Paul Orfalea, Founder of Kinkos and Author of “Copy This!” to speak at CLU
Orfalea to speak at Corporate Leaders Breakfast
(THOUAND OAKS, CA – November 8, 2006) – Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s and author of “Copy This!” will be the guest speaker at California Lutheran University’s Corporate Leaders Breakfast on Nov. 17, announced Ritch K. Eich, Ph.D., Vice President for Marketing and Communications at California Lutheran University. The event will be held in the Lundring Events Center on the CLU campus in Thousand Oaks beginning at 7:30 a.m.
“Paul Orfalea is one of those very rare individuals who blends exceptional entrepreneurial skills with humanitarian interests in a very down-to-earth, compassionate way,” said Eich. “His unique perspective on life lessons teaches all of us how to overcome obstacles and turn impediments into opportunities.”
Orfalea founded Kinko’s in 1970 near the University of California at Santa Barbara with a simple idea – provide college students with products and services they need at a competitive price. From its modest beginnings, Kinko’s is now the world’s leading business services chain with more than 1,500 Kinko’s locations worldwide.
Much of Kinko’s success can be traced directly to Orfalea’s unique business philosophy and freethinking, creative style. He encouraged active participants from all 23,000 co-workers and instituted generous incentive programs to stimulate creativity. A reflection of this success is that Fortune magazine selected Kinko’s as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work with in America” in 1999, 2000, 2001. Forbes also ranked Kinko’s 84th on its year 2000 “Forbes 500 Biggest Private Companies,” Working Mother magazine listed Kinko’s in its “Best Companies for Working Mothers” 2001 issue.
In 2004 Kinko’s was acquired by the FedEx Corporation. Orfalea is no longer involved with FedEx Kinko’s business management. Orfalea refers to his retirement as being “repurposed” and is now involved in a range of businesses, including West Coast Asset Management, Inc., OS Holdings LLC, Stone Canyon Venture Partners LP, and other business ventures.
Orfalea and his family also have a long history of supporting educational initiatives including scholarships and child development programs. In 2000, the family started the Orfalea Family Foundation, which supports various philanthropic areas. Grants have been concentrated in California, especially child development facilities on college campuses, along with other children’s centers and programs for underprivileged youth. The foundation specifically focuses on early care and education, caregiver training and intergenerational programs. The Orfaleas also support organizations addressing “learning differences” for those challenged with unique learning styles.
CLU’s Corporate Leaders Breakfast Series, co-sponsored by Merrill Lynch of Westlake Village, brings the region’s business and civic leaders together to share ideas and hear from prominent business leaders in the community. Further information and reservations for the Nov. 17 event maybe obtained at 805-493-3827.