Renowned South Florida Business Leaders to Gather at St. Thomas University For Global Entrepreneurship Week

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Oct 20, 2011, 11:56 ET

MIAMI, Oct. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Global Entrepreneurship Week, November 14-18, 2011, is an international initiative that introduces entrepreneurship to youth on six continents. St. Thomas University's School of Business (www.stu.edu/business) has steadily gained a reputation for developing leaders in the business arena for 50 years. The School and the Office of University Advancement will host four special events to both mark Global Entrepreneurship Week and demonstrate the school's emphasis on entrepreneurship during the University's 50^th anniversary year.

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The week kicks off Monday, November 14, with "From Idea to Start-Up – Beginnings," a forum through which prominent local business people share their ideas and perceptions about what drives success. Participants include Miguel "Mike" Fernandez (chairman, MBF Healthcare Partners); Cesar Alvarez, Esq. (managing partner, Greenberg, Traurig); Raul Pedraza (president, Magno International); Jorge Mas (chairman, MasTec); Kenneth Rader (co-founder, The Cereal Bowl); and Tifphanie Tucker (president, Women Under Construction).

"Our focus on entrepreneurship permeates everything we do in the School of Business," said Dean J. Antonio "Tony" Villamil, moderator of the panel discussion. "We realize that entrepreneurs are made, not born, and we take every opportunity to make successful entrepreneurs part of our students' education." Entrepreneur Boot Camp, on Wednesday, November 16, features industry experts who advise small and medium-sized businesses on topics including finding capital, creating a business plan, and making the most of government opportunities. The moderator will be James Bussey, Associate Dean of the School of Business.

All St. Thomas students are invited to enter the "Student Entrepreneur Competition" Thursday, November 17, which requires they have a business plan, a physical display, and a power point presentation. There will be cash prizes and consulting services for prize winners.

Startup Florida, an outgrowth of the Startup America program announced by the White House in January, will launch Friday, November 18. Its goal is to spur the creation of new businesses which leverage technology in industries such as healthcare, renewable energy, and sports management. Partners with the School of Business are InternetCoast, Enterprise Development Corporation of South Florida, and IBM Corp. Speakers include Marvin Wheeler (COO of Terremark); Manny Mencia (senior vice president of Enterprise Florida); and Claudia Munce (vice president of IBM's Venture Capital Group).

For additional information on St. Thomas entrepreneurship events, please contact Gigi Laudisio at [email protected], tel. 305.628.6796. For information on St. Thomas University please visit www.stu.edu.

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