Lighting Up Her Career

Mount Mercy University helped foster the confidence Alice Vontalge ’90 has used throughout her 25+ year career at Crescent Electric Supply Company.

“It felt right when I got on campus,” Alice shared about her first tour at Mount Mercy. After visiting many schools, Alice knew that Mount Mercy was the one when she stepped foot on campus. Along with her gut feeling, she was drawn to Mount Mercy’s small size, professors, and financial aid package.

When Alice started at Mount Mercy, she was sure she wanted to double major in Accounting and Administrative Management. During her time on the Hill, her professors helped her work toward her goals.

Professors took time to share their experience with public accounting and how they and others used their accounting degrees. Professors Steve Gilmour and Rob Rittenhouse made a particular impact on Alice’s time at Mount Mercy. She continued to keep in touch with them after graduation and into her professional career.

As an accounting work study student, Alice was able to get to know professors and students within the accounting department even more. She put her own skills into practice by tutoring other students and helping correct tests.

“A lot of the classes that I took my senior year were like I was studying for the CPA exam,” said Alice. She was so prepared by her professors that she passed the CPA exam on her first try during her senior year.

In her first job outside of Mount Mercy at McGladrey & Pullen, she audited a variety of industries. This gave her a chance to get to know different companies. Eventually, she went to work for one of her clients, Crescent Electric Supply Company, where she still works more than 25 years later.

Crescent Electric is one of the top 10 wholesale electric distributors in the United States. It is a family owned company with 140 locations that has been in business for more than 100 years.

Alice started at the company as a Controller and has had many roles throughout her time there. She was Vice President of Finance, Vice President Chief Strategy Officer, Senior Vice President of Business Process Improvement, and she is now the Senior Vice President Corporate Secretary/Enterprise Risk Management.

Building her career within a company has allowed Alice to create strong connections and build a large knowledge base. In her role at Crescent Electric, she has been involved in many company acquisitions. When these occur, it is her job to get fully immersed in the company to help answer questions and ensure the transition goes smoothly. Mount Mercy helped Alice build skills she uses at work every day.  

“Through Mount Mercy I was exposed to a lot of different things,” said Alice. In addition to her academics, Alice was involved in a business club on campus. Leadership roles on campus helped prepare her for leadership roles in the workplace. Those experiences helped her get used to working as part of a team.

“Any of those activities that you can get involved with while you’re in college,” said Alice, “those team projects—that’s what you’re going to be doing when you get out in the real world.”

The Sisters of Mercy also remain in the back of Alice’s mind from her time at Mount Mercy. She continues to look for opportunities to give back to her community, serving on the board of Stonehill Communities for many years and acting as Chair of the Finance Committee. She finds opportunities to give back at her church through organizing service trips and participating in other activities.

Alice is also able to serve her community through her career. She is the head of Crescent Electric’s Charitable Foundation. Crescent Electric offers employees paid volunteer time, and last year gave a matching gift of $100 per hour to the organizations that its employees volunteered at. Crescent Electric’s senior executive team prioritizes finding ways to help the community, such as supporting the Crescent Community Health Center which was founded by the Crescent Electric shareholders.

Alice is an active member in Mount Mercy’s alumni community. She served on the Alumni Board for 15 years.

“Getting involved with the alumni board gave me an opportunity to get back on campus,” she shared. Alice visits campus to meet with alumni, professors, and current students a few times a year. Alice received the Certificate of Merit Alumni Award in 1997.

Alice enjoys helping current students find the same confidence she discovered during her time at Mount Mercy. Alice was able to secure an internship for a student she mentored that eventually led to a full-time job. She recognizes the importance internships have for students trying to decide on their future career.

“Being able to take an internship while I was at Mount Mercy helped get me ready for that business world,” Alice said. “I would encourage anybody to get an internship to get an idea of what the business world is really like.”

Alice discovered encouragement, confidence, and the importance of service during her time at Mount Mercy. Now as an alum, Alice is able to utilize her skills to benefit her career and her community. Through her service, she is able to help the next generation of Mustangs enter the workforce with the same confidence she gained during her time on the Hill.