Alumni

Florida State University College of Business Inducts Newest Members of Alumni Hall of Fame

September 19, 2018

Four new members were inducted into the Florida State University College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame on Sept. 20. They joined 47 other outstanding individuals inducted since the Hall of Fame was created in 2003 to honor alumni who have excelled in their careers and made significant contributions to the mission of FSU and the College of Business.

“These alumni have distinguished themselves in their fields and in their communities, and are excellent role models for our students and young alumni,” said Dean Michael Hartline. “They are a tremendous source of pride to us and we are thrilled to recognize them with the college’s highest honor.”

The new inductees are:

Dan Hendrix (Accounting ’77) served as president and CEO of Interface Inc., a $1 billion global manufacturer of modular commercial and residential carpet, from 2001 until he retired in 2017. He led the company in a series of acquisitions ranging from $2 million to $150 million, with several of them nearly doubling the size of the company, including the acquisition of Holland-based Heuga, which at the time was the largest carpet tile manufacturer in the world. He remains chairman of the Interface Board of Directors.

Peter Jones (Accounting ’77) achieved significant success in his career and is widely respected for his integrity and his collaborative approach. Jones was president of Franklin Templeton Distributors Inc. and chairman of Franklin Templeton Institutional Inc. When Franklin and Templeton merged in 1992, assets under management were approximately $66 billion and grew to nearly $900 billion by the time Jones retired in 2015.

Bruce A. Rendina (Accounting ’76) was a successful real estate developer and a highly respected entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is being inducted posthumously. He founded the Rendina Companies, one of the country’s leading medical real estate development firms, as well as Paramount Real Estate Services. Together, the two companies employed more than 120 people and oversaw more than six million square feet of medical office space and other real estate, resulting in more than $5 billion in transactions in 15 states.

Judy Schmeling (Accounting ’82) most recently served retailing giant HSN Inc. as president of Cornerstone Brands and chief operating officer of HSN Inc. During her 23-year career with the company, she also was chief financial officer and played a pivotal role in growing sales to $4 billion for HSN’s direct-to-consumer retail portfolio and taking the company public. She currently is on the board of directors of Constellation Brands Inc., a Fortune 500 premium wine, beer and spirits company.

 

In addition to the Alumni Hall of Fame inductions, the college will recognize 2014 management and entrepreneurship graduate Daniel Herrera with the 2018 Recent Alumni Achievement Award. The award was created in 2011 by the college’s Recent Alumni Board to honor alumni who graduated from the college within the past 10 years and have had significant professional and personal successes.

Herrera leads venture investments at Miami Angels, one of Florida’s largest and most active angel investor collectives. In this role, he sources and curates early-stage technology startups in Florida and facilitates capital investments into these companies to fuel long-term success. In the last three years, the company has deployed $8 million in 28 technology startups and grown to include more than 100 accredited investors.

By Barbara Ash

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