Kent State University’s College of Business Administration welcomes Timothy D. Eippert as the new Chair of the National Advisory Board. Eippert, chief executive officer and president of MC Sign Company, will replace John S. Brinzo, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Cliffs Natural Resources, who has served on the college’s board as the chair since its inception in 2013. Brinzo will remain on the board as an honored member. Eippert has also been a board member since 2013.
When Tim bought MC Sign Company, his long-term strategy was to grow the company into a national sign manufacturing, project management, installation and asset light facilities and service organization. This presented a challenge; although MC had great name recognition in Ashtabula, Ohio, they had not worked outside the county. Tim immediately increased the reach of the company into the Greater Cleveland Area and eventually to a national level. Today MC Sign Company serves a nationwide client base with over 95% of their clients outside 100 miles of their corporate headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.
Eippert graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a double major in marketing and management while working full-time from the College of Business Administration in 1992. Eippert is a member of Kent State University’s Foundation Board, as well as a member of the Ashtabula Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Committee and the President’s Council.
“Tim is an outstanding alumnus and a very valuable mentor to the college. We are honored to have him serve as the new chair for the National Advisory Board,” said Dean Deborah F. Spake Ph.D., of the College of Business Administration. “At just 24, Tim purchased MC Sign Company evolving the firm from a home-based business to a national success. His experience and knowledge are vital as he directs the board to advise on continue the success and growth of the college.”
Tim has earned a long list of accolades thanks to his entrepreneurial vision and customer service orientation. As President and CEO of MC Sign Company, he was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in June 2004 and was featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business 40 under 40 in November 2004. In recent years, Tim has consecutively been recognized as a Leading EDGE Award honoree, has been featured in Inside Business Magazine, and is a 2013 NEO Success Award recipient. Under his leadership MC Sign Company has been a five-time winner of Fast Track 50 and Inc. 500/5000 Fastest Growing Companies, was named Fred’s National Account Vendor of the Year in 2011, and received Thornton’s Most Collaborative Partner Award in 2014.
Eippert will be joining newly elected Vice Chairman, R. Louis Schneeberger, who has served on the board for one year. Schneeberger graduated from Kent State University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He is president and chief executive officer of Panther Premium Logistics. Prior to Panther, he worked at Olympic Steel, OM Group and Austin Power Company, one of the largest private international producers and distributors of commercial explosive products.
Eippert also welcomes three new board members: Renee Deluca Dolan, founder and president of Contempo Communications; Matthew E. Likens, president and chief executive officer of Ulthera Division, Merz Pharma GmbH; and David Webster, president and chief executive officer of Electrical Components International.
The National Advisory Board is comprised of prominent College of Business Administration alumni and corporate partners throughout the United States. The board brings an external point of view that enables the college to connect with valuable external constituencies for information, financial support and expertise.
For more information about the College of Business Administration’s National Advisory Board and its members, visit http://business.kent.edu/about/advisory.
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Kent State University’s College of Business Administration is one of only 180 colleges or schools of business worldwide to achieve dual accreditation in both business and accounting from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the global accrediting body providing specialized accreditation at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. The college boasts a satellite office of Kent State University’s Career Services Center dedicated to business students, and operates the Global Management Center, the Center for Information Systems and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation all propelling scholarly research, establishing innovative industry partnerships and providing outreach to Northeast Ohio and beyond.
Media Contacts:
Michelle Parrish Manning, Director of Marketing Communications, mparris3@kent.edu, 330-672-2717
Bri Figley, Marketing and Communications Specialist, bfigley2@kent.edu, 330-672-1279