David Pritchard ’83

David ’83 and Robin Pritchard are driven by a strong sense of family and loyalty, which led them to their desire to establish a scholarship at Fisher.

Since earning his management degree from Fisher, David has built a career and a reputation for strong leadership, rising through the ranks in both the automotive and medical device industries before joining Gorbel, Inc. in 2015 as vice president of operations. The company, which manufactures cranes, jibs, hoists, and intelligent lifting devices, named Pritchard president and COO in October 2019. He credits his foundational education at Fisher for his success.

In 2019, the Pritchards added another Fisher graduate to their family when their daughter, Nicole, earned her teaching degree. “Though we traveled different paths at Fisher, decades apart, we both enjoyed extraordinary experiences,” says David. “And we have benefited greatly from our Fisher educations.”

David and Robin wanted to honor their family’s Fisher legacy by making experiences like theirs available to others. They decided to establish a scholarship that will benefit students in both the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education and the School of Business. They chose to name it the Pritchard Family Scholarship in honor of their parents. Both David and Robin’s parents enjoyed successful business careers and were great educators in each family passing down strong values. While both fathers have passed away, the couple wanted their mothers to see the impact of the scholarship as a thank you for the gifts they have given to each of them.

With employees in New York, Alabama, Arizona, and China, David has focused on shepherding Gorbel® safely through the pandemic, while also working with other leaders in the company through the recent acquisition of Engineered Lifting Systems & Equipment, Inc., based in Canada. Additionally, Gorbel® is on its way to creating 60 new jobs in the Rochester region by the end of this year as part of an expansion plan linked to the acquisition. However, he and Robin did not want to lose sight of establishing their scholarship, knowing that student support is now more important than ever. The result is that the Pritchard Family Scholarship already started supporting Fisher students in fall 2020.

“We hoped we could start immediately helping students, and we wanted our mothers to be able to meet this year’s recipients,” says David. “Unfortunately, Robin’s mother passed away in early August, but we were able to tell her about the scholarship. She was very moved, and we are glad we were able to share this with her.”

Through this scholarship, the Pritchards are building on their Fisher family legacy.