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2002-12-06 - Pros & Cons of Starting a
Speakers at this event included:
Mark Ozer, Former Professional Tennis Player and Founder of Global Sport
Connexion
Mark is a 1986 graduate of Princeton, where he was also co-captain of the
tennis team. After college, Mark competed on the ATP Tour achieving a
ranking among the Top 150 tennis players in the world and, in his spare
time, picked up an MBA from Kellog in Marketing and Finance. Mark founded
Global Sports Connexion with the goal of helping athletes find their best
opportunities worldwide, including placing tennis players at tournaments
around the world and helping athletes receive scholarships from American
universities. Global Sports also manages and runs junior tennis camps in
both America and in Europe.
Mark will discuss some of the traps to avoid in starting a "for profit"
company and provide his thoughts on how he was able to exploit a very
specific market niche.
E. John Rice, Jr., Founder and President of Management Leadership for
Tomorrow
John is an honors graduate of Yale University, has an MBA from Harvard
Business School and is a board member of the National Society of Social
Entrepreneurs. Prior to founding Management Leadership for Tomorrow
("MLT"), John worked for 10 years in marketing, new business development and
general management for the NBA, Walt Disney and AT&T. In 1992, while still
a student at Harvard Business School, John found that application rates and
enrollment at major MBA programs among students of color were stagnant. He
realized the need for an initiative to support minority advancement to MBA
schools and leadership positions in business and the community. MLT was
launched in 1994 with seed grants from Citibank, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley,
HSB Group and in-kind support from Harvard. MLT's mission is to increase
the presence of qualified students of color in leading entry-level careers
and major graduate business schools as preparation for leadership positions
in corporations, non-profit organizations and entrepreneurial ventures.
Most recently, MLT launched 4XL - For Excellence in LeadershipSM - A Kevin
Garnett Foundation.
John will discuss some of the pitfalls of starting and managing a "not for
profit" entity and will provide his thoughts on raising money for such
entities in a down economy.
* * *
If there is time and interest, we will open the floor for an "Open Mike",
where two or three attendees may share something with the audience. If you
are interested in presenting, please let me know ASAP. We need to limit
this part of the evening so 1st come, 1st served.
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