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ALUMNI PROFILE
1976 David B. Kern, Arts ’76, was elected as a fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers by Quarles & Brady LLP. Election by one’s colleagues is the highest recognition of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication and excellence.
1977 Susan Jans-Thomas, Arts ’77, Grad ’92, received the 2013 Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of West Florida in Pensacola.
Health nut
W
Mark Rampolla, Bus Ad ’91,
made a career out of coconuts.
While serving in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, he spotted coconut water everywhere. Locals peddled it, sipped it as a hangover cure and prescribed it as a “drinkable IV” at rural hospitals. Soon, Rampolla was hacking open coconuts with a machete to rehydrate after his workouts. “It was known as a clean, healthy source of replenishment,” he says. “The whole Western world knows about Gatorade and the importance of electrolytes. But how many people outside of the tropical world know that coconut water can function as a natural sports drink?” After working for International Paper in Memphis and then El Salvador, where he ran the beverage packaging division for Latin America, Rampolla founded ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water in 2004. The company has grown more than 100 percent every year and counts supermodels and professional athletes among its fans. In 2009, it expanded even more with an investment from the Coca-Cola Co. It was named the official coconut water of the 2012 Olympics in London. The coconut industry used to harvest only the fruit’s oil and meat, discarding the water. Now the growing popularity of coconut water — sold by ZICO and its competitors — has led to at least $200 million invested in developing countries, Rampolla says. That’s a point of pride for Rampolla. “One of my struggles has been balancing my interest in business and my belief in the good that business can do with social responsibility,” he says. “In a way, I feel like we’re trying to cross that gap with ZICO.” — Nicole Sweeney Etter
William Stemper, Eng ’77, was elected to the Cabrini College Board of Trustees. He is president of Comcast Business Services at Comcast Corp. in Philadelphia.
1978 Kathy Campbell, M.S.A., M.P.A., R.N., Nurs ’78, Grad ’81, is chief nursing officer at McLaren Greater Lansing (Mich.) Hospital. She has more than 30 years of health care experience and has worked in many positions at hospitals and health care systems around the country. Frances (Agnew) Richards, Sp ’78, authored the e-book You Know You’re Phat When. She also released two songs, Got Phat Burn That and Phat Ya’ll, to go with the book. She received her doctorate in business from the Jacksonville (Fla.) Theological Seminary. Ignatius Yuan, Arts ’78, is senior vice president and general counsel at Enterprise Bank & Trust in St. Louis.
Marquette Magazine
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