|
Continued from previous page
Connections in Action: A Hotbed in Houston
With a busy slate of Deal Flow Lunches,
Speakers’ Forums, and Career Networking
Groups, the Wharton Club of
Houston (WCH) has become a major
catalyst for deals and career advancement
in the Houston region. Following is a selection
of success stories from alumni.
Opportunities in Houston…and
around
the World
In early 2004, the WCH established
the Career Networking Group to assist
members with hiring, job hunting, and
career development. At one meeting,
WCH member Ron Orsini, WG’90,
mentioned to Brian Swain, WG’90,
that Reliant, which Orsini had just left,
was looking for a product manager.
Swain was interested and qualified and
asked for the names of several Reliant
vice presidents, whom he called. By the
following afternoon, Brian was interviewing
for the position, which he received
a week later.
Aristide Tchamdjou, WG’01, was
searching for a job in the energy sector
that would expose him to his native
West Africa. A regular attendee at
WCH events, Tchamdjou learned during
one event of an opportunity with
Tenaris and contacted WCH member
and Tenaris Manager, Emmanuel
Toutain, WG’04. Toutain put
Tchamdjou in contact with the head of
the group that was hiring. Tchamdjou
was called in for an interview and offered
a job on the West Africa team.
A Chance Question, a New
Client, and
a New Job
At a Deal Flow Luncheon, a retail store
chain owner made a pitch for funding
for expansion. WCH Board Member Mary Jo Martin, WG’75, asked the
owner a follow-up question regarding
the importance of marketing data on
new store location decisions. In so doing,
she gained a new client for market
research and analytics, which will help
the company to better understand its
customer base.
Houston native Anh Dang, W’00,
returned home after eight years of
banking in New York City. Dang began
coming to Wharton meetings, including
the Career Networking Group.
Dang wanted to make a switch to commercial
real estate and received industry
referrals and contacts from many of the
Wharton alumni she met. Martin introduced
her to a friend, who introduced her to a former Wulfe & Company broker who had started his own company.
He then introduced her to Ed Wulfe.
Several weeks later, Dang was offered a
job by Wulfe & Company.
Connections with Friends, a
Buyer for a Business, and $110
Million in Funding
At the WCH UBS Speakers’ Forum
Luncheon featuring Dynegy CEO
Bruce Williamson, club member Jim
Sorenson, WG’03, mentioned that his
client, Triad Pipe & Steel, was looking
to sell. Club President Evan Betzer,
WG’99, introduced Jim to club member Chris Krummel, WG’03, CFO of
Enventure Global Technology (EGT),
at a private lunch a few weeks later,
which ultimately led to EGT’s acquisition
of Triad in October 2006.
Over drinks at the 2002 holiday party, Steven Vosko, W’75 learned of a
deal that WCH member and investment
banker Betzer was putting together
to acquire a paper mill and referred
him to a Canadian fund that supplied a
$25-million equity commitment.
Another transaction involved the
funding of an $85-million real estate
project that was pitched to the
Deal Flow Lunch by a WCH real estate
developer Jim Noteware, WG’76,
and funded by an attending investment
banker from the investment bank
of WCH member Charlie Elliott,
WG’60, Howard, Frazier, Barker,
Elliott (HFBE). Noteware has followed
this project with others and has continued
collaboration with HFBE.
Great Friendships, Consulting
Projects, and a Pipeline Deal
Joan Gallagher, WG’92, and Marla
Driscoll, WG’01, served on the board
of the Wharton Club of Houston together
for nearly two years. Soon after
Gallagher joined El Paso as vice
president of human resource for their
Exploration & Production business,
the president asked her to
spearhead a project to review and redesign
business processes. Gallagher
asked Driscoll, a business process design
specialist, to submit a proposal.
Driscoll’s firm competed in the process
with several larger firms and was
selected to perform the assignment.
During her previous employment
at Torch Energy, Gallagher attended
a speaker’s breakfast and mentioned
during introductions that her company
was looking for pipelines to invest
in. The next day, WCH member Evan
Betzer had a meeting in the offices of
Stoneworth Financial with a pipeline
deal promoter. The two were introduced
and several months later, Torch
Energy closed on the deal.
– Evan Betzer, WG’99
|
