Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
Sports and Entertainment Pioneer Robert L. Johnson to Keynote CED's Venture 2005
Black Entertainment Television Founder and Majority Owner of the Charlotte Bobcats Organization to Speak April 27
March 2, 2005, Research Triangle Park, NC – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced that Robert L. Johnson - founder and CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats organization - will keynote CED's Venture 2005 conference. Scheduled for April 26-27, 2005, at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC, Venture 2005 will continue a 22-year tradition of showcasing North Carolina's innovation economy and leading investment opportunities.
Johnson, who founded BET in 1980, will speak during the second day of Venture 2005 on April 27. Under Johnson's leadership, BET has become the nation's first and leading television network providing entertainment, music, news and public affairs programming for African-Americans. In 2000, Johnson sold BET to Viacom for approximately $3 billion and continues to serve as chief executive officer. Following the sale of BET, Johnson formed The RLJ Companies, an umbrella organization in which Johnson owns or holds interests in companies operating in the professional sports, hospitality/restaurant, real estate, gaming and recording industries.
Johnson also made history when he became the first African-American majority owner of a major professional sports franchise when he was awarded a National Basketball Association (NBA) expansion team and returned professional basketball to Charlotte, NC. Johnson now presides over the Charlotte Bobcats organization, which includes the Bobcats, the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association), C-SET (Carolinas Sports Entertainment Television), a 24-hour regional sports network serving the two Carolinas, and the New Charlotte Arena, which is set to open in the fall of 2005.
“We are extremely pleased to have a pioneering business executive like Robert Johnson provide keynote remarks at Venture 2005,” said CED President Monica Doss. “An innovative and successful serial entrepreneur, Johnson will undoubtedly inspire and inform Venture 2005 conference attendees.”
In addition to Johnson's keynote remarks, Venture 2005 will also feature North Carolina's top investment opportunities with presentations from 33 high-growth companies. Beyond the company presentations and keynote remarks, Venture 2005 will also offer an interactive panel discussion, extensive networking opportunities and exclusive investor-only events - all in the comfort of the renowned Pinehurst Resort (host of the 2005 U.S. Open Golf Championship).
About Venture 2005: CED's 22nd annual Venture conference - Where Great Minds Meet Smart Money - is scheduled for April 26-27 at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC. Last year's conference, Venture 2004, drew a crowd of more than 800 investors, service professionals, entrepreneurs and others involved in the entrepreneurial funding process from throughout the United States. www.cednc.org/venture
About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004, is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
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