Alumni in the News - March 2008
Features
Ag Alum Elected President Of Cattle-Fax Group
California cattle producer David Wood (B.S., Animal Science, 1970) has been elected as the new president of Cattle-Fax, a member-owned and member-directed cattle market information and research organization. Wood, of Coalinga, is chief operating officer and Beef Division chairman for Harris Farms, Inc. Harris Farms operates Harris Feeding Company, the largest cattle feeder on the West Coast with a capacity of 250,000 head. He was also named California Livestock Man of the Year in 2001, and was honored by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation with the 2003 Beef Industry Vision Award.
More on Wood
The Iceman Credits Cal Poly Wrestling Coach for Renewed Edge, While his Book Climbs Charts
Former UFC champion Chuck Liddell (B.S., Business Administration, 1995) credits assistant Cal Poly wrestling coach Sam Henson with providing a training spark that challenged Liddell back into championship form. Meanwhile, Liddell's new autobiography is climbing book sales charts -- as noted by the New York Times Sunday Book Review, no less.
Houston Chronicle story on Liddell's new training spark
New York Times Sunday Book notes on Liddell
KSBY story: SLO book signing draws hundreds
Alum Featured in 'Runners World' for Marathon Feat
Grad Tim Borland (B.S., Kinesiology, 2004) ran himself into the latest edition of "Runner's World" magazine. Borland was featured for his remarkable feat of running 63 marathons in 63 days.He ran the more than 1,600 miles to raise awareness and money for ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a rare terminal disease that affects children.
See the KSBY story on Borland
Alum's 'Urban Dictionary' Still Going Strong, with Half Million Hits a Day
Aaron Peckham (B.S., Computer Engineering, 2005, M.S., Computer Science, 2005) is still a software engineer in Silicon Valley. And still the Czar at www.UrbanDictionary.com. Peckham, 27, launched UrbanDictionary.com in 1999 while a freshman at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. He intended it as a parody of a traditional dictionary, as well as a way to settle bets between friends or to get an advantage in Scrabble. The site’s swarm of daily visitors search or add to a database of one million definitions for 600,000 words, providing some 2,000 new definitions every 24 hours. What's a 'California Carpool'? Find out on the web site.
Read the Profile on Peckham, slang and UrbanDictionary.com
Dairy Sci Grad Helping Bravo Farms Cheese Go Gourmet
Jonathan Van Ryn (B.S., Dairy Science, 2004) joined forces with family friend and longtime dairyman Bill Boersma shortly after graduating. The two are now equal partners in Bravo Farms Cheese. Their artisan Edams and Chipotle Cheddars are in demand in the San Francisco Bay Area, business is booming, and Wisconsin is watching.
More on Van Ryn in the Madison Capitol Times
U.S. Public Printer Interviewed about Going Digital, and Calligraphic Roots
The government printing office is making the transition to a digital world, and a new boss says he is trying to keep the "nation's printshop" relevant. That new boss is Robert Tapella (B.S., Graphic Communication, 1991), the U.S. Public Printer and head of the Government Printing Office. Tapella has been in printing for about 30 years, by his own count. "I started as a calligrapher, and illuminator," he said in a recent interview at his GPO office, "then I got into book binding, and design and print brokerage."
Read the full story on the Federal News Radio web
IT Alum Helping to Keep Jobs in California
Jason Honigberg (B.S., Industrial Technology, 1998) is the chief financial officer at Drapes 4 Show. The company currently manufactures drapes in its Calabasas facility. The company was planning to move to Las Vegas to find affordable manufacturing space. But a grant and loan package from the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency will help it move to bigger quarters in Sylmar.
Read the business story in the Los Angeles Times
Art Alum Documents Dismantling of Utah Industry, Way of Life
For three years Utah artist Chris Dunker (B.S., Applied Art and Design, 1991) documented the dismantling of the Geneva Steel Works in Vineyard, Utah, through the lens of a large-format camera. His photographs utilize color, light and scale to explore the elements of the vacant industrial structures and to articulate a sense of loss and mourning for an industry that profoundly shaped the area in the 20th century. In addition to his Cal Poly degree, Dunker holds a M.F.A. in photography from Utah State University.
More on Dunker's exhibit
Alumna Beaking Boundaries Coaching Boys Basketball Team
So when Kari Duperron (B.S., Business Administration, 2003) is a 26-year-old former Division I college basketball player and assistant coach with 12 years of basketball experience under her belt. Now, she's the first woman to coach boys basketball at North Torrance High School.
Read the Daily Breeze story on Duperron
Alum Retires as Stanislaus Planning Chief
As Stanislaus County director of planning and community development for 17 years, Ron Freitas (B.S., City and Regional Planning, 1973) has sat at the crossroads of the county's battle between preserving farmland and developing housing for a burgeoning population. Freitas is retiring after 35 years in that key position, and was profiled by the Modesto Bee.
Read the Modesto Bee profile on Freitas
New Grad is Teaching by Example Back Home in Greenfield
Norma Barron (B.S., Math, 2005) has gone back to class at Greenfield High School, as a teacher. She decided to return to her alma mater to become a role model in a school where state Department of Education statistics show that more than half the parents never finished high school. In addition to her Cal Poly degree, Barron earned her teaching credential from CSU Monterey-Bay.
Read the Monterey Herald story
Alum Honored as Builder of the Year
Midland Pacific Homes has been named 2007 Business of the Year by the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce. The Atascadero-based building company is owned by Dennis and Patty Moresco, who have operated the business for 30 years. Dennis Moresco is a Cal Poly graduate (B.Ar., Architecture, 1975).
More on the Morescos
Biology Alumna Publishes Poetry Volume
Suzanne Roberts (B.S., Biology, 1993, M.A., English, 1997), a poet and instructor at Lake Tahoe Community College, has just published "Shameless," a collection of poems. The poems explore the landscapes of relationship and loss. She is currently finishing a doctorate in literature and the environment at the University of Nevada, Reno.
More on Roberts
Microbiology Alumna Helps Develop Advanced Bacteria Test
Wendy Phillips (B.S., Microbiology, 2002) has supervised the quality control lab at Hardy Diagnostics on the Central Coast since 2005. More than 2,600 microbiology products are manufactured at the company's headquarters in Santa Maria, where it employs 180 workers. Phillips and a colleague spent the past two years developing a new lab culture test medium to help clinicians more easily diagnose candida bacteria.
Read the Santa Maria Times story
Entrepeneurs
From Senior Project to Steakhouse
Two recent Cal Poly grads have turned their senior project into a steakhouse. Business alumni Trevor LaSalle (B.S., Business, 2007) and Eric Peterson (B.S., Business, 2007), both December 2007 grads, opened The Guesthouse Grill in Atascadero in January. Peterson's senior project was a 15-page business plan for the restaurant; the duo lined up investors and began remodeling the restaurant last October.
Read the whole story in the Mustang Daily
Say Cheese: Alumna Opens Gourmet Shop in Paso Wine Country
Danika Bowler (B.S., Dairy Science, 1997) recently opened Vivant Fine Cheese in Paso Robles. The upscale artisan cheese shop also features breads, salamis, crackers, olive oils and gourmet accessories. On the cheese front, Bowler carries more than 150 local, California, domestic and international cheeses.With Vivant, the Atascadero High School grad has returned to her roots. She helped run the Cal Poly creamery while minoring in ag business and majoring in dairy science. After graduating, she spent 10 years in commodity cheese sales and brokering.
Read the story in the SLO Tribune
Alum's Sports Video Firm Moving Into Theatrical Releases
At VAS Entertainment, extreme sports aren’t just a passion. They’re a business. The San Luis Obispo-based company was founded 20 years ago by Jeff Reynolds (B.S., Computer Science, 1988) while he was a student (and avid cycler). Now, the company is one of the world’s largest distributors of action sports DVDs featuring snowboarding, surfing, triathlons and more. The firm's films cater to athletes and armchair adventurers alike.
Read the SLO Tribune feature on Reynolds and VAS Entertainment
GRC Alum Acquires Second Oregon Printing Company
IP/Koke Printing, a 101-year-old Eugene company, is being acquired by Core Communications, a Corvallis printing firm formerly known as Cascade Printing. The two companies expect to close the deal within 30 days, according to Lou Butera (B.S., Graphic Communications, 1981), Core’s president and CEO. Butera, 48, has been in the printing business since he was 14. In addition to his Cal Poly degree, he holds an MBA from Pepperdine University.
Read the Register-Guard story
Arch Alum Couple Expand their Kitchen Business
San Luis Kitchen Company, owned by a couple of Cal Poly architecture grads, recently moved into a new 5,000-square-space showroom. The shop and showroom are owned by Don (B.S., Architecture, 1976) and Lee Anna (B.S., Architecture, 1976) O’Daniel who are Cal Poly architecture grads.
More on the couple's company expansion
Moving Up
Alum Named to State Post by Gov. Schwarzenegger
Karnig Kazarian (B.S., AgBusiness, 2004) has been appointed assistant secretary of economic development and special projects for California's Business, Transportation & Housing Agency. Kazarian, 26, of Sacramento, most recently served as special assistant to the chief of staff in the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and has held positions with a variety of elected officials.
More on Kazarian's appointment
Frontier Energy Adds Bower as Energy Sector Specialist
Frontier Energy Corporation named George V. Bower (B.S., Physics, 1979) of Strategic Business Services LLC as a consultant to the company. In addition to his Cal Poly degree, Bower holds an MBA from the University of Southern California.
More on Bower's role at Frontier Energy
Alum Now Among Top Management at Trident Microsystems
Ben A. Lee (B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1989) is headed to Shanghai to lead sales for Santa Clara-based Trident Microsystems, Inc., a leader in high-performance semiconductor systems for the multimedia and digital television markets. Lee is now Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Trident, and will be located in its Shanghai office. Lee, 42, has more than 10 years of executive experience, most recently serving at ApexOne Microelectronics as Chief Operating Officer. In addition to his Cal Poly degree, he holds an MBA from Golden Gate University.
More on Lee in Earth Times
Alum Joins Santa Clara Construction Firm
Aptos resident Steve Murphy (B.S., Environmental Engineering, 1979) has joined Blach Construction of Santa Clara, overseeing mechanical, electrical and plumbing services. Murphy has 27 years of construction experience and certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Previously he owned his own company, Engineered By Murphy. He is currently a member of Cal Poly's Mechanical Engineering Industry Advisory Board and HVAC Industry Advisory Council. In addition to his Cal Poly degree, he also holds a master's degree in engineering management from Santa Clara University.
Read more in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
McCaffrey Named Vice President of Field Service at OneCommand
OneCommand, formerly known as CallCommand, appointed Casey McCaffrey (Agriculture Science, 1994) as Vice President of Field Service. McCaffrey will be responsible for running OneCommand’s field support division.
More on McCaffrey
Passings
Thomas Clifford Cunningham
Thomas C. Cunningham (B.S., 1950, Poultry Science, M.A., Agriculture, 1963) died Feb. 4. He was a teacher and disciplinarian at San Dieguito High School in Encinitas for 42 years. A graduate of the high school in 1939, he returned from England after World War II ended and obtained his master's degree in education from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Then he went back to his old high school in 1952 as an agriculture teacher and no-nonsense adviser to the Future Farmers of America club on campus.
Read the obituary in the North County Times
Robert 'Bob' Blesse
John Robert "Bob" Blesse (B.S., Graphic Communication, 1951), 84, died Feb. 20 in Walnut Creek, in the company of his family. A veteran of WWII,he served in the Merchant Marines as a radio operator. After the war, he married and attended Cal Poly on the G.I. Bill. He received his degree in printing arts in 1951, from what is now called the Graphic Communications Department.
Read the obituary in the Plumas County News