ND Business Briefings: November 2022 alumni news and updates

John Ghingo

Undergrad alum takes on snack industry

John Ghingo (BBA ‘94) spent a large portion of his career working with industry leading snack brands such as Oreo, Planters and Sour Patch Kids. This experience across several different large brands was essential to his growth as a marketer and general manager. But the pivotal moment of his career arrived when he turned to the natural and organic segment of the food industry, where he began working for smaller companies that had sustainability in mind.

As he spent time at businesses including Silk and So Delicious, Ghingo became increasingly aware of the problems with the current industrialized food system. His passion for clean label foods – or foods with short, all natural ingredient lists – really took off after serving as president at Applegate, where he grew his knowledge of sourcing from more sustainable and transparent supply chains.

“The packaged snacks category is loaded up with junk foods that have very long lists of hard-to-decipher ingredients. The vast majority of these snacks lack meaningful nutrition,” said Ghingo. “It is becoming increasingly critical that we have nutritious, clean label snacks conveniently available.”

Eventually, these experiences led him to where he is today: CEO of Whisps, a young company that prides itself on bringing real substance as a shelf-stable, packaged snack. Ghingo said he appreciates how companies like Whisps challenge industry conventions and have an entrepreneurial spirit. Each day, he is confronted with foundational choices that are key to building the company, the brand and the team

Ghingo’s advice for those interested in becoming a leader is to treat people well, listen in order to learn and go the extra mile

“Take the extra trip, embrace a challenging assignment, attend the extra meeting, soak it all up and learn as much as you can, even beyond what you think you need to know for today. You will add more and more value by broadening yourself,” said Ghingo.

Career Updates:

• Maria Kim (BBA Finance ‘12) was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority.
• Steve Shute (MBA ‘97) was appointed President of Worldwide Field Operations for DocuSign.
• Nick Talarico (EMBA ‘14) was appointed as Vice President of eCommerce for Do It Best Corporation.
• Chad Hartvigson, co-founder of Vintage Brand, Ayden Syal (BBA Management Consulting ‘17) and Brandon Wimbush (BBA Accountancy ‘19), co-founders of MOGL, have partnered their companies to launch a NIL Name, Image, Llikeness) Network.
• Matthew Warren (MNA ‘05), Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director of USTA Pacific Northwest, has joined the board of directors at Sport Oregon.
• David Mahin (BBA Finance ‘12) has been named a partner at L.E.K. Consulting.
• Alison Schilling (MBA ‘11) has been named a partner at L.E.K. Consulting.
• Kyle E. Chamberlin (BBA Marketing ‘06) has joined the law firm of THK Law, LLP.
• Robert Henry (MBA ‘08) has been appointed General Manager of national strategic accounts and programs for Marlin Business Services.
• Christopher Dominello (BBA Accountancy ‘97) has been appointed Chief Executive Office of CCA Industries, Inc.
• Michael P. Keller (MBA ‘91) has been appointed President of Great Elm Specialty Finance, a subsidiary of Great Elm Capital Corp.
• Tim McClinton (EMBA ‘09) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer Meazure Learning.

Honors:

• Katherine Wanserski Eska (BBA Finance ‘09) is a finalist for the 2021-2022 Principal of the Year from Dallas ISD, which aims to celebrate teaching excellence by recognizing outstanding educators who are making a difference in the lives of students every day.

Featured:

• Jacob Albert (MBA ‘21) was quoted in an article How MBA internships at Fortune 500 companies can lead to full-time jobs via Fortune.
• Kimberly Roland (MNA ‘22), Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneur Programs for the Better Business Bureau, had her opinion piece, Would Jesus care about the Phoenix priest’s baptismal mistakes? featured in the National Catholic Reporter.

If you are a Mendoza alumnus and would like your accomplishments to be celebrated in our next business briefings story, please submit them to mendozabusiness@nd.edu.