Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, will be speaking at Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester Hills tonight about building a business empire using creative management strengths while remaining socially responsible.
“(Greenfield) is known for presenting a rousing tribute to America’s entrepreneurial spirit, full of anecdotes and his personal philosophy,” says Jean Ann Miller, director of the Center for Student Activities at Oakland University, who organized the visit. “His talk also addresses the great sense of fun that is the company’s hallmark, illustrated with a free serving of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for the entire audience.”
Brooklyn-born Greenfield and Ben Cohen opened the first Ben & Jerry’s in 1978 in Vermont. Within five years of starting the company, the duo began operating Ben & Jerry’s franchises in the surrounding states. Greenfield and Cohen sold the company to Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company, in 2000 for $325 million, though they remain active within the company.
Greenfield is involved with the Institute for Sustainable Communities, Businesses for Social Responsibility, and TrueMajority, a progressive advocacy group.
Doors open at 6 p.m., with the lecture beginning at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to all Oakland University students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general public. Tickets are available at the Center for Student Activities service window. Walk-ups will be welcome if tickets are still available.
