Grove City, Pa. – The Department of Entrepreneurship’s 2006-2007 Visionary Entrepreneurship Speakers Series begins this month with three entrepreneurs who have made their mark on the national scene. The series is made possible by the Coleman Foundation and continues through the academic year.

Robert Woodson Sr., founder and president of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, kicks off the series Sept. 7 with “The Importance of Character to Economic Success.” The presentation is at 7 p.m. in Sticht Lecture Hall in the Hall of Arts and Letters on campus.

Woodson’s social activism dates back to the 1960s, when as a young civil rights activist, he developed and coordinated national and local community development programs. During the ’70s, he directed the National Urban League’s Administration of Justice division and then served as a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Woodson has received the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship. He has authored numerous articles and books, including “The Triumphs of Joseph: How Community Healers are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods.”

On Sept. 14, Jack Roseman, former John R. Thorne Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University, will present “Ten Pointers to Become a Successful Entrepreneur.” He is the keynote speaker at the entrepreneurship program kickoff dinner and social that begins at 5 p.m. in the Old Mary Anderson Pew Dining Hall on campus.

Roseman taught at CMU for 13 years. Prior to that, he was the founder of three companies and president of On-Line Systems, an American Stock Exchange company eventually sold to Sprint. A serial entrepreneur and award-winning educator, Roseman recently released a book on business called “Outrageous Optimism.”

The series continues with A. Ray Dalton on Sept. 21. He will present “Proceed with Confidence,” at 7 p.m. in Sticht Lecture Hall in the Hall of Arts and Letters on campus.

Dalton created a new venture in 2001, PartsSource, the nation’s first and only medical repair parts aggregator. PartsSource has grown profitably, without acquisitions, to revenues in excess of $40 million annually in four years and is currently growing at over 100 percent a year. Dalton continues to work with regional, national and international organizations. He has held top management positions, including president and chief executive officer positions, with TRW, AMSCO/Steris and General Electric. He is credited with providing General Electric Medical Systems its first service business acquisition by divesting venture-backed National MD to GEMS in 1996. Dalton was the recipient of the 2004 Ernst & Young Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year as well as other local, regional and national awards. His first book is “Proceed with Confidence.”

For a complete list of the series speakers, visit www.gcc.edu/entrepreneurship.