Talking Business Speaker Series – Art Zimmer
Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Mar 24, 2008
The organization Enitiative, located here in the Syracuse area, is starting a monthly speaker series focused on business entrepreneurs who have made a success of themselves in our area. The first presentation will be April 23rd at 5PM at the Syracuse Technology Garden, and the guest speaker is none other than Art Zimmer, one of my favorite folks around here. A link to the notice for the presentation is here; it's a Word document.
Art Zimmer is one of the first people I met at the Syracuse Chamber of Commerce. He's the kind of guy you're just drawn to, or at least I was drawn to, because he was the first, and still only person, I've ever met who wears an ascot. He always dresses very colorfully also, which helps him stand out. Talk about businesses; this guy seems like he's done them all. The main two I know about now are his Zimmer Motor Cars, custom made cars for high dollars that he only makes after the cars have been paid for (the car he made for Shaquille O'Neal was outstanding), and he's the owner of the Syracuse New Times, known as one of the top alternative newspapers in the country.
I remember him telling me a story on how he got money to start all his different ventures. He said he decided he wanted to be an entrepreneur but didn't have any cash, so he set up a three year plan of working, period. For three years he worked three jobs, some weekends, and put almost all the money away except what he needed to pay the few bills he had. He didn't spend money on anything else. After three years, he bought his first business, something he knew nothing about, and has never stopped.
This guy is fascinating; I plan on attending, and if you're in the area, you should also. Below is a picture of one of his cars, with the man himself:
Mitch, thanks for plugging the series “Talking Business: A Conversation With…” And I’m glad to hear that you’ll be at the inaugural event on April 23. The web site for it will be available soon and will eventually contain video and photos from the events. Once the site is live, I’ll let you know.
The Enitiative program has given out many grants over the last six months, with more coming. This multi-year, 11-institution program hopes to spark more entrepreneurial activity in the region. I’m pleased that they gave me a grant in order to create this series.
If others in the Syracuse region are interested in pursuing grants for entrepreneurial activities, they should contact the ExCEL Center. The contact information is on the Enitiative web site, http://www.enitiaitive.syr.edu
Thanks for the extra information, Jill. I hope it’s well attended; Art deserves it.