Second Annual CEO Forum Focuses on Leadership
By Seth Miller
The Second Annual CEO Forum features five CEOs and top-level executives and a former CEO, who will speak on the topic of developing leaders within a company. The event will feature a panel discussion followed by a keynote speaker. These speakers include panelists Randy Lake, CEO of Oldcastle Materials in Atlanta, Ga.; Mark Tarner, president of South Bend Chocolate Company in South Bend, Ind.; John Tucker, co-president of Maple Leaf Farms in Leesburg, Ind.; Peggy Taylor, senior global vice president of Biomet in Warsaw, Ind.; and David Findlay, CEO of Lake City Bank in Warsaw, Ind.. Moderating the panel is Pat Miller, political analyst for WOWO in Fort Wayne, Ind. Mike Kubacki, Former CEO of Lake City Bank, will be the keynote speaker to close the event.
The CEO Forum will occur on Tuesday, April 29, at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. It will begin with check-in and breakfast at 8:15 a.m. and will conclude at 11:45 a.m. Dr. Grossnickle said that this event will provide an opportunity for students to “learn what very successful business CEOs have to say about leadership.” On the topic of how this event came to be, he said, “The School of Business is reaching out to the community to be known for business education.” Finally, talking about future events, Dr. Grossnickle said, “The CEO Forum is moving to the fall and will be taking place on November 18 and will be an annual fall event.”
This event is planned and executed by the School of Business and The Gordon Institute for Enterprise Development and has involved cooperation between students and faculty in the School of Business. A planning committee consisting of business students has worked in close collaboration with the School of Business to plan and execute the event to the smallest detail. Hannah Clemmons and Seth Miller were appointed as co-chairs of the committee. Kelsey Cook, Jessica Otteman, Brook Vosler, Carianne Sobey and Sarah Grube have all played a crucial role in the planning process from creating and mailing the invitations to coordinating volunteers and making sure everything is accounted for and ready for the event.
As an integral part of the planning committee, Kelsey Cook said, “Students should come to the CEO Forum event because it is a great opportunity to network with area business leaders and a chance to gain valuable insights from area CEOs. The event is free for students and the event will surely prove to be beneficial to all who attend.”
Students wanting to attend can RSVP by emailing Kelsey Cook at [email protected]. Any non-students wanting to attend should RSVP by visiting http://grace.edu/ ceo-forum, or, for multiple reservations, need to contact Marsha Yocum at ext. 6094 or [email protected]. Any questions or information requests can be directed toward Marsha Yocum. Attendees should RSVP as soon as possible.
