 Alexander Calderone |  Andrew Dickow |  Ryan Hurren |  Drew Janney |
DBusiness named four Broad College of Business alumni to its 2017 30 in Their Thirties ranking. Recognized for their outstanding leadership skills and entrepreneurial abilities, these alumni have accumulated great success in their postgraduate years, collectively making an impact in the city of Detroit.
Managing director of Calderone Advisory Group, Alexander Calderone (BS Accounting ’03, MS Accounting ’04), began his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 11, mowing lawns and finding odd jobs around his neighborhood. As a professional, Calderone set out to fill a void left open by CAG’s large-scale competitors. CAG focuses on leading companies in distress through the turnaround process, including bankruptcy reorganizations. The company has established a team of professionals with hands-on experience, who provide cost-effective turnarounds and litigation support services to the middle market.
Andrew Dickow (BA Finance ’06) holds the title of director at Greenwich Capital Group, a middle-market company with a niche in investment banking. As an entrepreneur, Dickow and his brother Randy launched 1701 Hospitality Inc. in downtown Detroit in 2009. As a team, they have opened several restaurants in and around Detroit, including Freshii, Sweet Lorraine’s Mac n’ Cheez, Calexico, and the Mad Hatter Bistro. “My brother and I kind of ham-and-egg it in terms of operating the restaurants,” states Dickow. “We also own Pop Daddy Popcorn in Whitmore Lake, in which we co-invested with a private equity firm. We took a small, Michigan-based business and now we have our line in 1,300 stores across 10 states,” he said.
Director of investor relations for Taubam Centers, Ryan Hurren (EMBA ’15) works alongside the CEO and CFO of the company to create the company’s financial external messages. “I lead the quarterly earnings process, writing earnings press releases and initial drafts of analyst conference call scripts,” states Hurren. Taubman Centers owns, manages, and leases 27 malls, including Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi and Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills.
Drew Janney, (MBA ’13) director of operations for Argus Logistics, a transportation service firm. Janney recognized, the company’s value, but lacked a way to measure its success rate or areas for improvement. “I found a need to put a little more structure without really affecting our corporate culture,” Janney said. “We’ve really tried to create that special sauce and (find) new markets within the logistics management space, particularly from an IT perspective,” he said. As a result of Janney’s business acumen, Argus has increases assets under management from $100 million in 2011 to $1.2 billion last year.
“Disruption is a key aspect of the 2017 class of 30 in their Thirties, upending such traditional industries as the real estate sector, metals recycling, 2-D scanning, point of sale systems, retail shopping, and logistics,” said the publication.
