Quinnipiac inducted four people into its Business Leader Hall of Fame April 19, in a black-tie affair on campus sponsored by Connecticut Lighting Centers.
The University recognized these honorees:
- Carlton L. Highsmith, president and chief executive officer, Specialized Packaging Group, based in Hamden
- Shepherd Paul Murray and Ian Charles Murray, co-founders and CEOs of Vineyard Vines, based in Stamford
- Herbert H. Pearce, founder and chairman, H. Pearce Company Realtors, based in North Haven
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Highsmith |
With his life savings and a dream, Highsmith founded Specialized Packaging Group in 1983 and built one of the country’s largest minority-owned businesses. He was Business New Haven’s 2006 Businessperson of the Year and the U.S. Department of Commerce recognized his company as 2005 National Manufacturer of the Year. Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and S.C. Johnson have selected Highsmith as Supplier of the Year repeatedly. Highsmith is a director of Amistad Academy in New Haven, chairman of the finance board of Dixwell Avenue Congregational Church and a member of the New Alliance Bancshares board of directors. Highsmith earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and serves on Quinnipiac’s board of trustees.
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The Murray brothers |
The Murray brothers combined their keen business sense, a love of Martha’s Vineyard and a deep commitment to bringing whimsy and high quality to menswear when they founded Vineyard Vines, a specialty clothing line. The company has a store in Greenwich and three in Massachusetts in Edgartown, Mashpee and Nantucket.
A 1993 graduate of Skidmore College, Shep began his career at the New York Stock Exchange and at Young & Rubicam Advertising in New York City. Ian began his career in public relations on Madison Avenue after graduating from Lafayette College in 1997.
Shep has received the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation HOPE Award and Ernst & Young named Ian Entrepreneur of the Year. The Murrays received the Men’s Dress Furnishings Association Achievement Award in 2004.
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Pearce |
After attaining an executive position at A.C. Gilbert, a toy company founded in New Haven, Pearce started H. Pearce Company Realtors in 1958 and grew his business through inventive promotions and advertising. He is former president of the Connecticut Association of Realtors and a member of the National Board of Realtors. His commitment to New Haven’s economy resulted in the development of Interstate 95 and Interstate 91, particularly at Exit 9, known as Herb’s Highway. Pearce is celebrated as a volunteer leader for working with organizations such as the Quinnipiac Council of Boy Scouts, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the United Way of Greater New Haven. He received New Haven’s Seal of the City Award in 2002.
The Business Leader Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding businessmen and women who have made significant contributions to their business and industry through leadership. Presented by the School of Business, the program educates and motivates students by bringing honorees to campus to share their experiences, discuss their careers and offer advice.
The School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International.
