April 12, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Business will honor six of its outstanding alumni at its fourth annual Outstanding Alumni Awards Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, April 29, at Workplay, 500 23rd Street South, Birmingham. For more information, or to make reservations for the event, contact Katye Pinkerton, (205) 934-6048 or katyep10@uab.edu. Reservation deadline is April 22.
The honorees, accomplished in their respective fields, are Honorary Alumnus Edward M. Friend III, Outstanding Alumnus Michael L. Padalino, Outstanding Alumna Debra J. Linton, Outstanding Young Entrepreneurial Alumnus Kenny W. Wolfe, Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year Scott Olson, and Volunteer of the Year Karen T. Baker.
Sponsors for the event include Alabama Power, Alabama Small Business Development Consortium, AmSouth Bank, Barfield Murphy Shank & Smith PC, Bradley Arant Rose & White LLP, Coca-Cola United, CTS Inc., Deloitte LLP, EBSCO Industries Inc., Ernst & Young LLP, Evergreen Investments and Management, Financial Management Association, GMAC Commercial Mortgage, Hardman Guess Frost & Cummings PC, L. Paul Kassouf & Co. PC, Mayer Electric Supply Co., Pearce Bevill Leesburg & Moore PC, Perry Supply Inc., PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Regions Bank, Securities Capital Corp., Sevier Fowlkes & Jackson Insurance, Sirote & Permutt PC, Vulcan Materials, Warren Averett Kimbrough, & Marino LLC, and Xerox Connect.
About the honorees
Edward M. Friend III, is the former president and a partner with Sirote & Permutt PC, one of the largest law firms in Alabama. In addition to his responsibilities with Sirote & Permutt PC, Friend also is an adjunct faculty member at in the UAB School of Business. He has been a member and vice chair of the UAB President’s Council and is chair of the UAB School of Business Advisory Board and a member of the UAB Leadership Cabinet.
Michael L. Padalino is president and CEO of Synovus Mortgage Corp., which operates in five states and has 51 branch locations that produces on average more than $1 billion in mortgage loans each year. The company produced $2 billion in mortgage loans in 2003. He is a past president of the Mortgage Bankers Association of Alabama and has been involved with numerous professional organizations, including the Freddie Mac Community Lending Advisory Board and Mortgage Bankers Association Legislative Committee. He earned his M.B.A. from the UAB School of Business in 1982.
Debra J. Linton has been with Warren Averett Kimbrough & Marino LLC since 1986 and is partner in charge of the Family and Estate Tax Division. Her responsibilities include coordinating personal, estate, trust and gift tax services and elder care concerns. She also works with family-owned and closely held businesses on a variety of issues, including analyzing business valuations for estate and gift tax purposes and succession planning. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants, Birmingham Estate Planning Council and Birmingham Tax Forum. Linton earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the UAB School of Business in 1982.
Kenny W. Wolfe is president of Lighting Solutions. He incorporated the company in November 2000. The company is a manufacturer’s representative for the lighting industry, representing nearly 30 manufacturers. Lighting Solutions customers include electrical distributors and contractors, architects, engineers, institutional, industrial and commercial clients. Prior to establishing Lighting Solutions, Kenny was a sales representative with Leviton Manufacturing and was responsible for various territories in the Tennessee, North Carolina and Alabama markets. He was the Southern Districts top salesman in three of the five years he worked for Leviton. Wolfe earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial distribution from the UAB School of Business in 1995.
Scott Olson is managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Dallas office. His practice is focused on structured finance, commercial lending and capital markets transactions, including asset securitization, warehouse lending and commercial paper financing. He also is involved in corporate matters, including debt and equity private placements, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate and partnership representation. He is a member of both the State Bar of Texas and Dallas Bar Association. Olson earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the UAB School of Business in 1995.
Karen T. Baker, senior manager at Deloitte, is a founding committee member for the Ollie S. Powers Endowed Scholarship and is a supporter of the Earle Baker Memorial Scholarship at UAB. Baker is president of the accounting chapter of the UAB Alumni Society and has been a mentor in UAB’s student mentoring program. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and The Service Guild of Birmingham. Baker earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the UAB School of Business in 1989.