Jan. 26, 2000
KALAMAZOO -- Richard D. Snyder, founder and president of Avalon Investments Inc. and former president of Gateway Inc., will speak at Western Michigan University Thursday, Jan. 27, as part of the Haworth College of Business Distinguished Speaker Series.
Snyder will speak on "Michigan and the Technological Revolution" at 7:30 p.m. in the Brown Auditorium of Schneider Hall. He is expected to address the future impact of high-tech industries in our state.
Snyder earned a bachelor's degree, an M.B.A. and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He began his career with the accounting firm of Coopers and Lybrand, where he eventually became partner in charge of mergers and acquisitions in the firm's Chicago office.
In 1991, Snyder joined Gateway as executive vice president, rising to become president and chief operating officer. During his tenure, Gateway grew from a company with a single location, 700 employees and $500 million in sales to an international corporation with 11,000 employees and $6 billion in annual sales.
Snyder, whose current venture capital firm specializes in technology-oriented ventures, still serves on Gateway's board as well as the board of the Michigan Strategic Fund. He also serves as chair of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
The Distinguished Speaker Series, now in its fourth year, brings business, education and government leaders to campus to discuss a variety of topics of interest to the University and Southwest Michigan. Business and community leaders from Southwest Michigan, as well as WMU faculty, staff and students, attend the events by invitation only. The series is coordinated by Dr. Christopher M. Korth, WMU professor of finance and commercial law.
Media contact: Jessica English, 616 387-8400, jessica.english@wmich.edu
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