Bobbi Brown, beauty industry titan and serial entrepreneur, and her business colleague, Bruce Teitelbaum ’86, CEO of RPG, will be discussing “Creative Entrepreneurship and Building a Brand” at the LaunchPad, first floor of Bird Library, on Tuesday, March 10 at 3 p.m. The conversation is part of the LaunchPad’s celebration of Women’s History Month and its #LaunchStrongWoman brand campaign. It is cosponsored by the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries, partnering with the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
“I absolutely love the enthusiasm and energy that young entrepreneurs bring to the table. As a mentor, all I have given has earned something new and exciting in return,” said Bobbi, who began her career as a professional makeup artist who created lipsticks that evolved into a global beauty empire. Her company was eventually acquired by The Estée Lauder Companies in 1995, and she served as the company’s Chief Creative Officer until leaving the company in 2016. She has written nine beauty and wellness books and launched Beauty Evolution LLC, a line of lifestyle-inspired wellness products. Her other ventures include justBOBBI.com, a platform for Bobbi to share many of her life inspirations, and The George, a 32-room design-inspired boutique hotel in Montclair, N.J., that she reopened with her husband. Born in Chicago and a graduate of Emerson College, Bobbi has received numerous awards and recognition, was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiation, and was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Bruce, a graduate of the Whitman School of Management, founded RPG with the vision of delivering excellence in the design, development, and manufacturing of displays, fixtures, and retail environments. “I am extremely honored to address the students and faculty at the LaunchPad, as I believe education is the key to all that is good for our future. I hope to inspire ideas, energize spirits, and help the students of Syracuse University create lives that are brimming with success, innovation, and compassion for themselves and others,” said Bruce. For 29 years, Bruce has defined and upheld the brand standard and vision of RPG through an innovative, hands-on, systematic, and client-oriented process. Under his leadership, RPG is now a global resource with offices in New York, New Jersey, Hong Kong, and China.
About the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at Syracuse University Libraries:
The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars in Bird Library is Syracuse University’s innovation hub, connecting the entire University’s resource-rich ecosystem with a global network that provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and creators. The program serves faculty, staff, students, and alumni across disciplines who are interested in innovation, invention, entrepreneurship, venture creation, and taking ideas from concept to commercialization. The program supports a key pillar of Syracuse University’s Academic Strategic Plan to create an innovation ecosystem across the institution that prepares participants to be trailblazers in an entrepreneurial world.