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e-Clips News Archive
May 01, 2008: Comments from Indra Nooyi.
Indra Nooyi is the chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo, the world's fourth-largest food and beverage company. Prior to being named CEO on August 14, 2006, she had been serving as PepsiCo's president and CFO.
In a partnership with not-for-profit organization Catalyst, eClips was allowed to record Nooyi's keynote address from the 2008 Catalyst Awards Conference held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
In addition to speaking about women in executive roles and the challenges of balancing work and family, she also shared candid thoughts about the impact of faith on her decisions as an executive and the importance of being the same authentic person whether at work or home.
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April 16, 2008: Matt Ackerson's Big Idea Is A Winner. Cornell University's 'Big Idea' business competition just announced that Cornell University Senior Matt Ackerson was the first-place winner for his Web site, Scrimple.com. After considering entries from 150 applicants, ten finalists were chosen to present three-minute synopses of their business ideas to a standing-room-only crowd in Statler Hall's Beck Center on April 11, 2008 during the annual Entrepreneurship @ Cornell Celebration.
Scrimple.com is a Web site that offers college students downloadable coupons for discounts at local businesses. The site caters to budget-conscious college students, who can print free coupons and redeem them in Ithaca stores or restaurants for discounts or free items. Participating businesses pay either for each coupon printed from the Web site or a fixed annual fee to win new customers.
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April 03, 2008: Update on Paul Polak. For the past 25 years, Paul Polak has wondered about two questions: What makes poor people poor? And what can they do about their poverty?
In working towards the answers, Polak founded the organization, International Development Enterprises. IDE is a different kind of non-profit organization which is dedicated to ending poverty in the developing world not through handouts, but by helping poor farmers invest in their own success.
In 2007, Polak took his mission a step further when he founded D-Rev. This organization's goal is to design affordable technology for dollar-a day customers and developing markets where they can be sold profitably and sustainably at a fair market price. The mission is to help the 90% of the world that lives at the "Base of the Pyramid" to work their way out of poverty.
On February 28, 2008, Polak released his book entitled "Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail". Hailed by The Economist as a "wise and engaging new book", Polak tells why traditional poverty eradication programs have fallen so short, and how he and his organization developed an alternative approach that has succeeded in lifting 17 million people out of poverty.
Polak plans to begin a book tour soon - but in the meantime, if you want to hear his thoughts, check out eClips' most recent interview with Paul Polak.
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March 04, 2008: Jessica Flannery Discusses Kiva and Social Entrepreneurship. Jessica Jackley Flannery is a co-founder of Kiva, a not-for-profit organization which connects people willing to offer loan money to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. Kiva partners with existing microfinance institutions to gain access to these outstanding entrepreneurs from impoverished communities world-wide. Essentially, Kiva uses the power of the internet to facilitate one-to-one connections that were previously prohibitively expensive.
During an inteview with eClips, Flannery discussed the inspiration behind Kiva as well as the challenges of being a social entrepreneur and the differences and similarities of operating a not-for-profit organization versus a for-profit business.
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February 21, 2008: Montel Williams Gets Some Glamour. Montel Williams selected Rachel Doyle, president and founder of GlamourGals, from thousands of nominees as one of the five finalists in the Voices 2008 campaign. The "Voices" campaign demonstrates that one woman can make a difference and that "one voice can lead to a chorus of change".
Rachel appeared on the February 22, 2008 episode of the Montel Williams show to discuss the inspiration behind her GlamourGals organization which relies on teen volunteers to visit the elderly and help bring them cheer and beauty.
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February 19, 2008: Snack Attack!.
Allie's Edibles was featured on today's airing of The Rachael Ray Show as their "Snack of the Day".
Alison Gerlach, the "Allie" behind Allie's Edibles is a lifelong chocolate and sweets enthusiast. As a passionate amateur chef, Allie began to experiment with creations that combined the best ingredients in original recipes that satisfied her discriminating taste for treats. The results of Allie's quest are six scrumptious Indulgent Comfort Sweets that are available to the public in distinctive, customizable packaging. These sweet treats were the ones featured on today's Rachael Ray Show.
See the eClips sites to hear more about Alison Gerlach's journey as an entrepreneur
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January 08, 2008: Tata To Unveil $2500 Budget Car In India.
On January 10, 2008, Ratan Tata plans to unveil the Tata Motor's "People's Car".
The project began over 10 years ago in 1997 when Tata outlined a goal of producing a car that would seat 4, be safe and affordable. This car, which has become known as the "1 Lakh" car would sell for 1 Lakh or 100,000 rupees which is roughly equivalent to $2500 US.
What Tata hopes to deliver on January 10th is a car that delivers his promise of being the most cost effective people's car in the history of the automobile.
eClips captured a 2006 lecture given by Tata on the topic of "The Imperative for Change in the India of Today". During the lecture he specifially discusses the importance of social responsibility and that competition in Indian markets and maufacturing can actually deliver more to the people of India.
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December 26, 2007: Microfinance Has Macro Impact. According to Matthew Swibel at Forbes.com, "Microfinance has become a buzzword of the decade, raising the provocative notion that even philanthropy aimed at alleviating poverty can be profitable. Instead of merely writing a check (then writing it off), why not make a tidy profit from a short-term, high-interest loan, most for under $200, so that a Mexican seamstress may buy a new sewing machine? Billionaires, global leaders and Nobel Prize recipients are hailing these direct loans to uncollateralized would-be entrepreneurs as a way to lift them out of poverty while creating self-sustaining businesses."
In a recent Forbes.com online list, economist Muhammad Yunus was listed as one of the "stars" of the Microfinance movement. Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to fight poverty through micro-credit, and has essentially been dubbed "the father of microfinance." His model of lending small sums to people too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans has been copies globally and has become the basis for a new and growing private-equity industry.
eClips captured a recent lecture given by Yunus where he discussed his background and how he came to create the concept of microfinance. He also shared his belief that society has to give all people the ability to reach their potential.
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December 20, 2007: eClips Offers Sound Advice For Job Hunters.
eClips recently began offering three different series of free podcasts!
Sound Advice is a series hosted by Kirsten Barker '92. This series features "the best of" eClips in 5-15 min. podcasts that give you pointed insight from multiple experts and are organized by topic for easy search. Sound Advice is your personal business coach sitting by your side on your commute or any other time you need the power of the voice.
Lessons Learned is a series hosted by Cornell professor Deborah Streeter. In this series, "the Professor is in" during 10-20 min. podcasts that peel back the onion and get to the heart of the issue in a format that is edutaining. Lessons Learned share the insight of many in the context of a case study. Real people talking about real problems faced and real opportunities captured. This is a great tool to exercise your mind.
eClips Uncut are a series that focus on "the journey". These 20+ min. podcasts let you wrap your mind and heart around the experiences of those business people and entrepreneurs who captivate you and motivate you. The emotions of the highs and lows are captured in a way that not only shares the experience but moves the soul. You won't help but find a nugget of truth you will write down and carry with you on your personal journey.
The Cornell Chronicle recently published a piece on a specific subset of the Sound Advice seies that caters to undergraduate students who are looking to land their first job. Specific career-oriented podcasts include:
Creative Job Search Strategies
Dress For Success
Interviewing Skills
Putting Together Your Resume
We hope you enjoy the various series!
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December 11, 2007: Cornell Is (Ac)Counting Its Blessings. Cornell University's Undergraduate Business Program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will now offer a new concentration in accounting thanks to the $800,000 gift from Ernst & Young.
"Because of the hard work of Cornell alumni Jerry Goldman '72 and Gary Kozlowski '89 and the generosity of the Ernst & Young Foundation and many Cornell alumni at Ernst & Young, the college will be able to bolster its course offerings to meet the growing expectations of its students, employers and alumni," says William Lesser, the Susan Eckert Lynch Professor of Science and Business and chair of the Department of Applied Economics and Management.
eClips had the opportunity to sit down with Jerry Goldman and learn a bit more about his experiences at Ernst and Young. Goldman shares that anyone who plans on being in the business world needs to have an understanding of accounting basics.
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December 10, 2007: Ted Teng Speaks With eClips. Ted Teng is the Principal and CEO Prime Opus Partners, LP. Prior to this new entrepreneurial venture, he was president and chief operating officer of Wyndham International. With more than $1.5 billion in annual revenue, Wyndham's portfolio included more than 190 properties with more than 50,000 guest rooms.
During his interview with eClips, Teng discussed his experiences in the hotel industry and shared thoughts on his new expereinces as an entrepreneur. Specifically, he discussed the differences between being a professional in a corporate setting versus being an entrepreneur and how one can be entrepreneurial in both roles.
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November 20, 2007: Jeff Immelt Visits Cornell.
Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric, was recently on a day-long visit to Cornell University. During his visit, he spoke to a capacity audience on both the future vision of GE and advice for undergraduate and MBA students that are soon to begin their profressional journey.
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November 10, 2007: Road Rules From Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld. Irene Rosenfeld, CEO and Chairman of Kraft Foods Inc., recently returned to Cornell University to deliver the 2007 Lewis H. Durland Memorial lecturer, sponsored by Cornell's Johnson School. Rosenfeld spoke on the "Anatomy of a Turnaround: Returning Kraft to Reliable Growth," where described Kraft Foods' ongoing campaign to become more streamlined and competitive, which began when she became its CEO in June 2006.
As part of the campaign, Rosenfeld outlined her six rules of the road:
Get the right people on the bus,
Engage their hearts and minds,
Give them a road map,
Model the behavior you expect,
Communicate, communicate, communicate,
Celebrate success publicly and often.
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November 04, 2007: Can Women Ever Win?.
Some days, it seems like professional women can't win.
If you are too caring, you are seen as a wonderful nurturer, manager and mentor...but certainly not a leader.
If you have a "take no prisoners" attitude, then you are seen as harsh and bitchy and too aloof and cold to capture the top CEO job.
In a November 1, 2007 article in the New York Times, Lisa Belkin discusses academic and professional studies that have investigated gender stereotypes in the workplace. Her article states that the stereotypes are still alive and well...and unfortunately, there aren't many answers.
One of the studies Belkin cites is "Damned If You Do, Doomed If You Don't" which was conducted by the not-for-profit group, Catalyst. Ilene Lang is the President of Catalyst and in addition to being quoted in the article, Lang recently sat down for an interview with eClips.
The results of Catalyst's survey found that when women act with stereotypically female characteristics such as focusing on relationships and expressing concern for co-workers, they are viewed as being less competent. Alternatively, when women act with stereotypically male characteristics such as exhibiting drive, focus and ambition, they are seen as being "too tough" and "unfeminine."
Lang states in the article, "We still don't have a simple straightforward answer as to why there just aren't enough women in positions of leadership."
Belkin shares her frustration with the situation and apparent conundrum facing women but goes on to state that more research is being done on the topic. In addition, companies like Goldman Sachs are beginning to listen to the research and factor it into their performance evaluations.
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November 01, 2007: Sandra Day O'Conner Speaks At Cornell. Sandra Day O'Connor, Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, recently gave a lecture at Cornell University.
eClips captured O'Connor's comments during the Milton R. Konvitz Lecture in American Ideals that she gave at Cornell University while she was the Law School's Distinguished Jurist in Residence. Her talk was titled "The Importance of an Independent Judiciary," but the justice instead gave a history of oral argument before the court and its role in helping justices focus on various legal issues.
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October 27, 2007: Carl Schramm Discusses Entrepreneurial Capitalism. Carl Schramm is President and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. The Kauffman Foundation, founded in the mid-1960s, focuses on advancing entrepreneurship and supporting education for children and youth. It is the country's 26th largest foundation, with an asset base of about $2 billion.
On October 2, 2007, Schramm spoke to about 400 people on the Cornell campus as part of the Entreprenurship@Cornell speakers series. He discussed the concept of "entrepreneurial capitalism" which he defines as a radically new economy brought about by a series of random occurrences in the early 1980s, such as the collapse of some of the country's top companies, the era of junk bonds and the ensuing creation of 401(K) plans to support workers and venture capitalism to create new businesses.
In addition to that concept, Schramm shared thoughts on the prevalence of entrepreneurship in people's careers today and that the work world is a very different place for today's graduates than it was for their parents.
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October 20, 2007: Angela Mwanza Honored. The Black Graduate Business Association of the Johnson School at Cornell University hosted its seventh annual symposium on Saturday, October 20, 2007
During the event, Angela Mwanza was awarded the fifth annual Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni Award. Presented by Johnson School dean Joseph Thomas, this award honors Johnson School alumni for outstanding professional achievements and commitment to their community.
Mwanza is a vice president at Lehman Brothers Private Investment Management where she manages a team advising wealthy individuals and their families, charitable organizations, endowments, and corporations on strategies to preserve, grow, and transfer wealth. She is on the dean's leadership committee for the Johnson School as well as the Entrepreneurship@Cornell advisory board. She currently serves on the advisory board for the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and is a committee member of the Harlem YMCA as well as God's Love We Deliver, a New York City AIDS charity.
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October 15, 2007: Mike Leven Discusses Entrepreneurship. On October 2, 2007, Michael Leven, vice chairman of The Marcus Foundation, kicked off the 2007/2008 "Conversations with Entrepreneurs" series at the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.
Leven is vice chairman of the Atlanta-based Marcus Foundation, where he has been a trustee and a member of the board. The Marcus Foundation was founded by Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot and one of America's most generous philanthropists. Leven was formerly president and CEO of US Franchise Systems, Inc. (USFS), a company he founded in 1995 that franchises the Microtel Inns & Suites and Hawthorn Suites hotel brands. Under Leven's tenure, USFS gained national recognition as a franchisor committed to both the customer and the franchisee. Prior to that, he was president and COO of Holiday Inn, Worldwide; Days Inn of America; and Americana Hotels. At Days Inn Leven led initiatives to hire older workers, people with disabilities, and the homeless, a commitment that earned the company an Outstanding Employer Citation from the AARP.
Leven's lecture is in eClips.
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October 03, 2007: Tiffany Norwood Speaks To eClips. Tiffany Norwood is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of Commercial Opperations for Next Generation Broadband(NGB). Norwood manages all commercial activities for NGB, including sales, marketing, product development, customer management, strategic partnerships, as well as, corporate strategy.
Norwood recently took the time to speak with eClips about her academic and professional background as well as her creation of Next Generation Broadband. She also shared thoughts on the importance of developing a culture of respect within the company to encourage and retain employees. In addition, Norwood discusses funding, exit strategies, entrepreneurship and work-life balance.
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September 30, 2007: A Catalyst For Change. Ilene H. Lang is the President of Catalyst, the leading research and advisory organization working with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. Lang was appointed President in August 2003 after a long and illustrious career in the technology industry.
Lang took the time recently to speak with eClips and discuss both her decision to enter the not-for-profit world and the role that Catalyst plays in helping to build better work environments for women. Lang also discussed the challenges she faced in the professional environment and how those challenges have and have not changed for young women now entering the workforce.
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September 26, 2007: Thoughts on Opting Out. The State of Things" is a live radio program hosted by Frank Stasio devoted to bringing the issues, personalities, and places of North Carolina to its listeners.
On Septmber 25, 2007, the show featured a segment entitled "Opting Out". Stasio and his guests discussed the trend of college-educated women who are leaving full time jobs to stay at home with children. The show explored whether this trend a return to traditionalism or a statement about the flexibility of American employers?
Many female contributors to eClips have also shared thoughts on this topic. To hear from these women, please look at the eClips theme entitled Working Moms: Thoughts on Juggling Career and Family.
To listen to this radio segment, click this State of Things link.
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September 14, 2007: Getting To The Hart of Sustainability. Stuart Hart heads up Cornell University's Johnson School Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise. He is one of the world's top authorities on the implications of sustainable development and environmentalism for business strategy.
Hart has published over 50 papers and authored or edited five books. He wrote the seminal article "Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World," which won the McKinsey Award for Best Article in Harvard Business Review in 1997, and helped launch the movement for corporate sustainability. With C.K. Prahalad, Hart also wrote the pathbreaking 2002 article "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid," which provided the first articulation of how business could profitably serve the needs of the four billion poor in the developing world. In addition, he authored "Capitalism at the Crossroads: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems" (Wharton School Publishing, March 2005.)
During his conversation with eClips, Hart shares his thoughts on the history of economic development and the increasing need for sustainable business practices. He also discusses the "bottom of the pyramid" concept and defines why he believes that the current generation stands at the most critical tipping point that has ever faced humanity.
To hear comments from Stuart Hart, listen to his interview in eClips.
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September 13, 2007: Crueller-Maker Turns Crusader. Phil Holland has been an entrepreneur throughout his adult life. His businesses have included building "spec" houses, the manufacture of automatic doughnut machinery, designing and building apartment complexes, restaurant franchising, doughnut retailing and the development and management of shopping centers.
In 1970 he founded Yum Yum Donut Shops, Inc. with just one shop and 5000 dollars which went on to be the largest chain of privately owned donut shops in the United States. He sold his interest in Yum Yum in 1989.
Starting after the Los Angeles Rodney King riots in 1992, Mr. Holland began conducting a free night course in Compton, California to encourage people to start new businesses. The course was designed to help entrepreneurs avoid the common mistakes many entrepreneurs make when starting out. With this beginning, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization was formed, My Own Business, Inc. (MOBI). The goal was to help foster successful entrepreneurs worldwide.
During his conversation with eClips, Holland discusses his fascinating personal adventure in entrepreneurship and also discusses his decision to create My Own Business, Inc.
To hear comments from Phil Holland, listen to his interview in eClips.
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September 11, 2007: Kevin Warner of Cisco Speaks With eClips. Kevin Warner is the Senior Director of Worldwide Education at Cisco. He joined Cisco in 1996 to assist the company with the development of their Education Market Development Group.
During his conversation with eClips, Warner shared thoughts on the development and growth of Cisco's Entrepreneurial Institute. As seen in the clip posted above, he also shared insights into what makes a strong and effective leader.
To hear comments from Kevin Warner, listen to his interview in eClips.
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September 10, 2007: Slope Radio Heads Uphill. eClips spoke with Alex Zahn, co-founder of Slope Radio, about a year ago. During that interview, Zahn shared thoughts on the challenges of being a young entrepreneur and establishing a student-run radio station.
As of today, September 10, 2007, things became more interesting for these student entrepreneurs. Slope Radio is now Slope Media Group (SMG), Cornell's first comprehensive, student-run multimedia organization, offering 24-hour television, international programming, sports coverage and magazine publishing.
Click here to hear comments from Alex Zahn in eClips on the founding of Slope Radio.
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August 27, 2007: Update on Scott Belsky.
eClips recently caught up with young entrepreneur, Scott Belsky. When we last spoke with Scott, he was working at the Pine Street Development Initiative Group - a small global team within Goldman Sachs focused on leadership development, organizational improvement, and strengthening key client relationships. Before joining Goldman Sachs, Scott was a high school and college student and also Co-Founder and President of Live Big Enterprises, a sportswear and corporate clothing company. Live Big was featured in Newsweek and Business Week Online in 2001, and was sold in the summer of 2002.
Scott is now juggling an MBA program at Harvard Business School and a new startup, Behance. The Behance team helps creative professionals and organizations make ideas happen through a process called "productive creativity".
During this recent sit-down, Scott discussed the challenges of building Behance while pursuing his MBA. His comments truly outline the risks and rewards of being a young entrepreneur. We look forward to watching this creative entrepreneur's journey as he continues to grow.
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August 25, 2007: Wendy Brawer Speaks To eClips.
Wendy Brawer is Founder and Director of Green Map System. In addition, she has been an eco-designer, public educator and consultant since 1990.
During an interview with eClips, she discusses the background of her Green Map System organization and also shares thoughts on the impact of design on entrepreneurship and the importance of socially responsible business.
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August 15, 2007: Loud Her Praises Tell.
eClips now has over 9000 clips from well over 400 entrepreneurs and experts. Many contributors to our collection are alumni of undergraduate or graduate programs at Cornell University.
Since we are coming into the time of year where college students return to campuses...and alumni follow later in the Fall to return for Homecomings, we thought it would be interesting to scan our collection to see what Cornell alums had to say about their Cornell experience.
What we found was an incredible array of comments. Some entrepreneurs shared stories of freshman experiences where they almost failed out of the school - and then discussed how those life lessons in humility and resiliency impacted their professional lives. Others spoke of the incredible leadership opportunities or experiences with diversity that Cornell provided, which too helped to shape professional futures.
No matter the experiences, the common thread was the appreciation for the lessons learned and the love for the school that provided them - Cornell.
We chose our favorites and created a new theme in the collection entitled Loud Her Praises Tell. We hope you enjoy the insights!
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August 10, 2007: Taking It To The Streets.
eClips just added an interview with social entrepreneur Sean Basinski to our collection. Basinski is the Director of the Street Vendor Project.
Sean Basinski is the Director of the Street Vendor Project. The Street Vendor Project works to correct the social and economic injustice faced by street vendors in New York City. Reaching out to vendors on the street, the organization holds clinics to educate vendors about their legal rights. Working to support a local vendors' rights movement, they organize vendors to participate in the political process that determines their fate.
Sean Basinski received his JD from Georgetown University Law Center and his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. For nine months before he started law school, Sean built a pushcart and sold Mexican food on Park Avenue and 52nd Street.
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July 23, 2007: Rachel Doyle Rocks!.
Rachel Doyle, founder of GlamourGals and eClips contributor has just been featured in the July 20th edition of CNN's "Young People Who Rock".
CNN's Nicole Lapin speaks with Doyle during the segment about the background of GlamourGals and how the organization expands beyond makeovers to establish connections between young people and seniors. Doyle shares how the GlamourGals organization is working to build young female leaders and states that anyone can follow their passion - they just have to get out there and do it.
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July 07, 2007: One Smart Cookie. In 1995, Scott Blackwell started Immaculate Baking Company in his garage with big dreams and a few simple goals: To create top-quality baked goods with fun and unique combinations, to celebrate the creativity of folk art, and to somehow give back.
He has now grown well beyond the garage, won several national awards and expanded to produce not only award-winning original flavors of delicious cookies made with organic ingredients, but also a 100% organic line of cookies for children. Sales for the company increased by over 125% in 2006 and production has doubled.
The company has remained true to its social mission as well and spoils from their cookie sales go to help American folk artists. Works of folk artists and their biographies appear on the packaging of all Immaculate Baking Company products, some of which are distributed on jetBlue Airways. In 1999, Blackwell established the Folk Artist's Foundation to provide support and exposure for folk artists. He also created the Soul Food Fund to support his belief that creativity is food for the soul. The Fund sponsors fundraisers, art outreach events and workshops that pair folk artists with kids. As a result of all these efforts, the company thoroughly engages its employees, customers and artists in a cause that truly unites communities.
To hear more from this remarkable entrepreneur, listen to his interview in eClips.
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June 30, 2007: Insights From Internships.
Internships are the ultimate in experiential learning. For a summer or a semester, students have the chance to see what it is like to work in the "real world". Some walk away realizing that it is their dream and can't wait until graduation to make it a reality. Others walk away with a new perspecitve and realize that they need to change course.
Many of the entrepreneurs and experts that have spoke to eClips have shared their thoughts on internships and we have collected those clips into a new theme.
Interested in finding out more about what entrepreneurs and business leaders have to say about the value of internships? Listen to the clips in our new theme Internships Can Open Your Eyes.
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June 25, 2007: Learning Through Laughter.
eClips has created a new theme to group some of the more memorable anecdotes shared by our entrepreneurs and experts.
Some share tales of hitting rock-bottom as entrepreneurs...
Others share stories of business and product failures...
A few reflect on the insane risks taken while chasing down their dreams...
The common thread though is that all the speakers came through the trials stronger with their senses of humor intact...and we can now learn from their adventures (and chuckle a bit too) as we listen to their stories.
Ready for a laugh? Listen to the clips in our new theme Humorous and Memorable Stories About The Journey.
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June 14, 2007: Sweet Charity. eClips is pleased to announce the creation of a new theme to celebrate exciting news that came out of Cornell University yesterday.
On June 13, 2007, Cornell University President David Skorton announced extraordinary gifts of $450 million to the university's philanthropic campaign. The principal gift of $300 million - the largest single donation Cornell has ever received - came from Joan and Sanford I. Weill.
To celebrate the occasion - and to highlight some of our clips from Sandy Weill and other importance philanthropists - we created the theme Personal Thoughts on Philanthropy and Charitable Giving. Check it out and listen to what successful entreprneeurs and philanthroists have to say!
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June 01, 2007: Carbon Credits Explained.
In light of "An Invconvenient Truth", rising gas prices and endless media coverage on alternative fuels, we wanted to highlight a recent addition to the collection where Ed Heslop, president of Environmental Credit Corporation defines carbon credits and discusses the rewards and challenges of trading this "commodity".
In addition to Heslop, other entrepreneurs and experts have spoken with eClips about developments within the energy sector. Interested in hearing more? Check out comments from Daniel Goldman and Daniel Kammen as well.
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May 14, 2007: Felix Laboy Discusses Entrepreneurship. Felix Laboy is co-founder, President and CEO of E-site Marketing. His company specializes in creating E-business solutions exclusively for the hospitality industry.
Laboy recently spoke at Cornell University as part of the 2006/2007 series of "Conversations with Entrepreneurs" offered by the Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration. During his lecture, he discussed his experience in the hospitality industry and how that expeirence gave him the tools he needed to become and entrepreneur and start his own company.
His main messages are to find your passion, deliver the best service to the customer and learn all you can from each professional experience.
To hear more from Felix Laboy, listen to his comments in eClips.
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May 13, 2007: Bena Burda and Maggie's Organics. Bena Burda was recently interviewed for eClips. During the interview, Burda discussed the formation of Maggie's Organics - a comany that makes clothing from organic material. Specifically, she discusses the challenges of working with co-ops in developing countries for her products and then selling those products to consumers in the US with high levels of disposable income who aren't always considering the impact of their purchases.
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April 25, 2007: Solid Foundations. If you actually made a difference, I think that's the greatest reward and the best testimony to your life."
Wise words from Doris Buffett, sister of Warren Buffett and founder of her own self-funded charitable organization, Sunshine Lady Foundation.
Doris Buffett was at Cornell University recently and eClips was fortunate enough to catch up with her and capture some of her wonderful words for our collection.
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April 20, 2007: Journey To The Top. Karen Katen, Chairman of the Pfizer Foundation and retired Vice Chairman of Pfizer, was recently the Keynote speaker at the 2007 Catalyst Awards Conference. Her keynote was entitled "One Woman's Journey To The Top"
During her lecture, she discusses the current challenges and opportunities facing women in the professional world and also states that her journey to the top was not a solo effort and was possible due to the collaborative efforts of all the women who went before her.
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April 18, 2007: Charity Isn't Always Sweet.
Caroline Baillie was the keynote speaker during the Olympus Innovation Awards Ceremony at the 11th Annual NCIIA meeting.
During the lecture, Baillie discussed the importance of educating engineering students about innovation tempered with the concept of social responsibility.
She stated, "Charity generally keeps things the same. Justice means we actually want things to be changed so that there's more equity and when we follow each of those paths, we do different things." While engineering students can be trained to develop new products that could help consumers in developing countries, there also must be economic models in place that drive home the point to these same consumers that this is not a hand-out, but rather their personal investment.
Listen to excerpts from Baillie's lecture and an eClips interview with Baillie.
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April 15, 2007: Entrepreneurship Education In Action. Burt Swersey, lecturer in Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) was recently awarded the 2007 Olympus Lifetime of Educational Innovation Award.
For the past 18 years, Swersey has taught the ideals and methods of innovation and has served as a role model to students. Many of these students have made significant impacts, either as entrepreneurs or as product designers for well-established companies, accumulating patents and business plan competition awards.
One of these students was John Blackburn, RPI '05, president of BullEx Digital Safety, a company that has developed a novel clean-burning, safe and effective fire extinguisher training system. The invention was sparked in one of Swersey's engineering courses!
eClips was able to interview both of these gentlemen during the 11th Annual NCIIA meeting this past March. Their comments have recently been added to eClips.
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April 14, 2007: Innovation is the transformation of knowledge into money. Innovation is the transformation of knowledge into money," is a quote from Kesh Narayanan, Director of Industrial Innovation Programs at the National Science Foundation. While NSF doesn't usually pop into mind as a leading incubator of commercially successful science and technology ventures, Narayanan discusses how the organization is shifting its focus to better foster innovation and sponsor projects which not only impact society but also have commercial value.
Listen to Narayanan's comments from a recent interview and lecture he gave at the 11th Annual NCIIA meeting.
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April 12, 2007: 400 Strong and Growing.
eClips just reached a milestone of sorts...we just loaded our 400th case. eClips now contains over 8000 digital video clips from 400 different interviews, panels and lectures.
If you are new to eClips, come take a look! If you are one of our more experienced users, keep coming back - there are always fresh insights being added!
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April 11, 2007: We all know that bureaucracy eats strategy for lunch..
We all know that bureaucracy eats strategy for lunch." is a quote from Lesa Mitchell, Vice President with the Kauffman Foundation.
Mitchell took some time to sit down and speak with eClips and discuss current initiatives wirhin the Kauffman Foundation as well as the challenges facing entrepreneurs who work with bleeding edge technology.
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March 31, 2007: Deb Is A Winner. On March 26th, winners of the 2007 Olympus Innovation Award were announced. The eClips team was especially proud to learn that Professor Deborah Streeter was awarded an Innovation Award in recognition for her contributions to Cornell and, more broadly, for being a pioneer in innovation and entrepreneurship education.
Specifically, "the judges were particularly impressed with Streeter's eClips initiative, a collection of more than 6,000 digital video clips on entrepreneurship, the world's largest such online collection."
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March 28, 2007: Cornell Hosts NCIIA's I2V. Cornell University played host to NCIIA's "Invention 2 Venture" workshops on March 9, 2007. Some of the discussions from the day have now been posted to eClips. David Rickerby, an attorney specializing in intellectual property, discussed Intellectual Property and Licensing and outlined several items to consider when going through the patent process.
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March 28, 2007: Earliest Money Is The Hardest To Get. Judy Albers is the Chief Operations Officer of Excell Partners, a company which provides which provides pre-seed and seed stage financing to high-tech start-up companies in the Upstate New York region. Her comments in eClips discuss the various stages of a startup company and the funding sources that should be pursued at each stage. She shares thoughts on venture capitalists and angel investors and also discusses the importance of understanding your company's valuation and being prepared to sacrifice equity or control in exchange for capital.
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February 08, 2007: Harvard University Collection added. The Harvard Collection contains lecture and panel discussions from conferences sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Women's Leadership Project. The purpose of the project is to foster the effective leadership of a diverse group of women. The conference encourages open discussion about the complex issues and difficult choices that many women face.
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February 01, 2007: A Bird's Eye View (in this case a peacock).
In an extremely candid lecture to a class on Women, Leadership and Entrepreneurship at Cornell University, Calpeter shares her experiences as she climbed the ranks through General Electric to eventually become CFO of NBC Universal, one of GE's six major business units.
Her talk shares not only the nuts and bolts of her career path, but also includes the personal trade-offs and choices she made in her rise to the senior ranks of the organization.