Engineering innovators honored with Hall of Fame induction

The Carl R. Ice College of Engineering at Kansas State University will induct two new members into its Hall of Fame at the Seaton Society Award Celebration on March 6.

Induction into the hall is the highest honor bestowed on its alumni by the college. Honorees are recognized for their professional success and accomplishment, involvement with and support of the College of Engineering, dedication to K-State, and professional and public service.

The following are members of the class of 2026:

Jim Coen

Coen, Wichita, retired in 2021 as executive vice president of MV Purchasing Inc., which provides a variety of midstream services for the petroleum industry, including crude oil aggregation, transportation, storage and quality management.

Coen began his career as an engineer with Exxon in the Permian Basin, where he performed reservoir and facilities design and construction for enhanced oil recovery projects. His next job took him to Wichita, where he worked for Koch Industries as a pipeline engineer before transitioning to crude oil marketing and trading. After 18 years serving in various leadership and management positions with Koch and other midstream petroleum companies, Coen left Koch to assist with the formation of MV Purchasing. The company has since grown from a small regional crude oil purchasing company to a significant midstream participant with assets and operations in seven states and annual revenues exceeding $5 billion.

Coen graduated with honors from K-State in 1982 with bachelor's degrees in both civil engineering and business management. He has served on the KSU Foundation's board of trustees and the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering advisory council. In addition to endowed scholarships for the colleges of Engineering and Education, Coen contributed to the construction of the Durland Hall expansion project and is a member of the Ahearn Fund National Leadership Circle. Even after retiring, he continues to serve on MV Purchasing's board of directors.

Coen's extended family was honored as K-State's Family of the Year in 2009. He and his wife, Ann, have three adult daughters – all K-State graduates – and eight grandchildren.

Kim Gerard

Gerard, Yuma, Arizona, is an engineer and entrepreneur with more than 40 years of work in the petroleum and electrical industries and four separate companies she helped found, including two she still runs today.

Gerard is the founder and CEO of 360 Electrical LLC, which develops and manufactures innovative electrical devices. As CEO, she continues to be involved in every aspect of the business. She is also the founder and president of Intelliglobe Inc., a consulting firm to the petroleum, carbon dioxide and methane gas industries. Additionally, she is a co-founder of Carbon Blue Energy LLC, a developer of innovative gas technology that reduces emissions, and of LB1 Elite Fitness, a gym committed to changing lives through fitness and nutrition.

Gerard earned a pair of bachelor's degrees from K-State, the first in engineering technology in 1982 and the second in civil engineering in 1984. She entered the petroleum industry with Conoco, then went on to be a partner and vice president of operations at Petro Source. After 20 years in the petroleum industry, she started 360 Electrical LLC, headquartered in Salt Lake City. 360 began with a patent for rotating electrical devices and expanded to a company innovating all types of consumer and jobsite power products.

Gerard has served on the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering advisory council and was named the college's Alumni Fellow in 2023. With a strong interest in health and fitness, she's a certified personal trainer, a certified nutrition technician through Balanced Habits, and a competitive bodybuilder, including a win as the Jr. National Overall Female Winner in 2014.