2023 Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship

April 14, 2023 | 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

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The Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship is the culmination of Entrepreneurship Week (E-Week) presented by the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Allen. W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business. Each year, this renowned program attracts highly successful, world-class entrepreneurs to campus who share their valuable messages to more than 600 business and community leaders, students, faculty and administrators. The Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship has repeatedly been a sold-out event in years past.

Since its inception, the Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship has been generously sponsored by J. Robert Sebo, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1958 from BGSU. Read more about J.Robert Sebo.

Sebo Series Speaker

kara goldin

Keynote: Kara Goldin

As the Founder of Hint Inc., one of the largest privately held beverage companies in the U.S., Kara Goldin’s business journey is one of the great American success stories of our time.

Like many other consumers, Goldin found herself struggling with a diet soda addiction. She had fallen victim to the sea of “healthy perception” products that often trick consumers into believing they are doing better.

As the visionary innovator and problem-solver that she is, Goldin made it her mission to not only get healthy and kick her diet soda habit, but also figure out a healthy alternative to boring plain water that she and others could actually enjoy. In 2005 Hint water, an unsweetened flavored water, was created – helping millions enjoy better tasting water while also prioritizing health.

Prior to starting Hint, Goldin held various executive roles in tech and media, including vice president of shopping and e-commerce partnerships at AOL, where she led a team and helped grow revenue to over $1 billion. She has been named one of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business” and Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs,” among many other honors and accolades. In 2017, she received the incredible honor of being named one of EY’s Entrepreneurs of The Year in Northern California, one of their most competitive regions. In her recent bestselling book, “Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts & Doubters,” she chronicles her journey including the founding of Hint and shares her own experiences of overcoming doubts and facing fears to make your goals happen.

Empowering, inspirational and purpose-driven, Goldin always illuminates with real-world perspectives on leadership and the benefits of understanding the entrepreneurial mindset. She is never without simple, refreshing insights on how to take charge of your journey and remain undaunted in business and life. Well-versed in how to ideate, innovate and build a brand, Goldin knows what it takes to overcome challenges and hopes to inform and inspire students and business leaders alike.

pat bowe

Pat Bowe

Pat Bowe joined The Andersons in November 2015 and has more than 40 years of experience in the agricultural sector. He previously served as corporate vice president of Cargill, Inc. and as one of the leaders of the company’s food ingredients and systems platform since 2007. Prior to that role, Bowe was the president of Cargill’s corn wet milling business from 1999-2007.
Bowe began his career working as a cash grain merchant and worked at the Chicago Board of Trade. He also worked in metals trading, sweetener sales and plant management for Cargill.

Currently, he serves on the board for United Malt Group (since September 2022), the fourth largest commercial maltster globally, which operates as a network of companies spanning North America, the UK and Australia and is also a Director of Primient (since August 2022), a global food and industrial ingredients, privately held company. He is former Chairman (June 2020-June 2022) of the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts Board of Trustees and continues to hold a seat on the Board. In addition, he is the current Treasurer and Director of the Toledo Museum of Art (since 2020).

Bowe earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University and a master’s degree from the Stanford Food Research Institute.

eric planey

Eric Planey

Eric Planey ’95 joined SolaBlock as chief executive officer in September 2021. Planey has more than 25 years of international banking and economic development experience with a focus on automotive, aerospace and energy industries working in New York City, London, Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai.

Planey obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and international business from Bowling Green State University in 1995 and a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2000, with a concentration in international finance and eastern European market reforms while studying from the school’s Phoenix, Prague and Geneva campuses. In 2015, he completed New York University’s inaugural energy finance program in the School of Professional Studies.

Planey is currently co-host of the “Pirates of CleanTech” podcast and a board member of the City Parks Foundation in New York City. A proud native of Youngstown, he and his wife, Jakyung, live in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

mike thaman

Mike Thaman

Mike Thaman is the former chair and chief executive officer of Owens Corning, a global leader in insulation, roofing and composites. Founded in 1938, Owens Corning operates in 33 countries and is one of only 65 companies that has been on the Fortune 500 list since its inception.

Thaman joined Owens Corning in 1992, where he served as CEO from 2007 to 2019 and chaired the board from 2002 until 2020. Before joining Owens Corning, Thaman spent six years as a strategy consultant at Mercer Management Consulting as vice president. Currently, he serves in an advisory capacity to start-up ventures with technologies that target CO2 reduction. One such venture is UBQ Materials, a start-up with proprietary technology that transforms municipal solid waste into a bio-based recycled material, where he previously served as CEO.

Thaman is a member of the board of Sherwin-Williams, UL Inc., and Kohler and previously served on the board of NextEra Energy. He is a graduate of Princeton University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science.

E-Week Events

E-Week at BGSU is filled with a host of events including The Hatch and the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Hall of Fame. Each year, there are many opportunities to engage through lunch and learns, presentations from world-renowned speakers and much more.

About J. Robert Sebo '58, '13 (Hon.)

Sebo is a longtime contributor to BGSU and supports many areas of the University, including the Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship and football and jazz studies scholarships. The Sebo Athletic Center is named in his honor and recognizes his financial support to that facility. He served as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2011.

BGSU granted an honorary degree to Dr. Sebo in 2013.