Brendon joined ViaTech, the leading provider of publishing services online, off the press and close to the point of use, as a business manager for the Dallas/Fort Worth area. As a student at the Graziadio School, he served as vice president of the Malibu Graduate Business Society (student government); working with the associate dean of Full-time MBA program Michael Williams, the alumni relations office, and other administrators to help establish the Golden Torch Awards. The award honors excellence by business alumni who have made significant contributions to the school with program support and student development.

Brendon earned a Certificate in Socially Environmentally and Ethically Responsible Business Practice and was an active member of Pepperdine’s MBA student organizations NetImpact, Toastmasters, Finance Club and Investment Challenge.

ViaTech enables customers to directly publish in new markets online and anywhere anytime, providing a superior way to stay relevant in highly competitive markets. The firm serves over 4,000 customers around the world; including private firms, multinational companies, associations and non-profit organizations. ViaTech is a complete resource for customizing and distributing a message in physical collateral (books, binders, press kits, index tabs, packaging) and in electronic format (eReaders, mobile devices, digital media duplication, and more). Its practices streamline complex publishing processes, eliminating the waste in overruns, long distance shipping and needless inventories of materials.

Accounting | Aerospace and Defense | Agriculture and Forestry | Arts and Entertainment | Associations | Author | Automotive | Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals | Books | Building & Construction | Business Services | Chemicals | Clean Technology | Communications | Construction and Maintenance | Consulting | Consumer Goods and Services | Customer Services | E-Commerce | Education and Training | Electronics and Electrical | Employment | Energy | Entrepreneur | continue

Allen recently joined NATEL Engineering Co. as director of the Natel Production System and vice president of procurement. He brings more than 16 years’ experience and in-depth knowledge leading manufacturing organizations and outstanding leadership with expertise in Lean and Six Sigma practices, team building, and training.

NATEL Engineering Co., founded in 1975 and headquartered in Chatsworth, CA, provides microelectronics experience with advanced capabilities for a wide range of products and industries, including fully automated assembly of t/r modules, hybrids, MCM, and chip-on-board products. NATEL is a pioneer and proven innovator in the manufacture of products for fiber optics, optoelectronics, space, defense, medical, and the RF/Microwave industries.

Allen is a graduate of the Presidential and Key Executive MBA program.

David has been named senior vice president – Program Management for the Industrial Sector by industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation. In this new role, he will report directly to Bradley J. Morton, President – Aerospace Group, and will be responsible for Program Management functional excellence across Eaton’s Industrial Sector. Dave comes to Eaton from The Boeing Company where he served as vice president and general manager of the Global Mobility Systems Division and the vice president and program manager for the C-17 program.

Dave is a 2010 recipient of the Graziadio School’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. Addressing commencement ceremonies, he delivered an inspired keynote speech, noting that Pepperdine’s Christian tradition was an important part of his decision to pursue a Graziadio degree and urging graduates to lead by helping others to connect to their future.

Based in Cleveland, Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with 2009 sales of $11.9 billion.

Payam announced the launch of his company’s new user-friendly website at ascendantasset.com. Ascendant Asset Advisors, an alternative investment firm based in Beverly Hills, specializes in high quality investment programs for qualified clients in alternative markets. AAA provides an interactive, hands-on platform to their customers via their new website. The site features trading programs, including those for aggressive, moderate and short-term trading. These programs utilize volatility as their gauge of trading. Additionally, ascendantasset.com features helpful links for investors, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the National Futures Association (NFA) and CNBC’s top business stories.

Payam, founding member and CEO of AAA, said that the firm is currently trying to raise $25 million in assets. There will be more information on these efforts in the near future.

After receiving his MBA from Pepperdine’s Graziadio School, Andrew made the transition from intern to full-time staff member as Fanscape’s manager of social strategy. In this role he oversees the company’s team of graphic designers, large-scale custom developers, programmers, technology partners, and venders, and is central to the company’s strategy department.

Fanscape is a leading social media marketing agency with twelve years of experience helping clients such as Las Vegas, MTV and Sports Illustrated reach and activate consumers and influencers to foster positive word-of-mouth sentiment about their products. Fanscape’s online influencer marketing experts have in-depth understanding of niche audiences and consumer behaviors and are driven to increase our clients’: brand identification, share-of-voice, and sales.

Follow Andrew at http://andrewgermer.com/

John A. Reiser, of Neenah, WI, age 51, passed away unexpectedly at home on Wednesday, October 13, 2010. John’s parents owned and operated the Neenah Dairy Queen and he grew up in the business. He was a hardworking employee with Pierce Manufacturing for 15 years. He was a member of Calvary Bible Church in Neenah. John enjoyed biking, working out, walking on the CB trail and his two dogs.

A loving husband, father, son, and brother he will be sadly missed by his wife, Julie; two children: Ryan Reiser and Allie Reiser.

RECENT SUCCESSES

By Amy Biemiller

Alumnus Tetsuya O’Hara organizes MBA Chile Excursion and More

The Graziadio School of Business and Management is distinguished by alumni who actively demonstrate their school pride. But there is one alumnus willing to go to the end of the Earth to prove his.

Tetsuya O’Hara, EMBA71, MBA ’08, director of advanced research and development for Patagonia Inc., will lead a group of full-time MBA students in the Environmental Entrepreneurship Development (EED) course to Patagonia, Chile, this December. “I want to inspire MBA students through Patagonia’s sustainable business practice of duality: run a successful business by doing the right things for the planet,” he says.

Patagonia Inc. is a company based in Ventura, CA, that specializes in outdoor clothing and gear and is known for its environmental activism.

The trip is part of the new eco-entrepreneurship Certificate in Socially Environmentally and Ethically Responsible (SEER) Business Practice program for second-year the Full-time MBA students. “I am extremely excited about the EED course because it integrates sustainability, real world application, globalization and service into a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience for our students,” says Dean Linda A. Livingstone.

Known as land’s end, Patagonia, Chile, is home to Patagonia National Park, where course participants will engage in lectures, case studies and environmental stewardship field work as part of the global business program designed to develop skills in environmentally sustainable business practice. continue

Howard will serve as interim president and CEO at Intermap Technologies Corp., where is also a board member, pending a search for a new chief executive. The recent appointment comes as Brian Bullock is stepping down “by mutual agreement with the Intermap board,” according to the Colorado mapping-technology company. Bullock will remain chairman of the board of directors.

Nellor is former president and CEO of Peerless Systems, a provider of imaging and networking technologies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from the University of Nebraska and an MBA from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School.

Intermap employs 875 people worldwide, with other offices in Calgary, Detroit, London, Ottawa, Munich, Prague, and Jakarta.

Kirk, founder and CEO of SG Biofuels, was recently honored in Biofuels Digest as one of the “25 people worth knowing in bioenergy.”

SG Biofuels is a bioenergy crop company that is meeting the global demand for sustainable plant oil by using breeding and biotechnology to develop and produce elite seeds of Jatropha. With a fully integrated platform featuring a world-class leadership and science team, the most advanced crop improvement program in the industry and deep expertise in all phases of plantation development and management, SG Biofuels is bringing the opportunities of Jatropha to reality.

According the article:

If you’ve heard the phrase Jatropha 2.0 or heard that all is not doom and gloom for yesterday’s favorite feedstock punching bag, that’s Kirk. The SG Biofuels team has just about been single-handedly saving jatropha from extinction as a high-value, near-term investment proposition. Also, I think he arguably has more personal experience developing renewables companies with feedstock based in Central America than anyone. It’s a highly disciplined effort, well worth a study, especially in the management of a partnership with the massive and imposing LIFE Technologies.