Alberto VO5 Company Founder
Lends Expertise to Students
 Leonard
H. Lavin, the founder and chairman of the Alberto-Culver Company
and manufacturer of the award- winning shampoo, is serving as “Entrepreneur-in-Residence”
at San Diego State University for spring 2005.
As part of his involvement with the Entrepreneurial
Management Center (EMC), Lavin will engage in lectures, mentoring,
and speaking engagements. SDSU students and alumni will be presented
with the opportunity to learn from one of the true leaders and innovators
active in the business community today. For example, Lavin was a
featured speaker at the EMC's Business Forum for Closely-Held and
Family Business in February and was a finalist judge for Venture
Challenge in March.
Lavin came to SDSU to share his expertise with students
and to provide them with the on-the-job knowledge that they will
need to run successful businesses. “I chose to do this program
because I was very impressed with the students and staff at San
Diego State University. I want to share my experiences with entrepreneurs
of the future,” he said.
Lavin has had a distinguished career as head of a
Fortune 1000 company, with over 50 years of knowledge and experience
in various industries. In 1946, Lavin joined Halgar, Inc., a company
specializing in toiletry products. There, he was instrumental in
building the company into one of the leaders in its field. He then
formed the Excello Sales Agency, where he gained exclusive advertising
and sales rights for “Stop-It” spray deodorant that went
on to become the number one product of its kind in the country.
He later bought Alberto-Culver Company in 1955 for $400,000 and
turned it into a multi-billion dollar company. By positioning his
products and making innovative use of television advertisements,
Lavin has supplied the world with some of the best known hair, skin
and personal care products.
The Entrepreneur-in-Residence program allows individuals
with significant
entrepreneurial skills and experience to share their expertise with
the students and alumni of SDSU. Individuals involved in the Entrepreneur-in-Residence
program strengthen the ties between business and academia, creating
an intellectually engaging learning environment for the SDSU community.
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