133211_PULP_1-25:Document 3
9/25/13
12:02 PM
Page 25
SF Giants’ Larry Baer Delivers Bauccio Lecture in Entrepreneurship Submitted by Bonnie Azab Powell, Director of Communications
T
he Giants Garden is just the latest byproduct of the close relationship between San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer and Bon Appétit Management Company CEO Fedele Bauccio. They met in the late 1990s, when Baer was trying to build AT&T Park in downtown San Francisco. Fedele took a leap of faith and signed a long-term concession contract, long before a single baseball fan passed through the gates. “Fedele has been a friend and a true partner,” Baer told a packed auditorium in early summer at the University of Portland at the start of the annual Bauccio Lecture in Entrepreneurship.“It’s an honor to be giving this lecture, but I can’t think of anyone who more exemplifies entrepreneurship than Fedele.”
Giants CEO Larry Baer giving his talk
Fedele endowed his alma mater’s Center for Entrepreneurship with the Bauccio Lecture Series in Entrepreneurship in 2001 as a forum for visionary leaders to share their experiences and stories. “How these entrepreneurs became successful and made their dreams happen is as educational as theory learned in the classroom,” Fedele said at the series’ beginning. Over the years, guests have included Starbucks President of Global Development Arthur Rubinfeld, polar explorer Robert Swan, and former Walmart executive Jack Shewmaker. Baer gave a fascinating account of the many ups and downs of his tenure with the Giants, touching on the struggle to keep the team in San Francisco, the challenges of raising millions and getting approval to build a brand-new ballpark that would attract more visitors, and the connection the Giants feel to the Bay Area community. “When you wear the words San Francisco across your chests, you’re not just another business,” he said.“Kids look up to you, people feel connected to you in unique ways. That’s why we’re so dedicated to enriching our community through innovation on and off the field.”
University of Portland Director of Entrepreneurship Peter Rachor, Bon Appétit CEO Fedele Bauccio, Giants CEO Larry Baer, and University of Portland President Rev. E. William Beauchamp
Or, as in the case of the new Giants Garden, innovation just behind center field!
2 0 1 3 Vo l u m e 3
BRAVO | 25