Indiana State University Newsroom

A former collegiate football standout and a trio known for selling humorous holiday apparel received the Indiana State University Alumni Association's Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award this year.

The 2012 GOLD Award recipients are Chris Pillow, along with Brian Miller, Adam Paulson and Kevin Wool, who are known by the moniker Team Ugly. They received the awards during a ceremony Jan. 20 at ISU.

Pillow, who graduated from ISU in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in marketing, is regional sales manager for Pillow Logistics, where he works to increase visibility and sales in the Midwest. He also has worked for UniFirst Corp. and Yellow Book USA in Chicago. He also tutors children in mathematics and English.

He currently is a board member of ISU's African-American Alumni Council, which strives to engage alumni in university life and provide financial support to council initiatives and mentoring and networking opportunities. While a student at ISU, he was a wide receiver for the Sycamores football team.

Miller, Wool and Paulson have created headlines and laughs by starting UglyChristmasSweaterParty.com, which sells vintage - and humorous - holiday apparel. Last fall, they also released a book, "The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book," which hit bookstores across the country. They've done a variety of interviews and media appearances, including on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The CBS Morning Show" and "Fox and Friends."

Miller graduated from ISU in 2004 with a degree in communication. He also works as an affiliate sales manager for Cars.com, and in 2009 was named Cars.com Sales Manager of the Year. He has held multiple positions with the organization.

Wool, a 2004 ISU graduate with a bachelor's degree in recreation and sports management, is a permit writer and certified safety specialist for BP in Whiting. He previously worked as program director for the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana and recreation supervisor for the Town of Highland.

Paulson graduated from ISU in 2005 with a double major in finance and marketing, and is a senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch and Co. From 2005 to 2009, he served as a member of an advisory team that managed more than $350 million in assets with more than 500 clients. Since 2008, he has been a member of the Young Professionals Board in the Scott College of Business at ISU.

Miller, Wool and Paulson became friends while attending ISU. They were members of Sigma Phi Epsilon, and they currently live in Northwest Indiana. They first operated UglyChristmasSweaterParty.com out of their homes, but because of increasing sales and demand, they now have more than 14,000 sweaters at a warehouse in Crown Point.

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Events/GOLD-Awards-2012/i-Kn2c2mj/0/L/012011GOLDawards-7635-L.jpg (ISU/Tony Campbell)
The GOLD Awards ceremony on Jan. 20

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Events/GOLD-Awards-2012/i-z2d6B7N/0/L/012011GOLDawards-7560-L.jpg (ISU/Tony Campbell)
GOLD Award recipient Chris Pillow

Photo: http://isuphoto.smugmug.com/Events/GOLD-Awards-2012/i-WrHrf78/0/L/012011GOLDawards-7454-L.jpg (ISU/Tony Campbell)
GOLD Award recipients Brian Miller, Kevin Wool and Adam Paulson

Contact: Jennifer Lewellyn, associate director, Alumni Association, Indiana State University, 812-514-8459 or jlewellyn@indstatefoundation.org.