2009 Alumni Awards
Each year the African-American Student Union (AASU), Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association (HBSAAA) and Bert King Foundation to honor HBS alumni for their achievements, leadership, personal integrity and commitment to service.
The Professional Achievement Award: Edward Lewis (OPM 1982)
As
the chairman and founder of Essence Communications Inc., Edward Lewis
has guided the ongoing prosperity of one of the country’s largest
African-American multi-media organizations. His business career is one
of the great entrepreneurial success stories of the last half-century,
and he has devoted an immeasurable amount of time and resources to
support his community and uplift others. It has been a 37-year
journey—one that began with a simple dream to publish a magazine for
Black women; one that has evolved into a mighty pilgrimage into the
twenty-first century.
Through
the years Lewis and his former partner, Clarence O. Smith, have guided
the company through diversification and expansion to create divisions
focusing on television production, licensing and direct-mail marketing.
Today, ESSENCE is regarded as the country’s leading lifestyle
magazine for African-American women. The company produces the Essence
Music Festival, the annual celebration of African-American music and
culture held in New Orleans. It also has brand licensing agreements for
Essence Eyewear and Essence Books. ESSENCE ranked seventh on
Advertising Age’s 2003 “A-List,” which is the first time that an
African-American targeted publication has received this honor.
Lewis’
stellar professional success is matched only by his personal passion
and commitment to our society’s issues and causes. He is a strong
advocate of civil rights and community involvement and contributes both
personal time and financial support to a number of civic, educational
and arts organizations. He has been a leader in the rallying cry
against the injustices of police brutality, calling on government
officials, civic leaders and members of the community to help build and
cultivate an atmosphere of mutual respect between police officers and
the citizens they serve. In April 2003, Lewis received a honorary
doctorate of letters from his alma mater, The University of New Mexico.
In
1968 Lewis founded Essence Communications Inc. The magazine’s first
issue was launched in May 1970. In October 2000, Essence
Communications, Inc., signed an agreement with Time Inc., a subsidiary
of Time Warner Inc., to form a joint venture known as Essence
Communications Partners. ESSENCE was the majority owner of the venture.
In March 2005, Time Inc. acquired the portion of Essence Communications
it did not already own.
The Bert King Award for Service: Quintin Primo (MBA 1979)
Mr.
Primo serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capri Capital
Partners, LLC, a real estate investment management firm headquartered
in Chicago that he co-founded in 1992. The firm has approximately $4.4
billion in total real estate assets under management and is an active
investor in all major property sectors and markets throughout the
United States. Capri is currently expanding overseas, with major real
estate development projects in India and the Middle East.
Mr.
Primo has 30 years of experience in real estate investment and capital
markets. Prior to the formation of Capri Capital Partners, he was
Managing Director of Q. Primo & Company, Inc., a real estate
investment banking firm established in 1988 specializing in foreign and
domestic private placements. Prior to forming Q. Primo & Company,
he was employed with Citicorp Real Estate, Inc., where he was Vice
President in the commercial lending and real estate investment banking
divisions.
Mr.
Primo received a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard
University Graduate School of Business Administration and a Bachelor of
Science degree in Finance, with honors and high distinction, from
Indiana University. Within the real estate industry, he is a member of
the Urban Land Institute, a board member of the Pension Real Estate
Association and Real Estate Roundtable, Chairman of the Real Estate
Executive Council, and a former trustee of AMLI Residential, a
NYSE-listed company taken private by Morgan Stanley.
Mr.
Primo is active in civic and charitable organizations. He is a member
of The Economic Club of Chicago and a former member of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Chicago Seventh District Advisory Council. He serves as
a member of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Community Trust, as
a trustee of the (Episcopal) Church Pension Group, and is a former
trustee of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Ravinia Festival. He
is currently Chairman of the Primo Center for Women and Children, a
transitional shelter serving the homeless.
Mr. Primo has been featured in national publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, The New York Times and Black Enterprise Magazine,
and has made frequent guest appearances on network television and cable
news and radio programs, including CNN, MSNBC and National Public
Radio. He has received numerous awards and has been highly recognized
for his professional, civic and philanthropic contributions.
Mr. Primo and his family reside in the Chicago area.
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