SUNY New Paltz School of Business announces 2013 Hall of Fame inductees

NEW PALTZ – The School of Business at the State University of New York at New Paltz is pleased to announce the 2013 Hall of Fame inductees. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on May 9, 2013 at the Wiltwyck Country Club in Kingston, NY, from 5 – 7:30 p.m.

The School of Business Hall of Fame was established in 2001 to recognize and acknowledge the achievements of those who have made significant contributions to their respective business professions, and also a significant positive impact on the educational activities of the School.

The inductees will be: Ralf Ludwig as Business Person of the Year; TD Bank, N.A. for Dean’s Award of Excellence; Rick Alfandre ‘80 as Alumnus of the Year; and Eddie Monroy ‘12, ‘13g as Student Leader of the Year.

Ralf Ludwig is the CEO and a principal of Wolf-tec, Inc., a manufacturer of industrial meat processing equipment. Wolf-tec was founded in 1977, as an importer of industrial meat processing equipment and a sales and service company, by Ludwig’s father, Wolfgang Ludwig, in the garage of the family home. In 1980, Ludwig returned to Germany to complete an apprenticeship in machine building. He received his degree in 1984 and worked at various equipment manufacturers in the meat industry before he returned home to the family business where he started in sales and worked his way up. Wolf-tec expanded from Highland to Kingston in 1997 to increase manufacturing capacity to meet the increasing demand for Wolf-tec products, and the company emerged as a steady manufacturing employer in Ulster County. As the company continued producing more innovative technologies and systems, it started evolving toward larger automated systems. At the same time, Wolf-tec established business ventures in South America, Australia and parts of Europe, further positioning Wolf-tec as a global player. Wolf-tec is recognized as a leader in the meat processing industry with many patents, setting industry standards and bringing innovation and food safety to the forefront of one of the world’s oldest industries.

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., with more than 27,800 employees and deep roots in the community dating back more than 150 years. TD Bank offers a broad array of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services to nearly 8 million customers through its extensive network of more than 1,315 Stores from Maine to Florida. TD Bank is financially strong, well-capitalized, and a committed banking partner for businesses and individuals alike. The Bank’s diverse employees work in unison to provide hassle-free products and services that are easy to use and easy to understand. TD Bank is committed to making a meaningful and positive contribution to the individuals, families, businesses, and communities within their marketplace. In particular, TD Bank is committed to promoting economic empowerment, youth development and community involvement.

Rick Alfandre, AIA, LEED AP BD+C is a prolific architect who, over the past 32 years, has designed and built more than 200 projects ranging from solar residences to multi-million dollar hotels and resorts. Recently completed projects include office buildings, churches and synagogues, retail buildings and spaces, multiple dwellings, restaurants, hotels, manufacturing facilities, and custom residences. The founder and CEO of Alfandre Architecture, he is an expert in the design of maximally energy-efficient, climactically responsive buildings that are solar-ready, as well as state-of-the-art construction systems that minimize energy requirements. Alfandre manages a youthful and motivated work force with skills in building information modeling, computer-aided design and hand drawing, three-dimensional visualization, and visual impact studies. A leader in the green building movement in upstate New York, Alfandre has worked closely with the U.S. Green Building Council to grow the New York Upstate Chapter as well as the Hudson Valley Branch’s regional programs. In fact, he was recently elected Vice Chair of the New York Upstate Chapter. He has also spoken extensively on green building to business and consumer audiences. Alfandre is devoted to creating spaces and places of lasting beauty by working closely with clients to plan for efficient, resilient and cost-effective projects. He launched EcoBuilders Inc. in 2009 to provide full design/build services to his clients.

Eddie Monroy is pursuing his Master’s in Business Administration at SUNY New Paltz and plans to graduate in May 2013. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in management from New Paltz in 2012. Monroy joined the American Marketing Association (AMA) in the spring, was elected as executive vice president a year later, and became president in fall 2012. During his three years of involvement, the New Paltz AMA was selected as one of the Top 16 chapters at the International Collegiate Conferences in New Orleans. Along with three of his peers, Monroy researched and developed a plan for a business that will convert local farmers’ dairy waste into a source of renewable energy. This idea won the 2012 Business Plan Contest. Monroy and one of his teammates shared the valuable skills they acquired through this contest by teaching Business HOPE participants (local area women who want to start or expand their own small businesses) how to write key components of a business plan. In addition, Monroy completed two internships – one in commercial banking with TD Bank (summer 2012) and another for the Ulster County Comptroller’s Office (summer 2011) in Kingston. He began consulting for Educate to Envision, an international non-profit, in fall 2012. He is currently a graduate assistant for the School of Business, as well as a peer mentor and an ambassador at open houses.

Complete profiles of the inductees can be reviewed online at
http://www.newpaltz.edu/schoolofbusiness/about_halloffame_inductees2013.html.

The Corporate sponsors include: Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation; M&T Bank; Ulster Savings Bank; and Wolf-tec, Inc. The Business sponsor is Timely Signs of Kingston, Inc. Company sponsors include: Alfandre Architecture, PC; Coldwell Banker Village Green Realty; Empire State Bank; Everton H. Henriques ‘78 & ‘83g & Jeannie Irvine ’78; HITS, Inc.; Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union; Mohonk Mountain House; Rocking Horse Ranch Resort; TD Bank; and Viking Industries.

SUNY New Paltz is an accredited member of AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business, the highest achievement for an educational institution that awards business degrees. Less than 5 percent of the world’s business programs have earned AACSB Accreditation. The School of Business offers Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting, finance, general business, international business, marketing, and management, as well as a Master in Business Administration (MBA) and an MBA in public accountancy. Currently, about 950 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled in the business program. The School is committed to educating and developing students to be competent business professionals in a global economy.

For more information about the School of Business, visit www.newpaltz.edu/schoolofbusiness or call 845-257-2930.