Expense This!
When Ray Santiago was location production manager at KPIX, a Westinghouse TV station, back in the late 1980s, he was in charge of provisioning a TV crew that was filming in Yosemite National Park. Since the shoot was in the middle of nowhere, the only way to get supplies to the crew was on mule-back. "I logged everything ... and I kept all the receipts," says Santiago. And, when the company controller came a-knockin', the former newsman was prepared. "When I saw him coming down the hall, I was ready to explain everything, but he just looked at me and said, 'Ray, I was looking at your expense report, and I have only one question right here under mules,'" says Santiago, recalling the heart-pounding incident. "He said, 'Ray, mules are not equipment. They're transportation.'"
That story won Santiago second place in Freeworks.com Inc.'s "Laughing at your Expense" contest, which garnered more than 200 entries. Freeworks, a Mountain View, Calif.- based provider of administration and financial applications for small businesses, used the contest as a marketing tool to attract people to its Web site. Freeworks asked its subscribers (U.S. only) to send in their funniest expense- report experiences, to be judged by a panel of Freeworks employees and Scott Adams, creator of the popular comic strip "Dilbert." The winner got an all-expense- paid vacation to San Francisco and dinner with Adams.
The grand prize went to Dan Wolff, who expensed a voodoo doll used to exact revenge on a nasty analyst. Freeworks VP of marketing Tapan Bhat says that Wolff's story was crazy, but he's seen crazier, including a man who expensed his "social entertainer" as an "interpreter."
Paper Lions
Gregory A. Stoklosa, 45, made the grade. Paper giant R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. announced the former VP, corporate controller, and acting CFO's permanent appointment to the EVP and CFO positions. Virginia L. Seggerman, 40, is replacing Stoklosa in the VP and corporate controller positions.
Talk about your oxymorons! York, Pa.based P.H. Glatfelter Co. actually has a Newcomer leaving the CFO and EVP positions. Robert P. Newcomer, 52, has renounced the titles in order to head up the company's strategic reorganization. Replacing Newcomer at the manufacturer of specialty papers, such as stamps and teabags, is VP of finance C. Matthew Smith.
Lawrence E. Hyatt netted himself the role of CFO at Ashburn, Va.-based PSINet. Hyatt joins the Internet service provider from Host Marriott Services, where he served as SVP and CFO. Hyatt succeeds Edward Postal, who became EVP and CFO of Cidera Inc.
Shoot For The Moon
Garrett E. Pierce is out of this world. That's why Orbital Sciences Corp. appointed 55-year- old Pierce as CFO of the satellite-technology and global-positioning-systems provider. He succeeds Jeffrey Pirone, 40, who has resigned, but remains as a consultant.
International Game Technology, which operates out of Reno, Nev., is betting that G. Thomas Baker, 59, will fill the CFO slot with ease. Baker, president and COO of IGT, will take on the duties of 40-year-old Maureen Mullarkey at the manufacturer of slot and video-game machines. Mullarkey is heading up finance at Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Zoho Corp.
Stephen Lanza, 41, has some new tricks for Neomagic Corp., based in Santa Clara, Calif. The magnificent Mr. Lanza has been named VP of finance and CFO for the embedded-memory and logic- technology firm. He succeeds Douglas Gans, who has been interim CFO since March. Lanza was previously CFO and VP of finance at PolyStor Corp.
Ad It Up
In its campaign to replace former CFO Michael Dolan, 53, who became Young & Rubicam Inc.'s president and COO in May, the firm has elected 42-year-old Jacques Tortoroli. Tortoroli was previously SVP, finance, at the New York based advertising/marketing firm.
Serving as CFO might have been too much excitement for Kenneth A. Goldman, who is retiring from Excite@Home, after four years with the broadband online services provider. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company has selected former Hughes Electronics Corp. VP and treasurer Mark A. McEachen to serve as EVP and CFO.
Vail Banks Inc. is ready to show Peter G. Williston the money. Williston, 44, was named senior EVP and CFO, a new position at the Vail, Colo.-based banking concern. Prior to joining Vail, Williston served as a regional manager for Union Planters Corp.
CFOs AT THE TOP
Lucky Man.
What a way to get a promotion. As soon as his boss, Dick Cheney, was named George W. Bush's Vice Presidential running mate, David J. Lesar, 47, moved into the chairman and CEO spot at Halliburton Co., a leading oilfield- services provider. Lesar joined the company in 1993 as its CFO, and has since moved through the roles of division CEO and, most recently, president and COO.
Analysts don't expect the change to have much impact on the company's outlook or strategy. "Dave has really been running the company for the past few years, so I think this is going to be a pretty seamless change," says Kevin Simpson, oil services analyst at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York. Lesar has been on top of the "nuts and bolts of running the business" for the past three years, Simpson adds, and Cheney has taken a more strategic role with customers.
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