About the Lecture Series

Alumni lecturers for the Lyon & Bendheim series are chosen because they are leaders who have repeatedly proven themselves and have tremendous achievements at the highest levels in their respective fields. "Our goal for starting the lecture series was to bring prominent and successful alumni to campus to share their wisdom and experience with the students," says Tom Bendheim. "The students benefit, alumni feel good about being asked to speak, and Tufts ultimately benefits in terms of alumni support and overall recognition as a school that breeds highly successful professionals in all fields."

The name of the lecture series pays tribute to a friendship that started as freshman roommates in Miller Hall. "Twenty plus years later we are still best friends," Tom says of his relationship with J.B. Lyon. "We hope the name of the series provides further inspiration for the lasting friendships and ties that take root at Tufts."

The lecture series features one alumni lecturer per semester. Students play a key role in identifying alumni lecturers, as well as planning and marketing each event. The series is also supported by the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program and the Office of Alumni Relations.

About J.B. Lyon and Tom Bendheim

The Lyon & Bendheim lecture series was created by two Tufts graduates with distinguished entrepreneurial track records, J.B. Lyon and Tom Bendheim.

J.B. Lyon, A85, currently works in private equity. Prior to his current position, J.B. co-created Vision Media Investors, a private equity firm focused on the Alternative Media sector. Previously, J.B. was Vice President of Business Development for Staples, Inc. and Vice President of Operations for Staples Business Delivery unit. During his eight year tenure at Staples, JB led the launch of the Staples.com site, for which he wrote the business plan, led the development of the site, and then served as head of marketing while growing sales to $50 million in one year. Staples.com now generates $1 billion annually and is the second largest e-commerce website after Amazon.com. J.B.was also responsible for creating marketing partnerships with top companies such as American Express, Discover, Verizon, and Yahoo resulting in incremental sales of more than $100 million for Staples, Inc.

Prior to joining Staples, J.B. co-founded and managed Uncle Dave's Kitchen, a nationally distributed all natural pasta sauce and condiment packaged foods company. Before starting Uncle Dave's, he spearheaded the use of satellite technology in the 1988 presidential election. J.B. also served as Assistant to the President of New World Entertainment, the production company that produced The Wonder Years. During high school, J.B. created a company with his father that became the first licensee of Pac-Man paraphernalia. J.B. received a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Tufts University.

J.B. lives in Lexington, MA with his wife Kimberly Syman and two children. Kimberly is a managing partner of New Profit Inc. (www.newprofit.com), which she helped to build with Vanessa Kirsch, J87.

Mr. Bendheim also graduated from Tufts in 1985. He is President and CEO of the Colibri Group and is known for turning around, reviving, and building consumer brands. In 2005 he joined the Colibri Group, a 35-year old privately-backed company that designs, manufactures, and markets branded accessories. The company sells its products through 20,000 customer outlets in the U.S. which include major national chains and independent retailers and internationally through broad-based distribution. Mr. Bendheim is in the process of restructuring the company and positioning its brands to be market leaders in their respective categories.

From 2002-2004, as President and CEO of the Rheingold Brewing Company, he revived the struggling Rheingold Beer brand and positioned the company for sale to a strategic buyer. In 2005, Drinks Americas, a diversified publicly-traded beverage company, purchased the Rheingold Brewing Company and Mr. Bendheim began working as a consultant in the private equity field, identifying and evaluating acquisitions of consumer-branded businesses.

From 1997-2001, Mr. Bendheim, as COO, orchestrated a turnaround of Dooney & Bourke, a premier marketer and retailer of luxury handbags. The company continues to achieve record sales and profits.

Mr. Bendheim has been featured on CNBC as well as in the New York Times, Daily News, and New York Post for his role in reviving Rheingold Beer. He lectures at the Stern School of Business at New York University, where a recent business school case was written on Rheingold, Yeshiva College, and the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was the featured commencement speaker in May of 2004.

Previously, Mr. Bendheim held senior management and marketing positions at PepsiCo and Lenox Brands. Earlier in his career, he held management consulting positions with McKinsey & Company and Bain & Company, serving clients primarily in the consumer goods and retail sectors.

He earned a B.A., magna cum laude, from Tufts University, and, as a Lauder Institute Fellow, received an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Bendheim serves as a director or board member for:

• Tufts University, Board of Overseers, College of Arts and Sciences
• The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies Board of Governors at The Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania
• The Lowenstein Foundation, a private foundation that supports educational and health care initiatives

Mr. Bendheim lives in Barrington, Rhode Island with his wife Kathryn and their children Rebecca, Bruce, Lauren, and Julia.