Alumni - FIN

Walker alumnus has stock analysis featured on Motley Fool
Posted on December 28, 2011
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

John Divine '11 FIN recently accepted a position as a loan documentation analyst with the Charlotte office of Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, a full-service commercial and multifamily mortgage banking company. He also recently made his debut on the The Motley Fool Blog Network with a post entitled, "Disproving the Efficient Market Hypothesis: Starting with Tickers that Begin with "A"."

Motley Fool logoThe article was Divine's attempt to "identify some of the opportunities that current market inefficiencies have created."

All investors who believe they can beat the market or spot an undervalued stock believe in market inefficiency. Sites like the Motley Fool would not exist if at some level this implicit assumption was not made. So without further ado, allow me to identify some of the opportunities that current market inefficiencies have created. Companies that begin with the letter “A” seem like a good place to start:

He focused on three companies - Amazon.com, Abbott Laboratories and Apple.

 

Several "Big A"s seen at the "Big I" convention in Concord
Posted on July 28, 2011
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

RMI students at CMS

RMI students Ryne Herring, Cameron Annas and JP DeKemper prepare to take a lap around the Charlotte Motor Speedway track.

One Walker College student won a pit crew competition, and three others joined him for a quick lap around the track, during the recent 114th Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina convention in Concord. All four Risk Management & Insurance (RMI) students from Appalachian State participated in many of the educational sessions during the four-day event, July 14-17. They also networked with Insurance professionals from across the state and mingled with peers from ECU and UNCC.

Since it was held near Charlotte Motor Speedway, the convention - known as the "Big I" convention - had a NASCAR theme. One of the highlights was a NASCAR pit crew tire challenge. Students and young agents created 5-person teams and trained changing tires on NASCAR driver Kyle Busch’s No. 18 car. Appalachian student Cameron Annas was on the winning team, changing a tire in less than 12 seconds!

Saturday night the students enjoyed rides around the CMS track in a pace car traveling more than 110 miles per hour.

Another benefit of the convention was the networking time with Insurance professionals, many of whom were also Appalachian graduates. Ray Tedder '91 FIN was a featured speaker at the Young Agents opening session, during which he shared insights from his experience within the insurance industry. It was quickly obvious to the students how many Appalachian alumni were in attendance as exhibitors and attendees when they offered to put “Big A” stickers on the nametags. One of the group noted seeing the “Big A” everywhere they went at the “Big I” convention.

The Independent Insurance Agents Association of North Carolina (IIANC) helped establish the Brantley Risk & Insurance Center within Walker College in 1988. This group, and its member agents, annually contribute to the Brantley Center and help provide valuable scholarship and financial support and opportunities to the RMI students.

From left, Brantley Center assistant director Greg Langdon; RMI students Ross Karcher and JP DeKemper, Ray Tedder '91, RMI student Cameron Annas, and RMI Society faculty advisor Dr. Karen Epermanis.

 

Walker College APPlause
Posted on June 6, 2011
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

Heather Freeman '93 MGT has joined ATCOM Business Technology Solutions as a project manager.  She will manage the implementation of various communication systems in coordination with the sales team, the customer and the technicians.

Chris Cuddy '95 FIN has been named vice president and general manager, Sweeteners and Starches. He joined ADM in 1998 and has served in a range of merchandising and sales management roles.

Beth A. Essey '89 MKT was recently promoted to manage the employee benefits division at Henderson Brothers, Inc., a Pennyslvania insurance company. 

Gold Book

Morgan Blaisdell '04 ACC has joined the accounting staff at Breslow Starling in Greensboro. Blaisdell brings more than seven years of experience in public accounting to Breslow Starling, and has several years of experience as a small-business owner.

Ty Racette '04 FIN has joined the staff at Watson Insurance Agency as a commercial accounts executive at the Lake Wylie office.

Joshua Smith '03 ITOM recently accepted a position at C5 Insight located in Charlotte, NC as Office Manager. Joshua recently was employed at Renaissance Imports as Account Representative.

Gregory Tolston Davis '04 FIN married Hannah Elizabeth Brown April 30 at First Presbyterian Church in Wilson. He is employed with DMS Systems Corporation.

Emily VanDusen Piacentino '99 ACC '00 MS and Joe Piacentino '00 ACC are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Ivey Elizabeth Piacentino. She was born on January 26, 2011 in Charlotte, NC, and weighed 7 lb., 3 oz..

Clay Whiteheart '03 ACC, 04 MS and Katy Whiteheart are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Tinsley Marian. She was born on December 7, 2010 in Gereensboro, NC, Women's Hospital, and weighed 6 lb., 8 oz..

You can read more Class Notes - and submit your own with photos - in the Gold Book.

 

Walker College alumnus named Volunteer of the Year
Posted on February 25, 2011
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

James Reaves ’93 FIN was recently awarded the Bill Franklin Volunteer of the Year Award, as given by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). It was presented Feb. 22 at the organization’s annual meeting held in New Orleans, La.

Reaves is a senior vice president and manager with BB&T and president of the Yosef Club at Appalachian. Last year he was honored with the Appalachian Alumni Association's Young Alumnus Award. Reaves is also featured in the recent promotional video focused on Walker College.

ASU News has more details on his CASE award.

"J.K. Reaves has truly exemplified the very best of an alumnus who has given back to his university – selflessly, consistently, graciously and enthusiastically,” wrote alumni director Patrick Setzer in nominating Reaves for the honor. “J.K.’s influence and participation in our campus life is far reaching, engaging, and valuable beyond many measures.” ...

Reaves also has established the J.K. Reaves Financial Planning Annual Scholarship, the first scholarship to be offered for deserving students pursuing a degree in the financial planning program at Appalachian.

Active in his community, Reaves volunteers as a youth coach for the YMCA, assists with fundraising efforts for the M.S. Society and the United Way, contributes as a benefactor and volunteer for Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, and established the Reaves Family Scholarship for Student-Athletes at Hillside High School in Durham.

 

Walker College APPlause
Posted on February 7, 2011
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

Gregory Smith '93 ACC completed his first half marathon, Charlotte's Thunder Road Amica Insurance Half Marathon, held Dec. 11, 2010. He placed #463 out of 3,227 overall and finished in 1 hour 46 minutes and 50 seconds.

Wil Fine '84 MKT recently accepted a position at Winston-Salem Police Department located in Winston-Salem, NC as Sergeant in the Criminal Investigation Division- Financial Crimes / Computer Forensics. 

Patti Bostedo Chason '83 MGT coaches varsity volleyball at Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg, NC. She was selected South Piedmont Conference Coach of the Year for 2010, the third straight year she's won the award.

Tamara Denmark Lamont '92 DS recently accepted a position at Appalachian State Financial Aid Office located in Boone as Assistant Director, Business Systems. Tamara recently was employed at Textron as IT Project Mgr. 

Gold Book

Reed Davis '02 ITOM and Lindsey Davis are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Finley Page. She was born on August 27, 2010 in Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem.

Jason Callicutt '98 ITOM and Marcie Quarles Callicutt '96 MGT are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Nathan Paul. He was born on September 19, 2010 in Huntersville, NC, and weighed 7 lb., 2 oz..

Brooke Corbello Smith '00 MGT and Jason Smith are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Austin Eric. He was born on July 30, 2010 in Meridian, Idaho, and weighed 5 lb., 14 oz..

Ronald Snyder 05 CIS and Rebecca Toliver are happy to announce their marriage on December 10, 2010 in Jefferson, NC. They currently reside in Jefferson, NC.

Drew Deal '06 FIN and Emily Chirico Deal '06 MKT are happy to announce their marriage on July 24, 2011 at the Eseeola Lodge in Linville, NC. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

You can read more Class Notes - and submit your own with photos - in the Gold Book.

 

“Maintaining an A average as a full-time sleep-deprived mother and student”
Posted on October 20, 2010
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

Appalachian State First Lady Rosanne Peacock is the host of a weekly television program on the Mountain Television Network in Boone. This week’s episode features an interview with Walker College Dean Randy Edwards and graduate Brandy Hopkins ’09 FIN, ’10 MBA. During a recent event at the Chancellor’s House Hopkins shared her experience as both a full-time student and mother of 3. Peacock invited her on the show to share that story with her audience.

 

Walker College APPlause
Posted on October 5, 2010
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

Michael McSwain ’10 FIN has been accepted into the White House Internship Program. The program’s mission is to make the White House accessible to future leaders all around the nation and cultivate and prepare those devoted to public service for future leadership opportunities. The internship also provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. Interns work in one of several White House departments.

David Towarnicky ’10 FIN was recently named a Wall Street Journal 2010 Student Achievement Award winner. His name was listed with other honorees in a full-page ad within the September 20th issue of the WSJ newspaper (page R8). Towarnicky was a member of the Appalachian State baseball team, and the won the Walker College 2009-10 top overall student award for his 4.0 GPA.

Jeffrey Strickland ’98 MKT was recently promoted to Regional Sales Manager – Midwest Business Center at Chrysler Group, LLC located in Chicago, IL.

Karl Hermann ’03 ITOM recently accepted a position at LGS Innovations (An Alcatel-Lucent company) located in Greensboro, NC as Video Sales Engineer. He was employed at Multi Media Services as Sales Engineer. He will design video and video conferencing solutions globally for the Department of Defense and the Department of State

Beth Froehling ’87 ECON was promoted April 1 to Co-Executive Director of the NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Durham.

Myra Tester Harper ’97 MKT and Jeffrey Harper were married August 14, 2010 at the Blowing Rock Conference Center Outdoor Chapel.

Robert Herring ’83 MGT and Vickie Herring were married April 24, 2010. They currently reside in Raleigh, NC.

Tiffany Glassgow Wuzzardo ’00 MGT and Kevin Wuzzardo are proud to announce the birth of a baby boy, Benjamin Patrick. He was born on August 18, 2010 in Wilmington, and weighed 8 lb., 3 oz..

Shana Bonner Gebelein ’09 MGT and Michael Gebelein (2010) are happy to announce their marriage on September 4, 2010 in Valdese NC. They currently reside in Asheville.

You can read more Class Notes – and submit your own with photos – in the Gold Book.

 

Videos from the spring’s Appalachian Alumni Association award ceremony
Posted on September 27, 2010
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

Earlier this year the Appalachian Alumni Association held its annual Spring Alumni Awards Banquet. Among the individuals honored were Richard Sparks ’76 MGT ’78 MBA and James Reaves ’93 FIN. Sparks, president and CEO of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System, was awarded the Outstanding Service Award. Reaves, senior vice president and manager of BB&T’s Life and Financial Planning Department, was given the Young Alumni Award.

During the ceremony the award recipients were featured in a special video package. Those videos were recently added to YouTube. Here is Spark’s video.

Here is Reaves’.

 

Walker College APPlause
Posted on June 22, 2010
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

bpriceBrantley Price '85 FIN has been named town manager of West Jefferson. He was hired by the town as finance officer in June 2009 and promoted to interim town manager in May. Prior to that, he worked for 21 years with Catawissa Lumber, starting as an account manager and later serving as plant manager for the final three years the plant operated in West Jefferson before closing in 2008.

Merrifield Patrick LLC added real estate professional Robby Kirby '82 MGT to its brokerage team as a senior vice president specializing in office and industrial markets. Kirby has more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate, most recently a vice president for Lincoln Harris.

Beth A. Essey '89 MKT has joined Henderson Brothers Inc. She will produce and manage strategic accounts while helping refine service processes for the benefits division. Henderson Brothers is one of Western Pennsylvania's largest providers of various types of insurance.

Leslie Atalese '05 MGT has joined Synaptis to serve as a sales representative. The company describes itself as "a knowledge transfer company that strives to maximize the potential of employees through customized training solutions."

Todd Campbell '87 HIS, a member of the Board of Directors with the Brantley Risk and Insurance Center, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of Sagicor Life Insurance Company. He is well-recognized for his entrepreneurial skills. London-based Reactions Magazine for future insurance leaders recognized him as a 'Rising Star' in the insurance industry.

Scott Mendenhall '96 MGT and Kelly Mendenhall are proud to announce the birth of a baby girl, Keegan Avery. She was born on May 6, 2010 in Greensboro.

You can read more Class Notes - and submit your own with photos - in the Gold Book.

 

Walker grad defending his title in the octagon
Posted on May 21, 2010
By robertsonrw in Alumni - FIN

UPDATE: Garner scored a second round victory by stoppage due to strikes.

What do you get when you combine a finance degree with a fighting attitude? You get Brandon Garner '03, MMA champion. gardnermma1

Garner currently holds the Carolina Fight Promotion 135-pound Bantam weight title. He has a career 7-1-1 record for Team R.O.C. His next bout is May 22 during the Carolinas' Summer Fight Series, Fight #1 in Wilmington.

While at Appalachian, Garner was a member of the men's soccer team. But he was also active in his first love, mixed martial arts (MMA). After graduation, he continued training. At the time mixed martial arts events were banned in North Carolina (that was overturned in 2007 [PDF]). Garner fought three bouts as an amateur in 2004. His first pro fight was October 1, 2005 at King of the Cage Canada III. It ended with a 2:49 first round tap-out win.

In 2008, he earned a spot on Spike TV's "Ultimate Fighter 8." It didn't last long, according to a 2009 profile in the Wilmington Star.

Fighting at 150 pounds, his first opponent was a 175-pound fighter who lost 20 pounds to make the weight for the fight.
"That's why I started fighting," he said. "To get exposure I had to fight."
The fight was a see-saw affair, but Garner used an illegal move and the bout was declared a no contest.
The following day, officials from the show ruled that Garner would be sent home because of his antics in the ring.
"I was really disappointed. They never really gave me a reason why," Garner said.

That was in April 2008. Six months later he won his CFP title during a bout in Raleigh. He took it in the first round with a submission choke hold at four minutes.

Outside of the octagon Garner has been a teacher. His students? The U.S. miltary.

Mixed martial arts combines fighting disciplines such as boxing, muay thai and jiu jitsu. It was popularized in the 1990s by the Ultimate Fighting Championships and Brazilian jiu jitsu legend Royce Gracie.
Garner is so skilled in Gracie's brand of jiu jitsu that he trains the military. ...
Greg Thompson, a co-founder of Team R.O.C., was a trainer at his (garner's) father's gym. Garner works for Thompson, teaching soldiers Modern Army Combatives, which adapts the martial arts to real-life combat situations.
Some of the training is required by the military, other times it's optional. Garner trains soldiers in Fayetteville, in a dojo in a strip mall a block from Fort Bragg. Often, it's done on the base.

Garner is active on Facebook. Here's an interview promoting him for CFP. He's described as one of the organization's "most well-rounded explosive fighters."
 

 

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