Purdue industrial engineering kicks off Grissom renovation, celebrates gifts

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University School of Industrial Engineering on Friday (Oct. 14) recognized donors and kicked off a campaign for an $8 million renovation of Grissom Hall as part of the school's 50th anniversary celebration.

Alumni and friends honored have given support to all aspects of the $1.5 billion Campaign for Purdue. Gifts celebrated included $1 million toward Grissom Hall, one of two buildings that house the school; $400,000 for scholarships and; as previously announced, $3 million to endow the deanship of the College of Engineering and a professorship in industrial engineering.

"Our School of Industrial Engineering undergraduate program was ranked second and its graduate program fourth in the nation this year by U.S.News and World Report," said Linda Katehi, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "Our alumni built this school's reputation, and it is gratifying to know they want to make sure it remains an international leader for our future generations."

Recipients were recognized during the school's anniversary celebration. The daylong event began with an open house in Grissom Hall, named for the late astronaut and Purdue graduate Virgil "Gus" Grissom, followed by an evening reception in the Purdue Memorial Union ballrooms.

Industrial engineering alumni honored included:

• Keith Krach, president of 3points LLC in California and co-founder and former chairman and CEO of Ariba Inc. in California.

• Jeremy S. Weinstein, vice president for global procurement operations at Whirlpool Corp.

• John A. Edwardson, former member of the Purdue board of trustees, the top executive at CDW Corp., and before that at United Airlines and Burns International Services.

• Pedro Granadillo, retired senior vice president of Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis.

An additional $500,000 gift from an anonymous donor also will support the Grissom Hall renovation.

Grissom Hall was built in 1905. Industrial engineering currently shares the building with the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. When aeronautics and astronautics moves into the new Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, industrial engineering will occupy the entire building. The planned renovation, to take place over the next five years, will update lecture rooms, classrooms, laboratories, and faculty and staff offices. The project includes:

• Wireless high-speed Internet and Ethernet connections for each lecture hall and classroom.

• Electronic interactive whiteboards.

• Image-capturing equipment that automatically transcribes lecture notes to Internet-accessible documents.

**Keith Krach**

"I received a broad background in engineering from Purdue, and I would never have been able to do what I did without my education from Purdue," said Krach, who gave $500,000 for the renovation of Grissom Hall. "I also made a great network of people while I was there, and no matter where I am – New York, Detroit, Silicon Valley – I can find Purdue people."

Krach of Los Gatos, Calif., earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 1979. He co-founded Ariba Inc. in 1996. Red Herring magazine named Krach one of the top 10 entrepreneurs, and his company was named best managed privately held high-tech company in 1998. He was named National Entrepreneur of the Year in e-Business by Ernst & Young. Prior to co-founding Ariba, Krach was chief operating officer of Rasna Corp., a mechanical computer-aided design software company. Previously he worked for General Motors Corp., where he headed up the company's robotics operations and became the company's youngest-ever vice president. Krach serves as the international grand consul for Sigma Chi.

Krach also donated $100,000 to the Purdue Class of 1979 gift to the university, a high-ropes challenge course. The course is used in team-building exercises and includes teamwork and physical training to climb up to 40 feet off the ground. Students can participate as individuals or in teams of two to six members.

The Class of 1979 Gift Committee served as grand marshals for the Homecoming parade.

**Jeremy S. Weinstein**

A $400,000 gift from Weinstein will support scholarships for Purdue industrial engineering students.

Weinstein of Stevensville, Mich., earned a master's and doctorate degree in industrial engineering from Purdue in 1968 and 1970, respectively. He joined Whirlpool in 1970 as a research engineer. Two years later he was promoted to manager of business planning for the corporation. Before becoming a vice president for Whirlpool World Headquarters, North American Region, in Benton Harbor, Mich., he served as director of manufacturing engineering in Findlay, Ohio, group director for manufacturing services in Benton Harbor and vice president of operations and planning for the North American Appliance Group of Whirlpool, also based in Benton Harbor.

"I received a scholarship to attend Purdue, and I know how much that meant to me to be able to continue my education," Weinstein said. "This is my opportunity to help someone else continue their education at a world-class institution."

**John A. Edwardson**

Edwardson of Vernon Hills, Ill., is a 1971 graduate of Purdue who established the Purdue College of Engineering dean's endowed chair through a $1.5 million gift.

He serves as chairman of the board of directors and CEO of CDW Corp., a provider of technology products and services for businesses, government agencies and educational institutions. Prior to joining the company, Edwardson served as chairman and CEO of Burns International Services Corp. and chief operating officer of UAL Corp. and United Airlines. Edwardson served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Ameritech Corp. In addition to serving as a Purdue trustee, he is on the FedEx Corp. board of directors.

**Pedro Granadillo**

A gift of $1.5 million from Granadillo and his wife, Barbara, of Naples, Fla., both Purdue graduates, established the university's Pedro Granadillo Professor of Industrial Engineering.

He earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering in 1970, and she earned a bachelor's degree in speech, pathology and audiology in 1969 and a master's degree in audiology and speech sciences in 1970.

After graduation, Pedro Granadillo went to work for Eli Lilly and Co. While he was senior vice president of manufacturing, quality and human resources for Lilly, Fortune magazine named the company one of its "100 Best Places to Work." That same year, Working Mother magazine named Lilly one of its "10 Best Companies for Working Mothers" for the fourth consecutive time. He is a former member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Krannert School of Management and served on the College of Engineering Dean's Visiting Committee.

"My wife and I both appreciate our time at Purdue, and the foundation we received from the university has been invaluable to us throughout our lives," he said. "One reason we wanted to establish a professorship for the School of Industrial Engineering was to help Purdue continue its outstanding educational programs and help future students as they pursue their own studies in higher education."

The school has graduated more than 6,500 engineers since its inception in 1955. Through the past 50 years, the school has been instrumental in helping establish the Krannert School of Management, College of Technology and National Research Center on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems based in the School of Industrial Engineering.

Writer: Cynthia Sequin, (765) 494-4192, csequin@purdue.edu

Source: Linda Katehi, (765) 494-5346, katehi@purdue.edu

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