Published: Jan. 4, 1998

Executives from companies ranging from Leo Burnett to Office Depot will be guest lecturers in business Professor John HessÂ’ Profiles in American Enterprise class this spring.

Hess, a professor of marketing and international business at the College of Business and Administration at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø, has created one of the most popular courses on campus. Every semester he brings in a business executive to speak to the class about current business trends, developments and problems.

Hess, his assistant Jonelle Nuckolls, and a team of 28 peer teaching associates also prepare a new textbook for each semester that profiles the corporations students will learn about.

The class meets from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Math Building, room 100. The schedule for the spring 1998 semester is as follows:

Jan. 20: Terrance Drabant, president, Lockheed Martin Federal Systems. Drabant, who works in Gaithersburg, Md., will speak about complex systems integration.

Jan. 27: John T. Dillon, chairman and CEO, International Paper. This worldwide producer of paper and packaging employs more than 80,000 people in 31 countries.

Feb. 3: John C. Curley, chairman and CEO, Gannett Co. Gannett owns 89 daily newspapers (including the Fort Collins Coloradoan) and 20 television stations (including Channel 9-KUSA in Denver).

Feb. 10: Irving W. Bailey II, chairman and CEO, AEGON (formerly Providian Corp.) Providian recently merged with Netherlands-based AEGON and will continue to provide quality insurance products.

Feb. 17: Richard M. Kovacevich, chairman and CEO, Norwest Corp. Norwest is the 11th largest financial services company in the United States and operates 4,000 stores in North America and Latin America.

Feb. 24: William D. Smithburg, former chairman, The Quaker Oats Co. Quaker is a leading manufacturer of breakfast foods, rice and pasta products and grain-based snacks.

March 3: David I. Fuente, chairman and CEO, Office Depot. North AmericaÂ’s largest office supply superstore plans to add 100 new stores in 1998.

March 10: George N. Gillett Jr., chairman and president, Book Creek Inc.

This privately held company is diverse as a leader in the meat-packaging and processing industry, the ski industry and transportation business.

March 17: Brenda Russell Williams, director and vice president, Leo Burnett IdeaLAB. This division of the largest privately held agency brand organization helps top executives solve an array of complex business problems.

March 31: Earnest W. Deavenport, chairman and CEO, Eastman Chemical Co. More than 17,500 people work for Eastman in 30 countries.

April 7: Mary-Ellis Bunim, executive producer and president, Bunim/Murray Productions. MTV programs The Real World and Road Rules are a few of Bunim/MurrayÂ’s creations.

April 14: Martin L. Grass, chairman and CEO, Rite Aid Corp. This retail drugstore giant serves more than 9 million customers a week.

April 21: Michael S. Leeds, president and CEO, CMP Media Inc. What started as a husband-wife team has grown into a high-tech publishing firm that focuses on technology builders, sellers and users.

April 28: H.A. Wagner, president, chairman and CEO, Air Products & Chemicals Inc. This global company provides industrial gasses and related equipment, and environmental and energy systems.