Four business leaders who demonstrate what the state’s future can be have been named to the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame.
Stuart M. Robbins, Kimberly Brown Knopf, Fred T. Tattersall and Douglass R. Van Scoy will be inducted into the Hall on Thursday (Nov. 3) at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown. The 6:30 p.m. ceremony, with a reception immediately following, is open to the public.
“This celebration is a tribute to those who have demonstrated accomplishments in the world of business, have strong ties to the state of West Virginia, and provide models for entrepreneurs and businesspeople of the future,” said Jose Sartarelli, Milan Puskar Dean of the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics, which sponsors the event.
“This year’s inductees are especially emblematic of the entrepreneurial spirit in West Virginia, which is so critically vital to our state’s future,” Sartarelli said. “They have worked hard and provided leadership that not only led to their accomplishments, but has also built a positive business benefit to the state.”
The Hall of Fame was established in 2001 by the College of Business and Economics to publicly recognize extraordinary business leaders and to establish a record of their achievement. Those inducted into the Hall of Fame must have established a record of distinction in their field and industry in the categories of national/international businesses, state-based enterprises or entrepreneurial and family businesses. They must also have connections to West Virginia, either by birth, residence, education or business presence. Forty-six individuals have previously been inducted.
Additional sponsors are: United Bank; Chesapeake Energy; Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.
Stuart M. Robbins
After graduating from WVU with a degree in history in 1965, Robbins studied law at New York University and advanced study in business at the University of Pittsburgh and Pace University.
Robbins began his career in the securities industry as a research/credit analyst with Mellon Bank, through positions at Parke Hunter, C.S. McKee, and Paine Webber, to his final position as managing director of global equities at Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette. During his time at DLJ, he served as a member of the company’s executive committee and eventually on the board of directors until his retirement in 2000.
As managing director of global equities, Robbins managed one of the financial industry’s most successful equities businesses. He was responsible for a worldwide division of over 1,500 people, and revenues quintupled during his tenure.
Robbins has also served on several boards of directors, including Credit Suisse, DiaSys Corp., WorldStreet Corp., Soundview Technology Group Inc., Archipelago Holdings Inc., LaBranche & Co. Inc., and the WVU Foundation. He is also involved in several charitable and community organizations.
In 1983, Robbins started his long-term relationship with the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences as a member of the advisory board, and by 1991 had expanded his service to the WVU Foundation Board of Directors. In 2001, he accepted the role of vice-chair of the National Campaign Committee for the Foundation’s Building Greatness Campaign. In 2003, he was elected chairman of the West Virginia University Foundation board of directors.
Robbins and his wife created the “Stuart and Joyce Robbins Scholarship Endowment” in 1998; the “Stuart & Joyce Robbins Chair,” the first to benefit the WVU History Department in 2001; the “Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins Presidential Endowment”; and the “Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins Center for Global Business and Strategy 20/21” and the “Stuart M. and Joyce N. Robbins Distinguished Professorship in Epidemiology,” both in 2011.
Fred T. Tattersall
Fred T. Tattersall graduated with honors in 1970 from WVU’s College of Business and Economics with a B.S. in finance. He went on to serve as a senior vice president in the Fixed Income Division in what today is the Bank of America.
He continued his career in investment management and in 1997 created the Tattersall Advisory Group, which currently manages more than $52 billion for institutional accounts. Tattersall retired from Tattersall Advisory Group in June 2004 and is now chairman of 1607 Capital Partners, a Richmond‐based investment management company established in 2007.
Tattersall served as the past chair of The Community Foundation serving Richmond and central Virginia. In addition, he serves on the executive committee of the University of Richmond board; is a member of the Spider Management Co. committee, which oversees the University of Richmond’s endowment fund; serves on the Virginia Museum board of trustees; the Hollywood Cemetery board of directors; and the WVU Foundation board of directors. He is a trustee with the World Golf Foundation and is active as a trustee for First Tee, an organization which seeks to impact youth through the game of golf.
Tattersall recently ended 20 years of service to the Jenkins Foundation. Last year, Tattersall made the largest single contribution to the WVU College of Business and Economics, a gift that will be used to endow a distinguished chair in finance.
Kimberly Brown Knopf
Kimberly Brown Knopf is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Innovative Mattress Solutions, a Winfield, W.Va.-based mattress retailer doing business as Mattress Warehouse and Sleep Outfitters. The company has more than 100 stores in four states: West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
A native of Louisville, Ky., and a 1982 graduate of the University of Kentucky, she opened her first store in South Charleston, W.Va., in 1983. As a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman, she has won several awards for professional achievements. She and her husband, Ken, have two daughters and live in Charleston, W.Va.
Knopf is a leader in the Young Presidents Organization and has been an officer in the Putnam County Rotary and on the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce board of directors. She also serves on the Charleston Area Alliance board of directors and the West Virginia Economic Development Authority board of directors.
Knopf is a board of governors member of Withit, a professional organization for women in the home furnishings industry. She supports Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the YWCA, the Heart Association, Extreme Home Makeover, the Alzheimer’s Association and Community Youth Sports.
Douglas R. Van Scoy
After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees from West Virginia University and completing a stint in the U.S. Army, Douglas Van Scoy started his investment career in 1969 with Blyth, Eastman, Dillon.
In 1974 he went to work for the investment firm of Smith Barney until his retirement in 2001. He held various positions during that period and ended his career as deputy director and senior executive vice president. In that position, Van Scoy was on the management committee and part of the team responsible for managing the Private Client Group with revenues of $7 billion, 500 branch offices and 12,000 financial consultants. During his career, he served on the board of Robinson Humphrey and earned the leadership award from the Georgia Securities Association in 1994.
Van Scoy is founder and partner of Pit Partners, a hospitality business in South Carolina, where he and his partners own and operate several restaurants. He is also a partner in two restaurants located in Morgantown, W.Va.
Outside his career, he has served as a trustee and chairman of the Galloway School in Atlanta, Ga., a trustee of the University of Richmond and is on the board of directors of Sterling Asset Management. Additionally, he has served as a board member and chairman of the West Virginia University Alumni Association and serves on the West Virginia University Foundation board.
Van Scoy and his wife, Pam, are 1961 graduates of Bridgeport High School. They live in Charleston, S.C., and have three married daughters and three grandchildren.
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CONTACT: Brenda Walker, College of Business and Economics
304.293.8888; brenda.walker@mail.wvu.edu
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