Seven Distinguished Business Alumni Inducted into Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of
Business Hall of Fame
Date published: January 20, 2016
The University of Dallas announced that it has inducted seven alumni business leaders
into the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business Hall of Fame. Honorees include
Craig Farrill, Satish Gupta, Yasmin Gupta, Gordon “Don” Hutchins, Heather Kreager,
Dick Long and Terry O'Halloran.
Established last year with the induction of former Dallas Cowboys fullback Robert
F. Newhouse Jr., the hall of fame was founded to recognize, honor and celebrate outstanding
business leaders who have achieved significant success in their chosen fields of business
and embody the spirit of the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business. Inductees
were recognized during a Jan. 14 ceremony that took place in the business school’s
new home, SB Hall.
Craig Farrill, MBA ’79, founded Plano-based Kodiak Networks in 2001 after four decades
in the telecommunications systems engineering industry. Within that time, Farrill
spearheaded the growth of multiple companies including AirTouch Communications, PacTel
and Vodafone AirTouch PLC.
In 1981, Satish Gupta, MBA ’81, founded steel distribution company SB International
Inc. Along the way, Gupta capitalized on opportunities that have enabled the company
to become a leading supplier and manufacturer in its industry. For several years,
Satish Gupta has supported the Dallas community in varying capacities including his
involvement in the Southwestern Medical Foundation, the Primary Care Clinic of North
Texas and the Greater Dallas Arya Samaj Cancer Clinic, as well as founding the Gupta
Agarwal Charitable Foundation.
Yasmin Gupta, MBA ’82, serves as director and executive vice president of SB International
Inc. and is an active supporter of the State Bank of Texas, Girl Scouts, United Way,
Chinmaya Mission, DFW Indian Cultural Society and Primary Care Clinic of North Texas.
Following the court-mandated breakup of the Bell System in the early ’80s, Gordon
“Don” Hutchins, MBA ’75, became an advocate of competition in the telecommunications
and technology industry. His work as CEO of various domestic and international companies,
many of which led to groundbreaking advancements in the telecommunications industry,
established Hutchins as a recognized leader in the technology field. Today, Hutchins
is president and chief operating officer of Fusion, a publicly traded cloud services
technology company.
Heather Kreager, MBA ’03, has served Sammons Enterprises for 30 years in various capacities
and across several industries. Recently named 77th on the Forbes list of America's
largest private companies, Sammons Enterprises is a diversified holding corporation
operating across five countries. Since being named CEO in 2014, Kreager has carried
out the late founder's wishes and orchestrated the transition of the company to a
100 percent employee stock ownership plan, developed cohesion in Sammons’ vast holdings
and maintained a culture of community involvement and support.
After 18 years in the investment industry, Richard Long, MBA ’85, founded Valley View
Consulting LLC in 1999. With a focus on Texas public entity investment management,
Long is currently responsible for more than $3 billion of public funds. His work includes
active engagement in public funds investment legislation, investment policies and
strategies, and various other tactics.
With 30 years at Plano-based Air Distribution Technologies, Terry O'Halloran, MBA
’83, developed the company into a $1 billion operation. In 2014, Johnson Controls
acquired the air distribution manufacturer, placing O'Halloran at the helm as vice
president and general manager. Known today as Air System Components Inc., the company
is one of the largest air distribution and ventilation products providers in North
America.
