Krannert analytics center launched with $5 million gift

John Krenicki Jr. (MSM ’91) and his wife, Donna, enjoy longstanding ties with Purdue — a close relationship that only grew stronger through their $5 million gift to the Krannert School of Management’s business analytics center.

In recognition of their generosity, the University has renamed the Business and Information Analytics Center as the John and Donna Krenicki Center for Business Analytics and Machine Learning.

The Krenicki Center’s initiatives include research, student-led consulting projects, conferences and competitions. The Krenickis’ gift also will help leverage additional corporate support for the center’s consulting services, eventually providing a $10 million initiative.

“We team faculty and graduate students from science, engineering, agriculture and management to utilize business data analytics to solve deep, specialized problems,” says Karthik Kannan, the Thomas J. Howatt Chair in Management and center director. “We are grateful to John and Donna for their support of the center, and we look forward to continuing our work in this important area.”

The Krenicki Center is expanding rapidly to assist a broad range of companies. It has already supplied answers to problems in manufacturing, health care and telecommunications. “All areas of Krannert have a strong interest in data-centric work. Data is a strategic asset in any organization,” says David Hummels, the Dr. Samuel R. Allen Dean of the Krannert School. “Those with significant investments in acquiring, managing and analyzing data to enhance decision-making hold a competitive advantage.”

Linking employer-employee

The Krenicki Center plays a pivotal role in giving companies that edge while also providing a pipeline of future talent.

John Krenicki is a senior operating partner with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a private equity investment firm. Donna Krenicki is a trustee of the Berkshire Museum in Massachusetts and a member of the UConn School of Fine Arts advisory board.

“This investment plays to Purdue’s strengths as a premier data-driven business school and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) research institute,” John says. “We are proud of the Purdue team and excited about the center’s future.” The John and Donna Krenicki Center for Business Analytics and Machine Learning is a partner with the University’s Integrated Data Science Initiative.