First ‘Apprentice’ Winner Next Simpkins Speaker at EFSC

Bill Rancic, entrepreneur, best-selling author and the first winner of NBC's "The Apprentice,” is the next Simpkins Speaker Series guest at Eastern Florida State College on March 1.

The event will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. in the Student Union (Bldg. 16) on the Melbourne Campus. A meet and greet with Rancic will follow immediately after.

The session is free and open to students, EFSC faculty and staff, and the public. It will also be livestreamed on the college's YouTube Channel at youtube.com/EasternFlorida.

Rancic’s topic, "From Apprentice to Visionary: How to Innovate in Business and Life," will trace his journey from washing boats in college to operating a million-dollar business and restaurant empire.

After bursting onto the scene as NBC’s first Apprentice winner, he has traveled the world, sharing his experience and business acumen with tens of thousands of leaders, businesses and organizations on a variety of important topics.

His expertise ranges from why some companies thrive in chaos — and others don't — to the leadership behaviors needed in a world beset by turbulence, uncertainty and dramatic change.

What makes Rancic unique is that he is both a student and teacher of leadership and has a healthy obsession with what makes great companies and leaders tick.

He has authored four books, including the New York Times best-seller “You’re Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life,” which examines how some companies and leaders make the leap to superior results.

The Simpkins Speaker Series is named after Bernard Simpkins, a highly successful entrepreneur and Brevard County business leader who established the sessions that have brought some of the nation’s top business innovators to EFSC.
 
A student scholarship has also been named in his honor and is awarded twice a year during the spring and fall Speaker Series events.
 
For more information, visit easternflorida.edu/go/simpkins.

Recent News