[121] Professor To Address Business Leaders At D.C. Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 28, 2010
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

PROFESSOR TO ADDRESS BUSINESS LEADERS AT D.C. CONFERENCE
Doug Tatum to Share Real-World Expertise at ‘Inc.’ Magazine Anniversary Gala

(MURFREESBORO) –A member of the Middle Tennessee State University faculty will be one of the judges for a three-round debate titled “Which Comes First: People or Profits?” at 7 p.m. (EST) Thursday, Sept. 30, at the Inc. 500/5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony in National Harbor, Md., just south of Washington, D.C.
Doug Tatum, an associate professor in the Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship and holder of the Wright Travel Chair in Entrepreneurship, will join Inc. magazine columnists Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham in deciding the “winner.”
Tatum is a recognized expert on the capital markets and entrepreneurial growth businesses. He has testified before Congress concerning financing issues faced by growing companies and tax policy.
At the debate, George Cloutier, CEO of American Management Services, will posit that profits are the first responsibility of company leadership. His opponent, Paul Spiegelman, CEO of The Beryl Companies, will assert that he grew his company by creating a “people first” culture.
In addition, Tatum is slated to participate in “What You Don’t Know About Exiting Your Business,” a panel discussion scheduled for 5 p.m. (EST) Friday, Oct. 1, and he will lecture on the topic “Navigate the Uncertain Future” at 11 a.m. (EST) Saturday, Oct. 2.
The author of No Man’s Land: What to do when your company is too big to be small and too small to be big, Tatum was Chairman and CEO of Tatum LLC for more than 17 years, growing the company to the largest executive services consulting firm in the United States with more than 1,000 employees and professionals in 30 offices. He later served on the firm’s board and as Chairman Emeritus until the company merged with Spherion Corporation in early 2010.
The Inc. 500/5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony is a celebration of the 29th anniversary of Inc. magazine, a publication that targets the executives of fast-growing,


--more--







TATUM
Add 1

innovative private companies. Its annual “Inc. 500” list of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation was expanded in 2007 to the 5,000 fastest-growing firms.
For more information about the conference, go to www.inc500conference.com. To talk to Tatum about entrepreneurship in today’s economy, contact him at 615-898-2785 or dtatum@mtsu.edu.

--30--

ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color jpeg photo of Doug Tatum, contact Gina Logue in the MTSU Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.


Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. MTSU now boasts one of the nation’s first master’s degree programs in horse science, and the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., acclaims MTSU’s Master of Science in Professional Science degree—the only one in Tennessee—as a model program. This fall, MTSU unveiled three new doctoral degrees in the sciences.