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AlumniAlumni ReportAlumniAlumni Report

Plus:Changing the landscape of eHealth researchDeGroote graduates innovative leaders

Opening of DeGroote’s new Opening of DeGroote’s new building in Burlington building in Burlington

The Ron Joyce CentreThe Ron Joyce Centre

EventsEvents Calendar

The Alumni Report is a publication of the DeGroote School of Business and is managed by the External Relations Offi ce.

Editor: Leah Rosenthal

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40063416

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:DeGroote School of Business,McMaster University1280 Main Street West, DSB-A108Hamilton, ON L8S 4M4E-mail: rosentl@mcmaster.caWeb site: www.degroote.mcmaster.ca

DEAN ON DECK ..............................3

DEGROOTE NEWS ..........................4

MAIN STORY ...................................6

ALUMNI PROFILES .........................8

RESEARCH @ DEGROOTE ...........10

ALUMNI COLUMN ........................11

InInside

Attention Classes of 1985, 1990 and 2000!As part of McMaster University’s Homecoming Weekend, the DeGroote School of Business is hosting reunion celebrations. Don’t miss this opportunity to reminisce with your classmates.

Date: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010

Cost: $45 per person / spouses welcome

Attire: Business / Casual

MBA 1985, 1990 and 2000 Class Reunions

Location: DeGroote’s new Burlington campus – The Ron Joyce Centre

4350 South Service Road, Burlington

Time: Facility Tours beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Reception at 5:30 p.m.

Buffet Dinner at 7 p.m.

Commerce 1985, 1990 and 2000 Class Reunions

Location: Reception in DeGroote Atrium, McMaster University;

Dinner in Convocation Hall

Time: Reception at 6 p.m.

Buffet Dinner at 7 p.m.

For more information or to register, please contact Kellie Rabak, Alumni Offi cer, rabakk@mcmaster.ca

MBA Wine and Cheese Networking ReceptionHelp shape the confi dence and skills of DeGroote MBA students.

When: Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2010, 6:15 to 7:30 p.m.

Location: Ron Joyce Centre, DeGroote School of Business, Burlington

Contact: Centre for Business Career Development cbcd@mcmaster.ca

Mock Interview NightHelp develop our Commerce and MBA students’ ability to effectively present themselves in an interview setting, aiding in their personal learning and professional growth.

For Level III and IV Commerce Students

When: Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010, 5 – 9:30 p.m.

Location: McMaster University Student Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton

Contact: Leahann Renaud renaudl@mcmaster.ca

For Level I & II MBA Students

When: Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010, 5 – 9:30 p.m.

Location: Ron Joyce Centre, DeGroote School of Business, Burlington

Contact: Leahann Renaud renaudl@mcmaster.ca

Fall Convocation DeGroote welcomes its newest alumni and celebrates the installation

of President and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane.

Friday, Nov. 19, 2010 9:30 a.m. Hamilton Place, 50 Main Street West

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On the Cover:

Ron Joyce Centre, Burlington

DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10 3

DeanDean on Deck

Ron Joyce Centre Ron Joyce Centre Showcase for DeGrooteShowcase for DeGroote

The Ron Joyce Centre, located in the

City of Burlington opens its doors this

September after a six year journey. This

remarkable, purpose-built facility will be

the new home of our MBA and executive

education programs. I want to take the

opportunity to thank our Provost, our past

President and our Board of Governors for

believing in the ‘Grow DeGroote’ cam-

paign.

The Ron Joyce Centre is a showcase for

McMaster University. It is the fi rst time

from a business school perspective that

an environment has been built from the

ground up, from concept to construc-

tion, with graduate business management

education in mind off of McMaster’s main

campus. I am very proud of the fact that

McMaster’s fi rst large satellite is from the

School of Business and is in Burlington.

Through the early conversations with

the City of Burlington, Region of Hal-

ton, Burlington Economic Development

Corporation, I have come to understand

how much those communities want a post

secondary facility. Thank you to the City

of Burlington and the Region of Halton for

your continued support.

In designing the Ron Joyce Centre we

concentrated on creating a collaborative

learning space. The MBA program at the

DeGroote School of Business focuses on

group learning and at the new facility we

have 27 break-out collaboration rooms, a

learning commons and an Investment De-

cision Centre, all of which were designed

for the MBA educational experience.

This style of learning will lend itself to a

marked increase in our MBAs’ social inter-

action skills, their group leadership skills,

and their communication skills. I would

like to thank the students of the MBA

Association for their input and support in

this process.

One of the major reasons DeGroote

took the lead on McMaster’s expansion

to Burlington is that this location taps a

prospective student base that we were

not tapping fully before. After extensive

research we found that people in Burl-

ington, Halton and Oakville were more

likely to go to Toronto to do their MBA

than come to Hamilton. With the new

Ron Joyce Centre a new market has been

formed. The Ron Joyce Centre is minutes

away from the train station, has easy ac-

cess to the QEW and has a free shuttle

running between McMaster’s main campus

and the Ron Joyce Centre.

Personally, the opening of the new Ron

Joyce Centre is a very exciting time for

me. I have been part of the vision for the

Ron Joyce Centre from the beginning. I

would like to personally thank the alumni

for their time, donations and support.

Without you we would not be where we

are today. Thank you from myself, from

the DeGroote School of Business and from

McMaster University.

Dean Bates in front of the central staircase in the Ron Joyce Centre.

With the new Ron Joyce Centre a new market has been formed.

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DeGrooteDeGroote News

4 DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10

Social media

Do you have an account on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter?

So does the DeGroote School of Business. Join the con-

versation and stay engaged with the DeGroote community.

Share your experiences and network with other alumni.

Stay up-to-date on DeGroote news and events.

■ Become a Facebook fan at

www.facebook.com/degrootebiz

■ Join the offi cial LinkedIn group at

www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=44151

■ Follow us on Twitter at

www.twitter.com/degrootebiz

CareegoThe McMaster Alumni Association is pleased to announce the newest

service available to alumni, Careego Active Career Management. Spe-

cially designed for McMaster alumni who have graduated more than

fi ve years ago*, Careego offers an array of online services to help users

achieve their career ambitions.

This interactive online community offers career-minded professionals

support on every level, from video advice by career experts, in-depth

personal assessments, how-to guides, career-focused podcasts, to an

expert blog and access to Careego’s unique on-call career coach.

*Please note that for grads within fi ve years of graduation, McMaster’s Career Services in partnership with the Alumni Association offers free access to services and our alumni career coach.

Focus 2040Focus 2040 is a nation-wide competition that challenges university stu-

dents across Canada to predict their visions of the world of work in the

year 2040 for a chance to win an internship with an industry-leading

company.

Last year in the inaugural competition, some of the best and brightest

students from across Canada explored the critical role that human re-

source management plays in business. This year, Focus 2040 will con-

tinue to generate discussion around human resources among industry

professionals and students, the leaders of the future.

Get involved in Focus 2040 by participating as a judge, sponsor, offer-

ing internships, facilitating workshops or offering online mentorship.

Contact Mandeep Malik for more information at malikm@mcmaster.ca.

Canada’s Next Top Ad ExecCanada’s Next Top Ad Exec is a competition that transforms

competitors and establishes a bridge between industry and

academic institutions. It enables a constant exchange of

expertise, mentorship, and career opportunities in the areas

of marketing, strategy and communication.

This program was launched by the DeGroote School of

Business in 2007 and is unmatched in reach, infl uence and

prizing—the winners drive away in a new car. Get involved

in the 2010 Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec today.

“It will be diffi cult coming back to Canada and seeing all that I have and all the chances I’ve had in life, trying

to come to grips with that knowing how these people are struggling… Sometimes all you can do is take one

person at a time and make a small difference to them.”

Anne Connelly ’10, discussing her work

in Central African Republic, in the Hamilton Spectator

“I know I have a responsibility to go beyond the traditional requirements of a professor and give back,

not just to my students but to society as a whole.“

Nick Bontis, associate professor, in Globe and Mail

“We’re going to be ramping all of these efforts [working closely with McMaster University and Mohawk College] up to the max“

Bob Savage ’81, discussing his new vice-president of manufactur-

ing role at ArcelorMittal Dofasco, in the Hamilton Spectator

“I started (the MBA) part-time while I was with the Tiger-Cats, and then continued when I went out to Calgary… DeGroote was awesome. They gave me the opportunity to bang off courses while I was out west.”

Grey Cup winner Fabio Filice‘10 in the Hamilton Spectator

>>> VIS IT www.topadexec.com

>>> LEARN MORE www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/services_careego.html

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CBCD’s growing partnerships The Centre for Business Career Development appreciates the ongoing

partnership support received from our DeGroote alumni. We wish to recognize

the following alumni who returned to recruit our MBA Co-op students for the

Summer and Fall 2010 Work Terms.

Todd Brien ‘05 & Mark Skoczylas ‘01, ArcelorMittal Dofasco

Dave Finlay ‘04, AstraZeneca

Greg Hunter ’02, Baxter

Melanie Ferguson ’10, Bayer

Borna Nabaie ’03, Biogen Idec

Deanna Heroux ‘04, Blackstone Partners

Glen Brunetti ’95, City of Hamilton

Joanne Kohut ’94, City of Hamilton

Mike Heenan’08, Credit Valley Hospital

Ryan Doyle ’09, Eli Lilly

Ola Machnowski ’09, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Jonathan Foster ’10, Global Governance Advisors

Simon Yunger ’09, Hoffmann La Roche Ltd.

Mohamed Bhamani ’06, KPMG

Nicholas Lal ’05, KPMG

Saul Melamed ’02, LHIN Collaborative

Kelly Shum’01, Manulife Financial

Stephen Picyk ’91, Mt. Sinai Hospital

Talia Dabby ’09 & Craig Hanna ‘09 PWC

David Burleigh ’96, PWC

Lesley Moody ’10, Royal Victoria Hospital

Rebecca Repa’90 & Vera Dodds ’09, St Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton

Manisha Gandhi ’01, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Scott Sherwood ‘10, Teva

Angelika Gollnow ’07, Toronto Central LHIN

Doug Murray ’92, William Osler Health System

Chris Carter, RBC Insurance

The Centre for Business Career Development continues to explore and

pursue new partnerships with the business community while strengthening

our existing relationships. We are proud to announce these companies as

new employer partners with DeGroote.

Afexa Life Sciences Inc.

Apotex

BD

BET Entertainment

Chak’s Company Ltd.

City of Burlington

CIT Group

CNW Group

Crane Supply

Cundari

eHealth Ontario

Fraser Health – Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services

Global Governance Advisors

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador – PSC

Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC

KCI Medical

L3 Communications WESCAM

LHIN Collaborative

Ontario Securities Commission

Ornge

OTFF Financial

Rockwell Automation

Sodexo

Stone Resources Ltd.

TD Bank Financial Group

Tornto East General Hospital

Trapeze

DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10 5

DeGrooteDeGroote News

“There’s a lot of businesses in Burlington that we’re just learning about, Burlington Economic Development (Cor-poration) has been great working with the Ron Joyce and DeGroote. There’s great networking opportunities being so close to the city.”

Geoff Reiner, MBA student and MBA Association president,

Burlington Post

“It’s certainly better than a mom and pop retail store but compared to some of our bigger institutions in town, they have a bigger impact on the economy than the Tiger-Cats can ever be.”

Marvin Ryder ‘84, assistant professor of Strategic Market Leadership

and Health Services Management

“It’s amazing and we are so excited to come into this building. It is going to be a great place for us to grow and learn. What we

have here, especially with the equipment that is going in, is going to help us a lot.”

Dory Noorafkan, MBA student, discussing her excitement about the

new RJC building in the Burlington Post

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To fi nd out how you can get involved with the Centre for Business Career Development, please contact Christina Gianiotis gianioc@mcmaster.ca

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6 DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10

A new chapter A new chapter in DeGroote’s storyin DeGroote’s story

The grand staircase at the new LEED certifi ed Ron Joyce Centre

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DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10 7

On January 27, 2006, McMaster University

announced that the DeGroote School of

Business would have a major presence in the

University’s expansion into Burlington.

This ‘Grow DeGroote’ campaign would

further McMaster’s tradition of innovation

in learning and create a new home for

DeGroote’s MBA and Executive Education

programs. From the outset, the design of the

building was student-focused, encouraged

collaboration, and most of all, would be

benefi cial to the communities that welcomed

McMaster in the fi rst place.

This September marks the culmination of

the four-year campaign with the opening of

the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington, Ontario.

This $27 million project will come to

completion without a chalkboard, overhead

projector or physical library. The computer

labs and all the specialty software have gone

digital as well. The Ron Joyce Centre truly

represents the next generation of post sec-

ondary business and management education

facilities.

The Ron Joyce Centre will be the exclu-

sive home of DeGroote’s MBA program as

well as the executive education programs.

Equipped with an MBA Academic Services

Offi ce, Centre for Business Career Develop-

ment and a digital library, all of the services

that keep DeGroote’s MBA program operat-

ing will be based in new the building.

The Centre has been specifi cally designed

to meet the unique needs of DeGroote’s

MBA students. From the 27 collaborative

meeting spaces that foster intensive group

work, to the hardwired ‘Investment Decision

Center’ for tomorrow’s fi nancial investor, the

Ron Joyce Centre will provide an optimal

learning environment, regardless of a stu-

dent’s specialization.

As DeGroote’s available teaching space

expands, so do the MBA and executive edu-

cation programs. By 2013-14 the Ron Joyce

Centre will enroll 700-800 students in the

graduate and Executive Education programs,

compared to the current enrollment of ap-

proximately 350. By bringing together top

business researchers, current executives and

future business leaders, the new Centre has

the potential to become an important hub

for academic and economic collaboration in

Canada.

“The market response from all of the

recruitment fairs and information sessions

I’ve conducted has been overwhelmingly

positive,” said Steve Walker, recruitment

administrator for DeGroote. “We now have

the space, technology and equipment to of-

fer potential MBA students a unique learning

opportunity.”

Interest in DeGroote’s MBA programs

spurred by the new Centre has been palpa-

ble. The part-time MBA program has experi-

enced a 47 per cent surge in enrollment for

the 2010 academic year and the Co-op MBA

program has grown by 7 per cent. Potential

students are drawn to the idea of commuting

to Burlington for their MBA, rather than to

Hamilton or downtown Toronto.

“I think the new building will give De-

Groote’s MBA program a lot of exposure

outside the Hamilton community,” said in-

coming Co-op MBA student Salima Panjwani.

“From the students who want to use the

shuttle bus from McMaster’s main campus,

to the students who want to drive in from

across the GTA, [RJC] is a win-win for every-

body involved.”

Communities such as Burlington and the

Region of Halton are expected to benefi t

economically from the new Centre. An ‘Eco-

nomic Impact Report’ conducted by Deloitte

in October 2008 concluded that during

operation the Ron Joyce Centre will generate

$38.8 million of direct and indirect spending

impacts to the surrounding communities an-

nually.

“The new Ron Joyce Centre is noth-

ing short of transformational to the City of

Burlington,” said Cam Jackson, Mayor of

Burlington. “Burlington has a vision of long

term economic prosperity and the Ron Joyce

Centre, in conjunction with McMaster Univer-

sity, is an integral part of that vision.”

The Ron Joyce Centre represents much

more than just a new facility for DeGroote

and McMaster. The new Centre represents a

growing post secondary institution, growing

academic programs, a growing DeGroote

community and a pinnacle chapter in De-

Groote’s history.

“There is a lot of history and culture on

the McMaster campus, so that will defi nitely

make it hard to leave,” said Geoff Reiner,

MBA Association President. “But everyone

involved in the project understands that this

is history in the making for DeGroote.”

This September marks the end of the four year campaign with the opening of

the Ron Joyce Centre in Burlington, Ontario.

By Douglas Calderwood-Smith

“The new Ron Joyce Centre is nothing short of transformational to the City of Burlington”

– Cam Jackson, Mayor of Burlington

8 DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10

AlumniAlumni Profi le

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By Leah Rosenthal ‘07

Pay it forward

Although James Peters, president of

Burlington’s Hadrian Manufacturing Inc.,

graduated with an MBA from the DeGroote

School of Business in 1989, his relationship

with the School did not end there. Over the

course of his career, spanning more than

two decades, Peters has been an advocate

of the DeGroote School of Business.

Peters’ MBA experience at DeGroote laid

the foundation for a successful career by

teaching him the skills necessary for leader-

ship. “One thing I learned was to cast a

wide net for ideas. Look to other disciplines

and look to other skill sets and different

talents and abilities for ideas and try to draw

what you need from different areas … then

utilize those strengths,” says Peters.

Recently, Peters was Chair of the Burling-

ton Economic Development Corporation

(BEDC) when the Ron Joyce Centre was for-

mally announced and played an instrumental

role in advocating on behalf of the Centre,

business leaders and politicians. The support

of Peters and the BEDC gave the Ron Joyce

Centre a push in the right direction.

Peters recognizes the benefi t of executive

development, since he knows better than

anyone how rapidly things change, and says

he and his staff will participate in executive

training at the new building. Peters began

his career in banking at Bank of Montreal

and then moved to Cumis before being

recruited to the manufacturing sector by

Hadrian Manufacturing Inc.

Peters brought with him to Hadrian his

experience as a co-op MBA student and in

September of 2009 the company hired a co-

op MBA student to do a marketing study on

Hadrian in China, where they had expanded

six years prior. Peters cites that the cultural

elements of the report refi ned their think-

ing and gave them better insights into the

market.

“I am very happy to recommend the

DeGroote School of Business and its MBA

co-op program especially because McMas-

ter is a school that is on the ascendency in

Canada and I think the business school is

leading the way,” says Peters.

President of Hadrian Manufacturing Inc., James Peters ‘89.

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DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10 9

For alumnus John Marinucci ’80, his

education at McMaster opened his eyes to

the breadth and depth of potential business

and career opportunities. “I was just a kid,

raised in a small town who played sports

and worked part-time jobs. I went in rather

naïve, with modest expectations but … the

MAC experience was a real game changer

for me. I was amazed at the universe of op-

portunity that was out there ” he explains.

With his Bachelor of Commerce degree,

Marinucci obtained his chartered accoun-

tant’s designation with Price Waterhouse in

1982 and went on to senior executive posi-

tions with National Steel Car and New Flyer

Industries, ultimately retiring as president

and CEO of New Flyer in 2009. Through-

out his life, his tie to his alma mater has

remained strong. He earned his HRCC

designation through DeGroote’s Directors

College and his son Santino is enrolled in

McMaster’s sociology program. John and

his wife Tracy recently donated $1 million

to DeGroote’s Ron Joyce Centre to fund the

Marinucci Family Auditorium, building on a

previous donation that established two aca-

demic grants for business and arts students.

The auditorium is the largest teaching

and presentation space in the building,

with chairs for 250 students. Featuring

comfortable, tiered seating and state-of-the-

art multimedia equipment, the auditorium

will support lectures, presentations and

workshops by faculty and business leaders.

The auditorium will play a key role in the

Ron Joyce Centre’s curriculum and will host

activities that promote opportunities for

networking and mentoring.

The decision to support the Ron Joyce

Centre was an easy one for John and

Tracy. They are committed to supporting

education in honour of their parents, and

they are committed to their community

of Halton, home to the Ron Joyce Centre.

Explains John, “Education that is relevant

to today’s students delivered in an impact-

ful way, which conforms with the chang-

ing market dynamics out there is what’s

needed. The future is in our students, and

if they are in a dynamic, entrepreneurial

educational environment the end result of a

much stronger Canada will be ensured.”

By Julia Thomson ‘03

Supporting world class

building

John Marinucci ‘80 (right) along with his wife Tracy at the announcement of his $1 million dollar gift to DeGroote.

Mike Lalich

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ResearchResearch@DeGroote

Over the past few years, the concept of

‘eHealth’ has emerged into the global nar-

rative as the next evolution of the health

care industry, similar to the innovation of

the ‘ecommerce’ and ‘ebusiness’ industries.

Although the term ‘eHealth’ might be used

heavily in the media, very few understand

the underlying complexity, which involves

a fusion of computers, the internet, and

medicine.

“As we move deeper into the era of

computerization, people will develop an

automatic desire to use computers in seek-

ing out and personalizing their own health

knowledge,” said Joseph Tan, professor of

Health Care Informatics and currently the

Wayne C. Fox Chair of eBusiness Innova-

tion. “However, health care is fairly differ-

ent from other e-industries. In eHealth, we

are faced with major challenges such as

privacy issues, confi dentiality issues, legal

issues, and, of course, tight regulation from

the government because they can or may

be held liable if a patient’s rights are com-

promised.”

Tan is one of the very few researchers

who understands the complexity of eHealth

directly. His research focuses on creating

an eHealth system that can simultaneously

ease administrative duties and increase the

effectiveness of the clinical decision-making

process.

Tan, one of the professors relocating to

the new Ron Joyce Centre, also examines

the overall impact of eHealth technologies

in Canadian teaching hospitals and other

public and private health service organiza-

tions.

In the long-term, Tan’s research focus

is to reshape the landscape of eHealth

research althougher. To do this he will

collaborate with e-technology experts from

many different academic and professional

disciplines – such as industrial engineers,

cognitive scientists, business information

system analysts, and, of course, health care

professionals – to study for the e-manage-

ment of chronic diseases.

Tan is in high demand in both the profi t

and not-for-profi t sectors, especially in

helping to evaluate various eHealth data

management systems. The move to the Ron

Joyce Centre will open up many new op-

portunities for Tan to collaborate and grow

his research.

“For this research to blossom, you need

strong partnerships – you cannot create

solutions from just a business perspective,”

added Tan. “In Burlington, we are located

right in the center in terms of connecting

with all the other universities in Ontario,

researchers, and hospitals. [RJC] is very

welcoming for a cross-disciplinary group of

researchers to meet and collaborate.”

The Wayne C. Fox Chair in Business

Innovation was created by a $1 mil-

lion donation by McMaster alumnus

Wayne Fox ‘73. The chair, which

is currently held by Dr. Joseph Tan,

makes important contributions in

eBusiness and in business innova-

tion research.

Joseph Tan, professor of Health Care Informatics and currently the Wayne C. Fox Chair of eBusiness Innovation,

relies on interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle the complexity of eHealth head on.

By Douglas Calderwood-Smith

The complexity of eHealthof eHealth

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DeGroote School of Business Alumni Report - Fall ‘10 11

When I think back to 1974 when I was

an MBA student at McMaster, I never would

have imagined that 36 years later I would

be an instructor in the MBA program and

teaching in a magnifi cent facility like the

new Ron Joyce Centre. It’s a surreal expe-

rience for me.

I am excited and enthusiastic about the

Ron Joyce Centre and DeGroote’s expan-

sion to Burlington from several different

perspectives. The fi rst one is obviously as

a former student. From my perspective as

a graduate, the new Ron Joyce Centre is

vastly superior to what we had as students.

When I was a student, our go-to place

was a lounge, exclusively for MBAs, on

the sixth fl oor of Kenneth Taylor Hall. We

thought that was a pretty big deal. To have

a whole building dedicated to the MBA

program is mind-blowing by comparison.

Looking at it as a teacher, I am most

excited about the space. It’s not just the

fact that there is lots of space, but that

it’s world class space. All of the different

rooms that exist, from breakout rooms to

lounges to cafes and classrooms are going

to increase collaboration, foster increased

student-teacher interactions and allow us,

as instructors, to look at courses differently.

Because of the many options that exist, the

element of fl exibility increases dramatically.

It’s going to allow all of us to re-examine

how we do things and use the facility in

different ways.

I am ecstatic about teaching in my own

classroom, which I sponsored. The training

I received from McMaster through my MBA

enabled me to be successful in my business

career and now, 36 years later, I’ve come

full circle.

This is a transformational opportunity for

the DeGroote School of Business. I feel a

sense of pride that I played a small part in

it, both as a donor and as a supporter. A

lot of people from different teams, different

constituencies came together to make this

happen. Having a sense of being a part of

something so historic is meaningful. From

a donor perspective, it’s very satisfying.

Also, having one hundred per cent donor

participation from my colleagues on the

Business Advisory Council makes it even

more special.

I spent my career in the building industry

with Otis. It has always excited me to see

a concept which begins fi rst as a dream,

ends up on paper as a series of drawings

and then is transformed into a structure

like we have now in Burlington. It never

ceases to amaze me how almost magical

that process is.

We really do have a world class facility,

but a building does not a graduate school

of business make. It’s a transformational

moment for the business school and for the

MBA program in particular. The people

who dreamed and conceived the idea and

the people who donated to it and sup-

ported it have done their jobs, and now

the students, support staff, instructors

and alumni have to live up to the vision

and the quality of the structure. What we

have is very good. What we’ve started has

the potential to be great. Let’s seize the

opportunity to make the future live up to

our expectations. You don’t often get an

opportunity like this.

Representatives from the DeGroote School of Business, the City of Burlington and the

Region of Halton signed a beam that was hoisted into the Ron Joyce Centre. Ed Minich ‘74,

representing DeGroote alumni says, “Somewhere in there there’s a beam with my name on

it, and that’s just a kick. Every time I drive by I have a good feeling about it.”

DeGroote graduates DeGroote graduates innovative leadersinnovative leaders

AlumniAlumni Column

By Edward A. Minich ‘74

Executive Education Fall 2010 ScheduleExecutive Management Program October 25 – 29

Executive Education is proud to announce the new Executive

Management Program. Taught by the leading MBA faculty at

DeGroote, this fl exible certifi cate allows you to choose which

courses would benefi t you most. Whether you have completed

your MBA and are looking to update your skills, or want to

further your career without the commitment of a full MBA

program, this certifi cate will help take you to the next level.

Corporate Fraud and White Collar Crime Conference November 22

This conference is aimed at senior executives from both the

corporate sector and law enforcement. Delegates will hear

from corporate executives and law enforcement that have had

experience with white collar crime and will explore motives,

opportunities and prevention strategies. Conference speakers

include RCMP IMET, OPP Provincial Intelligence Bureau,

Hamilton Police Service Fraud Unit, Economic Crime Institute of

Utica College, KPMG, Scotiabank and Siemens Canada.

Women’s Breakfast Series September 20, October 18, November 15, December 13

Executive Education is pleased to launch a new women’s

initiative that will bring to the forefront unique issues around

women in business. Join successful professional women

from around the region for a networking breakfast and listen

to women leaders talk about their road to success. The

Series serves to promote, develop and encourage women’s

advancement in business.

Business Excellence WorkshopsSeptember 23, October 15, November 9, November 18

What Do You Do When You Don’t Know

What To Do Next: Solving Complex Problems ... September 23

Results Driven Strategic Planning /

Business Development ............................................ October 15

The Power of Persuasion and

The Successful Executive Leader .......................... November 9

The Big Idea ......................................................... November 18

For additional information on these and other upcoming programs and workshops please visit:

http://execed.degroote.mcmaster.caor contact Dave Mammoliti, Program Manager by email at mammol@mcmaster.ca or by phone at 905-525-9140 ext. 26372.

We look forward to hearing from you.