The Executive Speakers Program brings executives in business and industry to the Hillsdale campus and gives students and faculty the opportunity to hear first-hand the lessons of these business leaders. 

UPCOMING SPEAKERS:

• Michael Carnock of Ellicott City, Maryland

Michael Carnock started his land development company, PDC, Inc., in the basement of his town home in 1993.  Since that time, PDC has developed over 1,000 residential building lots in Maryland and Virginia.  PDC has also built several church and commercial office buildings.  PDC owns a 4,300 unit mixed-use development that is currently in the approval process, along with several hundred other lots.  Michael received his bachelor of science degree from Hillsdale College in 1984, and he has an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.

• Aaron Kennedy of Boulder, Colorado

Aaron Kennedy opened his first Noodles & Company in Denver in October 1995, with $250,000 raised from friends and family.  A second unit opened six months later near the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he earned an M.B.A. in 1989.  The success of these restaurants prompted the launch of Kennedy’s “saturate the heartland” strategy, and during the next 10 years, his noodleries popped up in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit.  Today, Kennedy oversees 101 units in 14 states and hopes to have 370 units open by the end of 2008.  Sales grew to $90 million in 2004.

RECENT SPEAKERS:

• Karlis Mateus, ’81, president of Performance Systematix, Inc.

Karlis Mateus came to Hillsdale to play football.  Back and knee injuries prevented him from attaining gridiron glory, but he did make an outstanding reputation at Hillsdale on the stage, both as a singer and an actor.  Following graduation, he worked for Steelcase, Inc. from 1983 until 1999.  In 1999, he accepted a new challenge as vice president and general manager of Performance Systematix, Inc. in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he doubled the sales and profitability of the company in five years.  In 2005, Karlis was promoted to president and minority shareowner.  Performance Systematix, Inc. is currently expanding operations internationally. 

• JoAnne Shaw, founder and president of The Coffee Beanery, Ltd. 

JoAnne Shaw’s involvement in the worldwide coffee industry and her extensive public relations efforts give The Coffee Beanery and its franchisees national press exposure and stature.  The Coffee Beanery has nearly 200 locations in 24 states and Guam and became international in 2001 with the opening of a master franchise in Seoul, Korea.  JoAnne has received a number of honors and awards for her work on behalf of The Coffee Beanery and as a trailblazing female entrepreneur.

• Mark R. Taylor, president and CEO of St. John Hospital and Medical Center

Mark Taylor started his career in the medical field after graduating with honors from Hillsdale College in 1974 with a BA degree in Economics and Business Administration.  Since 2002, Mark has been the president and CEO of St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan, which is a 632-bed major teaching hospital.  The hospital has over 1,100 physicians and over 200 residents and fellows.  Mark holds many memberships and has received several major awards including the “Facet of Excellence” Award, Strategic Planning, Excellence in Missouri Foundation, the Missouri Quality Award, and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

PREVIOUS SPEAKERS:

• John R. Hantz, CEO of the Hantz Group, a financial holding company located in Southfield, Michigan.
• Katherine Fischer, retired, Capital City Moving and Storage, Inc., Kansas.
• Robert Eastman, owner of Gorilla, Inc., Eastman Outdoors and Quick-Save Convenience Stores, Flushing, Michigan.
• William R. Sauey, chairman of Nordic Group of Companies, Baraboo, Wisconsin.
• Dennis Foley ’72, Green Beret, Hollywood screenwriter/consultant and novelist now living in Whitefish, Montana.
• George F. Kettle, former regional owner of Century 21 Realty, Washington, DC.
• John McIntyre, co-founder and former CEO of Health Care Microsystems, Inc., California.
• W. Robert Stover, chairman and founder of Westaff, Inc., California.
• Christopher Long, Chief Operating Officer of Friess Associates, LLC, Wilmington, Delaware.