Obituary of Bruce A. Kirchhoff

Bruce A. Kirchhoff, PhD – 1937 -2011 Bruce A. Kirchhoff, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Technological Entrepreneurship Program at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in Newark, NJ, died Sunday, May 1, of congestive heart failure. He was 73. Born in Cleveland, OH, Dr. Kirchhoff began his academic career by earning a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Case Institute of Technology in 1959. He earned an MBA and PhD in Business Administration from the University of Utah in 1972 with majors in finance, economics, management and statistics. Prior to receiving his PhD, he spent seven years in sales and marketing, and served as area manager of international operations, at Envirotech Corporation. Among his credentials over the past 40 years include service as Chief Economist for the Small Business Administration and Assistant Director of the Minority Business Development Agency in the US Department of Commerce. Dr. Kirchhoff also served as faculty Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Public Policy at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and faculty Director of Research in Babson College’s Entrepreneurship Center in Wellesley, Mass. Dr. Kirchhoff joined NJIT in 1991. He also has served on the faculties of Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Jonkoping International Business School in Jonkoping, Sweden. In the United States, Dr. Kirchhoff has served on the faculties of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Purdue University, California Polytechnic State University and the University of Utah. Dr. Kirchhoff has published over 100 articles and papers on entrepreneurship, business startup and growth, technology business development, economic development and business strategy in a variety of academic journals, books, and trade media, as well as a book, Entrepreneurship and Dynamic Capitalism, The Economics of Business Firm Formation and Growth (Prager, 1994). He was recently cited by INC magazine as one of the 16 outstanding entrepreneurship researchers in the United States. His extensive consulting experience spans over 200 small businesses in the US , Europe, and Latin America, including service as an economic development consultant with U.S. AID in Peru and Guatemala, and with the U.S. Peace Corps in Moldova (former USSR). He has received six awards for excellence in small business consulting from the US Small Business Association. Over the years, he has drawn together his business experience and engineering background to co-found SCT, Inc. to manufacture computer-based theft deterrence systems for retail stores (1984), and Pathfinder Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of guidance systems for farm tractors (1979). More recent contributions include membership on the board of directors of Urovalve Inc., a manufacturer of medical devices for urinary tract conditions. Dr. Kirchhoff is survived by his wife, Judith, and children Darian Allan Kirchhoff, Vickie (Curt) Martin, Holly (David) Stichka, Amy (Mark) Weinheimer; stepchildren Garrett Lane, David (Julie) Johnson, Sandie (Paul) Garrett, Laurie (George) Moynihan and grandchildren/step-grandchildren Robert Blanford, Michael Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Emily Lane, Elliott Lane, Ben Weinheimer, Gwen Weinheimer, Johanna Moynihan, Emmett Moynihan, and two great grandchildren Kaiden Johnson and Keaton Johnson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ella Mae Calhoun and Marvin Edmund Kirchhoff, his stepfather, Louis Borzy, brother, Grant, and daughter Rebecca Kirchhoff. Visitation will be held at The Jacob Holle Funeral Home, 2122 Millburn Avenue, Maplewood on Wednesday, May 4, from 7:00 – to 9:00 p.m. and Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Services on Friday are private, but guests are encouraged to visit the family on Friday after 12:00 p.m. at the family home . In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Rebecca Allyn Kirchhoff Memorial Scholarship Fund at NJIT. Checks should be made payable to The Foundation at NJIT and mailed to NJIT, University Advancement, 323 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102, Attention Colleen Vandervort.