Connections to Be Key Theme at MEM Industry Night 

Don McNeeley does not have a degree from Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program, but he wishes he did.

McNeeley, the chairman and CEO of Chicago Tube & Iron, has an MBA from an elite Ivy League school, but he routinely tells students he would trade that degree for one from Northwestern's MEM program.

"The supply of MBAs today far exceeds the demand," McNeeley said. "What differentiates the MEM is it is like an MBA but with more of a technical bend. Our students develop leadership skills while also enhancing their understanding of emerging technologies and how to manage their introduction to the market. The value of the MEM program also goes beyond the classroom itself. The value is in the network."

McNeeley has been a part of that network for 25 years. During that time he's taught in the program, organized site visits to his company, and hired program alumni. Later this month he'll add another item to his list of program affiliations: sponsor and keynote speaker for MEM Industry Night.  

MEM will host its 12th annual Industry Night on Wednesday, February 25.

Visit the Industry Night event page to register.  

McNeeley's talk will focus on career success—a topic he knows well.

In his role at Chicago Tube & Iron—a steel distribution, manufacturing, and engineering company—McNeeley oversees a 112-year-old company that is one of the largest specialty steel service centers in the US.

Joining McNeeley as speakers at Industry Night will be Ivana Marich, Badri Narasimhan, and Chris Iasielo (MEM '12).

Marich is vice president at Baird, a wealth management, capital markets, asset management and private equity firm. She has 20 years of experience in the investment and financial planning industry, and currently helps build and execute income tax, estate planning, investment, and charitable giving strategies for individuals and families.

Narasimhan is a serial entrepreneur who is currently involved in multiple ventures. In 2008, he founded healthcare IT company AlertMD out of his family's third bedroom. The business grew to have more than 27,000 users across the United States, including top health systems and national physical therapy platforms. In 2020, he sold the business to a private equity-backed company.

Iasielo is business development divisional manager at Victaulic, the leading producer globally of mechanical pipe joining solutions. In that role, he leads engineering sales teams while developing strategic partnerships and driving sales objectives across energy, mining, and global infrastructure projects.

McNeeley selected the speakers to further emphasize the importance of building professional connections.

"The difference between somebody with 10 years of experience and somebody with five years of experience is that the 10-year person has twice the knowledge," McNeeley said. "But the difference between that 10-year person and a person with 20 years of experience isn't that the 20-year person knows twice as much. The difference is they have this thing called a network."

McNeeley also conveys the power of a network in his role leading the Strategic Management for Engineers capstone course in MEM. He routinely brings guest speakers in to talk about their experiences—and also to introduce MEM students to potential employers.

"I love connecting my world," McNeeley said. "My metric for viewing success is the number of other people I can set up for success."