By Megan Osborn
Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Universal Sports and Olympics, and one of the founding producers of "Saturday Night Live," was the keynote speaker at the Pamplin School of Business Administration's 75th Anniversary Dinner at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower Sept. 17.
He shared his greatest piece of advice with his attentive audience, which included local business leaders as well as UP alumni and students.
"Success is about relationships," Ebersol said.
UP senior Ashley Rochholz, Vice President of the Operations and Management Association, thought that Ebersol was a great speaker choice because, she said, he exemplifies the main tenets of the University: teaching, faith and service.
"It's fascinating how this guy got to be so powerful," Rochholz said.
Ebersol's connection to UP is his friendship with UP President the Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C., whom Ebersol met through negotiations between NBC Sports and The University of Notre Dame about 20 years ago.
Ebersol spoke of Beauchamp as an old friend, and said "there was no way I could say 'no'," when Beauchamp asked him to be keynote speaker back in February.
"He's a tremendous man, and Notre Dame's loss has been the tremendous gain of everyone in the Portland community," Ebersol said.
Ebersol also took the time to visit business classes during the day, including an introductory marketing class.
He was impressed with the student's inquisitiveness about his sports career.
"Not one asked me about John Belushi or SNL," Ebersol said, smiling.
At the anniversary dinner, Ebersol also told stories about when his career was less glamorous.
Rochholz was surprised to hear Ebersol tell a story about how he had been fired by a new boss at NBC before a more superior executive recruited him for the prominent sports position he still holds.
"It's not all up and up," Rochholz said, speaking of Ebersol's story about that temporary setback earlier in his career.
Ebersol also let the audience get an Olympics "sneak peak," with a coming attractions video of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, which begin in February.
Ebersol's job keeps him on-the-go constantly. Immediately following the UP dinner, he boarded a plane to Dallas because NBC's "Today" show was going to broadcast live from the Dallas Cowboys' stadium early the next morning.
Despite the hectic pace, Ebersol obviously loves his work, telling the UP crowd he has "the best job anybody has in America."
