Over 100 CSU graduates attend kick-off event

The Alumni Association launched its first Corporate Chapter for CSU alumni and friends employed at Sherwin-Williams.  Close to 120 CSU graduates committed to participating in this new endeavor and enjoyed the morning kick-off at Sherwin Williams Corporate headquarters on Friday, November 14.

At the kick-off, alumnus and vice president for human resources Tom Hopkins stressed the importance of the relationship between Sherwin-Williams and Cleveland State.  Hopkins, a 1982 Masters graduate from the College of Sciences and Health Professions, is deeply engaged with CSU as a volunteer on the college's visiting committee and as a member of the Foundation Board of Directors.

Brian Breittholz, assistant vice president for alumni relations, shared his vision for creating corporate chapters as a way to meaningfully engage alumni where they work, making the process convenient and focused on the chapter's needs.  Breittholz said, "Our hope is to have several corporate chapters in the future."  He added, “in the future, when we look back, I'm confident we'll be able to say that the Sherwin-Williams chapter was not only our first corporate chapter, but consistently remains our best." Few schools have corporate alumni chapters and the CSU Alumni Association plans to launch an additional five to ten in the next few years.

Adding a bit of fun to the kick-off, Breittholz presented Hopkins and the entire 100+ employee alumni with customized Sherwin-Williams/CSU paint cans, stir sticks, and CSU paint color swatches.