Ben & Jerry’s Founders And Cree CEO To Headline 2010 N.C. CEO Forum

The 2010 N.C. CEO Forum (www.ncceoforum.com), an invitation-only business event scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 at Marriott City Center in Raleigh, has announced that the event will feature a keynote address by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. (www.benandjerrys.com), a store-front venture the duo built into a $300 million ice cream empire by harnessing the power of social responsibility and creative management. Cohen and Greenfield will provide insight into the role of leadership as it applies to the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit, which is central to the event’s theme, "The Triple Bottom Line: 21st Century Leadership in People, Planet and Profit."

Attendees at the 2010 N.C. CEO Forum will also hear a keynote address by Chuck Swoboda, the CEO and chairman of Durham, N.C.-based Cree, Inc. (www.cree.com). Cree is setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly LED lighting technology. In 2009, the company was awarded $39 million in tax credits as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support its investment to build energy-efficient LED lighting.

The 2010 N.C. CEO Forum event will be hosted by Summit Performance Systems (www.summit-performance.com), the N.C. Chamber (www.ncchamber.net) and RDA Recruiters (www.rdarecruiters.com). The inaugural N.C. CEO Forum, held in May of 2009, drew more than 300 attendees, and was seen as a great success by all who participated. Steve Forbes, chairman and CEO of Forbes magazine, was the 2009 keynote speaker and delivered an address on the current state of the economy, emphasizing that through creativity and innovation we will bring ourselves out of this dismal economic period.

QUOTES:
"We are excited to announce Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield as the featured keynote speakers for the 2010 N.C. CEO Forum," said Brian Kinahan, managing partner of Summit Performance Systems. "The 2010 Forum will give both speakers and guests a platform to discuss the role of leadership in the face of today’s challenged business world. Leadership in people, our planet and profit is key to helping businesses find success and a way out of the economic constraints we all face. Ben and Jerry have successfully demonstrated the values of the Triple Bottom Line for more than 30 years, and their insight and expertise is incredibly valuable."

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:
To listen to a podcast recap of the 2009 N.C. CEO Forum, visit www.ncceoforum.com/2009EventInformation/tabid/847/Default.aspx

DETAILS:
- In their book, Ben & Jerry’s Double-Dip: Lead with Your Values and Make Money, Too, Cohen and Greenfield created a nuts-and-bolts guidebook to the promise and pitfalls of "values-led" business, as well as an inspiring wake-up call about the growing international influence of the "socially conscious" or "mission driven" corporation.

- Swodoba’s efforts in the field of LED technology have been recognized by U.S. Secretary of Energy John Chu, and Swoboda has joined President Obama to discuss the latest developments in energy-efficient technologies, the potential benefits to the U.S. economy, job creation, and American innovation in areas such as clean energy.

ABOUT 2010 N.C. CEO FORUM:
The 2010 N.C. CEO Forum is a premier, invitation-only event for North Carolina business leaders to discuss the Triple Bottom Line: 21st Century Leadership in People, Planet and Profit. The event, scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 at Marriot City Center, in Raleigh, N.C., will provide attendees a platform to gain insight into the challenges and opportunities posed by environmental initiatives, social mandates, and near-term economic constraints. Attendees will learn from global and local business leaders how successful companies are seizing opportunity by focusing their attention on people, the planet and profit. The 2010 N.C. CEO Forum will be led by a keynote address from Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the iconic founders of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, Inc. For more information, please visit www.ncceoforum.com.

Kate Catlin
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
kate@mmipublicrelations.com
twitter.com/MMIPR
www.mmipublicrelations.com

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