February 14, 2002

William R. Sautter to Receive Leadership Award from His Alma Mater, La Salle University

"I was shocked and thought they had made a mistake!" said William R. Sautter, CPA, President and CEO of Elliott-Lewis Corporation, when told that his alma mater, La Salle University, was honoring him. "Why me is still an amazement!" He will receive the 10th Annual La Salle University Leadership Award at The Union League on March 23rd at the school's Charter Dinner, a fundraiser that provides financial aid to La Salle students.

The award honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in corporate, civic, governmental, or religious affairs, regardless for whether they attended the university, according to Gregory J. D'Angelo, La Salle's Director of Planned Giving. "Bill is being recognized for his leadership in the workplace and his active involvement with the University on an advisory and voluntary basis. He has kept close ties with La Salle," said D'Angelo.

Sautter, who graduated with an accounting degree in 1971, has served on La Salle's Council of President's Associates and is a member of the School of Business Administration's Advisory Board. A Philadelphia native, he was graduated from Father Judge High School and has received its Outstanding Graduate Award. After serving in the U.S. Army, his first job was at Univac, which at that time was a large computing firm in the Blue Bell, PA area. While working there, Sautter attended La Salle's evening division.

"It was great to be on campus," Sautter said. "I went from 5:30 to 10 o'clock for two or three nights a week plus Saturdays," he remembers. "I had close relationships with my teachers because I understood that I needed a degree to advance my career, and my teachers were already working in the field that I was trying to get an education for," he said. "(Accounting professors) Joseph Markmann, Walt Kaiser, and Mike DeAngelis were great mentors."

Under Sautter's direction, Elliott-Lewis has become a leading heating, ventilating and airconditioning facilities management company, with divisions in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Florida. It provides support to such diverse organizations as the Philadelphia Convention Center and the Philadelphia International Airport. Sautter Honored by La Salle. In 1987, Sautter expanded Elliott-Lewis into the construction industry with the formation of Sautter Crane Rental, a division supporting construction sites throughout the Delaware Valley. In 1998, Elliott-Lewis was acquired by FirstEnergy Corporation, a Northeast Ohio company that is the fourth largest investor-owned utility in America

Sautter also serves on the Board of Directors of Independence Blue Cross, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Mechanical Contractors Association of Eastern Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He resides in Huntington Valley with his wife Claire. They have two daughters, Maureen and Michelle, and one granddaughter, Allison.