Award-winnning singer/songwriter Ne-Yo (née Shaffer Smith)–whose new album Libra Scale will be released November 22nd– is among the top innovators across a variety of industries who will be recognized as a Black Enterprise Intelligent Performer on Monday, November 15, 2010. The Black Enterprise Intelligent Performers are top entrepreneurs, leading corporate executives and outstanding professionals who have used hard work, innovation, business savvy and a hunger for excellence to achieve wealth, influence and power. The Intelligent Performers, presented by Black Enterprise in partnership with Porsche, will be honored at an exclusive gathering at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and the Porsche Sport Driving School in Leeds, Alabama, where they will enjoy the Porsche high-performance driving course package and experience two days of networking.
Meet the Black Enterprise Intelligent Performers.
Ne-Yo, principle of Compound Entertainment music production company and the nonprofit Compound Foundation, has excelled as a R&B singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Since breaking into the recording industry as a songwriter, penning the “Let Me Love You” for singer Mario, Ne-Yo has had five top ten songs on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist and two No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. He’s also established a significant catalog of hit songs written for other artists. The mission of Ne-Yo’s Compound Foundation “is to increase the awareness of the status of children in the child welfare system in America.” The foundation works with residential care facilities through programs aimed at teaching entrepreneurship and life skills to empower children to become productive, successful and independent adults.
Initially launched at www.blackenterprise.com/intelligent-performers, the project showcases men and women who have demonstrated innovation and passion. Some manage million- or billion-dollar divisions of leading publicly traded corporations while others own and operate BE 100s companies, the nation’s top-grossing black-owned businesses.
The list includes: Larry Barkley, Senior Vice President of Retail, Tourneau; Rosalyn Brewer, EVP and President, Wal-Mart; Tilmon F. Brown, CEO, New Horizon Baking Co.; Gwendolyn Butler, President & COO, Capri Capital Partners LLC; Matthew Carter, President 4G, Sprint Nextel; Keith Clinkscales, SVP, Content Development & Enterprises, ESPN; Janice Bryant-Howroyd, CEO, Act-1 Group; Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Investments; Charles H. James III, Managing Owner, C.H. James Restaurant Holdings, LLC; David Jones, President & CEO, CastleOak Securities L.P.; Derrick Jones, President, Brand Nice/United Camps; Terry L. Jones, Managing Partner, SYNCOM Venture Partners; Christopher J.W.B. Leggett, M.D., F.A.C.C, Interventional Cardiologist, Cardiovascular Institute of Georgia; William Lewis Jr.; Co-chairman Investment Banking, Lazard; Donahue Peebles, Chairman & CEO, The Peebles Corporation; Lisa Pickrum, Executive Vice President & COO, The RLJ Companies; James Reynolds Jr., Chairman & CEO, Loop Capital Markets, LLC; Ray Robinson, President, Eastlake Golf Club; Kevin Warren, President, U.S. Solutions Group, Xerox Corporation; Roderick K. West, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer, Entergy; Bart Williams, Partner, Munger, Tolles, & Olson LLP; Christopher C. Womack, Executive Vice President & President, External Affairs, Southern Company; and Shaffer “Ne-Yo†Smith, entrepreneur and recording artist, Compound Entertainment/Compound Foundation.
The Intelligent Performers are also featured in Black Enterprise magazine and at BlackEnterprise.com, and promoted via traditional media and across social media sites including Twitter and Facebook.
Check back with BlackEnterprise.com for exclusive videos, pictures and other coverage of the Intelligent Performers event.