Troy, N.Y. — William Pomeroy ’66, founder and CEO of CXtec, has been selected as the 2008 William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year. Pomeroy’s company, based in Syracuse, N.Y., is a multimillion-dollar global provider of new and certified pre-owned networking, cable, and voice technology equipment. The company has been helping customers reduce the cost of their networking infrastructure and technology equipment for over 30 years.

William Pomeroy poses with Rensselaer student Joseph Choma, a senior majoring in architecture, and the winner of a design competition that encouraged students to create a chair in honor of the 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year. Choma designed a chair using more than 1000 feet of CXtech Ethernet cables and clear plastic tubing. Photo credit: Rensselaer/Kris Qua

Pomeroy delivered a keynote address to Rensselaer students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding community on Rensselaer’s campus.  The address, “Lessons from the Dinosaur,” was based on his company and his own life that have taken several unexpected turns along the way. He also shared his thoughts on the need to be ready to ”turn on a dime” in today’s rapidly evolving high-tech marketplace.

Noting that Pomeroy’s rise to entrepreneurial success was firmly planted in childhood, David Gautschi, dean of the Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer, said, “William has applied his substantial management skills to create a unique corporate culture that has adopted a ‘work hard and play hard’ philosophy. He has built a company that is forever working to improve its service. At Rensselaer, we strive to instill that entrepreneurial spirit in our students. This award honors his knowledge, skills, passion, and persistence that have had a profound impact on his company, employees and their families, and community members. We applaud him for what he has accomplished as an extraordinary, visionary entrepreneur.”

Pomeroy was honored by the Paul J. ’69 and Kathleen M. Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship in Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology at a celebratory dinner on April 8. Additional highlights of the program included a celebration in honor of the Severino Center’s 20th anniversary, along with awards and recognition of faculty, staff, and alumni who have been instrumental in working with the center to sponsor a wide range of programs serving students and the constantly growing entrepreneurial community.

Of special note, this year’ celebration served to highlight the importance of sustainability in honor of CXtec’s equal2new® asset recovery program. For example: all food items were from local organic growers, the wine came from New York state vineyards; programs were printed and incorporated into the centerpieces instead of duplicating copies for each guest; and the centerpieces were constructed from Ecovative Design’s Greensulate™ material and filled with fresh living turf.

“This prestigious award serves to honor successful entrepreneurs,” said Jean Howard, associate director of the Severino Center. “Not only do we celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship — a center piece of culture at Rensselaer — but in this case we are honoring a life.  Bill Pomeroy has given us a terrific example of how personal and professional success can translate to inspiration and positive influence in other’s lives.” 

In honoring Pomeroy, the program featured a case study on his company that examined the interplay of his vision regarding the advantage dealing in used IBM mainframe options as a potential business and the development of a corporate culture associated with “employer of first choice.” The case study, developed by two Lally School undergraduate students, also explored the company’s business practices and efforts to adapt to ever-changing economic and technological forces. The presentation also provided insight into the company’s understanding of its customers, products and services, and partners, in its rise to success. 

Last year, CXtec was ranked 195 on the VAR Business list of North America’s Top 500 Technology Integrators, and has ranked high among the “50 Best Companies to Work for in America” for the past four years. The company employs more than 360 people between its central and western New York facilities.

In 2004, Pomeroy was diagnosed with AML, an aggressive form of leukemia that required treatment in Syracuse and Boston-based hospitals. He received a stem cell transplant in May 2005, and shortly thereafter established the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. The foundation’s two areas of interest include historic preservation and research, and funding for research and support specifically related to blood cancers. Following his experience in managing his disease, Pomeroy recognized a need to enlist more African American donors on the National Bone Marrow Registry. Through his foundation, he is working with leaders in the African American community to host bone marrow registry drives throughout central New York. In 2006,  Pomeroy received the annual Courage Award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Central New York.

In an effort to promote historic tourism and provide cultural education benefits to towns and villages of central New York, the foundation launched its historic roadside marker program in 2006, by awarding grants to erect markers throughout Onondaga County. Pomeroy is also involved in several community service and volunteer initiatives.

Pomeroy holds a bachelor’s in engineering management from Rensselaer and an MBA from Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. Before founding CXtec, he was employed by several companies including IBM, Procter & Gamble, and General Electric, among others. He has received several awards and honors including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the Syracuse University Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year, and Rensselaer’s Alumni Association Fellows Award. 

Established in 1990, the William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year Award brings the world of entrepreneurship into Rensselaer classrooms by recognizing successful entrepreneurs and role models who share their wisdom and experiences with students. Past winners include Brendan McKernan ’00, co-founder and vice president of operations of Agencourt Biosciences Corporation; Fred Smith, chairman, president, and CEO of FedEx Corporation; James Crowe ’72, CEO of Level 3 Communications; John McDonnell ’61, founder, chairman, and CEO of Transaction Network Services; Paul Severino ’69, founder and chairman of Bay Networks; Mukesh Chatter ’82, founder, president, and CEO of Axiowave Networks; and William Mow ’59, founder of Bugle Boy Industries.

About the Severino Center
Established in 1988, and centered in the Lally School, the Severino Center lies at the core of the school’s mission to educate future entrepreneurs in the conversion of technical ideas into new businesses, products, services, and solutions.  The center provides a broad-based platform for entrepreneurs to make the transition from concept to company and serves as an intellectual gathering point for the study, research, and exchange of ideas regarding critical issues in the field of entrepreneurship studies. The center is named in honor of Rensselaer trustee Paul J. Severino ’69 and his wife, Kathleen M. Severino.

About Rensselaer’s Lally School
Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology was founded in 1963 as an integral part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the nation’s oldest degree-granting technological university. Building on Rensselaer’s heritage of more than 175 years of leadership in science and engineering, the Lally School is dedicated to advancing business through innovation. The Lally School’s curriculum is designed to produce leaders who combine creative passion with the ability to integrate technology across business functions. The faculty emphasizes the value of hands-on experience available through campus resources such as the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship and the nation’s first on-campus business incubator. Rensselaer’s Lally School offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs in management, doctoral programs in management and technology, an Executive MBA program, and an expanding portfolio of collaborative programs with enterprises and academic institutions in the Indian sub-continent, China, Europe, and the Middle East. For more information on the Lally School, go to www.lallyschool.rpi.edu.