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The economics and business department invites the campus to attend a talk by George Jenkins ’74, a venture capitalist and member of the College’s Board of Trustees, as part of the CIRCLE Entrepreneurship Lecture Series. The free lecture, “The Road to Venture Capital that started at Lafayette,” will be held 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 26 in the Simon Center auditorium.
CIRCLE was organized in 2002 to provide seminars for the College community concerning various aspects of entrepreneurship. Attendees have the opportunity to hear from Lafayette alumni and other professionals who have started their own businesses or were involved in turning an existing business around.
Jenkins has spent his entire career in the field of banking.
He began working in the industry for MidLantic Banks, a regional bank holding company with locations in N.J., Pa., and N.Y, where he was vice president and division head of the special industries and technology group. During his time with the company, he helped start up branches in London and Hong Kong and oversaw their operations.
He has spent the bulk of his career with Apax Partners, a leading international private equity investment group which operates funds in seven countries with $15 billion capital under management. Jenkins was a member of the seven-person world wide executive committee which ran the firm and served as senior partner managing the U.S. business. Some of the major transactions completed by the firm include the founding of Apple, AOL, Cadence, and Office Depot, as well as the buy-out of Johnny Rockets, Sunglass Hut, Chili’s, Spyder, and Van Heusen.
In 2005, he left the company to form Merritt Capital Corp.
An economics graduate, Jenkins also holds an MBA in international accounting and finance from Pace University. He is involved in a number of charitable organizations and is on the board of Trout Unlimited, an environmental conservation organization.
Playing an active role in the Lafayette community, he has served as a member of Lafayette Leadership Council and the President’s Advisory Board. He also has provided externship opportunities to Lafayette students including to Jarrod Poveromo ’03 and Martin Lawlor ’05.
The CIRCLE Entrepreneurship Lecture Series is sponsored by the Robert F. Hunsicker Education fund. Members of the current CIRCLE committee are Meghan Mannion ’07 (Garden State, N.Y.), an economics and business major; Meghan Morel ’07 (Williston, Vt.), a double major in government & law and economics & business; Jonathan Farrar ’07 (Alexandria, Va.), who is pursuing a B.S. in physics and an A.B. in mathematics; Dani Goldberg ’07 (Englishtown, N.J.), a double major in economics & business and psychology; and Leanne Fredericks ’09 (West Milford, N.J.), a Spanish major. They are advised by Sheila Handy, assistant professor of economics and business.
Previous CIRCLE lecturers include James R. Fisher ’77, founder of Fisher Capital Corporation; Ray Foley, publisher of Bartender magazine;Hal Singer of Criterion Economics; and three Easton business owners, who discussed their experiences founding Lipkins Furniture, Genesis Bicycles, and Cosmic Cup.