The Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, in cooperation with The Business Program (Departments of Accounting, Business and Entrepreneurship) will host the upcoming Richard G. Staley ’62 Visionary Entrepreneur Speaker Series on Oct. 22 and 28 at 7 p.m. in Sticht Lecture Hall in the Hall of Arts and Letters on campus.
The first lecture, entitled “Entremanureship… The Good, The Bad, and the Smelly!” will be given by Mark Kvamme, the co-founder and partner of Drive Capital. He previously was the interim chief investment officer and president of JobsOhio, a private nonprofit corporation leading Ohio’s job-creation efforts. Prior to Jobs Ohio, Kvamme was a partner at Sequoia Capital for 12 years, where he led the investments in LinkedIn (LKND – NYSE), Mark Logic, Cast Iron (IBM), and FunnyOrDie.com. Prior to Sequoia, Kvamme was the chairman and CEO of CKS group and a founding member of Apple France. Kvamme has a B.A. from the University of Chicago, Berkeley. He will speak on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in Sticht Lecture Hall in the Hall of Arts and Letters.
The second lecture, “Innovate or Die: Key Lessons Told Through the Panera 2.0 Journey,” will be given by Blaine E. Hurst, executive vice president and chief transformation & growth officer at Panera, LLC. An established technology and restaurant leader, Hurst joined Panera in 2011 to oversee its technology, digital strategy and e-commerce activities, as well as Panera to You, the company’s key growth initiatives of delivery and catering. He also led the team to focus on the reinvention of the guest experience, known as Panera 2.0, and was one of its first architects. Hurst has a storied career of innovation, founding Ernst and Young’s Center for Technology Planning and Development, and serving as the vice chairman and president of Papa John’s Pizza as well as its first CIO, where he led the restaurant industry’s first national online ordering system. Hurst will speak on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. in Sticht Lecture Hall in the Hall of Arts and Letters.
The speaker series brings successful entrepreneurs – and the lessons they learned – to Grove City College to share stories of success, experience and advice with students. Staley, a chemical engineering major during his time at Grove City College, pursued his entrepreneurial dream in 1977 when he founded Flavor House, a leading flavoring and extract manufacturer.
The lectures are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Visit www.gccentrepreneurship.com/attend to register.