Knitting Companies Back Together
Kimberly Rodriguez
Former Chief Executive Officer DURA Automotive Systems
Master of Science in Finance, 1987
Kimberly Rodriguez specializes in putting companies back together again. After graduating from Walsh with Master of Science in Finance in 1987, she worked extensively in restructuring for firms including Stout Risius Ross, Grant Thornton and KPMG. She advised Ford Motor Co. on its supplier restructuring during the Great Recession, coming to the conclusion that the auto giant could avoid Chapter 11 -and it ultimately did.
Most recently, she worked as CEO of DURA Automotive Systems. There, she says, she focused on “knitting the company back together” after the global automotive supplier had emerged from bankruptcy. “Earning back the confidence of the customers, supply base and the employees is a critical step,” says Rodriguez. Although her work has had global implications, she most enjoys the smaller, personal differences she makes. She recalls the story of a woman who recently approached her to say she knew someone Rodriguez had worked with.
Most recently, she worked as CEO of DURA Automotive Systems. There, she says, she focused on “knitting the company back together” after the global automotive supplier had emerged from bankruptcy. “Earning back the confidence of the customers, supply base and the employees is a critical step,” says Rodriguez. Although her work has had global implications, she most enjoys the smaller, personal differences she makes. She recalls the story of a woman who recently approached her to say she knew someone Rodriguez had worked with.
She said, “He says you were there at the right time for them, and your ability to help them through this rough time is what allowed them to be where they are today: a very successful, large, growing company,” Rodriguez says. “that’s very rewarding.”
Deploying Capital for Cleaner Energy
Mike Kotyk
Head of Business Development North America EDL Energy
Master of Business Administration, 2002
Mike Kotyk says the energy industry has been “continuously changing” throughout his 22 years in the field. But he’s proudest of the industry’s shift toward renewable energy and his direct role in helping to facilitate it.
Kotyk’s early career included duties in finance, accounting, manufacturing, and project management. Those diverse experiences, combined with his Walsh MBA, informed his role working on a variety of projects for DTE Energy starting in 1999. Most notably, he led development of three renewable energy projects at DTE, representing a total of 100 million in capital investments and 50 megawatts of electrical generation.
For the past three years Kotyk has been head of North American business development for EDL Energy, a Brisbane, Australia-based sustainable energy company with North American headquarters in East Lansing, Michigan. His current focus is on converting electrical generation projects to renewable natural gas. He’s now working on five such efforts, each of which will replace 20,000 houses’ worth of fossil fuels with renewable energy.
“It’s been really exciting to deploy the capital to clean the grid,” Kotyk says. “We’ve created a lot of opportunity to do new things, to improve the environment, to improve service to customers and to grow business for our owners.”
