MSU to honor chairman and CEO of Ingersoll Rand for his sustainable business practices
A Spartan Engineer known as a champion of sustainable business practices will be honored by Michigan State University at the 2019 Alumni Grand Awards Gala on Oct. 25. The MSU Alumni Office will recognize 13 impactful alumni during the event in the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.
Michael W. Lamach Sr. will receive a Distinguished Alumni Award, presented to Spartan alumni that have differentiated themselves by achieving the highest level of professional accomplishment.
"The 2019 Alumni Grand Award recipients embody how Spartans continue to be a force for good in the world," said Nick McLaren, executive director, MSU Alumni Office. "It is an honor to recognize these individuals who, in their unique vocations, all share and apply inherent drive with an unparalleled education to help others, break barriers and create a better future."
Lamach graduated from MSU in 1985 with an engineering arts degree. Today, he is the chairman and CEO of Ingersoll Rand. He served as the company's Security and Technologies sector president before leading the Trane Commercial business, and then serving as president and chief operating officer.
Under Lamach's leadership, Ingersoll Rand has consistently outperformed both the S&P 500 and the S&P Industrial Index, and has reduced global greenhouse gas emissions from operations by 45 percent and from products by nearly 50 percent.
Lamach became chairman and chief executive officer of Ingersoll Rand in 2010. He first joined the company in 2004 as president of its Security Technologies sector, before leading the Trane Commercial business, and then serving as president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining Ingersoll Rand, Lamach also served in various global business leadership roles for Johnson Controls. Along with his 1985 engineering arts degree from MSU, he received an MBA at Duke University.
This year, Ingersoll Rand and leading brands Trane and Thermo King announced commitments to achieve carbon neutral operations by 2030 and to reduce emissions from products by one billion metric tons. Ingersoll Rand also has industry-leading levels of employee engagement, and was the first industrial company to join Paradigm for Parity.
Together with his wife, Lamach established the Michael and Mary Lamach Engineering Scholarship Fund. The couple also hosts students during spring breaks, offers internship opportunities, and supports the College of Engineering's Design Days and the MSU Abbot Society.
"I firmly believe that our students, along with the rest of their generation, will push us to higher levels of sustainable practices and world citizenship," Lamach said. "There's something special about our Spartan spirit that you can't find anywhere else."
Registration to attend the exclusive Grand Awards Gala is open through Oct. 18. The black-tie optional event includes a reception and dinner. For more information, visit 2019 Grand Awards Gala at MSU.
Story courtesy of MSU Alumni Office.