Source: Mary Rankin, 785-532-6715, mrankin@k-state.edu

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

K-STATE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING HONORING NINE ALUMS FOR CAREER SUCCESS

MANHATTAN -- The Kansas State University College of Engineering will honor nine alumni for professional career accomplishment during the first 20 years following their graduation from K-State. The honorees will be recognized at ceremonies on the K-State campus Friday, April 23.

Recipients of the college's Professional Progress Award were nominated by their respective department heads and confirmed by John English, dean of engineering. The honorees are:

* Warren Kennedy, Bonner Springs, a 1990 graduate of K-State in chemical engineering. He is associate vice president and marketing and sales director of the process and industrial division, Burns & McDonnell, responsible for business development efforts in oil and gas, chemicals, biofuels, and food and consumer product markets. Kennedy is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers, and is active in the Construction Industry Institute. He currently serves as chairman of the K-State Chemical Engineering Department External Advisory Board.

Jeff Hancock, Manhattan, a 1998 K-State graduate in civil engineering, completing his master's degree in 2000. He is currently co-owner of SMH Consultants, where he is responsible for the firm's municipal services and site development divisions. SMH currently employs 17 people, with offices in Manhattan and Dodge City. The firm specializes in land surveying, civil site design, and infrastructure planning and design. Previously Hancock had been an employee of the city of Manhattan as a design engineer and rose to the position of director of public works in 2005. He served as director until 2007.

Doug Gish, Overland Park, a 1990 K-State graduate in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering. He is a partner with Deloitte Consulting where his expertise is improvement of complex global production systems. He has led operations improvement initiatives for clients such as Terex, Caterpillar, Manitowoc and Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter program. Gish was recently selected to lead Deloitte's manufacturing strategy and operations practice for one of the largest industry groups in the firm. He is a current member and past chairman of the Industrial Engineering Industry Advisory Board.

* Shon Yust, Spring Hill, a 1992 K-State graduate in architectural engineering. He is the owner of Mercer Zimmerman, Overland Park, an independent sales organization representing lighting manufacturers, with more than 30 employees in four offices and more than $50 million in sales. He is also owner and founder of Structura Inc., Olathe, a manufacturer of sustainable light poles and furnishings. He and his wife also have 90 percent ownership in his family's farm, an operation of more than 3,500 acres and 250 head of livestock.

Carl Huslig, Topeka, a 1991 graduate of K-State in electrical engineering. As president of ITC Great Plains he leads all ITC Holdings Corp. activities in Kansas, Oklahoma and throughout the southwest Power Pool region with responsibility for developing electricity transmission infrastructure projects and improvements to meet the region's future energy needs. Huslig worked closely with the Kansas Electric Transmission Authority and the Kansas Corporation Commission to conceive and develop the Spearville-to-Knoll-to-Axtell high-voltage transmission project to support wind energy development in western Kansas and is also responsible for the Hugo-to-Valliant transmission line project in southeastern Oklahoma. He is spearheading the regulatory approval and development of the Kansas V-Plan, a super-high-voltage transmission line designed to deliver energy from renewable resources in western Kansas and northern Oklahoma to points east.

* Andy Grolmes, Minden, Neb., a 2000 graduate of K-State in biological and agricultural engineering. He is an owner and the CEO of LandMark Implement Inc., a six-store John Deere dealership in south central Nebraska and north central Kansas. Grollmes joined LandMark Implement in 2007 as a store manager at one of four locations. He has contributed to its growth with an expansion to six stores and more 150 employees over the past three years. LandMark Implement is a premier agricultural equipment dealer and service provider, earning John Deere's Manager's Club Award in 2008 and 2009, an award recognizing the top 50 dealer organizations in North America. Grollmes is a member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and is a private pilot.

* Mike Brockway, Tulsa Okla., a 1992 graduate of K-State in mechanical engineering. He is acting project engineering manager for CITGO Petroleum, having spent most of his career since joining CITGO in 1992 in the Tulsa office, but briefly worked in CITGO's Atlanta facility as the regional engineer. He also serves as chairman of the CITGO Terminal, Pipeline and Lubes Aboveground Storage Tank Inspection Program. Brockway is a lifetime member of the K-State Alumni Association. He received his professional engineering license in February 1997.

* Tim Chadwick, Temple, Texas, a 1990 graduate of K-State in construction science. He is the president of MW Builders of Texas, a nationally recognized general construction contractor headquartered in Temple, Texas. Chadwick also is the president of MW Flint Hills based in Manhattan, Kan. MW Builders is employee-owned and provides construction services to a diverse range of clients, specializing in military construction, K-12 education, multifamily and public space construction. During his tenure with the company, MW Builders' success in government construction has resulted in numerous awards, including the top honor of 2005 Military Contractor of the Year, given by the Northwest Division of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

* Azfar Moazzam, Bellevue, Wash., a 1989 graduate of K-State in computer science, completing his master's degree in 1991. A partner at Microsoft, he is currently director of quality and sustained engineering for the Microsoft Dynamics ERP product portfolio, leading a global engineering team with development centers in United States, Europe and Asia. Over the last 18 years, Moazzam has shipped 18 major Microsoft releases, including several versions of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Dynamics ERP products. Prior to joining Microsoft, he worked at various state and private enterprises as a software developer. Early in his career, he was recognized as the youngest software developer demonstrating commercial software at the 1983 Gulf Computer Expo in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.