Inducted
05/03/2011
Degrees
BSEE WVU BSME WVU
Ray (Jerry) Friant earned a BSEE and a BSME from WVU in 1953. He completed the General Electric 3 Year Advanced Engineering Program and spent his first ten years on the cutting-edge of technology in a variety of disciplines.
Friant was with GE for 17 years before spending time with IT&T and Gulf+Western. Throughout his management career, which began in 1960, he has engaged in crisis management, first as part of GE, and eventually as an independent turnaround expert. He has a passion for revitalizing seriously disadvantaged companies, and also for teaching management teams the skills that translate into success.
In 2006 Jerry published a book, Beyond Buzzwords, to document why all organizations tend to drift toward mediocrity, and to discuss some practical ways to achieve on-going success. In a sense, the book is a tutorial for new graduates to help them jump-start their working careers. It is the practical advice that Jerry wishes had been passed on to him.
Jerry and his wife, Emmy Lu, divide their time between homes in Convent Station, NJ and Landgrove, VT. They volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Homeless Solutions, Community Soup Kitchen, and their church. They have three children, and four grown grand kids.