UW College of Business Honors Distinguished Alumni

July 14, 2003 -- The University of Wyoming College of Business is presenting Distinguished Alumni awards to Dennis A. Welsch of Greenwood Village, Colo., and Patrick C. Rile of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Welsch, a 1980 UW graduate in accounting, is the regional general manager of the Colorado and New Mexico divisions of KB Homes. Rile, a 1964 UW graduate in business administration, is the senior vice president of Wachovia Securities, Inc.

Welsch, who joined KB Homes in 1993, is responsible for land acquisition and development, construction, purchasing, customer service, sales and marketing. The company is one of the largest home builders in Colorado. Before that, he worked for California-based A-M Homes for more than six years as vice president and treasurer. Welsch worked as a certified public accountant at an international accounting firm before entering the home building industry.

He is active in the Denver community, is involved in several associations and serves on the UW College of Business Advisory Council. He was born in Scottsbluff, Neb., and raised in Torrington. Welsch was president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at UW and was active in the Pepster Club. He and his wife, Caroline, have two sons.

Rile began his career in the securities industry with the RBC Dain Bauscher firm. Between 1964-1991, his career progressed from an investment executive position in Casper to executive vice president-retail sales and marketing in Minneapolis. In 1991, Rile joined Wachovia Securities as senior vice president/resident manager.

He is active in several business and civic organizations in Scottsdale and is a member of the UW Foundation Board and the College of Business Advisory Council. He also is a lifetime member of the UW Alumni Association.

Rile was born in Fort Collins and raised in Cheyenne. He and his wife, Kathi, have two sons and a daughter and seven grandchildren.

Posted on Monday, July 14, 2003