Corporate Leadership

For generations, the College of Engineering has produced graduates who've proved there's more than one way to use an engineering degree. Many Michigan Engineering alumni have applied their skills -- not as engineers but as leaders of some of the most dominant business concerns in the world.

Carl A. Gerstacker

Dow Chemical, Inc., is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products that are vital to the production of food, clothing, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Dow serves consumers in more than 180 countries and produces annual sales of $33 billion. Carl A. Gerstacker (BSE ChE '38, LLD hon. '93) provided a great deal of the leadership that took Dow to this level. His association with Dow is a long one -- he was only 14 years old when he landed an hourly position with the company in 1930. Later he worked as a lab assistant and, at the same time, earned a Michigan Engineering degree. He moved up Dow's corporate ladder quickly -- treasurer in 1949, vice-president in 1955 and chairman of the board in 1960, a position he kept until 1976. He retired from his board seat in 1981.

C. Robert Kidder

Borden, Inc., is a company that supplies resins, adhesives, coatings and basic chemicals to a broad range of industries with unique and demanding requirements, such as communications, electronics, transportation, and construction. It's a company that's key to the success of many other companies and to the health, well-being and lifestyles of people around the world.

C. Robert Kidder (BSE IE '67), former CEO and chairman of the board, has been a major architect in the development of Borden, which is only one stop in a career that has taken him from one success to another, including McKinsey & Company, Inc., Dart Industries, Inc. and Duracell Inc. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to become a partner in the Sanford Winery, a vineyard in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. Kidder also has sat on the boards of Morgan Stanley, EDS, Children's Hospital of Columbus and the Wexner Center for the Arts. He's a member of the College's Progress & Promise: 150th Anniversary Campaign committee.

Jerry Levin

American Household, Inc., (formerly Sunbeam) is a leading maker of small appliances, such as coffeemakers, cans openers, toasters, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, outdoor grills and sleeping bags -- the company is an integral part of American homes. Jerry Levin (BSE EE '66, BSE EM '67), chairman and chief executive officer, has charted its course. Levin is co-chair of the College's Progress & Promise: 150th Anniversary Campaign.

Robert J. Vlasic

During World War II, pickle-makers were having a hard time keeping up with demand. So Joe Vlasic, who sold pickles and cream in Detroit, experimented with preserving pickles in glass jars -- an important packaging development that helped shape eating habits in America. The idea also made the Vlasic operation a hit and, when Joe's son, Robert J. Vlasic (BSE IM '49) joined the company after the war ended, the two grew Vlasic into America's number-one pickle producer. Bob assumed leadership of Vlasic Foods in 1963. In 1978, the company was sold to Campbell Soup Company, where Bob worked as a director for 18 years.

Goff Smith

Keeping America's people, freight and industrial supplies on the move was a key factor in the nation's growth. The Griffin Wheel Company was a major contributor to that effort. In 1906, it had nine plants, producing more than one million wheels yearly. By 1923, Griffin was shipping 1.5 million wheels from 13 plants. In 1952, when a second rail revolution was in full swing and diesel locomotives were replacing steam engines, hauling larger freight cars with heavier loads at higher speeds, Griffin met the demand, thanks in great part to Goff Smith (BSE BA '38, MBA '39), who was the company's president from 1955 to 1960. Smithcombined his College of Engineering education with business and management degrees to provide the leadership and vision that helped the company grow. Griffin eventually became Amsted Industries, of which Smith was president, chairman and CEO until his retirement in 1982.

Mary Petrovich

The automotive industry went through a painful period during which it learned how to compete in the world market . Much of the industry's success in this area resulted from streamlining business practices. Mary Petrovich (BSE IO '85) is one of the leaders who made tough decisions at General Motors Corporation, Chrysler Corporation, AlliedSignal, Inc., Dura Automotive Systems, Inc., and now AxleTech International, where she serves as CEO. At AlliedSignal, she helped initiate cost-reduction projects that saved more than $30 million annually. At Dura, she launched two growth initiatives worth a projected $250 million in incremental business over 3 years. More recently,, as CEO of AxleTech, Petrovich managed the acquisition of the original Rockwell off-highway axle businesses. She has put together her engineering and businesses acumen to help those companies compete.

Donald Frey

In 1907, the Bowe Bell & Howell Company opened its doors and almost immediately became known to fans as the motion picture camera company that took the "flicker" out of film. It also endeared itself to film makers by introducing the worlds first all-metal camera and, in the process, developing a reputation for making high-quality projectors and cameras. It had a hand in four Academy Awards and was integral to the entertainment of the people around the world.

It was the vision of Donald Frey (BS MTL '47, MSE '49, PhD '51, D. Eng. hon. '67), chairman and CEO of Bell & Howell for 17 years, that made the company what it is today, a highly diversified concern that holds companies involved in publishing, information, and learning, scanners and other imaging processes. Frey, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, retired from Bell & Howell in 1988, then joined the engineering faculty of Northwestern University, where he has been for 15 years. In 1990, he received the National Medal of Technology in a ceremony at the White House. He has also received the University of Michigan's Outstanding Alumnus Award, the Outstanding Young Man Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award, the College of Engineering's Alumni Society Merit Award and an honorary doctorate.

Robert H. Lurie

A tour across the University of Michigan's North Campus will take a visitor past the four-story Robert H. Lurie Engineering Center and the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Tower, a 60-bell carillon that has become the signature building of North Campus. On U-M's Central Campus, the visitor would hear about the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Michigan Business School.

On the campus of Northwestern University, visitors would pass the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. These are just a few of the many legacies that Robert H. Lurie (BSE IOE '64, MSE '66) has left through the auspices of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation. Lurie, who passed away at 48, met Zell during the 1960-61 academic year; they became fast friends and highly successful business partners even before they graduated. Their campus rental properties were the beginning of a succession of diverse business triumphs that, over 30 year, garnered billions of dollars, much of which has found its way into philanthropic ventures.

John Tishman

There's a common thread that connects these buildings: Chicago's John Hancock Center, Disney World's EPCOT Center, Madison Square Garden, the Detroit Renaissance Center and the Conde Nast Building, which has a reputation as Manhattan's first truly environmentally friendly skyscraper. What do all of these buildings have in common? They're the creations of the Tishman Corporation, a giant in the world of construction and the development of innovative building technologies. John Tishman (BSE EE '46, D.Eng. hon. '00), the grandson of Julius Tishman, the company's founder, joined the corporation in 1947 and, over the years, assumed various key managerial posts. Today, he's the chairman and chief executive officer of Tishman Realty & Construction Corporation, and still active in and committed to innovation in building technology. In 1998, Tishman received the College of Engineering's Alumni Society Medal for the "profound effect his leadership in construction engineering and management techniques has had on the construction industry." Tishman is honorary co-chair of the Progress & Promise: 150th Anniversary Campaign.

Tim Manganello

BorgWarner Corporation is a world leader specializing in advanced powertrain components and system solutions, most of which the average citizen isn't aware of. However, BorgWarner's achievements probably make everyone's daily drive efficient, easy and enjoyable. The company has deep roots and a reputation for innovation that go back to its founding in 1880. Tim Manganello (BSE ME '72, MSE '75, PDM Dearborn '81) is BorgWarner's chairman and chief executive officer. His 30-year career in the automotive industry took him through engineering at Chrysler Corporation and into management with Power-Train Components Link-Belt, then BorgWarner. Manganello sits on the College's National Advisory Committee.

James R. Mellor

General Dynamics Corporation has been a major asset to America and its allies, making advances in aerospace and aircraft design; in sophisticated combat systems; in information systems and technology; and in military and commercial marine systems submarines and surface vessels. James R. Mellor (BSE EE '52, MSE '54) guided General Dynamics through much of its recent history. He joined General Dynamics in 1981 and served in various key capacities until retiring in 1997 as chairman and CEO.

Robert A. Fuhrman

The Lockheed Martin Corporation, major defense contractor, has built aircraft with names that have become household words the U-2 and Blackbird reconnaissance planes, the Stealth fighter, the Starfighter multi-mission fighter, the P-38 Lightning, the Shooting Star jet fighter, the C-130 Hercules combat transport, the C-5 Galaxy heavy transport, and the L-1011 TriStar airliner. American history will remember the Lockheed Corporation as a builder of aircraft that battled enemies, moved the military and took private passengers around the world. Robert A. Fuhrman, (BSE AA '45) was a prominent leader at Lockheed, holding a number of key positions before retiring as vice chair and chief operating officer. Fuhrman, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, also sat on the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee and the Defense Science Board.