Business School’s Distinguished Lecture Series to Feature Marilyn J. Ounjian - Monday, October 15, 2007

The H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship’s Distinguished Lecture Series continues on Oct. 15 at 10:30 a.m. with Marilyn J. Ounjian, founder and chief executive officer of CareersUSA. The lecture will take place in the Julian and Ellen Knight Lecture Hall (Room 1124) in the Carl DeSantis Building. RSVP to Lynn Schweitzer at lschweit@huizenga.nova.edu or (954) 262-5065.

Founded in 1981 in Philadelphia, CareersUSA is a national temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire staffing firm now based in Boca Raton, Fla.  The company has annual revenues in excess of $45 million and 26 offices nationwide.  CareersUSA is a thriving national firm, known as a pioneer in the world of web-based staffing and HR solutions.

Ounjian’s rise to success was far from adversity-free. Financial hardship forced her from college and into the workforce, and at 24 years of age, she secured financing to open her own staffing firm. However, she was forced to dissolve the business when critical government funding failed to materialize. Less than one month later, she bet on herself again and launched another staffing firm: CareersUSA.

With lessons learned from her previous venture, Ounjian aggressively addressed the needs of Philadelphia’s employment market and opened additional offices along the eastern seaboard.  Before long, the investment she made in herself started paying off.  By 1988, CareersUSA was recognized by Inc. Magazine as “One of America’s Fastest Growing Companies.”  Other accolades include The South Florida Business Journal’s 2005 Business Woman of the Year and regional finalist for Ernst & Young’s 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year.