PROVIDENCE, R.I. — February 2, 1999 — Come meet the man who taught millions how to Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive at the University of Rhode Island’s Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 9:30 a.m. Tabbed “Mr. Make Things Happen,” by Fortune Magazine, Harvey Mackay is the author of four best-selling books: Swim With the Sharks, Beware the Naked Man who Offers You His Shirt , Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty and Sharkproof. Two of them, Swim With the Sharks and Beware the Naked Man, are on The New York Times list of best-selling motivational books of all time. Tickets for Mackay’s visit are $25. Proceeds will go to URI’s Feinstein College of Continuing Education and URI’s College of Business Administration, which are sponsoring the event in collaboration with Providence Business News. The weekly business newspaper runs Mackay’s column “Mackay’s Moral” on its opinion pages. Those purchasing tickets for the talk in the URI Providence Campus’ Paff Auditorium, 80 Washington St., will receive Mackay’s new book, Pushing the Envelope All the Way to the Top. Call 401-273-2201, extension 200, for tickets. Rhode Island Convention Center parking tickets will be validated. On a space available basis, students will be admitted at no charge. Mackay will take questions from the audience, and will autograph books after his talk. Dr. Walter A. Crocker, dean of URI-ASFCCE, said Mackay’s visit is the result of a very good relationship with Roger Bergenheim, publisher of Providence Business News. “He has been very supportive of our town meetings,” Crocker said. “He called me and said Harvey Mackay was coming to town to promote his new book and said, ‘How about a partnership with URI’?” Crocker said yes, and then called Dr. Edward M. Mazze, dean of URI’s College of Business Administration, to see if he wanted to co-sponsor the event. “Ed said he’d be delighted. URI is getting all the proceeds after the expenses are paid,” Crocker said. “We’re expecting to fill the auditorium,” he said. “This is absolutely the biggest business leader we’ve had here.” Mazze said the College of Business Administration is making Mackay’s talk part of the College’s 75th Anniversary, which is being celebrated this year. “This is a critical year for the College as we move toward becoming the premier center for business education and research in Rhode Island,” Mazze said. “Among the activities that have already taken place include the Financial Services Symposium in Providence, which had 240 participants; a major business alumni event in Providence before one of the men’s basketball games, which attracted 180 individuals; and major fund-raising efforts tied to the Ballentine Hall Renovations. “We hope this is the beginning of a strong alliance involving Providence Business News, the Feinstein College of Continuing Education and the URI College of Business Administration to bring speakers of this caliber to Rhode Island,” Mazze said. Mackay started on the road to success when he bought an insolvent envelope company in Minnesota at age 26. The company, Mackay Envelope, is now an $85 million business that produces more than 12 million envelopes a day. “Harvey Mackay is an incredibly well-respected businessman who has developed his career well beyond his Minnesota envelope company,” said Franklin S. Prosnitz, editor of Providence Business News. “He has become one of the best business writers and one of the best speakers in the world. Toastmaster International rates him as one of the top 5 speakers in the world. “There is something very special in his columns,” Prosnitz said. “We get a great sense of people from him. We learn how to deal with people, respect people, listen to people.” Prosnitz said the business and University communities are being given a rare chance to hear someone who’ll have something to offer the veteran businessman, the young entrepreneur, the faculty member and the student. Prosnitz said PBN saw URI as a natural partner to offer Mackay to the community. “I am thrilled that we are giving the students an opportunity to hear from Harvey. He’s a real success story, and Rhode Islanders want to hear success stories.” For Further Information: Walter A. Crocker Jr. 401-277-5080 Dave Lavallee 401-874-2116