Aftermarket veteran and industry leader Rick Guirlinger will give the commencement address at Northwood University’s Spring Commencement.
The ceremony will take place May 11 at Riepma Arena inside the Bennett Sports Complex on the Midland, Michigan, campus. Approximately 580 undergrad students are expected to graduate at the Spring Commencement.
Guirlinger is a trustee of Northwood University, and is chairman of the Northwood University Aftermarket Management Board. A partner at Schwartz Advisors and a sought-after industry speaker and lecturer, he has been a teacher at Northwood, specifically for the University of the Aftermarket, since 2012. He specializes in financial management and industry analytics.
Following his early career with a national CPA firm, Guirlinger began his involvement in the aftermarket as the controller/treasurer at a Parts Plus automotive warehouse distributor and auto parts store company in Michigan in 1977. Shortly thereafter, the distributor became a CARQUEST Auto Parts member.
After the organization was acquired by General Parts/CARQUEST (GPI) in the mid-1980s, Guirlinger worked for GPI in a variety of senior management positions, including treasurer, corporate controller, vice president of strategic planning and analysis and CFO. He retired from GPI at the end of 2011 and formed his own business advisory services company called Bourke Services LLC. In addition, as a partner with Schwartz Advisors, he serves as a financial analyst resource and sell-side/buy-side adviser to aftermarket enterprises.
Guirlinger earned his BBA from Western Michigan University and in 2001, he earned his Masters of Business Administration from the DeVos Graduate School of Management at Northwood University.
