Steve Stoute: Show Me the Value
 Take risks. Don’t wait for tomorrow, shared Steve Stoute at the Target-sponsored Keynote Luncheon held, Thursday. He continued, "Take your shots now...As time goes on, you can rationalize why you didn’t do a lot of things." Stoute is the founder and chief executive officer of the leading New York City-based brand marketing agency Translation. And he knows the nuts and bolts of risk-taking. During the 1990s, Stoute worked as a senior level executive at several major music labels and worked with mega stars including Jay-Z, P. Diddy and Nas. Stoute’s launch of Translation is a merger of his urban music expertise, and branding, advertising and marketing acumen. His current clientele includes celebrities such as LeBron James, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, and numerous Fortune 500 companies. Stoute, though relatively young in terms of his advertising career, is a 2008 inductee into the Advertising Hall of Fame. He credits his risk-taking- and entrepreneurial spirit for much of his success. And he urged business professionals at the conference to rely on education "and" practicality. He explained, "Employers are looking for people who can provide answers and tell "how" they got the answer." John Y. Kim, Ernst & Young senior manager, also attended the luncheon and he commented on diversity at Ernst. Kim described, "Ernst & Young is focused on [hiring] people who can grow the business. Having an entrepreneurial mindset is an absolute critical requirement." Dr. Christopher Puto, Dean of the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas received the Chairman’s Award. Terisa Griffin, Founder of the Better Love Yourself Foundation, received the William J. Qualls Award for Excellence. Greg Cunningham, group manager-brand marketing at Target and Kenya Jackson, vice president, marketing operations at Target both addressed the crowd. And Jackson facilitated a business card drawing that provided $500 gift cards to four winners. Stoute also talked about his charitable efforts with R&B singer Mary J. Blige. They co-founded the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now, Inc. (FFAWN). He concluded, "We’ve made significant strides in the last three years, and I’m looking forward to furthering and spreading the word and helping these young women realize there goals and dreams...." |
Print this articleNational Black MBA Association, Inc. ® | 400 W. Peachtree St. NW, Suite 203 | Atlanta, GA 30308 www.nbmbaa.org |