The John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation at The University of Toledo will recognize business and academic excellence during its 62nd annual Pacemaker Awards on Thursday, April 10.
The invitation-only event begins at 3 p.m. at Inverness Club, 4601 Dorr St., Toledo.
The 2025 Pacemaker Award, recognizing business excellence, will be presented to Matt Kripke of Kripke Enterprises.
The 2025 Business Pacemaker Award will be presented to Matt Kripke, the chief executive officer of the local metals brokerage firm Kripke Enterprises and a strong supporter of the UToledo Family Business Center.
An alumnus of Sylvania Southview High School and the University of Michigan, Kripke joined his family’s business in 1994 following a five-year career with Vector Marketing. Kripke Enterprises has since grown into one of the country’s premier non-ferrous metal brokerages, specializing mainly in aluminum, with headquarters in Toledo and locations in Coconut Creek, Florida, and Jackson, Tennessee.
The UToledo Family Business Center honored Kripke Enterprises for going above and beyond to support its employees, give back to its communities and uphold the highest standards of integrity with its Doing Right Spotlight in 2023.
Kripke has also served on numerous nonprofit leadership and trade association boards throughout his career. He currently serves on the boards of Signature Bank and the Toledo Jewish Community Foundation and on the UToledo Family Business Center Advisory Board.
“The Pacemaker award is a longstanding tradition in the Neff College,” said Dr. Anne Balazs, dean of the Neff College of Business and Innovation. “It honors both outstanding students and a community member who has made significant contributions to this region. Matt Kripke successfully leads a Toledo family-owned business and gives back to his employees and the community in many ways. His recycling business and home ownership program for Kripke employees demonstrate the company’s values of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. We are proud to have Matt and Kripke Enterprises as a part of our Family Business Center. Through their philanthropy and motto to ‘make the world a better place,’ they demonstrate their commitment to Toledo.”
Student Pacemaker Awards are presented to Neff College of Business graduate and undergraduate students for their outstanding academic achievement, University and community service, and leadership.
This year’s awardees are:
• Master of Business Administration: Rachael Grace Pirrami
• Master of Science in Accountancy: Michael Cooper
• Accounting: Jamie Butler, Austin Pennington and Catherine Rhegness
• Applied Organizational Technology: Maycie Westover
• Finance: Joseph Brennan, Dean Carter and Owen Green
• Information Systems and Supply Chain Management: Mai Mang and Joelle Meilink
• Management: Allison Schroeder and Shiloh Walz
• Marketing: Caitlin Heinze and Sydney Toon
