Neither did we!
A quick stroll through Capitol Hill or Cheeseman Park quickly reveals that the city has long been an epicenter of business in the West. Not to mention, some of Denver's nicknames like "Houston of the West," "Wall Street of the West," and "Queen City of the Plains" aren't a coincidence. So it goes without saying that Denver has long been a place to do business
and to learn business. Founded in 1908, the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business has produced some outstanding talent over the years. But instead of writing a history lesson, let's just focus on the present. With that said, here are a few modern business leaders you may not realize were educated right here at Daniels.
Peter H. Coors
There's no shortage of business prowess in the Coors family. What appears to be a traditional "handing over the reigns" is actually more of "the right guy for the job happens to be in the family." Not only was Peter Coors the CEO from 1993 to 2002 and named the chairman of the Coors Brewing Company, he also serves as the chairman of the board of the University of Colorado Hospital Foundation and has served on the boards of U.S. Bancorp, H.J. Heinz Company, and the Energy Corp. of America. Peter Coors received an MBA from the Daniels School of Business in 1970.
Joseph W. Saunders
Saunders is currently the executive chairman and former CEO of Visa, Inc. -- yes, like your credit/debit card. He's also served as the president of card services for Washington Mutual, and the CEO of Providian Financial Corporation, just to name a few. Sanders currently holds a B.S. in business administration and an MBA from the Daniels College of Business.
Robert J. Swieringa
Okay, maybe he's not a CEO, but Swieringa heads the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. Swieringa earned his MBA from Daniels in 1965. It takes a Pioneer!
Pamela J. Turbeville
In 2004, Turbeville was named CEO of Navistar Financial Corporation, which -- for those of you who don't know -- is the financial subsidiary of Navistar Corporation, the company that produces the International and International Harvester line of heavy-duty transportation vehicles (i.e., semi-trucks, school buses, farm equipment, military, etc.). Not long after earning a bachelor's at the University of Arizona, Turbeville pursued and earned an MBA in Finance from the Daniels College of Business.
James Lentz
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Lentz is the CEO of Toyota Motor North America, Inc., and a senior managing officer of the Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan. In his current role, he oversees everything in North America, including marketing, research and development, manufacturing, sales, product support, and more. Like those mentioned before him, Lentz is a graduate of the Daniels College of Business where he has earned a bachelor's and an MBA, and he is currently a member of the University of Denver Daniels College of Business executive advisory board. Lentz also regularly speaks at the Daniels Voices of Experience events.
What are your thoughts, people? Do you know of anyone you'd like to add to the list? If so, let us know in the comments below!
