Corporate Partners Celebrates 30 Years

On April 24, the Merage School's Corporate Partners celebrated their 30th year anniversary at Taco Bell Headquarters. Hosted by Taco Bell CEO Greg Creed, the event drew the Who's Who of executives in Orange County.

"Our partnership with the Merage School through Corporate Partners has provided us with dynamic and resourceful leadership candidates. We are excited to play a role in assisting the School in its ongoing initiatives and are proud to have contributed to the development of their new facility; it will be a truly unique and innovative center for learning and business," said Jane Buchan, CEO, Pacific Alternative Asset Management Company (PAAMCO).

Judy LePorte, General Leon LePorte (retired),
Meredith Porter, UC Irvine's Executive Vice
Chancellor and Provost Michael Gottfredson,
and Lyman Porter, former Merage School Dean.

Andy Policano, dean of the Merage School, welcomed more than 300 guests and announced the launch of the Corporate Partners' new capital campaign aimed at raising $300,000 to support the business school's new building. Already more than $90,000 in pledges have been made. Corporate Partners has contributed $40 million to the business school over the past 30 years.

Leon LePorte ‘77, retired United States Army general, honored former business school Dean Lyman Porter, who is credited as the "father" of the Corporate Partners program, with the announcement of a special campaign to name a classroom in the new building after Porter. The new building is scheduled to break ground in 2013.

Paul Merage, chairman, MIG Capital/Suncore Products; Lester Savit, chair of Corporate Partners and a member of the Executive Steering Committee, and partner at One LLP; Michael Gottfredson, executive vice chancellor and provost of UC Irvine, and Tom Wagner '89, vice president of Consumer Insights & Brand Planning for Taco Bell, were others who spoke at the Corporate Partners celebration, each recognizing the strong role the organization plays in bridging the gap between the business community, the Merage School and UC Irvine.

"Mazda has been a proud partner of the Merage School for many years now and is actively involved in programs such as the Distinguished Speaker Series and Executive Mentoring Program," said Jim O'Sullivan, president and CEO for Mazda North America Operations.

Corporate Partners was introduced by Lyman Porter in 1981. Porter recognized the importance of connecting with the corporate community and initiated a program to ensure their involvement with UC Irvine's Graduate School of Management. With the support of deans in subsequent years, including Newt Margulies and Dennis Aigner, who was instrumental in the robust development of membership, David Blake and the current Dean Andy Policano, Corporate Partners has grown into a networking powerhouse that today involves 36 major companies in the southern California area.

"Union Bank has been a proud member of the Merage School Corporate Partners for many years. The program has provided me with the opportunity to meet some of the other key business leaders in the Orange County business community. Additionally, access to world-renowned professors and top level business students in the community has been another benefit of my involvement," said J. Joe Sweet, senior vice president and regional director for Union Bank.

For information about Corporate Partners, contact Frances Saldana at saldanaf@uci.edu or visit merage.uci.edu/go/corporatepartners.