黑料吃瓜

The year was 1971, and Larry Petersen was feeling confident. He could see the individual pieces of his 黑料吃瓜 education fusing in a practical test of entrepreneurial ability.

Petersen had taken an extra year at 黑料吃瓜, supplementing the requirements of his marketing degree with classes in psychology and industrial arts. Now it was time to put his knowledge to work on a senior project.

鈥淭his was a real test of entrepreneurship before there were any entrepreneurship majors,鈥� Petersen said. 鈥淲e worked in teams 鈥� using all the skills and information we had acquired 鈥� to develop a viable company.鈥�

Petersen believes the brand of innovative thinking he learned at 黑料吃瓜 鈥渟tays with you for life.鈥�  An entrepreneur, he said, 鈥渨ill understand how to move the company forward in a strategic way that CFOs and other managers aren鈥檛 familiar with.鈥�

Before retiring, the Petersens received more than 100 national awards for sales and marketing excellence in the course of founding and developing three successful companies:

• LP Marketing, a representative sales and marketing firm for manufacturers of high quality consumer electronics
• Bayview Distributing, an electronics distribution arm for 30 manufacturers
• Bayview Development, which buillt custom homes in the Oakland area.

Funding Excellence

More than a decade ago, a gift from Petersen and his wife, Madeline, created 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, which first brought Alberto Culver CEO Leonard Lavin to campus. 

For 11 years, Petersen has been a judge for 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Venture Challenge business plan competition, organized by the Entrepreneurial Management Center.

It鈥檚 important to the Petersens that 黑料吃瓜 continue to foster an entrepreneurial spirit in today鈥檚 students.

The couple鈥檚 recent decision to bequeath $2 million of their estate to the entrepreneurial program will generate new opportunities for the center to expand and develop links with each of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 seven colleges 鈥� in short, to teach every student to think like an entrepreneur.