The executive vice president of merchandising and marketing of The Home Depot Inc., the second largest retailer in the United States, will speak to CU-Boulder Leeds School of Business students on Jan. 27.
John Costello will speak at 3:30 p.m. in room 100 of the Mathematics Building on the CU-Boulder campus. The talk is part of the school's Profiles in Business and Society class which brings in top executives and entrepreneurial leaders to speak to students.
Other notable speakers for the spring semester class include Greg Moore, editor of the Denver Post; Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest; Tim Wirth, United Nations Foundation president and former U.S. senator; and Richard Notebaert, chairman and CEO of Qwest.
The speeches are open to the public on a space-available basis. If room 100 of the Mathematics Building is full, the speeches may also be viewed via a live video feed in room G1B30 in the Duane Physics Building. Room G1B30 is located on the ground level of the G wing in the CU-Boulder physics building.
Costello was recently rated as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Marketing by Advertising Age. In 1997, he was elected into the Retail Marketing Hall of Fame. He started his career at Procter & Gamble and later PepsiCo. From 1993 to 1998, he served as senior executive vice president of Sears and was a key member of the team responsible for the "Softer Side of Sears" advertising campaign. Costello also helped launch Sears' Internet and e-commerce initiatives.
Following his tenure at Sears, Costello was president and CEO of MVP.com. He also served as president of AutoNation Inc. and as president and COO of Nielsen Marketing Research. Before joining The Home Depot, Costello worked for Yahoo! as chief global marketing officer.
In his current role at The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, Costello is responsible for the company's worldwide marketing and advertising, branding, public affairs and e-business. He also is responsible for store and visual merchandising.
"Our speakers focus on a variety of topics including their own successes and failures, environmental and social responsibility, the current business environment and entrepreneurship," said Kristen Hislop, director of the Profiles in Business and Society program. "The goal is to help the students make the most of their education and offer them new ways of looking at issues and opportunities."
The following executives will speak from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. on Tuesdays:
Jan. 20: Greg Moore, editor, Denver Post
Jan. 27: John Costello, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing, The Home Depot
Feb. 3: Tom Berghoff, vice president global managed services, Sun Microsystems
Feb. 10: Sherman Miller, senior managing director, Cushman and Wakefield
Feb. 17: Erik Weihenmayer, athlete and author of "Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See"
Feb. 24: Kent Zimmerman, president, Alumni Association of the University of Colorado at Boulder
Mar. 2: Craig Ferguson, president, Planet Bluegrass
Mar. 9: Business and Society Panel
Mar. 18: Tim Wirth, president, United Nations Foundation
Mar. 30: Richard Notebaert, chairman and CEO, Qwest
Apr. 6: Mike Smith, executive vice president, chief financial and accounting officer, Anthem Health Care
Apr. 13: David Oreck, founder and chairman, Oreck Corp.
Apr. 20: Michael Crooke, president and CEO, Patagonia
Apr. 27: Kim Jordan, president and CEO, New Belgium Brewing Co.
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Editors: In some cases, members of the press can arrange meetings with these business leaders prior to or following their lectures. Please contact Kristen Hislop about these options at (303) 492-7800.