The magazine for alumni and friends of the UB School of Management
Issue link: http://ubschoolofmanagement.uberflip.com/i/1210017
28 Buffalo Business Spring 2020 Theodore Johnson, CEL '07, president of Hadley Exhibits, was named a trustee with the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library System board. Keith Wright, BS '01, PMBA '07, was named senior vice president, chief accounting officer at EverWest Real Estate Investors. Marc Adler, MBA '82, CEL '08, pres - ident of Why Not Marketing, was named chief mar- keting officer at Chip Down LLC. Kathleen Hurley, BS '08, was pro- moted to vice pres- ident of digital strategy and inno- vation at BlueCross BlueShield of WNY. Eric Wright, BS '99, PMBA '08, was appointed account director at The Martin Group. Adam Ohar, BS '09, CPA, was pro- moted to senior manager in the tax department of Tronconi Segarra & Associates. Peter Ruocco, BS/MBA '09, CPA, was promot - ed to partner at Brock, Schechter & Polakoff CPAs and Consultants. Tyler Smith, BS '09, was promoted to regional residen- tial mortgage sales manager at Five Star Bank. 2010s Andrea Sherry, BS/MBA '10, was named director, corporate control- ler at BlueCross BlueShield of WNY. Krista Heffernan, BS '11, was named customer market- ing manager, distribution at Rich Products. Nicholas Krajacic, BS '13, was promoted to strategic category leader, procurement at Rich Products. Adam Medwetsky, BS '11, MBA '13, was promoted to sales enablement manager, digital marketing at Rich Products. Rowan Ketchum, BS '14, MS '15, CPA, was promot - ed to tax super- vising senior at Lougen, Valenti, Bookbinder & Weintraub LLP. Michelle Philbin, MBA '15, was pro- moted to product manager at Rich Products. Halton Bagley, BS '16, co-founded Equilli, an app that connects students to do chores and tasks for each other. Lisa Wheeler, EMBA '17, chief op- erating officer at Family Choice of New York, was appointed to the board of trustees for Trocaire College. Katie Badura, PhD '19, was appointed assistant professor of organization- al behavior in the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech. Ka'Ron Barnes, PMBA '19, was named director of urban affairs for the City of Buffalo. Marcene Robinson, PMBA '19, was named trea- surer on the Public Relations Society of America Buffalo Niagara Chapter's board of directors. Class Notes Wright Sherry Bagley Wheeler Badura Robinson Heffernan Krajacic Medwetsky Ketchum Philbin Adler Hurley Ohar Ruocco Smith Alumni Spotlight: Richard M. Ferranti, EMBA '97, named CEO of Rich Products Since joining Rich Products in 1986 as part of a management training program, Richard M. Ferranti, EMBA '97, has climbed the ranks. He began in a series of sales and marketing roles, eventually earning promotions to president of the company's international division, then North American division, chief operating officer in 2012, and company president in 2018. This year, he became the newest CEO of the $4 billion global food business. With the company's executive team, Ferranti has led the growth of Rich's footprint, which spans six continents, operating in more than 100 countries and 40 manufacturing facilities. As he stepped into his new position, Ferranti shared his perspective on what sets Rich's apart. "One of Rich's greatest differentiators is our customer-focused, Act Local, Be Global strategy," he says. "That means leveraging our global footprint to provide our customers with expert insight and guidance in the places we work every day. "With great momentum, we will continue to focus on those who fuel our business: our customers and our people. I'm incredibly humbled and grateful to be named the next CEO of this extraordinary family-owned business." Rich Products has more than 11,000 associates worldwide, including more than 1,350 in Western New York. Ferranti is a member and immediate past chair of the UB School of Management Dean's Advisory Council.