The WSU Vancouver Notable Alumni Award honors alumni who have made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments, affiliations, careers and/or community service reflect WSU Vancouver’s legacy of excellence. The award began in 2014 with 25 notable alumni selected as part of WSU Vancouver’s 25th anniversary celebration. Each spring, a committee chooses one notable alumna/alumnus for the year.
2022 Recipient: Andy LaFrazia
Andy LaFrazia began his working life as a civil engineer for the Air Force. He served on active duty from 1988 through 1995. Around the time he left active duty, his father, George, was getting ready to retire from the family business, ControlTek, which he had founded in Vancouver in 1971. ControlTek designs and manufactures custom electronic modules for companies in multiple industries, such as aerospace, defense, industrial and medical devices.
At first, Andy said no. His dad persuaded him to try it for a year. It has now been 27 years. When George retired in 2000, Andy became president.
This year, Andy LaFrazia was recognized with WSU Vancouver’s Notable Alumni Award. He is honored for extensive service with the Business Growth Mentor and Analysis Program.
A capstone course for students in the Carson College of Business, Business Growth MAP is a student consultancy that pairs student teams with small businesses and nonprofits to help them improve and grow. Volunteer mentors such as LaFrazia work with the student teams and their faculty supervisors. Besides mentoring for the past seven years, LaFrazia is a member of the Business Growth MAP Advisory Board and the Carson College of Business Advisory Board.