Press release
MANSFIELD, Ohio – The North Central State College Foundation has named two honorees to the inaugural Hall of Excellence Awards which will be held April 22 at the Kehoe Center in Shelby.
Janet Pry recently retired as the Executive Director of the Community Foundation for Crawford County. Under her leadership, foundation assets grew to more than $14 million in 47 funds. Her vision, planning and leadership provided the impetus for growth, including establishing a permanent home for the foundation in Bucyrus, and increased collaboration throughout the region.
Tom Brennan recently retired as editor of the Mansfield News Journal and Media Network of Central Ohio after a 43-year career. He moved to Mansfield in 1972 as a reporter, and moved up through the ranks until assuming local leadership of the newspaper. Brennan guided the transition to online news reporting and web advertising during this final years with the paper. He was involved in numerous efforts to promote this area, and improve the community.
Hall of Excellence Awards will replace the Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame
The North Central State College Foundation is making the change to provide the opportunity to recognize a broader range of honorees who have impacted the region through their efforts. Scott Heimann, Executive Director of the Foundation, is excited with the small, but meaningful evolution to the Foundation’s signature event.
“We have been receiving so many nominations to honor worthy individuals who technically aren’t entrepreneurs, but their contributions to the region have been significant. We think it is fitting that we honor business leaders, as well as those who may come from clergy, public service, or philanthropy just to name a few. It opens up a whole host of potential honorees for inclusion into the Hall.”
The 2016 Hall of Excellence event will be held at the Kehoe Center in Shelby, at the Ralph Phillips Conference Center on Friday, April 22. Ticket and table sponsorship information is available through the NC State Foundation office.
In addition to the induction ceremony, the Hall of Excellence will also feature a keynote speaker. For this inaugural event, Bill Rancic will provide the address for those in attendance. Rancic is best known as the winner of the first season of The Apprentice.
Currently, Rancic is speaking to businesses and organizations around the world on motivational and business topics, developing real estate in Chicago, and producing and appearing in several television programs.
Bill makes regular appearances on numerous daytime broadcast and cable television programs such as Today, The View, Rachael Ray and various CNBC programs to talk to viewers about business and entrepreneurship. He also regularly appears in many national, regional and local print outlets throughout the country.
A published author of a New York Times best-selling book, Bill wrote You’re Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life. This book chronicles Bill’s successful life, experience and proven advice. He continued to make a name for himself as an author by writing Beyond the Lemonade Stand to help educate and motive young people worldwide about the value of money and how to leverage skills, talents, and abilities at an early age. All proceeds from the sale of this book have gone to charity. Bill has also co-authored I Do . . . Now What with his wife Giuliana Rancic where they share secrets to everlasting love.
After graduating cum laude from Loyola University, Bill went on to become a successful entrepreneur when he founded Cigars Around the World, a monthly online subscription-based retailer that became a multi-million dollar enterprise.
Today he is one of the most sought after motivational speakers on the subject of entrepreneurship and business, sharing his entertaining lessons that vary from a pancake business he started with his grandmother at age 10 to his current multi-million dollar real estate enterprise in Chicago.