Alumni News

Making Big noise in the World of Small Business

Inspired by community-based events such as Small Business Saturday, the Alumni & Development Office came up with a plan to catalog and promote small businesses owned by Frederick Gunn School alumni. Businesses will be listed on the school website at gogunn.org, and members of the FGS community are encouraged to support them. In this issue of the Bulletin, we are pleased to introduce two alumnae who are making big strides in the world of small business. If you are interested in having your small business listed, contact Jessica Baker, Director of Engagement & Operations, at bakerj@frederickgunn.org.

Hitting all the Right Levels Bevin Mehrbach ’03

Growing up on The Frederick Gunn School campus gave Bevin (Titcomb) Mehrbach ’03 a unique vantage point on what would become her alma mater. “It blew my mind that I could go to the dining hall every day,” Mehrbach fondly recalled. “I felt like I had early access to everything that was cool. It was the early 90s and I remember kids on the Quad having their windows open blasting Dave Matthews Band.”

She also had the benefit of interacting with the students on campus as a faculty child living in Gunn Dorm. Still holding true today, Mehrbach remembers that students on campus would look out for the faculty children, keeping an eye on the youngest members of the community.

Mehrbach identified as an artsy student and took advantage of every opportunity to be exposed to the arts. She was in the spring musical, “Pippin,” danced with Pilobolus, and enrolled in the Opera Appreciation class, which took her into New York City to see an opera at the Met.

After graduating from The Frederick Gunn School, Mehrbach attended Eastern Connecticut State University, where she studied communications. She then moved to Chicago with her now-husband, Zach, and went to graduate school, earning a master’s degree in social work from Loyola University Chicago, and a master’s in child development from Erikson Institute. Mehrbach then worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in various schools in the Chicagoland area for a few years.

In 2011, while Mehrbach’s husband was in graduate school at Columbia College Chicago, he started modifying existing headphones out of their apartment. Mehrbach was focused on her day job at the time and wasn’t paying too much attention to what was going on with the headphones. She always gave her husband advice on the business, but about two to three years ago, she came on board to work with her husband full time. ZMF Headphones, their company, has become a respected name in hi-fi headphones.

“The Gunnery really set me up to understand business in a lot of ways,” reflected Mehrbach. “I was exposed to culture in a lot of ways and I feel like I got a lot out of having friends from places like Russia and Hong Kong. The most important thing I learned is that people are people and you always approach everyone kindly and congenially.” What started as a hobby in their apartment is now a business that employs eight people in a 3,000-square-foot space in Illinois and reaches music lovers all over the world. The couple worked with an engineer several years ago and came Bevin Mehrbach ’03 and her ZMF headphones up with their own proprietary parts to manufacture their headphones. The cups are milled in St. Louis and hand sanded and finished in Illinois, where the electronic components are installed, and the finished product is put through quality assurance to make sure they are hitting all the right levels. Mehrbach works on daily operations and management for the company. “It’s wild to think that we’re these people, doing this thing at this little place in Illinois,” said Mehrbach. “And there’s someone that knows about what we’re doing in Latvia! Being connected to people in other countries and having our product appreciated is very fulfilling.” Fun Fact: Bevin and Zach were married in Bourne Garden in 2013. Check out ZMF Headphones on Instagram @zmfheadphones and visit their website at zmfheadphones.com.

customized Kicks Ashley Beach ’05

Ashley Beach ’05 has always been an artist and has been drawn to art her entire life. She comes from a family of artistic talent, including her mother, aunt and cousin, who she says are all “amazing artists.” As a student at The Frederick Gunn School, Beach took art classes and worked on a group painting that was displayed in the library.

“I found my passion for painting at school,” recalled Beach. “I realized I could create some pretty cool pieces. If I had to describe my style I would say I started out pretty abstract and my style of painting now is kind of like tattoo artwork.”

After graduating from The Frederick Gunn School, Beach attended Ursinus College and received a degree in psychology. She worked in sales for a few years but wasn’t happy. In 2016, she decided to go to cosmetology school to pursue something she really enjoyed. “For all the proms I would do everyone’s hair and makeup,” said Beach. “I was always interested in it and I was decent at it. It was something creative I was interested in and I thought I would like doing it.”

For the last five years, Beach has been a barber. When she was in cosmetology school, she attended a career fair and met a woman who owned her own barbershop. Beach was drawn to that career path, despite the fact that it was a male-dominated industry, and decided to pursue it. “I love talking to people and meeting new Ashley Beach ’05 with some of her Beachy Cakes designs, including the custom kicks she made for Bevin Mehrback ’03, above.

people, which is what I really like about my job,” she said. “I like helping people be better versions of themselves through the way they look.” When she’s not working as a barber, Beach paints anything she can and she started painting shoes about 10 years ago. “I bought myself a pair of high-top Chuck Taylors in white,” said Beach. “I had no intention of painting them, but I put them on and hated that they were so white. I was inspired to paint them and see what happened.”

People started noticing her shoes and asked her to paint a pair for them. She works on custom commissioned pieces, which people order through her Instagram account @beachycakescustoms, or through her Etsy shop. Beach goes by the name Beachycakes Customs, which is a nickname she got at The Frederick Gunn School from Lisa Zambero ’05.

Beach says that the requests for her commissioned pieces have skyrocketed in the past year with people supporting more local businesses. She has been grateful for that support. She recently made a pair of custom sneakers for Bevin Mehrbach ’03 to promote her business, ZMF Headphones.

If you’re interested in a custom pair of sneakers or other artwork, contact Beach on Instagram at @beachycakescustoms or at etsy.com/shop/beachycakescustoms.

The Frederick Gunn School’s Alumni Mentoring & Networking program was launched in 2018 and is a platform providing access to Gunn alumni who have volunteered their time to connect with Frederick Gunn School graduates on a professional level.

Our 100-plus mentors are connected in industries ranging from, but not limited to, education, finance, real estate, entrepreneurship and technology — and they are available for résumé reviews, cover letter critiques, conducting mock interviews, and discussing potential career paths.

The network was founded by Andrew Powers ’11, Wyatt Clark ’13 and Hilary Benjamin ’08 and through expansion the leadership team has grown to include Connor Dahlman ’16. We asked them to share some of their best networking tips. Here’s what they had to say:

Andrew Powers ’11

“When looking into a potential new job, you are better served taking a focused approach. I always suggest finding a company of interest, seeking out people who work there (via LinkedIn or email) to discuss their experience/the role you are looking into, incorporating what you learn into cover letters and interviews. Instead of spreading yourself thin by applying to a ton of places, give yourself a better shot of getting jobs you really have an interest in. Whenever you are looking for people to reach out to at a company of interest, try to find commonalities (education, where they grew up, hobbies, etc.) and call those out in your initial email. People are much more willing to take a call with someone they have some connection to!”

Hilary Benjamin ’08

“I have been developing a ‘board of trustees’ in my professional life — which is the collective group of individuals I turn to for career advice. That said, it is important to continue to engage with the board on an ongoing basis — rather than leaning on the network exclusively when guidance is needed.

“If someone has referred you for a career opportunity, it is very important to keep them updated on the status of the job prospect. If they are willing to put you in touch with a contact from their professional network, they are presumably rooting for your success, and they are entitled to knowing the outcome. Don’t go dark on them.”

Wyatt Clark ’13

“Whether you’re looking for a job or networking, people generally want to help, but you have to make it easy for them. If you’re reaching out to connect, suggest meeting times (I try to give three open time windows) and you should be the one sending them the calendar invitation. If you don’t make it easy for them, it’s easy for them to find a reason not to help.”

If you’re interested in becoming a mentor or you’re looking for some guidance, please fill out the appropriate form at bit.ly/HighlandersConnect. If you have any questions about the program or how to get involved, please contact Jess Baker at bakerj@frederickgunn.org.

Highlander Happy Hours Keep Alumni Connected

The past year looked quite different for the typical alumni get-togethers hosted by the Alumni & Development Office. Throughout the winter, small groups connected via Zoom for Highlander Happy Hours, a series of fun, informal, virtual gatherings. The first event in the series was hosted

by beloved faculty members Ed and Peg Small on December 3 and had a great turnout. The Alumni Mentoring & Networking Team hosted another successful event on December 17, and more than 20 alumni from the Classes

of 2015 and 2016 joined the Happy Hour for those classes on January 7.

Additional events in the series were

hosted by Jeff Trundy, Science Department faculty and the David N. Hoadley ’51 Baseball Coach, and Alisa Croft, Math Department Head and Faculty Ambassador (January 21); Kori Rimany ’14 of the English Department faculty, who led a Highlander Cookie Decorating Hour (February 4); and Kate DeForge ’03 and Jamie Goldsmith, Head Coach, Girls Varsity Ice Hockey (March 11). In the spring, Zoom Reunions were held for the Classes of ’80 and ’81 (40th reunion), Class of ’61 (60th reunion), Classes of ’00 and ’01 (20th reunion), Class of ’96 (25th reunion), Class of ’71 (50th reunion) and Class of ’91 (30th reunion). Local alumni were also invited to return to campus for Alumni Weekend on June 12. Look for

photos and additional information in the fall Bulletin and be sure to check

the website for details about upcoming events at frederickgunn.org/alumni/alumni-events.

Above: Andrew Powers ‘11, Hilary Benjamin ‘08, Wyatt Clark ‘13 and Connor Dahlman ‘16 of the Alumni Mentoring & Networking program hosted Happy Hour on December 17, 2020. Below: Kori Rimany ‘14 in her kitchen during the cookie decorating “happy hour”

Above: Peg and Ed Small, top left, hosted the first Highlander Happy Hour on December 3, 2020.

Above: Nearly two dozen Highlanders from the Class of 2015 and Class of 2016 celebrated Happy Hour together in January.