George Russell
When George F. Russell, Jr. joined his grandfather's brokerage and mutual fund company in 1958, it was a two-person operation. Two months later, his grandfather, Fran Russell died, and George found himself in charge of the struggling firm. In 1969, George Russell saw an opportunity to provide large corporations with advice on the management of their pension funds, a service no other firm was offering. A cold call to J. C. Penney brought him his first major client Within five years he had 40. In 1999, when it merged with Northwestern Mutual, the Frank Russell Company had 1500 clients in 25 countries. Among the enterprises to enjoy its investment and pension fund consulting services are AT&T, Barclays Bank, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Boeing, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Federal Express and Toyota. I After the merger with Northwestern George Russell headed his own firm, Russell Investments, as well as The Russell Family Foundation. In addition to his business activities, George Russell has served as Chairman of the EastWest Institute and The National Bureau of Asian Research. He is the founder of One Nation, a project working to change the perceptions of Islam and Muslims in America. This podcast was recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1999 Summit in Washington, D.C.