Two-time basketball Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson will kick off the Lake Michigan College Speaker Series on Aug. 23.
The event will take place at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
As a guest speaker, Johnson will share experiences and lessons from his entrepreneurial business career and time as a champion on the basketball court.
Johnson is the chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, an investment conglomerate. A primary focus is providing products and services to ethnically diverse and underserved urban communities.
In his early years as an entrepreneur, Johnson forged an alliance with Sony Pictures to develop Magic Johnson Theatres. In 1998, he teamed with Starbucks, acquiring and eventually selling 125 stores. Both ventures served as catalysts for redevelopment in urban communities.
A Lansing, Michigan, native, Johnson became co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. He also co-owns the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club, NFL’s Washington Commanders and eSports franchise Team Liquid.
Johnson continues to expand his influence through a number of other investments, such as EquiTrust, a multi-billion financial services company, and SodexoMAGIC, a food service and facilities management company.
In 2015, Magic Johnson Enterprises and Loop Capital formed an alliance to create MJE-Loop Capital Partners. The firm raised a fund committed to investing millions of dollars on infrastructure improvement in the United States.
Johnson is currently expanding his business into the metaverse, announcing his investment and ownership of a football and basketball team with SimWin Sports. He is also one of the leading investors in a number of minority-owned technology companies.
A businessman spanning multiple industries and generations, Johnson aims to help companies expand and foster a positive impact domestically and globally.
Johnson’s presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 23. A pre-speaker buffet dinner will be served at 5 p.m. Learn more about the event here.
(Photo provided by Lake Michigan College)
