2004 Celebration
- Steve Belkin '69
About the Award
- Award Background
- Past Award Recipients
- Call for Nominations
- Awards Process
Steve Belkin '69, Chairman and Founder of Trans National Group, is selected as Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2004
Mr. Belkin is chairman and founder of Trans National Group (TNG), Boston, a privately held corporation started in 1974. He is the acknowledged originator of Affinity Credit Card Marketing and grew Trans National by using direct mail marketing to provide a variety of products and services to international Affinity Groups. Steve has started more than 20 companies under the TNG umbrella.
In September 2003, Belkin realized a lifelong dream by becoming the largest of several owners of a professional sports enterprise consisting of the Atlanta Hawks, an NBA team, and the Atlanta Thrashers, an NHL team, as well as leaseholder for the Philips Arena in Atlanta.
Mr. Belkin is a Cornell Trustee, a member of the Cornell Athletics Alumni Advisory Committee and a recent recipient of the Cornell Alumni Volunteerism Award. He also serves on several Harvard Business School committees and is a board member or advisor to many other organizations, including Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Sports Museum of New England, Boston Medical Center, the Hoffman Institute, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Team Harmony Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League and the National Basketball League. Together, Steve and Joan Belkin '69 have served on the boards of 20 different charitable organizations.
The Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year award is given annually to a Cornell graduate who best exemplifies entrepreneurial achievement, community service and high ethical standards. The past four award winners were Jules Kroll '63, executive chairman of the board of Kroll Inc.; Rob Ryan, '69, founder of Ascend Communications; Jeffrey Parker, '65, M.Eng '66, MBA '70, founder of First Call and co-founder and Chairman /CEO of the Corporate Communications Broadcast Network (CCBN) and Jeff Hawkins '79, inventor of the PalmPilot and co-founder of Handspring, Inc. A committee of Cornell alumni, faculty and students reviews the nominations and selects the recipient.