Kent State University College of Business to Host Session at ASPIRE 2016 Conference

KENT, Ohio - May 9, 2016 - PRLog -- Kent State University College of Business Administration faculty and alumnus will participate in the ASPIRE Conference, to be held each year to gather C-suite level entrepreneurs, dealmakers and investors.

Kent State's panel is titled "Region'sCapital." It features moderator Robert Hisrich, and alumni panelists Jeff Hoffman, Matt Likens and Bill Mulligan. The panel will focus on types of enterprise capital, particularly private capital versus venture capital and the positive and negative aspects of each.

The moderator,Robert Hisrich, Ph.D., associate dean for Graduate and International Programs at the College of Business Administration and Bridgestone Chair of International marketing, has global entrepreneurship which experience includes being a visiting and honorary professor at more than eight universities in six different countries. Hisrich has written more than 300 articles on entrepreneurship, international business management and marketing. His areas of expertise include; domestic and international entrepreneurship, venture capital, entrepreneurial finance and many more.

"Discussing the private equity market, better known as enterprise capital, will be the main focus of the panel discussion," said Hisrich. "We will analyze individuals, venture capital and private equity firms and how they differ in raising capital."

Jeff Hoffman, president and CEO of Colorjar and founder of Priceline.com will be a Kent State alumnus panelist. Hoffman is a successful speaker and entrepreneur with interests in ecommerce and entertainment. He is the founder of multiple startups and has acted as CEO of both public and private companies. Hoffman has produced movies and musical events, including concerts, tours and charity events. Recently, he was a guest lecturer for Kent State's Executive MBA students.

Matt Likens, president and chief executive officer of Ulthera, Inc. is also a panelist. Likens, an alumnus of Kent State's College of Business Administration, graduated with a degree in business administration. He began his career with Johnson & Johnson Corporation before spending more than 20 years in domestic and international sales, marketing and general management at Baxter International.

Bill Mulligan, co-founder and managing partner of Primus Venture Partners, will be the third panelist representing the College of Business Administration. Previous to joining Primus, Mulligan worked in several management and operating positions at McKinsey & Company, Deere and Company and First Chicago Corporation. He serves on the board of trustees of the Cleveland Clinic, Denison University and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy.

The ASPIRE Conference will be held in Cleveland at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel on May 18, presented by Fifth Third Bank and hosted by Smart Business Magazine. This executive event brings together the region's most brilliant industry persons to engage and participate in dynamic discussions.

Smart Business has done a great deal in putting this event together, with more than twelve of the region's best deal making industries as supporting sponsors and four respected chair people who have spent the last year evolving this program.

For information about the Aspire 2016 conference, visit https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=1780571

For more information about the College of Business Administration, visit http://business.kent.edu/

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Kent State University's College of Business Administration is fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) and one of the largest colleges of business in Ohio.  The college has more than 4,300 students representing 50 countries with over 89 full-time faculty from 16 countries.

The college grants undergraduate through graduate degrees, and is one of only three colleges in Ohio with a comprehensive Ph.D. program.  The MBA program is offered with nine concentrations and five dual degree options. The Executive MBA program offer two tracks: one targeting corporate professionals and the other healthcare executives.  The M.S. in Accounting and M.A. in Economics are specialized master's degrees for those seeking advanced study in these disciplines.  The college boasts nine undergraduate majors, 12 minors and a Professional Sales Certificate program.

The college is listed as a Best Business School by Princeton Review, ranked as a Best Business College by U.S. News and World Report, one of only 23 accounting programs worldwide to be endorsed by the IMA (Institute of Management Accountants), ranked Top-Tier for Executive Education in North America by CEO Magazine and ranked fourth by the SEF (Sales Education Foundation) in Ohio for Professional Sales Education.

The college boasts an onsite Career Services Center and International Programs Office dedicated to business students, and operates the Global Management Center, the Center for Information Systems and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation all propelling scholarly research, establishing innovative industry partnerships and providing outreach to Northeast Ohio and beyond.

Media Contacts:

Michelle Manning, Director of Marketing Communications, mparris3@kent.edu, (330) 672-2717

Alyssa Ronyak, Marketing Communications Specialist, aronyak2@kent.edu, (330) 672-1279