IPFW Alumni

              IPFW alumni
FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY FORT WAYNE
VOLUME 3 • NUMBER 3 • JANUARY 2000
Making their marks
Michael Hoeppner has parlayed a quality education, hands-on experience, and a strong work ethic into a multi-million-dollar business.
From scratch a decade ago to a projected $4 million in sales for 1999--that's pretty impressive for a guy who just wanted to be his own boss and provide for his family. The guy in question is IPFW graduate Michael Hoeppner, president and chief executive officer of Hoosier Pride Plastics in Fort Wayne. The level of achievement he and his wife, Linda, have reached was impressive enough to propel them to regional-finalist status in 1999's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition. Michael prepared for his business-building adventure with an Associate of Science (1981), a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (1987), and a considerable amount of hands-on experience as an engineer for various companies in the plastic-injection-molding business. In 1989, Michael and two friends decided it was time they carved out their own niche in the business world. They planned to pool their areas of expertise and start their own company. Unfortunately, one friend passed away, and the other dropped out of the enterprise. Although it was just the two of them with one injection-molding press, it was full steam ahead for Michael and Linda. Nine months of sales calls later, they netted their first contract to produce thermoplastic components. More recently, a large contract with toy maker Peg Perego has enabled the Hoeppners to expand to nine presses in a 30,000-square-foot facility. Hoosier Pride Plastics now produces components for several industries, including automotive, industrial, and agricultural. Sales have skyrocketed from over $800,000 in 1996 to more than $2 million in 1998. Just like so many others, Michael found IPFW was the perfect fit for someone whose work and family were in Fort Wayne. "IPFW offered me an opportunity to get a recognized degree from Purdue without going to that campus," he says. "My degree is identical to the one you'd get in West Lafayette--the same curriculum and the same study program." Hoosier Pride Plastics is something of a family affair. Linda serves as vice president, while their daughter Mona is office manager. Mona is currently pursuing a degree in supervision from IPFW. Michael, who holds two patents, has been approached to take part in the new IPFW Alumni CEOs and Business Leaders advisory program, which asks accomplished graduates in the business world to become more involved in alumni relations, including fundraising. The annual Ernst & Young Entrepreneur competition was initiated in 1987 and is intended to recognize outstanding individuals who contribute to U.S. economic growth through their tireless, innovative entrepreneurial efforts.
Michael and Linda Hoeppner
Sara Foland has big plans in her new role as chief executive officer of the Geological Society of America.
Like the third rock from the sun she studies, Sara Foland has energy to burn. A Fort Wayne native who's earned two bachelor's degrees from IPFW, Sara has been named chief executive officer of the Geological Society of America (GSA). After receiving degrees in chemistry (1978) and geology (1979) at IPFW, Sara completed a master's in geology at the University of Montana in 1982. She returned to Indiana to earn her Executive M.B.A. at IU Bloomington in 1992, and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of California at Santa Cruz. But that's just the book-learning. Sara worked in geosciences for Amoco for 16 years before becoming president and CEO of Farallon Energy in Denver in 1998. She assumed leadership of the 16,000-member GSA in July. Sara's a member of numerous professional geoscience societies and is on the boards of several philanthropic organizations. She's also a trustee of the University of Montana Foundation. And, part of her duties at Amoco involved structuring science-education programs at the university, secondary, and primary levels. Sara has accomplished a lot since her undergrad days, but she remembers the solid foundation she received at IPFW. "The nice thing was that the geology department was small then, and undergraduates got to do things they normally wouldn't get to do, like serving as teaching assistants," she says. "The faculty was focused entirely on undergraduates." IPFW professors David Onwood (chemistry) and Dipak Chowdhury (geology) played major roles in Sara's undergraduate development, she says. Amoco sent Sara to Bloomington for her M.B.A. studies, and she says it was a good choice. In fact, she represents the fifth generation of her family to attend IU. "I was pleased that Amoco would recognize the value of IU and send me there," she says. Geology and the geosciences aren't just about rocks, of course. They're the sciences of a changing earth--its structural, physical, and biological evolution. For example, Sara's doctoral dissertation addresses the tectonics of the northern end of the San Andreas Fault system. Taking on the task at GSA is "an opportunity to give something back to the geosciences," says Sara, who's already reorganized the staff at the organization's Boulder, Colo., headquarters. She intends to make GSA the preeminent organization of its kind by increasing membership, attracting additional funding, and developing a global presence. When she's not busy with her professional pursuits, Sara enjoys fly-fishing, skiing, and golf. She also has a private-pilot certificate.
Sara Foland
Class Notes
1970
Judith Lee Hicks Thom, B.S., lives in Tampa, Fla., and is department chairperson of Health industry Services, a division of Hillsborough County Schools. Judy would like to hear from "old" classmates (JudyThom1@aol.com).
1971
Darlene Wedler Gerdom, A.A.S., is public-health nurse supervisor at Wells County Health Department in Bluffton.
1982
Lynette Meienburg Rasmussen, B.S., is on the faculty of the College of DuPage near Wheaton, Ill.
1991
Curt Alexander, B.S., is senior electrical-test engineer for Lockheed Martin at its Fort Wayne facility.
1996
Laura Gagle, B.S., has recently accepted the position of coordinator of advising in education at IPFW.
Bernie W. Chandler, A.S., works at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
1997
Eric Zeit, B.S., is an electrical engineer with the Essex Group, Inc., Columbia City. He is also the LAN administrator for the plant network.
1998
Jeremy Jackson, B.S., lives in Fort Wayne and is senior controls engineer for WaterFurnace International.
IPFW ALUMNI • 2
ALUMNI NEWS
UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS
Higher Education Day
February 9 • 9 a.m.-9 p.m. • Indianapolis Get on the bus and join IPFW students, faculty, and fellow alumni lobbying our state legislature for equity and technology funding during Higher Education Day at the Statehouse. We need your voice! There's no charge for this event--the bus ride is courtesy of the alumni association. Use that vacation day to make a difference. Seating is limited, so call us at 219-481-6807 to reserve your spot.
Get Top Dollar In a Job You Love
March 4 • 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. • IUPUI Conference Center, Indianapolis Join our IPFW alumni living in Indy for this half-day seminar. Bill Karlson, CPC, will make a return to Indiana after being the keynote speaker at our Mini-University last year. The cost for dues-paying alumni is just $39. For all others, the cost is $79. Seating is limited, so please call us right away at 219-481-6807.
The annual alumni awards were given at an October reception to Jack Sunderman, Ph.D.; Sharon Ray accepting on behalf of her late husband, Professor David Gotlob, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Heine; H. John Okeson; Steve Salisbury; Ann Colburn accepting on behalf of the late Professor Stephen Hollander; Donna Bialik accepting on behalf of the late Professor Kathy Rassuli, Ph.D.; and Ralph Crowe. The awards honored alumni and friends who have had an impact on IPFW, the alumni association, and the community.
Meet Me At Five
March 16 • 5-7 p.m. • Walb Union ballroom Irish Fest '99 will be hosted by IPFW Alumni Relations, University Relations and Communications, and the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce. Join us for the wearin' o' the green during this great networking opportunity. The cost is just $2 and your business card.
Career Mapping
Want to make a career change or just plan your career future? We have alumni mentors standing by! Call the Alumni Relations office at 219-481-6807, and we will match you with an alumni mentor who can show you that light at the end of the tunnel.
NEW FOR OUR ALUMNI
Experience on Campus
Career Services is offering this experience to alumni. It's an interactive Web site that allows alumni to research career fields and learn more about the work environment, usual career progression in those fields, and more. Get this insider information, find out what a typical work day is like, and what job opportunities are available. Call Career Services to obtain a user name and password. The office number is 219-481-6591. Please refer to "Experience on Campus" when calling.
High-Tech Searching
Career Services has developed an online tutorial to assist you in using the Internet in your job search. It can be accessed through Academic Counseling and Career Services' main Web page: www.ipfw.edu/sacs, and by clicking on "Guide to Internet Job Search" located on the main menu under Student Services. The site contains employment listings by career fields, career information, job links, research on companies, and much more.
UPCOMING TRIPS
Canadian Rockies Panorama
May 8, 2000 • $1,699 per person, double occupancy. This eight-day jaunt through Calgary, Edmonton, Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff--and back to Calgary--includes round-trip air from Fort Wayne, accommodations, 12 meals, and more. The trip will be handled by Collette Tours. Call 219-481-6807 for more details.
Arizona Deserts, Canyons, & Casinos
Oct. 27, 2000 • $959 per person, double occupancy This is an eight-day sojourn including round-trip air from Fort Wayne, accommodations, and eight meals. Fly to Tucson, Ariz., before moving on to Laughlin, Nev., and Las Vegas. The trip is through Collette Tours. Call 219-481-6807 for more details.
The IPFW Mastodon and Chancellor Michael Wartell carve the roasted mastodon---er, pig--at the first Mastodon Roast, sponsored by the chancellor and the alumni association. The event brought alumni, faculty, and students together on the McKay Farm for free food, beer, and wine. Look for it to happen again next September.
DUES-PAYING ALUMNI! Watch for your FREE STARBUCKS COFFEE coupon in the March issue of the Alumni Newsletter! Our Starbucks coffee cart is located in the Helmke Library snack room.
Indiana state Rep. Dennis Kruse, Rep. Ben GiaQuinta, and alumna Sandy McMurtrie discuss IPFW's legislative concerns at the annual IPFW Legislative Issues Luncheon. Nearly 75 students, alumni, faculty, and friends gathered to hear a panel explain IPFW's needs for equity and technology funding from the state. Those gathered, along with other interested parties, will travel to the Statehouse in Indianapolis on February 9 to lobby our legislators during Higher Education Day.
IPFW ALUMNI • 3
LOOKING BACK A remembrance of things past By Larry W. Griffin, IPFW Archivist
Thirty years ago: 1969
Issues of The Communicator were filled with peace poetry and the popular psychedelic designs reminiscent of the curves and swirls of art nouveau. Readers were being asked questions, such as "What was your opinion of the Vietnam War in 1966, and has it changed in 1969?", "Do you believe in free love and premarital relationships?", "Should we have greater censorship of TV, movies, and the stage?", and "What do you think the year 2000 will be like?" Undoubtedly, our responses now are quite different from our responses then. It was the year that the Committee to End the War rallied in the "IUPU" cafeteria. Purdue University led state universities in adopting the credit-card system for paying tuition.
Twenty years ago: 1979
Remember the music of Elvis Costello? Elvis who? Whoever he was, his popularity raised the standard rock-concert rate from $2.50 to $6.50 in 1979. Pat Overmeyer encouraged the Campus Ministry to sponsor a Cinnamon and Nutmeg Coffee House comeback in Walb Union. The season was opened by folksinger and composer Bill Camplin. You could buy designer jeans at the mall for $7.99. Two turntables (does anyone know what these were?) were stolen from Helmke Library.
Ten years ago: 1989
The IPFW chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers displayed its mini-Baja buggy in Kettler Hall in February of 1989. If anyone has a photo of it in a shoe box in the closet, we would gratefully accept it as a gift for the archives. The math department featured "The Problem Corner," the ultimate in story problems, on its bulletin board each week. Regular winners were Jim Crowell, Mark Harber, Mark Rupp, and Laura Lee. We hope these former students are now solving story problems that bring in big bucks. Dr. Jill Long ran for the Fourth District senate seat in a special election, and 700 volunteers rallied throughout the spring for "R-Day," an effort to establish a permanent recycling program in Fort Wayne. Good work, guys.
Five years ago: 1994
This was the year Lloyd and Vivian Ball, parents of coach Arnie Ball, had their barn roof replaced using shingles that outlined an image of a 15-by-30-foot mastodon on both sides. California experienced a 6.6-magnitude earthquake. Campus political correctness reached its zenith with people referring to themselves not as male or female but as "persons of gender."
Do you know who this 1969 graduate is? Give us a call.
The swinging Hoosiers in performance.
Call us at 219-481-6513, or email griffinl@ipfw.edu.
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY FORT WAYNE
© 1999-00 IPFW Alumni Association
IPFW Alumni is published six times per year, roughly every other month, by the Office of University Relations and Communications at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499.
Irene Walters, Director of University Relations and Communications
Editor: Jennifer R. Bosk, Director of Alumni Relations
Produced by Nichols & Company
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PAID
FORT WAYNE, IN
PERMIT NO. 92