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Forum Inspires as Outstanding Business Leaders Provide Practical Steps for Success

February 6, 2015

As Northwood University prepares to host the Outstanding Business Leader (OBL) Awards Gala, students, faculty, staff and friends recently had the opportunity to learn from the OBL Class of 2015 as they participated in an afternoon forum held at Northwood University Florida’s Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center.Serving as role models for Northwood University students, the six-member panel shared anecdotes relating to the obstacles and challenges they’ve encountered, as well as remedies relating to how they overcame them while on their personal road to success. And the crowd gained sound advice relating to the importance of young leaders ‘failing often in a comfortable and safe environment,’ in order to learn from their mistakes, the importance of surrounding oneself with honest and trustworthy people, identifying problems and market needs as opportunities, and more.

The nationally known group will also share insight at the annual Outstanding Business Leader awards gala held Saturday, February 7th, 2015, at The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida. For high resolution photos, biographies, and individual press releases, please visit the: Outstanding Business Leader Online Newsroom.

The six honorees in the Class of 2015 are: 

Jim Hallett

CEO, KAR Auction Services

Carmel, Indiana

Steve M. Madincea (MI ’82)

Founder & Group Managing Director, PRISM

Surrey, England

Rollie Massimino

Head Coach, Northwood University Men’s Basketball

1985 NCAA Champion, Villanova University

Tequesta, Florida

Sonu Ratra

President, Akraya Inc.

Santa Clara, California

John Rotche

President, TITLE Boxing Club

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Melissa Spickler

Managing Director, Merrill Lynch – The Spickler Group

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Northwood University annually recognizes a select group of men and women for their business achievements and for their support and exemplary leadership of the communities in which they live and work. In the 35 years since the program’s founding, more than 300 business leaders from more than 30 states and several countries, representing dozens of industries and fields of business expertise, have received the Outstanding Business Leader Award.

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