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Goodbye Chris: Thanks For Making A Difference
The Entrepreneur
By Marc Kramer, For The Bulletin
The average reader of The Bulletin probably has never heard of Constantine “Chris” Pavlides, yet Chris was one of the major movers and supporters of entrepreneurial and executive in transition community in the Philadelphia area. In the entrepreneurial community where I have resided for the past quarter century, Chris was as well known as Charlie Manuel or Andy Reid.
On Tuesday morning while driving toward the airport on Route 322 in Delaware County, Chris died in a car accident. And as of the time I am writing this column, the police were still investigating. I had just spoken to Chris on Monday about teaching a class in entrepreneurship at Temple University, where he had served as the head of their entrepreneurial center for the past decade relinquishing that role in the past year.
Chris was Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the General & Strategic Management Department of the Fox School of Business of Temple University. From 2004 to 2008, he served as the executive director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) and the Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures of the Fox School of Business. During that period, he elevated the ranking of IEI to the top 10 university entrepreneurship programs in the nation.
I knew Chris on several levels. I knew him in my role as a columnist writing about entrepreneurship and venture capital, attending his very successful venture capital forums. At these forums Chris would bring together entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists. No one pushed harder to make sure there was money in the room and press for the companies for which he worked.
Of all of the angel group and venture forum leaders I have worked with, Chris was the biggest vocal booster. He would call me to invite me to events and then made sure I met the companies. It was important to him that the entrepreneurs he worked with got the maximum exposure to enhance their chances of attracting capital, joint venture partners and clients.
Chris ran one of the best business plan competitions in the country. He assembled a great cross section of experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and service providers to guide the participants and select the winners.
Many executives in transition have Chris to thank for starting and running the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group in 2002. Hundreds of top level executives would meet to network to find new employment and business opportunities. As someone who has been down that road before, knowing there is a group to join and interact with takes away a lot of the depression and loss of self worth and turns it into hope.
Chris would bring in speakers, executive recruiters, business owners, and a variety of professionals to show them the vast array of options open to them. When someone found a new job or started a business, Chris would encourage them to come back and share their good fortune. This would buoy the spirits of those whose faith was quickly dissipating.
Many people talk about ideas, but Chris was action oriented. He successfully started and ran entrepreneurial services that touched hundreds, if not thousands of lives. Chris made the Philadelphia region more competitive through his efforts and will be sorely missed.
Marc Kramer, who is the author of five books and faculty member at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, is a serial entrepreneur.
On Tuesday morning while driving toward the airport on Route 322 in Delaware County, Chris died in a car accident. And as of the time I am writing this column, the police were still investigating. I had just spoken to Chris on Monday about teaching a class in entrepreneurship at Temple University, where he had served as the head of their entrepreneurial center for the past decade relinquishing that role in the past year.
Chris was Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the General & Strategic Management Department of the Fox School of Business of Temple University. From 2004 to 2008, he served as the executive director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI) and the Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures of the Fox School of Business. During that period, he elevated the ranking of IEI to the top 10 university entrepreneurship programs in the nation.
I knew Chris on several levels. I knew him in my role as a columnist writing about entrepreneurship and venture capital, attending his very successful venture capital forums. At these forums Chris would bring together entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists. No one pushed harder to make sure there was money in the room and press for the companies for which he worked.
Of all of the angel group and venture forum leaders I have worked with, Chris was the biggest vocal booster. He would call me to invite me to events and then made sure I met the companies. It was important to him that the entrepreneurs he worked with got the maximum exposure to enhance their chances of attracting capital, joint venture partners and clients.
Chris ran one of the best business plan competitions in the country. He assembled a great cross section of experienced entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and service providers to guide the participants and select the winners.
Many executives in transition have Chris to thank for starting and running the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group in 2002. Hundreds of top level executives would meet to network to find new employment and business opportunities. As someone who has been down that road before, knowing there is a group to join and interact with takes away a lot of the depression and loss of self worth and turns it into hope.
Chris would bring in speakers, executive recruiters, business owners, and a variety of professionals to show them the vast array of options open to them. When someone found a new job or started a business, Chris would encourage them to come back and share their good fortune. This would buoy the spirits of those whose faith was quickly dissipating.
Many people talk about ideas, but Chris was action oriented. He successfully started and ran entrepreneurial services that touched hundreds, if not thousands of lives. Chris made the Philadelphia region more competitive through his efforts and will be sorely missed.
Marc Kramer, who is the author of five books and faculty member at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, is a serial entrepreneur.
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