Wheeling business leader Lisa Allen will deliver the commencement address at West Liberty University’s spring 2018 commencement ceremony. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 12, in the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC).
President Stephen Greiner will preside at the ceremony and will present Allen with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
“Our graduates are fortunate to have this opportunity to hear from Lisa, a Wheeling leader who is making a real difference in her business and in our community. As an entrepreneur she understands working hard and her methods have gained her national and statewide attention. We are honored to have Lisa as our commencement speaker,” Greiner said.
Allen, president and CEO of Ziegenfelder Company in Wheeling, has made a career of making people smile and helping them find their happy place in this privately-owned company. Her company manufactures and sells Budget $aver twin pops and other frozen treats, worldwide.
Highly motivated, Allen is responsible for inspiring and strategic leadership and 18-years of compounded annualized revenue growth of 12 percent with corresponding profitability in the highly competitive food industry.
Allen has overseen the acquisition and expansion of multiple projects in three states, totaling more than $22 million and employing more than 300 employees.
She encourages her staff (or “tribe” as she calls them) to embrace their vision, values and culture; consistently challenged by market growth and increasingly complex business challenges. The Ziegenfelder vision of “growing better together,” coupled with her vision for inspiring others and impacting lives is a winning combination for developing leadership within the Ziegenfelder tribe.
Most recently, she has been singled out by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for her company’s compassionate hiring practices, and she will be honored as the 2018 recipient of the Youth Services System Inc. Good Samaritan Award later this summer.
Doors open for seating at commencement at 9:30 a.m. and the commencement ceremony will be televised live on WLU-TV 14 (Comcast Channel 14) and online at wltvonline.com.
A reception for graduates, guests and families will be held in the College Union immediately following the ceremony. Parking will be available for guests behind the ASRC.
Established in 1837, West Liberty University is a forward-looking, four-year public university steeped in a rich heritage as West Virginia’s oldest institution. Today it offers more than 70 undergraduate majors, plus a growing number of graduate programs including master’s in education, physician assistant studies, criminology, biology, professional studies and an online MBA.
For more information on WLU, call 1.866.WESTLIB or visit westliberty.edu.
