Sykes, Morsani to kick off UT’s Sykes Hall of Fame Speaker Series

John Sykes, founder of Sykes Enterprises, and Frank Morsani, founder of Precision Enterprises, will stop by The University of Tampa on Thursday, Feb. 27, to kick off the Sykes Hall of Fame Business Speaker Series.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in Falk Theatre with networking and refreshments. The presentation, Formula for Success … Past, Present and Future, will begin at 6 p.m. Geoffrey Simon, senior vice president of investments for Simon & Associates Wealth Management of Raymond James, will serve as moderator.

Sykes founded Sykes Enterprises Inc. in 1977, growing the firm into one of the largest customer service support companies in the world. Since his retirement in 2004, Sykes has become an active investor in several business entities, and in 2009, began JHS Capital Holdings LLC, where he serves as chairman.

Morsani, who worked as a mechanic to pay for college, is the chairman of Automotive Investments Inc. and a trustee of the Frank and Carol Morsani Family Foundation. At one point, Morsani owned more than 30 car dealerships around the country.

The two will discuss their experiences building a business through economic downturns, business failures, geo-political challenges and technology revolutions, and whether the same strategies will work as we enter the technology-driven, global society of the 21st century.

The event is free and open to the public, though seating is limited. To register, go to www.sykeshalloffame.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Melissa Flohr at (813) 257-3782 or mflohr@ut.edu.