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GREG FORBES SIEGMAN
CORPORATE - CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
BUSINESS - LAW - ENTREPRENEURSHIP - SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Also See: Employee Volunteerism and Philanthropy
BIO - Greg's bio
WEBSITES: Greg's website - The First Thirty website - Greg's nonprofit site - www.ShakingUpAmerica.org
BOOK SUMMARY: One page synopsis of The First Thirty
BACKGROUND: The First Thirty (and expanded version, The Silhouette Man) is based on the true story of social entrepreneur Greg Forbes Siegman, his efforts to make a difference, and the first thirty things learned from the people and places he encountered (and setbacks and successes he experienced) along the way. A large part of the book revolves around Greg's experience as a Social Entrepreneur, building a nonprofit business from the ground up, and working with both young business professionals and corporate leaders on civic engagement projects. Greg is now asked to speak at schools, nonprofit organizations and other events on topics like nonprofit business, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, and extracting business-relevant lessons from every day life. The First Thirty is now used by a wide variety of companies and teams as part of Internal or External Corporate Programming (ie for their own staff, or for the local community).as well as by groups, schools, clubs, and organizations who are studying or working in fields of Entrepreneurship &/or Social Entrepreneurship
FURTHER BACKGROUND: Over the years, in both profit and not-for-profit related projects, Greg has worked extensively with both students and adults interested in various forms of business. This includes students who are studying Business or Entrepreneurship or Nonprofit Management; young professionals in various towns; CEOs and other prominent business leaders in a variety of fields; and well-known corporations in a host of different fields such as Law, Banking and Business. Greg's first 'business' experience involved being part of a business program for youth when he was a young student.
LAW SPECIFIC BACKGROUND: As noted in The First Thirty, one of Greg's first loves was the field of law - inspired in part by Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. As a student, he would occasionally get out of class to go to the courthouse to watch a case get tried. On the civic side, Greg's nonprofit foundation has received extensive support from a number of prominent lawyers and law firms. Among its various scholarships, Greg's foundation has funded several scholarships to assist students studying civil rights law in Alabama.
Sample of HONORS & MEDIA:
== Greg was named one of today's "Trailblazers" by EntrepreneurshipWeek USA in 2007 - a "sample of people who have taken on their BIG idea and made it into a reality". EntrepreneurshipWeekUSA was presented by Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Inc. ; and The New York Times. For more, see www.EntrepreneurshipweekUSA.com
== Honored at Princeton University as one of nation's top social entrepreneurs under 40.
== Chicago Daily Law Bulletin ran a feature story about the extensive number of prominent lawyers and law firms supporting The 11-10-02 Foundation's efforts. Greg was one of two dozen social entrepreneurs from around America brought to New York to join the top leaders of Goldman Sachs and Goldman Sachs Foundation for special Social Entrepreneur dinner at Harvard Club. Other honors include: Multiple honors for efforts raising funds to fight Multiple Sclerosis, Jefferson Award for Public Service, America's Daily Point of Light, National Man of Distinction, honored by Hasbro as one of 30 'real-life American heroes', CBS Tylenol Hometown Hero, Simply Family's Heroes of the Year
== The NonProfit Times did a cover story on Greg's unique entrepreneurial approach to nonprofit management. The Washington Post Co. ran a story on the parallels between Greg and Steven Spielberg. Featured a number of times in business-related sections of publications like the Chicago Sun-Times (ie the Advertising Media Mix Section. Cover of Daily Law Bulletin and subsequent feature story about top lawyers and top law firms collaborating with Greg on philanthropy. Other examples include: Good Morning America, USA Today, CBS, NBC, Education Week, Crain's Pensions & Investments, Brand Week, College News, Newsweek Kaplan College Guide.
EXAMPLE OF SPEECHES:
== Greg keynoted an event for women business leaders in Canada. Keynoted an annual event for hundreds of business professionals who contribute to a major charity in Canada. Greg was the surprise guest lecturer for the final day of "Selected Topics in Entrepreneurship" MBA Course at Saint Louis University (the students had been reading The First Thirty as part of the curriculum). Greg (and John Sculley - former CEO of Apple & IBM) spoke at the 2006 Valley Business Conference ("Ethics in Business") Co-sponsored by the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce and 40 corporations, organizations, schools and media outlets, Greg was asked to discuss the civic and social applications of business. Spoke at private event for executives of a well-known company in senior housing industry. In advance of the event, the company ordered copies of The First Thirty for all the attendees. In turn, after reading the book, one of the attendees - a Regional Marketing Manager - ordered dozens of additional copies to give to his staffers in conjunction with MLK Day 2008. Keynoted an annual event for business, educational, political and civic leaders, hosted by Mayors in Minnesota. Guest lectured course for business and/or entrepreneurship students at well-known universities in Illinois, Colorado and California among others. Spoke at private event for company in Montana. Greg spoke at Princeton University. The lead sponsor for the event was the Princeton University Entrepreneurship Club. Spoke to 'Teen Philanthropists' in Minnesota about social entrepreneurship. Guest lectured Global Social Entrepreneurship Course at Daniels College of Business. Greg keynoted the 66th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Banquet for U of C Hospitals (U of C Hospitals ordered hundreds of copies of The First Thirty to give out as thank you gifts to their top volunteers). Spoke with college students in Florida about Grant Writing and Nonprofit Seed Funding
EXAMPLES INVOLVING THE BOOKS & WORKBOOKS:
== California-based BennettFrost Personnel Services Inc. ordered dozens of copies of The First Thirty so that local Business School students studying Entrepreneurship could read the book. BennettFrost also did a Staff-Wide reading of the book. The Businesswomen's Association (BWA) ordered a dozen copies of The First Thirty. The Businesswomen's Association is the largest and most prominent association of business and professional women in South Africa, and the voice of women in business. Washtington Mutual ordered 25 copies of The First Thirty for students at Brooklyn College. Other banks who have done similar things in their respective communities include Fifth Third Bank, Rockville Bank, Tompkins State Bank and Peoples Bank of Commerce among others. Advance Mentoring Inc. sponsored a civic project involving The First Thirty and an Entrepreneurship MBA Course. Daniels College of Business incorporated the book (and its companion workbook, A Place To Sit) into its Global Social Entrepreneurship course. Separately, Daniels Entrepreneurship Society did a Society-wide reading of the book. Princeton University students used The First Thirty as part of a mentoring program. Genesis Mitzvah Fund & Justice Squared in Minnesota ordered hundreds of copies of The First Thirty -- one for each of their teen philanthropists -- and brought Greg to speak to them about social action & philanthropy. Hearing Solutions ordered copies of The Silhouette Man for seniors near one of its locations in Toronto.
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SAMPLE OF FEEDBACK FROM GREG'S SPEECHES
"I have never heard anyone speak in a way that is so relevant and inspiring...The First Thirty also has lessons that are imperative on a broad social and business level. All business leaders should read The First Thirty and challenge themselves to think outside the traditional business model and embrace Greg's lessons....After hearing Greg speak, viewing his artwork in conjunction with his speech, meeting him, and reading The First Thirty in the week that followed, I believe that he is one of the great social leaders of my generation..." - Rachel L, Sales Manager, Canada
"I read The First Thirty and having it come to life through Greg's presence was awesome...Great message that really hit home with our folks. It isn't rocket science, [just] real-world practical advice about living. Obviously our group really enjoyed it and they are still talking about it. I appreciate Greg coming early and staying with us through lunch - he visibly demonstrated how one individual can make a difference in people's lives. Very impactful. He exceeded my expectations." - - Mike Noble, Plant Manager, General Mills West Chicago
THERESA CISNEROS, OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS, UCLA ANDERSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: "I could not put the book down...I was literally brought to tears ...He has touched so many lives that it has caused a ripple effect of goodness. This world needs that and we are so lucky to have him and the people who help him around to be there...my dream was to go to law school but I put it off for awhile. Well, after reading the book, I started to really think about my reasoning as to why I had made that decision. Although at the time the decision made sense, my life was in a bit of chaos, but now the dust has completely settled and I really have no real reason to not continue to pursue my dream. So starting this week I am going to map out a plan for my journey to getting it done! It starts with some careful scripting of my time but it is absolutely possible."
"I really enjoyed Greg's presentation...It definitely was not like any other business presentation I've ever been to. I enjoyed the anecdotes...I found them very intriguing and engaging. Greg is a very good story teller. I liked the exercise of extracting business-relevant lessons from life experiences because it gives a human-centric perspective to business, which is a nice change from the abstract processes that I normally learn about. It's given me a new way to think and reflect on my own life experiences. This was definitely the most memorable business class I've ever been to." - Henry, MBA student
"Greg Forbes Siegman is a dynamic speaker who knows how to connect with his audience. Whether addressing a group of business professionals, or a group of students, he knows how to relate to and strike a chord with them. Part of the key to Greg's speaking success is his ability to involve the audience, and part is his ability to make them realize how important, and how easy it is for them to each be more and do more to help others." -- Marilyn Meyer-Behringer, Associate Dean of Instruction, Business Division, Fresno City College (and Chair of 2006 Valley Business Conference)
"It was a pleasure attending Greg's speech. The presentation was not like a typical business class. His style is somewhat unique in the way he draws analogies from personal life and applies them to business. It is a great way to understand what the concept is and how it can be applied." - Luis, MBA student from Mexico,
"I'm in the school of management here and hearing him talk was extremely helpful because I sometimes struggle with the idea of possibly making a lot of money in the future...and still staying grounded in my beliefs such as helping others -- which is more of how I see myself...everyone I talked to loved the speech -- definitely worth the time." --Micah, Boston College student (MA)
"I continue to get very positive comments from students on Greg's visit to our Social Entrepreneurship class. He motivated many of them to think beyond the boundaries they had set for themselves. Thanks for setting an example that is both challenging and inspiring!" - Kurt Madden, CEO, One by One Leadership
"...Our Breakfast is hosted annually by a Mayor from one of the cities involved in our Joint Powers Agreement. This year...we had over 350 attendees that come from all areas of the community: city and county employees, law enforcement, public school staff, faith based organizations, administrators and youth...It was unbelieveable how Greg catered to every goal we had for the event, the organization and the coming year. He was enlightening, entertaining and passionate with his message. He truly engaged the entire audience...attendees still are calling to say, this was one of the best events we have held. We thank Greg for helping us to focus on the world outside 'our' window. It was a pleasure to work with him..." -- Jan R. Pomeroy, Program Coordinator, 11th Annual Mayors' Youth First Breakfast (Minnesota)
"I am in the social entrepreneurship course...Greg spoke with us last week while he was here in town...he had a huge impact on me. I'm not usually a big fan of speakers, but something about his presentation really opened me up to what he was saying. I'm sure you get dozens of e-mails just like this, but I feel it's important to let you know that Greg touched my life. After hearing him speak, I spent my entire weekend telling people about what he said..." - Brenda, student, California
"I really enjoyed the 24 hours or so of time [Greg and I] spent getting to know each other. I think his trip to St. Louis was very successful...He did a TEArific job at SLU. I appreciated it very much..."
-- Ron Rubin, Chairman of the Board ("Minister of Tea"), The Republic of Tea and Adjunct Professor, Saint Louis University
"It was an honor to meet Greg on Friday and [be part of the MBA course he guest lectured] for a wonderful three hours! He is indeed an inspiration and, what I've decided, a real "magnet" for any age group....he definitely has a gift to share and anyone who comes in contact with him will definitely benefit. I plan to share his book with a few of my colleagues and tell them about my experience on Friday. I am so glad I was able to attend..." - Libby
"Thank you so much for the opportunity [to come as a guest to the class] today. The talk was wonderful and incredibly interesting. It was definitely one of my most worthwhile experiences here at school. I have shared The First Thirty with some good friends back home and they are looking forward to reading the book. Again, today was fantastic and I can't say thanks enough for giving me the chance to hear Greg speak." - Thanks, Michelle
SAMPLE OF REVIEWS OF THE FIRST THIRTY & THE SILHOUETTE MAN:
"This should be required reading in business school. It's a case study in how to start small, think big and lead by example." -- Bob Middlemas, Executive Vice President, Nordstrom
"The First Thirty is a tribute to teachers - those found in classrooms, and those who impart their wisdom in the course of everyday life." -- Anna Marie Johnson Teague, Business Development Director, Dawson + Murray + Teague Communications, Texas
"The First Thirty illustrates the responsibilities we have as parents, grandparents, teachers and business leaders to influence the people around us. Every teacher should make The First Thirty required reading. It's William Saroyan for the next generation." - Sam Geil, Parent and company president, California
"For anyone who's been knocked down or told you can't do it, The First Thirty is an uplifting read that will make you want to get up, shake yourself off, have a milkshake and get back to work...." - Jarah Euston, Fresno Famous
"It makes you think about what it really means to be a success." - Kris Ekdahl, Princeton University student
"...I am just starting a career, and am at a critical point in choosing where I will take it. I have always looked at my career in terms of finding the right balance of [how much I enjoy myself and how much money I make]. Reading The First Thirty has modified my view of success to include the interaction I have with the people around me." - David Cramer, Allstate
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For more on Greg, go to www.GregForbes.com
For more on the book, go to www.TheFirstThirty.com or www.TheSilhouetteMan.com
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