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Five IU alumni honored at annual business conference
Feb. 23, 2000
INDIANAPOLIS -- Five alumni of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University were honored today (Feb. 23) for professional achievement during an awards ceremony at the business school's 54th annual conference.
Named to the Kelley School of Business Academy of Alumni Fellows were Jeff M. Fettig, president and chief operating officer of Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich.; Hideo Ito, chairman and chief executive officer of Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc., Irvine, Calif.; John C. Shoemaker, vice president and general manager of Sun Microsystems' enterprise desktop and server systems, Palo Alto, Calif.; and David Simon, CEO of Simon Property Group, Indianapolis. The 2000 Distinguished Entrepreneur Award was presented to Jeffrey H. Thomasson, founder of Indianapolis-based Oxford Financial Advisors.
The conference took place at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The honors presentation was part of a day-long program that focused on the theme "Fast Times, Fast World, Fast Companies." Speaking at this year's conference were Scott McNealy, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems; David Brancaccio, senior editor and host of public radio's Marketplace program; and Thomas Friedman, New York Times foreign affairs columnist and author of The Lexus and the Olive Tree.
Fettig, who received a bachelor of science degree in 1979 and a master of business administration degree in 1981, joined Whirlpool as an operations associate in 1981. He held several managerial positions in operations, sales, planning and product development before being promoted to vice president of marketing of the KitchenAid Appliance Group in 1989. In 1992, he became vice president of group marketing and sales of the North American Appliance Group. Fettig was named an executive vice president of Whirlpool and president of Whirlpool Europe and Asia in 1994. In June 1999, he was promoted to president and chief operating officer. A native of Tipton, Ind., Fettig is a member of the Kelley School of Business Dean's Advisory Council.
Ito, who earned a master of business administration degree in 1977, has been with Toshiba for 31 years. Prior to being named to his current position in June 1997, Ito was general manager of sales and marketing of Toshiba Corp. Semiconductor Group, where he was responsible for worldwide marketing and domestic sales of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays. He has also served as manager of international business planning and operations of the semiconductor group, general manager of international operations for Toshiba's electronic components division in Japan, and senior vice president and general manager of Toshiba America Electronic Components' microelectronics center. In 1999, Ito served as the Richard Farmer International Executive in Residence at the Kelley School.
Shoemaker, who earned a master of business administration degree in 1966, was appointed to his current position in April 1996. Under his leadership, Sun's server business has grown to its current industry-leading position for entry, mid-range, high-end and total UNIX server systems. Before his appointment, Shoemaker was vice president of worldwide operations and was responsible for supplier management, manufacturing, logistics and distribution. During his 10 years with Sun, he has also held the positions of vice president of U.S. operations and vice president of finance and planning for worldwide operations. Prior to working at Sun, Shoemaker spent 21 years with the Xerox Corp. working in several leadership positions. Shoemaker is a member of the Kelley School's Dean's Advisory Council.
Simon, who earned a bachelor of science degree in 1983, joined Simon Property Group in June 1990. The firm, which is the world's largest publicly traded retail real estate company, is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust engaged in all aspects of ownership, management and development of regional malls and community shopping centers. It owns or has an interest in more than 250 properties.
Before joining the firm, Simon was a vice president at Wasserstein Perella and Co., a Wall Street firm specializing in mergers, acquisitions and leveraged buyouts. He was formerly an associate at First Boston Corp. in New York. Simon also serves as a member of the Kelley School's Dean's Advisory Council
Thomasson founded Oxford Financial Advisors upon receiving a master of business administration degree in 1981. A certified financial planner, Thomasson serves as managing director of Oxford Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries. Over the past 18 years, the firm has grown to more than 110 professionals serving clients in 26 states, having more than $12 billion in active client assets and $7 billion of marketable securities.
Thomasson also serves on the boards of Waterfield Mortgage Corp., WebAssured.com, Park Tudor School and Indiana Repertory Theatre. Through the Thomasson Foundation, he and his family have awarded hundreds of scholarships to students who are children of missionary families throughout the world. Additional community involvement extends to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indianapolis Zoo and Conner Prairie. He also is a former member of the board of advisors for the Kelley School's Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
(George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846 or 812-855-3911, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)