David Gelles of the Miami Herald reports on the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship's National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, where Dia Simms served as a judge.
Simms, the general manager of Bad Boy's Blue Flame Marketing & Advertising division, is quoted in the piece.
Simms said the judges used tough standards to evaluate the students. ''We were asked to look at them as if we were angel investors,'' she said. ``We were looking at what was scalable, and what we could walk away with and start a viable business.''
Among the finalists, Jessica stood out. ''The difference was her numbers,'' said Simms. ``They seemed very realistic. Her delivery and marketing plan and material costs were very close to what I would have guesstimated. She seemed like she could walk away and hand her plan to someone and they could execute it.''
From the
press release:
The Black Business Student Association (BBSA) at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business has announced that Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated film director, producer, writer, and actor Spike Lee will deliver the keynote speech at the Association's Alfred L. Edwards 33rd Annual BSSA Conference, Dec. 4-7, 2008.
Lee, best known for his films Do The Right Thing and Inside Man, along with recently released Miracle at St. Anna, will deliver his speech at the conference's Gala Banquet on Saturday, December 6th. Speaking to over 300 attendees, Lee's speech will focus on the theme of this year's conference, "Building your Legacy: Achieving Personal, Professional and Philanthropic Success," discussing the ways in which conference participants can create personal roadmaps toward success.
Building upon its theme, the conference will feature a series of workshops and panel discussions hosted by leaders in the fields of finance, marketing and entrepreneurship, as well as include breakfast and lunch keynote speeches by Derek Ferguson, Chief Financial Officer of Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group, and Jim Reynolds, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loop Capital Markets.
"We are honored and excited that not only Spike Lee, but also so many other accomplished leaders have agreed to join us and help each of us better understand how we can leverage our passions and unique experiences to make a lasting impact on the African American community," said Michael Pittman, a conference co-chair.
