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Lewis named executive director of NYSCEDII
LEWIS
Kemper E. Lewis, professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has been named executive director of UB's New York State Center for Engineering Design and Industrial Innovation (NYSCEDII).
Established in 2001 through the support of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assemblyman Robin Schimminger and Assembly Majority Leader Paul Tokasz and other Western New York legislators, NYSCEDII is the only engineering design research center in the state that utilizes virtual reality (VR) and scientific visualization. It is among the nation's top few centers of engineering design and industrial innovation.
Lewis previously served as interim director of NYSCEDII and before that, was director of education and training at the center.
A member of the faculty of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences since 1996, Lewis is director of the Design of Open Engineering Systems (DOES) Research Lab in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, which promotes and advances the state of the art in multidisciplinary design optimization and modern design theory.
He currently has more than $4 million in research grants from such sources as the National Science Foundation, NASA Langley Research Center, the U.S. Department of Transportation, New York State, Rolls Royce-Allison Engine Company, Praxair Corp. and UB.
Lewis and his colleagues in the lab develop tools to study various process and product tradeoffs in the design of complex systems that involve multiple designers and/or design teams with different and conflicting objectives and preferences.
He has received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Sloan Foundation New Faculty Fellowship, the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award from the Society for Automotive Engineering and the Milton Plesur Award for Excellence in Teaching.
He also was the recipient of a prestigious NSF Faculty Early Career Development grant to apply game theory—the same theory that military strategists use—to improve systems design processes.
Lewis earned two bachelor's degrees from Duke University, a master's and doctoral degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology and a master's in business administration from UB.
37 graduate from CEL program
Thirty-seven Western New York business owners, operators and high-level managers have graduated from the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) Core Program in the School of Management.
The graduates completed a 10-month program for experienced entrepreneurs and business leaders who wish to grow, refocus or better manage their businesses. They performed an in-depth analysis of their own businesses while developing expertise in key areas such as strategic planning, employee relations, capital acquisition and marketing.
The graduates are Philip Basinski, president, Sweeney's Garage Inc., Buffalo; Joseph Battin, owner/optician, Battin Opticians LLC, Buffalo; Louise Cadwalader, president/CEO, Trek Inc., Medina; MJ Caliendo, president/CEO, Grayton Co., Amherst; Richard Corica, executive vice president/COO, Elite Recovery Services Inc., Buffalo; Domenic Cortese, president/CEO, Cortese Brothers, Depew; Denise Davison, president, The Dock at the Bay, Blasdell; Renee DiFlavio, vice president education and employment, The Olmstead Center for the Visually Impaired, Buffalo.
Also, John Eberl, sales and marketing manager, Eberl Iron Works Inc., Buffalo; Robert Friedman, president, Friedman & Ranzenhofer P.C., Akron; Emanual Gambacorta, dentist, Dr. Gambacorta & Dental Associates, Cheektowaga; Kevin Gregory, president, Neuman Claim Administrators Inc., Buffalo; Rudy Hein, director of customer service, William S. Hein Co., Buffalo; Brian Hutton, vice president/owner, Service Office Supply, Amherst; Nancy Irwin, vice president of operations, CJ Irwin Company, Buffalo; David Johnson, president, Corfu Machine Co. Inc., Corfu.
Also, Jeffrey Kohlhas, COO, Leisure Craft Pools, Lancaster; Marion Kopin, president, Bechtel, Kopin & Co., CPA, PC, Buffalo; Susan Kryszak, owner, Comfort Keepers, Orchard Park; Keith Kuehlewind, president, Audax Business Solutions Inc., Williamsville; Jerold Lewandowski, president, J&M Instrument Service Inc., Orchard Park; Paul Maher, president, D&M Plywood, Buffalo; James Maloney, president/owner, Buffalo Hardwood LLC, Depew; Stephen Metschl, owner, Metschl & Associates, Buffalo; Larissa Myshaskiw, president, Fitness Village, Williamsville.
Also, Kathleen, Olenick, technical manufacturing manager, ENrG Inc., Buffalo; Benjamin Pearce, president/owner, ACP Technologies, West Seneca; Thomas Saia, president, Iroquios Bar Corp., Lackawanna; Stephen Sanders, president, Jos. A. Sanders & Sons Inc., Buffalo; Andy Severson, president, Armstrong Brands Inc., West Seneca; William Sherman, vice president/COO, Northern Customs Services Inc., Niagara Falls; Aaron Shiah, owner, Sign*A*Rama, Niagara Falls; Diana Southall, vice president, Botanicus Inc., Amherst; Michael Story, vice president, Boncraft Inc., Orchard Park; Krista Van Wagner, vice president, Curly's Inc., Lackawanna; Wayne Watson, president, Auburn & Watson Corp., Buffalo; and Jonathan Weir, principal, Weir Financial Resources LLC, Buffalo.
Established in 1987, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership is tailored for established businesses.
"The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership provides a crucial link between these businesses and the School of Management. The relationship building and sharing of expertise that takes place in the core program are invaluable to both the School and participants," said Althea Luehrsen, executive director of the CEL.
"The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership alumni network is now more than 550 strong," she added. Luehrsen estimates that CEL alumni employ more than 20,000 Western New Yorkers and are worth nearly $3 billion to the local economy.
The CEL Core Program is accepting applications for September enrollment. For more information, contact Luehrsen at 645-3000 or visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu/cel.