Peter Han cofounded a software company soon after college and sold it a few years later. By any measure he was already successful, but he still was curious about how others found long-term meaning in their work. So he set out to learn what a diverse group of influential “somebodies” had done back when they were still “nobodies.”
Nobodies to Somebodies is based on Han’s interviews with one hundred fascinating people who figured out how to find and pursue big opportunities. They span a wide range of fields, including politics (former Senator Bill Bradley), business (Reebok CEO Paul Fireman), acting (John Lithgow), activism (Sierra Club president Larry Fahn), writing (Tom Clancy), science (Nobel Prize physicist Anthony Leggett), and the nonprofit world (Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp).
Han synthesizes fourteen big lessons that anyone can apply, including:
• Pay the rent first, conquer the world later
• Become the big fish by mastering the small pond
• Learn when to stay and when to go
Nobodies to Somebodies blends inspiring stories with the proven wisdom of one hundred somebodies who haven’t forgotten what it was like to be nobody.
Starfire Industries LLC specializes in innovative plasma engineering across a range of
markets, including aerospace/defense, nuclear/homeland security and
manufacturing/semiconductors. Not many people realize that plasma technologies are
ubiquitous across industry, touching nearly every computer chip produced and every
satellite flying over the earth. As a result, there are many novel applications waiting to be
discovered to improve a product or process.
One of Starfire's core competencies is the ability to take the kernel of an idea to solve a
challenging problem, from whiteboard or university lab, and develop a system solution,
with a defensible intellectual property position, suitable for hand-off to a Fortune 500
company for marketing, distribution and/or manufacturing. In essence, we bridge the gap
from the applied research stage to industrial prototype stage suitable for beta-level
commercial insertion and field testing. Our research engineers can interface with
scientists while our product development engineers talk directly to production people with
the top-level vision to achieve management and marketing goals.
Starfire has leveraged the Small Business Innovative Research program to good
success, receiving three Phase II SBIR awards with cost matching investment from
commercialization partners and end users. Towards this end, we have worked with the
US Army, US Air Force, NASA, Department of Energy and Homeland Security on
plasma-related projects, including our flagship technology on fusion neutron generation
for industrial radiography and NDE/NDT materials inspection. Through this leverage
Starfire has been able to grow to 17 full-time employees, and in July 2009 Starfire
graduated from the EnterpriseWorks facility moving into 5,000 sq.ft. new flex space on the
Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Starfire is continually building its relationship with the University of Illinois, recruiting from
its graduating engineer base, providing student opportunities from internships, student
thesis and capstone project opportunities, and recently joining the NSF U/ICRC Center
for Plasma and Laser-Aided Manufacturing at the College of Engineering.
To learn more about Starfie Industries
CLICK HERE
Alex Ruggieri, CCIM, MBA, serves as a senior advisor for Sperry Van Ness, specializing in the sale of investment properties in Champaign-Urbana and Central Illinois. With over 35 years of commercial real estate industry experience, he has built an array of valuable business, real estate, and banking community contacts that benefit his clients. Ruggieri has secured a career sales volume of over $300 million.
Ruggieri is the executive producer of the popular business TV show “One on One with Alex Ruggieri aired on CBS affiliate WCIA and “Central Illinois Business” broadcast weekly on WDWS NEWSTAL 1400 A.M. radio.
Career highlights include being the recipient of Sperry Van Ness’ Achievers Award for outstanding sales, Partner’s Circle Award (the company’s highest sales award), and authoring commercial real estate articles for regional and national real estate trade publications such as Commercial Investment Real Estate (CCIM) magazine, Units Magazine, Mid-West Real Estate News, and Heartland Real Estate Business.
Ruggieri serves on the national Commercial Committee for NAR and is a Graduate of the REALTOR Institute of the National Association of Realtors. He is also a Certified Commercial Investment Member. Ruggieri also holds a Master of Business Administration degree in business and finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You can link to Alex Ruggieri's web site to view properties for sale or watch any of his TV interviews with business leaders or listen to previous radio show interviews with up and coming entrepreneurs. To connect to Ruggieri Team
CLICK HERE