Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award

Michael A. Giffhorn, Bus Ad ’80, Grad ’81
New Berlin, Wis.

Now retired after thirty years at the helm of his own company, Michael Giffhorn is using his entrepreneurial expertise to aid Milwaukee-area start-ups and nonprofit organizations. “My post-retirement years have been some of the most rewarding years of my life,” says Mike, former president of Cubic Designs, a steel fabrication company.

His current business ventures include partnership in F45 Milwaukee Lakefront, a fitness business, which Mike describes as “full of youthful energy,” and The Colors of English, an innovative language arts program that is “making a difference in young learners’ lives.”

He’s making a difference in other ways too. Mike serves as the Milwaukee chair for Marquette’s Time to Rise Campaign Executive Committee and along with his wife, Lynn, is a member of the President’s Advisory Council. He also serves on the boards of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School and Notre Dame School of Milwaukee. “It has been tremendously rewarding and very humbling to see the work being done in our schools,” he says, “especially those that serve the neediest students and families in our community.”

The decision to attend Marquette was an easy one for Mike; his parents met on campus as students in 1949 and all five of their children followed in their footsteps. “We now total 15 MU grads in the Giffhorn tree,” Mike says, “and I’m guessing the next wave of youngsters will bring a few more.”

The Golden Eagles basketball victory in 1977 — Mike’s freshman year — is one of his top Marquette memories. But he says he’s had many more meaningful moments since then as multiple generations of his family “follow all things Marquette” together. “It continues to inspire me and bring profound happiness,” he says.

Fun Facts:

Name someone (past or present) with whom you’d like to have dinner:
George Washington

Name a Marquette Faculty Member who had an impact on you:
“Fr. Ron Bieganowski. He was a great friend and mentor during my Marquette journey. College life is full of ups and downs, and it was meaningful to me to have someone of his stature to help me think and talk things through.”

Leave a congratulatory message for Mike!