It took 10 years, but Georgia State University's business school landed a big name in the marketing world.

Dr. V. Kumar, considered one of the nation's top five marketing scholars, is joining GSU's J. Mack Robinson College of Business. He will be the inaugural recipient of the Richard and Susan Lenny Distinguished Chair in Marketing.

Kumar also will serve as executive director of the new Center for Excellence in Brand and Customer Management. That center will continue Kumar's consulting work with Fortune 500 companies.

"I help companies make more money," Kumar said this week. He has just published a book called "Managing Customers for Profit: Strategies to Increase Profits and Build Loyalty."

For the past seven years, Kumar has been at the University of Connecticut, holding the ING Chair for Financial Services. He is bringing seven of his team members, including four doctoral students, with him to GSU. Also, his longtime associate, Denish Shah, will serve as assistant director of the new center.

"We worked for a long time to get him," said H. Fenwick Huss, GSU's business dean. In fact, Kumar said he's been recruited by the past three GSU deans. The $1 million endowed chair by Lenny, the former chairman and CEO of Hershey Co., helped seal the deal.

Kumar's theories are based on a concept of "customer lifetime value" —- figuring out how companies can market to customers according to their life cycle and building loyalty by trying to make customers more profitable rather than just trying to sell them more products.

These theories have been well received in the marketing world and among major companies. Kumar and his team will make six presentations at this weekend's American Marketing Association convention in San Diego based on different case studies.

Kumar, originally from Chennai, India, has received two AMA lifetime achievement awards —- and he's only 50 years old.

"I'm very fortunate to have found this path," Kumar said. "I'm very committed to this."

Executive takes on a new frontier

It's a reinvention for Guy Mannino, formerly the president and CEO of Pirelli Tire North America, based in Rome.

Mannino decided to get into the electric vehicle business. On Saturday in Augusta, Mannino will open the state's first retail dealership for ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) electric cars. The dealership —- GoGreenZEV —- is owned and operated by John Cooper.

Mannino also plans to open two metro Atlanta dealerships —- one in Decatur and the other in Midtown near Georgia Tech.

"ZAP is special when you look at the product range and the availability," said Mannino, who is CEO of Verdek and Verdek-EV, the exclusive distributor of ZAP vehicles in Georgia. "All of our products are available now."

ZAP builds primarily three-wheeled electric cars and pickup trucks. But it also sells electric scooters and mobility (think Segway) vehicles.

"There's a need for alternatives," Mannino said recently. "We are stuck with these spiraling price increases for oil. Something needs to be done."

Mannino said the ZAP car costs about 2 cents a mile to drive. Its extended package can go as far as 45 miles per charge and costs $15,000.

Mannino, a native of Sicily, also has the rights to distribute ZAP vehicles in Europe.

"Right now, I think the business and the opportunity is here in the United States," Mannino said. "Corporate America is in a squeeze trying to save money, and they need to take a look at all their fleets."

Mannino decided in October to leave Pirelli, where he had worked since 1982. The company tripled North American sales between 2001 and 2006, the time Mannino was president.

He left because he wanted to do something that would help the environment and promote alternative energy. He found out about ZAP, based in San Diego, by doing research on the Internet.

"It was a midlife change," said Mannino, 51. "It was the right time for me to take my chances."

Three join board of Cancer Coalition

The Georgia Cancer Coalition has added three high-powered trustees to its board —- Frank Barron of Rome, Philip Wilheit Sr. of Gainesville and Douglas Ivester of Atlanta.

Barron retired as vice president of Rome Coca-Cola Bottling Co. He serves on the boards of the Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, the Carter Center and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, among other organizations.

Wilheit is president and managing partner of Wilheit Packaging. He is a past chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and serves on the boards of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Commission for a New Georgia.

Ivester is president of Deer Run Investments. He is a retired CEO of Coca-Cola Co. and serves on the boards of SunTrust, S1 Corp., Emory University, Brenau University and the Woodruff Arts Center. He also is chairman of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

The Georgia Cancer Coalition, led by William J. Todd, leads the state's cancer initiative through public-private partnerships.

And, finally, a personal note

After 27 wonderful years reporting (and columnizing) on our community, I've decided to leave The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The AJC's voluntary separation offer was just too good to pass up. My last day will be Aug. 30.

Thanks to the AJC, since 1981 I have had a front-row seat witnessing the evolution of Atlanta as a city on the world stage and getting to know the players behind the growth of our region. I will be forever indebted to the AJC for giving me that opportunity.

It's premature to tell you what my next step will be. But let me reassure you that the AJC remains committed to strong business coverage, both in print and online. I will be a loyal reader because I strongly believe that a daily metro news organization is crucial to our civic health.

msaporta@ajc.com