The 100 fastest-growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world were recognized today (Nov. 6) at the 5th Annual “Aggie 100” program, sponsored by the Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University.

Of the companies on the list, three of the Top 10 were owned by Texas A&M Engineering graduates. Andersen Schoel of Harker Heights, Texas, was first on the list and experienced a compound annual growth rate of 287 percent in the past two years. Houston’s Employer Flexible was third on the list and College Station’s Brazos Technology was fifth.

The “Aggie 100” focuses on growth as an indicator of job creation, product acceptance and entrepreneurial vision. Recipients of the award were selected based on compound annual revenue growth rate for the 2006 to 2008 period. In all, companies from seven states and five countries will be honored at the event. The oldest company on the list was founded in 1916.

Aggie engineer-owned businesses making the list:

Advanced Inspection Technologies    (Spring, Texas)
Michael Beard ’90
Senior Technical Advisor, Managing Partner
Bachelor’s degree, Engineering Technology

AgniTEK (Bryan, Texas)
Antonio Ortiz ’99
Director of Operations, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Engineering Technology

Andersen Schoel (Harker Heights, Texas)
J.C. Schoel ’00
VP Sales and Business Development, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Industrial Distribution

Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants (San Antonio)
Quentin A. Baker ’78
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Barhorst Insurance Group (Houston)
Warren Barhorst ’88
CEO, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Industrial Distribution

Bray International, Inc. (Houston)
Craig C. Brown ’75
President & CEO, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Civil Engineering
David W. Gent ’75
Senior VP, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Electrical Engineering

Brazos Technology (College Station, Texas)
Michael McAleer ’92
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Industrial Distribution

CAPSHER Technology, Inc. (College Station, Texas)
Kay Stefan Capps ’83
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degrees, Industrial Distribution and Computer Science

Catapult Systems Inc. (Austin)
Sam T. Goodner ’90
CEO, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Computer Science
David Jacobson ’90
Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Computer Science
Andrew Montz ’90
GM, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Computer Science

Chaparral Energy, Inc. (Oklahoma City)
Mark A. Fischer ’72
Chairman, CEO, President, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Aeronautical Engineering

CIMA ENERGY, LTD. (Houston)
Thomas K. Edwards ’87
President, COO, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Petroleum Engineering
Peter D. Huddleston ’80
Director, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Petroleum Engineering

Command Commissioning, LLC (Irving, Texas)
Ken Meline ’82
President, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering
John Hatcher ’82
Sr. Vice President, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Corkran Energy, LP (Austin)
Dennis Corkran ’77
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Cowboy Adventures, Inc. (Highlands, Texas)
DBA Cowboy Outfitters
John W. Adams ’70
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Chemical Engineering

Coyle Engineering, Inc. (Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas)
H. Michael Coyle, Jr. ’82
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Civil Engineering

D.S.I. S.A. (Antofagasta, Chile)
Gregory E. Hall ’82
President, CEO, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Engineering Technology

Dailey Electric, Inc. (College Station, Texas)
Chris Dailey ’93
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Industrial Distribution

Desert Industrial X-Ray, LP (Odessa, Texas)
Douglas Frey ’77
CEO, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Dore & Associates, Attorneys, P.C. (Houston)
Carl Dore ’77
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Petroleum Engineering

Employer Flexible (Houston)
Michael Greathouse ’98
Founding Partner, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Industrial Distribution

Forest Oil Corporation (Denver)
H. Craig Clark ’79
President and CEO
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

GEODynamics, Inc. (The Woodlands, Texas)
David S. Wesson ’82
CEO, President, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Agricultural Engineering

GR Birdwell Construction (Houston)
Gene Birdwell ’59
CEO, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Civil Engineering

Integral Power, LLC (Houston)
Ted Boriack ’85
Managing Director, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Electrical Engineering
Ray Deyoe ’91
Managing Director, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Chemical Engineering

Latshaw Drilling & Exploration Co.    (Tulsa, Okla.)
Trent B. Latshaw ’75
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Petroleum Engineering

LiquidFrameworks (Houston)
Travis Parigi ’94
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degrees, Computer Engineering and Computer Science        TEXAS

LNV (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Dan Leyendecker ’90
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Civil Engineering
Derek Naiser ’89
Vice President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Civil Engineering
Robert Viera ’92
Vice President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Civil Engineering

Lockard and White, Inc. (Houston)
Marc Lockard ’72
CEO, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Electrical Engineering

Margarita Naturalmente, S.A. de C.V. (Jiutepec, Mexico)
Gordon Ivan Townsend ’81
Director General, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Rep, Inc. (Austin)
Larry R. Bloomquist ’79
President/CEO
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Miner El Paso, Ltd. (El Paso, Texas)
Phil Miner ’80
Chairman
Bachelor’s degree, Ocean Engineering

Miner Fleet Management Group (San Antonio)
Phil Miner ’80
Chairman
Bachelor’s degree, Ocean Engineering

Miner Houston, Ltd. (Houston)
Phil Miner ’80
Chairman
Bachelor’s degree, Ocean Engineering

Mustang Engineering (Houston)
Steve Knowles ’84
President
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

New Tech Engineering (Houston)
Larry Cress ’76
President/CEO, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Petroleum Engineering

Path Consulting Ltd. (Houston)
Paul Mason ’85
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Premier Placement Media (The Woodlands, Texas)
David Gedeon ’96
President, Owner
Bachelor’s degree, Industrial Distribution

Sendero Business Services (Dallas)
Bret Farrar ’88
President of the GP, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Mechanical Engineering

Sledge Engineering, LLC (Taylor, Texas)
Casey Sledge ’93
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Civil Engineering

Stress Engineering Services Inc. (Houston)
Joe R. Fowler ’68
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate, Mechanical Engineering
Tom Asbill ’66
Sr. VP, Owner
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Mechanical Engineering
Randy Long ’75
VP, Owner
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Civil Engineering
Jack Miller ’74
VP, Owner
Bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Mechanical Engineering
Ron Young ’67
VP, Owner
Master’s degree and doctorate, Civil Engineering

Terry Ray Construction, Inc. (Brownsville, Texas)
Terry A. Ray ’79
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Industrial Distribution

The Payton Company (Austin)
Richard Payton ’84
President, Owner, Founder
Bachelor’s degree, Petroleum Engineering

theBIGzoo (Magnolia, Texas)
Chris Gober ’96
Owner
Bachelor’s degrees, Computer Engineering and Computer Science

Guidelines for “Aggie 100″

To be considered for the “Aggie 100,” companies (corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships) must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M. They must also meet the following criteria:

• Have been in business for five years or more as of June 30, 2009; and

• Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2006

Additionally, the company must meet one of the following leadership criteria:

• A Texas A&M former student or group of former students must have owned 50 percent or more of the company from Jan. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2008, or

• A Texas A&M former student must have served as the company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from Jan. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2008, or

• A Texas A&M former student must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from Jan. 1, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2008.

About the “Aggie 100″

The “Aggie 100,” one-of-a-kind at the college level, was created by Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, whose mission is to provide encouragement, education, networking and assistance to entrepreneurially-minded students, faculty and Texas businesses. “Aggie 100″ is a unique way for Texas A&M University to demonstrate its pride in the accomplishments of its former students while enriching the educational experience for today’s students.

While there are many ways to define business success, the “Aggie 100″ focuses on growth as an indicator of job creation, product acceptance and entrepreneurial vision. The “Aggie 100″ identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world.

About the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship

The Texas A&M Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship provides encouragement, education, networking and assistance to entrepreneurially-minded students, faculty and Texas businesses. Founded in 1999, the center is part of Mays Business School’s Department of Management. The center enhances student education through campus speakers, competitions, work experiences and financial support. The Texas A&M faculty and Office of Technology Commercialization benefit from the center’s educational programs, extensive business community network and the entrepreneurial services.

The center also reaches out to the state’s business community offering educational programs, business assistance and access to university resources. The center is supported by corporate and individual members and sponsors who believe in the value of an entrepreneurial education program and the value of Texas businesses working with Texas A&M University.

CONTACT: Kelli Levey at Texas A&M, 979-845-4645 or klevey@tamu.edu; Lenae M. Huebner, assistant director, Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, 979-845-4882 or lhuebner@mays.tamu.edu; or Rich Mullikin, Hollinden Marketing, 925-779-9115 or rich.mullikin@sbcglobal.net.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Mark Deimund, a senior in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, has been nominated for the Marshall Scholarship, one of the two most prestigious and highly coveted academic scholarships available to United States students.

Deimund ’10 is from Oklahoma City. The president of Texas A&M’s American Institute of Chemical Engineers chapter, his recent research on biomass processing has garnered him a patent, and his current research involves systems biology in liver cells. He is also an avid strength trainer and enjoys classical literature. If selected as a Marshall Scholar, Deimund said he will study advanced chemical engineering at Cambridge University. He said he will also apply for the Winston Churchill Foundation Scholarship and the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship.

Deimund was recently named a 2009 recipient of the Craig C. Brown Outstanding Senior Award from the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

The Marshall Scholarship is tenable for two years of study at any university in the United Kingdom. Students must be graduating seniors or recent graduates and be nominated by the university. Hundreds of students from across the United States apply each year; only 40 of the approximately 1,100 who applied for the Marshall Scholarship in 2008 were selected as scholars.

Nominees will hear of their selection as finalists in the next one to two weeks. Finalists will then participate in regional or district interviews in Houston in November. The announcement of scholars will be announced shortly thereafter.

Texas A&M University has produced four Marshall Scholars, the most recent being Faye Hays in 2007. In the 2009 competition, biochemistry major Matthew Hickey was a finalist for the Marshall.

The Marshall Scholarships began in 1953 as a gesture of thanks from the British Government for the US assistance in rebuilding Europe after World War II. Former Marshall Scholars include Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and New York Times Foreign Affairs columnist Thomas Friedman. According to the Marshall Scholarship Foundation, as future leaders, Marshall Scholars are “expected to strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth. Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programmes contributes to their ultimate personal success.”

Because of the fierce competition for these scholarships, the preliminary process to be selected as an official university nominee is quite rigorous. Currently enrolled students and recent graduates should apply for selection in April, with the official deadline for the scholarships being in early October. To be awarded the university’s nomination, a student must show strong scholarly potential, demonstrated through their academic record and letters of recommendation from faculty, leadership ability, demonstrated through their involvement in student and civic organizations, and excellent speaking and analytical skills, as demonstrated in a series of interviews.

Once approved, prospective nominees can expect to spend months developing their applications as they work closely under the advice and guidance of faculty and academic advisors. The official announcement of university endorsement is made only after the nominees submit their finalized application to the scholarship foundations.

For more information, contact Kyle Mox, national scholarships coordinator in the Honors Programs office, at (979)845-1957 or kemox@tamu.edu.

http://dmc-news.tamu.edu/templates/?a=8146&z=15

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. Ivan Damnjanovic

Dr. Ivan Damnjanovic, assistant professor of construction engineering and management in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, has been appointed to an ad hoc committee by The National Academies’ Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences.

The project, Predicting Outcomes from Investments in the Maintenance and Repair of Federal Facilities, has a committee of experts who will develop methods, strategies, and procedures to predict outcomes anticipated from investments in federal facilities’ maintenance and repair. The project will begin Dec. 1 and run for 18 months.

Damnjanovic received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006 and joined the Texas A&M University faculty in August 2006.

The Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M was named in 2005 in honor of the generous and longstanding support of the Zachry Foundation of San Antonio, Texas. The department is one of the largest civil engineering programs in the world and consistently ranks among the top departments in the United States. The undergraduate and graduated programs is ranked eighth and the graduate program eighth among public institutions in the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Written by Cassidy Thomas

Popularity: unranked [?]

Nuclear engineering's Andrew Dercher

Andrew Dercher, a graduate student in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been awarded a fellowship through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy as part of its Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP).

Dercher is currently working with Dr. Karen Vierow on improvements to the decay heat removal system for gas-cooled fast reactors. He is originally from Radnor, Penn., and earned his B.S. in nuclear engineering at Penn State.

According to the Office of Nuclear Energy, “The scholarships and fellowships granted under the NEUP program will help to recruit and train the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers — a critical need as the nation moves toward greater use of nuclear energy to meet our energy needs and address the global climate crisis.” In 2009, the NEUP program awarded 76 scholarships and 18 fellowships (approximately $2.9 million) to U.S. nuclear science and engineering students.

The fellowship awarded to Dercher provides $150,000 over three years.

Also included in this award announcement were three undergraduate scholarship recipients from Texas A&M’s nuclear engineering department: Michael Hackemack, Jesse Johns and William Sames. Each will receive a one-year award of $5,000.

Submitted by Shannon Pope, spope@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Victor Carreto-Vazquez, a graduate student in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering working under the auspices of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M University, has been recognized as part of a team awarded the Journey Champion distinction by BASF-The Chemical Company.

Carreto-Vazquez, who interned at BASF, was part of a vinsol resin team that assisted seven of the corporation’s facilities in achieving safer operations by identifying flammable dust used at the facilities and helping facilitate transition to a less-flammable variation of the product. Carreto-Vazquez’s internship was in BASF’s Applied Chemistry and Chemical Engineering division in Wyandotte, Mich.

The honor, which is bestowed by BASF’s senior vice president of ecology and safety, recognizes employees, leaders and teams who have distinguished themselves through their outstanding work while at BASF.

Written by Ryan Garcia, ryan.garcia99@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Aggies working on their Grassroots $2009 race car.

It’s competition on the cheap.

A 1993 Honda Civic built and raced by Texas A&M University engineering and engineering technology students has placed fifth among 58 teams in the $2009 Grassroots Challenge.

The annual competition, sponsored by Grassroots Motorsports magazine and Kumho Tires, features cars built and raced on a limited budget. This year’s Grassroots Challenge, for instance, consisted of cars built for $2,009 or less, including the cost of the car. Next year’s competitors will campaign cars costing $2,010 or less.

The event consists of drag racing, autocross and a concourse, or car show event. The Texas A&M team was one of two university-based teams in the competition. The other was from Georgia Tech. The others consisted of racing enthusiasts from across the United States.

Building a competitive car on such a tight budget posed a challenge for the students, said project manager Sam Craven, a senior majoring in engineering technology.

“Ninety percent of the parts in the car were second-hand and we had to rebuild most of them,” Craven said.

The Aggie team placed fifth overall in the contest.

The team started building the car in January, starting with a visit to a Houston junkyard for the junkyard’s annual Jan. 1 “half-price day.” There they found a Volvo turbocharger, Honda body panels,and suspension and brakes from an Acura Integra, all of which found their way into the car.

Construction of the car was done entirely by volunteers, Craven said, mostly students interested in building the race car Texas A&M will campaign in the 2010 Formula Hybrid competition. That competition involves building an internal combustion-electric hybrid race car. Texas A&M’s 2009 car won the international Formula Hybrid competition, the first time the university entered a team.

“This project is a warm up for the Formula Hybrid team,” Craven said. “It’s a good way for the volunteers to become more familiar with what’s involved in building a race car.”

The 2009 Grassroots car placed 7th in both the drag race and autocross events and 15th in the concourse to finish 5th on the basis of points awarded. It also won the Editors Choice trophy as the Grassroots Motorsports editors’ favorite car at the competition.

The team plans to build a new car to compete next year in the $2010 challenge and try again with this year’s car.

Team members who made the trip to the Florida competition were: Kyle Coles, a junior in petroleum engineering; Craven; Michael Finkelshteyn, a senior in ocean engineering; Eduardo Ibarra, a senior in engineering technology (crew chief), Chang Liu, a senior in engineering technology; Luis Savcic, a senior in mechanical engineering; Paul St. Martin, a senior in mechanical engineering; Jacob Sieverling, a sophomore in engineering technology (crew chief); and Christopher Willy, a senior in mechanical engineering.
Craven and Coles split driving duties for the competition.

This year’s team received support from Texas A&M University, Howell Racing Fuels of Bryan, Texas World Speedway in College Station, and Shell Oil.

More photos and videos are available at http://s950.photobucket.com/albums/ad348/tamusae/?start=0. To find out more about the Grassroots Challenge team, visit http://tamusae.org.

Contact Sam Craven, s.craven08@gmail.com
Written by Gene Charleton, genecharleton@tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. Jorge Leon

Dr. Jorge Leon, professor in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University, has been selected a member of the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET.

Leon directs the department’s Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology Program.

During his five-year appointment as a TAC commissioner, Leon will team-chair TAC visits to sister institutions around the country. There are about 40 TAC commissioners, and the group meets every year at the ABET Summer Meeting to vote on accreditation for programs around the country.

Leon said, “It is a great honor to be selected to be a TAC commissioner and reflects well on our department, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, and Texas A&M University.”

Submitted by Silvia Martinez, sylviam@entc.tamu.edu

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. Jean-Louis Briaud

Dr. Jean-Louis Briaud, holder of the Spencer J. Buchanan Chair in Civil Engineering and a professor of geotechnical engineering in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, has been elected president of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE).

The election took place Oct. 4 in Alexandria, Egypt.

“I look forward to helping many countries and many people from all sorts of backgrounds come together to exchange ideas and knowledge in a friendly atmosphere,” Briaud said.

During his four-year term, Briaud said he hopes to reorganize the society in a more “customer-oriented” fashion. Improving the group’s Web site and increasing membership and innovation are also among Briaud’s goals. To do this Briaud will create three new board level committees: a Technical Oversight Committee, a Membership Committee and an Innovation Committee.

For more information, please visit https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/briaud/.

Written by Cassidy Thomas

Popularity: unranked [?]

David Wagoner

David Wagoner, a second-year student in the Department of Nuclear Engineering’s Health Physics Master’s Program, has been awarded the 2009-2010 Health Physics Society Robert Gardner Fellowship.

This fellowship was established by Catherine C. Gardner and is sponsored jointly by HPS and the Gardner Fund. The award includes $5,000 in support and a travel grant to attend the 2010 HPS Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Wagoner is currently working with Dr. Les Braby in investigating low-energy photon quality factors. Wagoner is originally from Charleston, S.C., and has a B.S. from Frances Marion University.

Originally posted at http://tamunuclearnews.blogspot.com/2009/09/wagoner-awarded-hps-fellowship_24.html

Popularity: unranked [?]

Dr. Timothy Jacobs, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has been selected for the 2009-2010 Montague-Center For Teaching Excellence Scholar Program.

Dr. Timothy Jacobs

The program recognizes one tenure-track assistant professor from each college who has already demonstrated a commitment to, and potential for, excellence in undergraduate teaching. Jacobs was chosen from the Dwight Look College of Engineering.

Jacobs came to Texas A&M in 2006 after earning bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He teaches courses in thermodynamics and internal combustion engines. His reseach interests are in internal combustion engines; in-cylinder combustion and emission formation processes; fundamental experimental diagnostics and investigations; advanced and novel combustion processes (low-temperature combustion, homogenous charge compression ignition, premixed compression ignition); alternative fuels (natural/compressed/landfill gases, bio-based fuels, hydrogen); and aftertreatment systems (lean NOx traps, selective catalytic reducers, diesel oxidation catalysts).

Also selected to represent the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences was Dr. R. Karthi Karthikeyan, assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, which is a joint department between the engineering and agriculture colleges. Karthikeyan teaches courses in hydrology and biochemical engineering, and his research is in the fate, transport and removal of contaminants in soil and water.

The Montague-CTE Scholar program, named for founding donor Kenneth Montague ’37, honors early-career excellence in undergraduate teaching at Texas A&M. This award includes a $6,500 grant for each recipient to encourage further development of undergraduate teaching excellence. Scholars will be honored at a luncheon on Nov. 3 in Koldus 110.

For more information about the program, visit http://cte.tamu.edu/content.aspx?page=48 or call (979) 845-8392.

Popularity: 74% [?]