One of this year’s honorees is Wendell Christoff (BS ’68) of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. Christoff is the President and CEO of Litehouse Inc., a producer of salad dressing and sauces, and a top l00 privately held company as listed by Entrepreneur Magazine.
In anticipation of his return to campus to accept his award, Mr. Christoff took a few moments to answer some questions.
What is your favorite memory from your time as a student at WMU? Living in the valleys the year Ackley Hall was opened and the friendships that formed there that have lasted a lifetime.
How does it feel to be a Distinguished Alumnus of WMU? Extremely humbling knowing the number of graduates over the years and the huge impact they have made throughout the world…..many have had a far greater impact than myself.
What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates about finding/earning success? Keep searching until you find what you are passionate about and then use the gifts God has blessed you with to make a real difference. Always do what is right and moral. Be a servant to all.
What are you most looking forward to seeing when you get back to campus for Homecoming weekend? Ackley/Shilling complex in the valleys….which was so beautiful in the fall.
When was the last time you were on campus and why? September 17, 2014 for the Annual Food Marketing luncheon at the Fetzer Center. I met and interacted with the four students who received the Christoff Family scholarships (three of which are in honor of my mother and father--my father was also a WMU graduate).
After graduating from WMU, Christoff joined the U.S. Air Force and was a pilot during the Vietnam War.
Today, he is known as a humanitarian and has received the select honor of the Rotary International Award. As part of his humanitarian efforts, Christoff is the founder and current President of SafeWater Team, a non-profit organization that produces water filtration devices and improves access to clean drinking water in places like Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and other developing nations.
In 2001, he received the Haworth College of Business Outstanding Food and CPG Marketing Alumni Award. A scholarship for the Food and Consumer Package Goods program has been established through Litehouse, Inc.
In the weeks leading up the Distinguished Alumni Award reception, Q&A’s for the other honorees, Daniel J. Martin (BA ’76) and Donald G. Southwell (BA ’73) will be featured. In the meantime, click here to learn more about the Distinguished Alumni Award.