Illustrations by Joel Kimmel
Sharing milestones.
Justin Genzlinger '99
Last February, the Lehigh University Pub had its soft launch in the completely refurbished Clayton University Center at Packer Hall. “I will admit the idea of being responsible for running that business back on Lehigh’s campus as an alum (accounting major) is probably my favorite part of the project,” says Justin Genzlinger ’99, CEO of Settlers Hospitality, the company that runs the Lehigh University Pub.
Genzlinger describes it as an eclectic gastropub in a contemporary setting. It’s open to everyone on campus and the surrounding community.
He grew up in the hospitality industry working in the family business. “It wasn’t just summers, I worked after school, holidays, weekends. We lived upstairs, so I was on the dish pit from the early age of six.”
Genzlinger used his accounting and finance training at Arthur Anderson and then Freddie Mac, to start a consulting firm in the banking industry. After selling that firm in his mid-30s, Genzlinger moved back home. “That was the twist in the road that brought me back to hospitality.”
Genzlinger has grown the Settlers Hospitality family business to include 17 different brands and about 25 different properties, including hotels, restaurants, catering, a fitness center, a social club and a craft brewery.
He wants the university pub to become a communal gathering spot where you can also eat. “There’s a certain amount of pride in it,” says Genzlinger, “and the benefits for me as both CEO and Lehigh alum make running the business even more meaningful for me.”
Maddy Blomkvist MSBA'24
“My go-to fun fact is that when I was born, both my parents worked for Derek Jeter’s mom,” says Maddy Blomkvist, MSBA ’24. “She was at my baby shower.”
Blomkvist is a data analyst who works in the NFL’s Club Data Services. She is assigned to five of the 32 teams to assist them in standardizing and clarifying the data they collect from their fans. “It’s not the flashy on the field stuff,” she explains, “but equally important.” For example, Maddy worked on new model collating data to examine the willingness of fans to travel nationally and internationally to watch their teams.
After finishing her master’s in business analytics from Lehigh Business last spring, she connected with a Lehigh marketing alum, Jake Feldman ’19, NFL data analyst, on LinkedIn. There wasn’t anything available at the time, but a month later Feldman called back.
The year before, Blomkvist was at a crossroads. “Do I want to go back to school and learn technical skills, or do I just work? Once I found the MSBA program at Lehigh, it was just a total no-brainer for me to go back to school and build those skills.
“It was the most difficult year of school of my entire life, but by far the most rewarding. I could not sit here with this job I have today without my MSBA.”
Lindsay Atha '02
L’Oréal has been home for Lindsay Atha ’02, for 21 years. She recently accepted a new opportunity within the company as VP of Finance Transformation for the North American Zone—her eighth position within the company.
“We’re rethinking how we do our jobs,” says Atha, “challenging ourselves to add more value to support our dynamic business practices.”
Immediately after graduating from Lehigh, Atha worked at Johnson & Johnson for two years. Then, she shifted to L’Oréal. She credits Lehigh for, “teaching me the value of hard work at a fast pace.”
Atha has been on campus for Lehigh’s Soaring Together Women’s Summit, and she began a position on the Dean’s Advisory Council this fall. She says she’s excited to lean outward and bring what she’s learned to the students.
Atha met her husband, Andrew, freshman year in M&M. Both were finance majors.
Julia Pardee '21
Julia Pardee ’21, business information systems and marketing, took part in Lehigh Silicon Valley during her junior year. This week-long winter term program immerses students in the San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneurial ecosystem. “Until I did this program, I was not interested in living out here or necessarily saw myself working with startups,” she says.
Pardee started as an associate in cyber security and privacy at Munich Re Ventures a little over a year ago. It’s the second fund she’s worked for.
“Meeting with founders and hearing why their idea is going to be the next big company,” is what she loves about her job. “It’s never what I thought a job in finance would be.”
Pardee says ultimately, she “wants to make more investments, help portfolio companies succeed and be able to lead deals and take board seats on my own.”