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American Magazine, July 2015

This issue, meet Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan, learn about Kogod’s startup incubator, explore the Smithsonian’s new American Enterprise exhibit, hop on the Metro to Navy Yard—Ballpark, and get to know some of AU’s 1,200 Atlanta transplants. Also in the August issue: footwear on campus, 12 Eagles to follow on Twitter, and a new quiz with a tasty prize.

This issue, meet Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan, learn about Kogod’s startup incubator, explore the Smithsonian’s new American Enterprise exhibit, hop on the Metro to Navy Yard—Ballpark, and get to know some of AU’s 1,200 Atlanta transplants. Also in the August issue: footwear on campus, 12 Eagles to follow on Twitter, and a new quiz with a tasty prize.

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teamwork<br />

POWER PLAYERS<br />

Asher Raphael, SPA/BA ’02 + Corey Schiller, CAS/BA ’03<br />

PHOTO BY AMANDA STEVENSON LUPKE<br />

When Schiller visited AU on a recruiting trip, he was hosted by Raphael—and the two have been VIRTUALLY INSEPARABLE<br />

ever since. Today, the former Eagles soccer players are majority owners and co-CEOs of Power Home Remodeling Group, a rapidly<br />

growing company headquartered in Chester, Pennsylvania. There’s no way this pair—Schiller was a history major, Raphael earned a<br />

political science degree—COULD HAVE FORESEEN A FUTURE IN THE BUSINESS WORLD. “I was set on law school,”<br />

Raphael, 35, says. “My brother had just started with a small remodeling company based in Philadelphia. Corey and I were best friends,<br />

so I reached out to him. WE HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE LONG-TERM. We were killing time for a<br />

year until we went back to school.” They started at what was then Power Windows and Siding, which had fewer than 50 employees and<br />

about $8 million in revenue, as entry-level sales reps. As they rose through the ranks, it became clear that THEY HAD A VISION<br />

for the company and the skills to execute it. In 2006, Schiller was named chief marketing officer, and three years later Raphael became<br />

chief strategy officer. In 2011, they became part owners, and two years later THEY TOOK OVER A MAJORITY STAKE.<br />

“Practically, it works great,” Schiller, 33, says. “We’ll have disagreements, but the most important things—what our values are and the<br />

mission that we’re on—aren’t in question.” With 1,400 employees in 10 offices around the country, Power will FLIRT WITH $400<br />

MILLION IN REVENUE this year and has “a clear path to $1 billion,” Raphael says. “We started doing the right things, not because<br />

someone asked us to or we were required to, but because we wanted to make this company great.” THEY’VE SUCCEEDED.<br />

AMERICAN.EDU/ALUMNI 41

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