.png)
.jpg)
Wausau, WI –Three more outstanding area business leaders who helped shape our area’s economy in past years will be honored this spring at the ninth annual Champions of Business Dinner established by Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. - Northcentral District. A panel of independent judges selected George Ruder, Dwight Davis, and William Sampe as the 2017 honorees. In addition to honoring these visionary businessmen, Bruce Bright will be joining the celebration as the 2017 Champions of Business keynote speaker.
A dinner on Thursday, May 18 at the City Grill of Jefferson Street Inn will honor George Ruder, Dwight Davis, and William Sampe and celebrate their contributions to the Wausau area business community. Tickets to the ninth annual event are on sale at Junior Achievement of Wisconsin - North Central District (715.842.1056) or online at www.championsofbusiness.org. Individual tickets and table sponsorships are available.
Bruce Bright spent 28 years in service with the U.S. Marine Corps. His service includes four years as a Marine Infantryman and 24 years as a Marine F/A-18 Fighter Pilot. Before retiring in 2007, he logged over 3,000 flight hours including two combat tours in the Middle East. His personal decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal; the Air Medal with 1 strike/flight award, the Joint Commendation Medal, five Navy Commendation Medals (one with the Combat Distinguishing Device) and the Aerial Achievement Medal.
After a stellar career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Lt. Col Bruce Bright traded in his flight suit for a business suit. Bright joined the civilian workforce as Director of Business Development for The Sanders Trust, a real estate investment trust in Birmingham, AL. There he earned the prestigious designation of CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) and was recognized as an expert in the disciplines of commercial and investment Real Estate. He has personally been involved in over $100 million in investment transactions since 2007.
Bruce has a strong desire to help and encourage people using the experiences and lessons he has learned in business and in life. Founder and CEO (Chief Energy Officer) of On Target Leading, Bruce now enjoys motivating others with his speeches, seminars and coaching.
Bruce Bright will join the list of prestigious speakers that have shared their knowledge and inspired attendees at the past Champions of Business events. Past keynote speakers include Dwight Davis, Melanie Holmes, Herman Cain, Dick Johnson, William Hsu, Kevin Hermening, Dave Skogen, and Bart Starr, Jr.
Title sponsor for The 2017 Champions of Business Dinner is Ruder Ware. Reception sponsor is River Valley Bank and the Speaker Sponsor is UMR. Other sponsors include E.O. Johnson Business Technologies, Peoples State Bank, The Samuels Group, Greenheck Fan, Schenck, Associated Bank, Graebel, Church Mutual, Mid Wisconsin Beverage and the Wausau Region Chamber. All proceeds from the event will go to the local Junior Achievement district office, which provides business and economic education programs to area schools.
More than 11,100 Northcentral District kindergarten through 12th grade students participate in JA’s experiential learning programs, which focus on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and workplace readiness. Critical to the success of JA’s approach is the use of community volunteers who use their own job and life experiences to bring the curriculum to life. Ethics, as it relates to business, has always been taught as part of the Junior Achievement curriculum.
The purpose of Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, Inc. is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Today, Junior Achievement reaches more than 168,000 Wisconsin students annually and ten million students worldwide.
###