GAINESVILLE, FL: Bob Alligood, President and CEO of Ice House America, delivered the Gregory Lecture entitled “Sliderules and Attitudes,” on Tuesday, December 6, to College of Engineering students. In addition to recollecting a number of impressionable times in his career, including moving to Florida in high school which inspired him to attend college (after a three year stint in the Army), working for Dean Joseph Weil, spending time in student government and the state legislature, and leading a major design-build firm that had to increase business in the Middle East in the 1970s in order to keep people working, he shared bits of wisdom to help the students guide them through their careers.
Ice House America is a leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of ice vending and storage machines. Previously, Mr. Alligood has held a variety of positions in land development, including Founder and Owner of HH & A Construction, Inc., President and CEO of Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Architects, Engineers and Planners Inc., President of RS & H International, Inc., and Vice President of Watson and Company, Architects and Engineers. He graduated with honors from the University of Florida in 1960 with a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering, where he was very active in student government, including being elected as Vice President of the Student Body. The lecture series is named in honor of UF Engineering graduate Harbert Gregory who generously donated to the sales engineering program which is managed by the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.