The Famous Entrepreneurs Series (FES) is a business membership organization created to fuel the entrepreneurial flame in the Greater Syracuse and Central Upstate New York (CNY) region. FES hosts quarterly lectures for local members of the academic community, entrepreneurs, and businesses. Through FES, CEOs and management thought leaders share their successes, failures and visions in an effort to create inspired discussions within the local community.
FES was created in 2006 by Jud Gostin, CEO of Sensis Corporation, in partnership with many other CEOs from growing companies in the CNY. Other FES founding companies include: Anaren Inc., Clear Channel Communications, Communigration, Dolphin Technologies, O’Brien & Gene, PPC, SRC and United Radio.
Past speakers have included Facebook Co-founder and “MyBarakObama.com” Founder, Chris Hughes, Founder and General Manager of IDEO Product Development, Tom Kelley, Professor of International Business and Founding Director of the Center for Global Leadership at the Tusk School of Business at Dartmouth College, Vijay Govindarajan, CEOs Carly Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard, Richard Teerlink of Harley-Davidson, Jon Luther of Dunkin’ Brands, Anne Mulcahy of Xerox and David Barger of Jet Blue. FES has also featured entrepreneurs and authors C.K. Prahalad, author of "Competing for the Future," Michael Treacy, author of "The Discipline of Market Leaders," and Rod Beckstrom, author of "The Starfish and the Spider”.