From the honey-inspired to the technically inclined, these Purdue alumni are building businesses in their own likenesses. Given a couple of the strong suits of their alma mater, it’s not surprising that of all the former Boilermakers flexing innovative muscles in the marketplace, many earned degrees in science or engineering. Indeed, five of the six […]
Innovative Boilermakers whose work impacts the daily lives of millions Keith Krach on Secrets to Success How his father’s advice influenced his career From his fourth-floor home office perched on so-called Billionaires Row, Keith Krach (IE’79) can see the entirety of the San Francisco Bay and the famous Golden Gate Bridge that spans the strait […]
Building genuine relationships has been key for Kyle Hjelmeseth (LA’04) throughout his life. As a public relations student at Purdue, he recognized the importance of making connections and creating a memorable persona. He knew his ability to network and form bonds with others would prove valuable in any field. “I had a vision for myself […]
If you’re going to work a retirement job, running a bed and breakfast in the US Virgin Islands might be tough to beat. From the white sand and turquoise waters to the interesting conversations with guests from all over the world, it’s worked out pretty well for Nancy Louis (LA’76). “I wanted a beach house,” […]
He sliced into a discarded champagne bottle with a tile saw for the first time in September 2009, and Adam Fetsch (HHS’05) admits, “I had no idea what I was doing.” He learned, though, and now his Rewined Candles in Charleston, South Carolina, transforms more than 40,000 bottles a month into wine-scented candles sold in […]
On any given night, hundreds of thousands of Americans — perhaps even a million or more — go to sleep without a home. Whether they’re on the street, in an emergency shelter, in transitional housing or sleeping on a relative’s couch, they don’t have a place to call their own. Sadly, that reality isn’t going […]
When Mardi Johnson Moore (M’82) was a teenager, she started coming to Purdue to visit her older sister, Virginia Johnson Pillman (HHS’76). It was then that her sister introduced her to Original Frozen Custard in Lafayette. At the time, it was just a tasty treat, not an epiphany. But it’s funny how things work out […]
From tiny Davis, West Virginia, through Purdue to New York City, Robert Kovach (MFA’00) has parlayed small-town sensibility into Big Apple success. Whether he’s designing a General Motors launch of a new vehicle or setting the stage for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat from off-Broadway to theaters across America, Kovach has built a reputation […]
When you hear the description of digital space, you might think it is the setting of a sci-fi movie. But to Kendra Bracken-Ferguson (LA’02), she sees a marketplace with endless opportunities for businesses to build their brand and seize more market share. It is a world that she is so equipped to explore that she […]
Wrestling and winemaking might make for strange bedfellows in the same story, especially grappling for position in a single sentence. But the young lives of the Manuel brothers, Luke (LA’11) and Matt (A’12), have been distinguished by matted maneuvers and growing grapes. The former Purdue wrestlers, now part of a family-owned winemaking business in California, […]
