Legendary Outdoor Advertising Pioneer Karl Eller Will Reveal His Secrets To Entrepreneurial Success April 18</p>

Mar 29, 2005

Legendary Outdoor Advertising Pioneer Karl Eller Will Reveal His Secrets To Entrepreneurial Success April 18

Eller Will Discuss His New Book With the Public and Students At DePaul

Karl Eller knows the highs and lows of being a trailblazing entrepreneur and chief executive. He pioneered and revolutionized the billboard advertising industry as the founder of Eller Outdoor Advertising and CEO of Clear Channel Communications Outdoor Division. He oversaw the merger of Columbia Pictures into Coca-Cola as head of Columbia Pictures Communications. He was forced to resign as CEO of Circle K Corp. when the convenience-store chain went bankrupt. He even established the Western Hockey League’s Roadrunners and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Through it all, Eller relied on creativity, innovation and – most importantly – integrity to stay on top.

The Phoenix-based CEO of Eller Company will share his experiences, give his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and discuss his new book, “Integrity Is All You’ve Got and Seven Other Lessons of The Entrepreneurial Life” (McGraw-Hill, Feb. 2005) April 18 at a series of events sponsored by DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center (CEC). Eller’s visit is the only Midwest stop on his book tour.

Eller will speak at the CEC’s “Entrepreneurship In Action” event in Room 8005 of the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd. The free, public event begins with a networking reception at 6 p.m., followed by Eller’s talk at 6:30 p.m. and a question-and-answer session at 7 p.m. For more information and to RSVP, contact the CEC at 312/362-8625 or cec.depaul.edu.

Prior to this public event, he will visit two classes at DePaul’s College of Commerce. From 1 p.m. to 2:40 p.m. he will discuss entrepreneurship with undergraduate students studying entrepreneurship strategy. From 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. he will address graduate students enrolled in the course, “Strategic Analysis for Competing Globally.” Eller’s business experiences have served as a living case study for the students.

Eller, who was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame by the American Advertising Federation in 2004, said that his book “is about the chills, thrills, deals, risks, gambles, crash landings and miraculous recoveries that are the essence of business in general, and entrepreneurship in particular. More than that, it is about the lessons I have learned along the way.” During his DePaul visit, Eller is expected to candidly discuss the book’s lessons, which are:

Profit From Failure – Taking risks means that there may be failure. For Eller, that has included being squeezed out of leadership positions at Gannett and Circle K. In his book, Eller explores where he went wrong, the professional and personal consequences and, in retrospect, what could have been done differently in each situation. He concludes that failure is a valuable lesson.

Love Selling, And Sell What You Love – “Business people are always selling something – business plans, products, even themselves,” according to Eller. “Those who succeed usually love doing it.” The moral: selling is a basic business skill. If you dread selling, you need to overcome this fear, Eller believes.

Creativity Is Seeing What Others Don’t – Eller believes that reativity belongs in business and its parameters are endless.

In A Good Deal, Everyone Wins – Eller’s book presents a behind-the-scenes look at his involvement in several major business deals. While negotiation skills and understanding other people’s motivations are key, Eller believes that the art of the deal is more than just the bottom line – it’s about integrity, trust and perseverance.

Integrity Is All You’ve Got – Eller believes integrity is so important in business that he named the book for this chapter. “Without trust, business would cease, as indeed it does whenever trust breaks down,” he writes. He believes that integrity allowed him to survive all his failures, and he shares stories from his entire life that prove his point.

Opportunity Is For Optimists – From his days as a college football player to his first business negotiation when he had less than one percent of the money needed to close the deal, Eller believes optimism is an entrepreneur’s best friend.

Connections Make Your Business – Eller is the ultimate networker, though he admits that the famous names in his Rolodex are people he knew long before they were famous.

Eller also advocates business philanthropy and community service. He has donated millions of dollars to fund entrepreneurship education at the University of Arizona, which has named its business school for him.

Note to Editors: Journalists interested in covering Eller’s evening address or classroom visits should contact Robin Florzak at 312/362-8592 or rflorzak@depaul.edu. Eller’s book also is available upon request.