bash on Labor Day weekend in the Milwaukee area. It truly was the world’s biggest costume party!.