Alumni Spotlight

Ed Carolan, Class of 1987

Ed Carolan remembers Brother Tom Lackey on the stage in the school cafeteria, speaking to the new class in the fall of 1983. “Look to the left. Look to the right,” Carolan said. “One of the three of you won’t be here at graduation.” Now the CEO of the Lyons Magnus Company in Fresno, California, Carolan did graduate from De La Salle Collegiate, as well as the Georgia Institute of Technology and Harvard University. His path from freshman year to leading a food services company has not been straight, with side forays into in vestment banking and international assignments. “Until high school, I was an OK student.” Carolan says. “I knew I was never the smartest. I overcompensated by working harder. I was studying probably four or five hours every night, while my classmates were maybe studying three to four.” Carolan says he was inspired by those around him. “I felt like I was in a group of amazing individuals who had high expectations for themselves and for each other,” he said. “Being in that environment made me better.” He also cites the discipline of his high school education. “I played golf, and I learned to be disciplined with my time,” he said, “and to manage and organize my schedule.” Although Carolan enjoyed his English classes, and cites memorable teachers Vicki Granger and Brian Kelly, physics inspired him. Carolan took Advanced Placement Physics with Rich Dobryzinski. Carolan’s father, now retired and living in Florida, told

him to consider what you love, instead of what you are good at, and it seemed engineering would be the best fit. Carolan says his father helped him research the best engineering schools, and then they shortened the list and went on a summer tour. “It came down to Michigan and Georgia Tech.” Carolan said, noting that other than a Disney trip, he had never been south of Ohio. “It was a big move. … I still don’t know how I got into Georgia.” After his 1992 college graduation, Carolan worked in Atlanta with Anderson Consulting. One of the senior managers had gone to Harvard Business School, and encouraged Carolan to apply. With his work experience, and no GMAT test required for admission, he ended up at Harvard, earning an MBA in 1996. “I knew I would have to answer the question why I was in business with an engineering degree,” Carolan said. He spent the summer of 1995 interning on Wall Street, and thought he might go into investment banking. “I loved math, and still love math,” he said. “Brother Carl Malaclaza was a big influence in my life.” But the second year at Harvard made a difference. “I loved some parts of banking and not others,” Carolan said. “Two professors mentored me and helped me figure out what I loved doing at work. I like to be on a team, to compete and keep score.” The professors encouraged him to either start a busi ness or go into brand management. “I didn’t know what that was,” he said. “I knew what entrepreneurs looked like; some were in my class.”