Press Release

Online community expert named 2008 Anheuser-Busch Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Lithium Technologies CEO Lyle Fong will inspire future entrepreneurs during UA visit

TUCSON, Ariz. – February 6, 2008 – Online community and gaming expert Lyle Fong has been named the 2008 Anheuser-Busch Entrepreneur-in-Residence by the Christopher and Carol McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the Eller College of Management. For two days in February, Fong will work one-on-one with student new venture teams and deliver a public talk about his career and the burgeoning industry of online communities.

Fong is co-founder and CEO of Lithium Technologies. A provider of on-demand community solutions, the company powers some of the largest communities in the world for some of the largest companies in the world, including Dell, AT&T, Sony, Comcast, and Symantec. Prior to founding Lithium Technologies, Fong co-founded GX Media, where he was the chief technology officer. There, he drove the development of Gamers.com, which was rated the #1 independent gaming portal by Nielson NetRatings. He has been the driving force behind the creation of technologies for professional gaming.

“The Anheuser-Busch Entrepreneur-in-Residence program provides students an exciting opportunity to explore and energize their concepts by working with accomplished professionals,” said Sherry Hoskinson, director of the McGuire Center. “We chose Lyle because his career and his company, Lithium Technologies, embody a crucial transformation which we've seen over the past ten years. Ideas like online communities that were once the province of gamers and technologists have become vital to businesses of all kinds."

Fong will present a public talk on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 5:00 p.m. at the Center for Creative Photography on The University of Arizona campus, 1020 N. Olive Rd.  The presentation is free and open to the public. A reception will follow the lecture. Please RSVP for the lecture and reception via email at entre.rsvp@eller.arizona.edu by Feb.15.

About the Anheuser-Busch Entrepreneur-in-Residence
The Christopher and Carol McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship annually recognizes an accomplished entrepreneur as the Anheuser-Busch Entrepreneur-in-Residence. Criteria for selection include:

• Entrepreneurial success: growth of an enterprise
• Innovation: creativity and success in entrepreneurial activities
• Enthusiasm: interest in and commitment to work with one of the country’s foremost entrepreneurship education programs

The Anheuser-Busch Foundation endowed this position to support entrepreneurship education and recognize extraordinary entrepreneurial success and innovation.  Entrepreneurs-in-Residence work with students to provide in-depth review and advice about the problems and challenges they face in creating their venture plans.

Past Anheuser-Busch Entrepreneurs-in-Residence include Herb Kelleher, chairman of Southwest Airlines; Bruce Halle, CEO of Discount Tire Company; Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s, Inc.; and Jerry Colangelo, former president of the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks.

For 24 years, the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at The University of Arizona has been a nationally recognized leader in collegiate and graduate entrepreneurship education. Among the first such programs in the country, the Center has been a pioneer in the highly dynamic and innovative entrepreneurship discipline with initiatives that have helped to define this explosive industry. U.S.News & World Report ranks the program 6th among undergraduate and 13th among graduate entrepreneurship programs nationally. Entrepreneur magazine, the only ranking that evaluates entrepreneurship exclusively, ranks the program #2 in the nation.

The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona is internationally recognized for pioneering research, innovative curriculum, distinguished faculty, excellence in entrepreneurship, and social responsibility. U.S.News & World Report ranks the Eller undergraduate program #12 among public business schools and five of its departments are among the top 25 — Entrepreneurship, MIS, Marketing, Management and Organizations, and Accounting. The MPA program in the School of Public Administration and Policy ranks in the top 50. Financial Times ranks the Eller MBA full-time program #27 in the U.S. and #57 in the world, and Forbes ranks the program among the top 50 nationwide. The College leads the nation’s business schools in generating grant funds for research. In addition to a full-time MBA program, the Eller College offers an evening MBA program, and the Eller Executive MBA. The Eller College of Management supports more than 5,100 undergraduate and 600 graduate students on the UA campus in beautiful Tucson, Arizona.

Press Contact:
Linda Herrick, Eller College Public Relations and Events Coordinator
520.626.2590, news@eller.arizona.edu