THERE is an old proverb saying that those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach. But to this rule there are always exceptions. Earl Sedlik’s biography puts him among the exceptions.

A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and The Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, he is also a noted author and teacher at MBA level in the fields of marketing, high tech marketing,and business strategy development. Sedlik is an award winning, captivating instructor with broad credentials in marketing, business planning, finance, and technology.At the same time, Sedlik has had a distinguished career as a management consultant.He has brought a recognized record of effectiveness as an operational manager with noted strengths in marketing and sales responsibilities for high tech enterprises. His career has been particularly focused on product development,effective operational entrepreneurship, and marketing launch functions.

A native New Yorker, he grew up in Miami, Florida. His childhood hero was Benjamin Franklin. This was not because Franklin’s image on dollar bills, but his image as a inventor and statesman, famous for his risibility. While at school,Earl learned everything he could about Franklin. Thishelped make him a well-rounded pupil, and he was named as top student in math and science in his county. Sedlik wrote several essays and won as scholarship for his writings.Writing remains Sedlik’s hobby - he writes humorous stories and political satires and sends them to his friends. He has also published several articles in business magazines.In 1964, Earl moved to the Pacific Northwest to develop computer software. He met his spouse in Seattle and returned East to attend Harvard. The Sedlik`s moved to Connecticut and began their family, as Earl and two Harvard classmates launched a fast food restaurant chain. These were his firsts steps in using the theory learned in class in practice.Later he changed the business field and established The Sedlik Group. Its client list includes a broad range of companies facing the pressures of change from growth or competition.For example, Sedlik’s clients are active in software development, software publishing and distribution, banking,restaurants, international trade of high tech products, kitchen appliances, retail distribution, cable TV development, television advertising, professional services, secondary education, medical clinical trials, lottery operations and marketing, non-profit housing development, and commercial real estate development.Usually Sedlik worked as a key operating executive within the executive team structure -often responsible for operations, sales, and/or marketing.

"I had a wonderful career involving a lot of industries but each time I was amazed by the lack of confidence in managers in the higher levels," Sedlik said. As a Harvard MBA, he has always had very strong passion for teaching and thought effective education could help managers be more successful. This is why, since 1980, Earl has managed to be a consultant and to teach part-time at undergraduate and graduate levels as well. Since 1998, Sedlik had served as Director of City University’s MBA Program where he coordinated an internationally renowned endeavor to bring quality business education around the world. In May 2000, Sedlik was elevated to the position of Senior VP and Chief Operating Officer of the Shepherd Group, the management firm at City University. As the COO, Sedlik spearheaded the development of subsidiaries directly involved in providing a full range of state-of-the-art educational services to institutions of higher learning. Currently he teaches marketing and economics as an adjunct professor at the Keller Graduate School of Management. Sedlik serves on the University of Washington School of Sociology Advisory Board.

Developing a MBA program is what brought Sedlik in Bulgaria at 1997. He says he sees "dramatic changes" each time he visits the country. As an illustration, he tells a story of his first "clash" with post communistic reality. The first promotional section of the MBA program was in an old building, property of on of the biggest Bulgarian universities. Sedlik wanted to write the URL address so the people would know where to get information."The blackboard was made from plain wood, a relic from the twenties, and we were given something like rock instead of chalk! It was symbolic because we were taking people from 1929 to 1999 in one minute."Since then he has visited Bulgaria five times and each time finds things changed.Compared with his first impressions, everything has changed for the better."I like the people here and changes that have been happening."In July 2001, he established BE.I.E.D - Business Education for International Economic Development, as Brompton Educational Services, with a mission committed to elevating individual competencies through educational and professional development services to corporations and academic institutions.

BEIED provides a range of services to defined target markets: management development; corporate training and coordination; management coaching; financial planning education; certificate exam preparation; academic curriculum development. BEIED principal Sedlik has chosen Bulgaria for developing the educational business because according to him "to have a successful education you need not only the content but response from the audience". He was able to find people here with "very strong talent,generating interest and generating response". BEIED has already presented two separate management seminars in Bulgaria.The first one was called"Leading the Transformation to Organizational Success - Nurturing a Dynamic Focus to meet Customer Needs" and was held in May in co-operation with the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria. The two day seminar was focused on practical tools to integrate effective managerial practices toward developing successful and dynamic organizations to compete in the modern global economy.Participants said Sedlik’s presentation was very well received.The same happened at the second seminar on November18 and 19, on the theme of"managing a successful organization and becoming a customer driven organization".This is the first of the four parts of the BEIED Advance Executive Management (AEM) Seminar Series. Parts 2, 3, and 4are scheduled for January, February and March. Each part highlights separate elements of the overall topics. The first part of the November one focused on how to build an organization and information system geared to addressing strategic decisions.Within the context of a corporate strategy, participants learned how to structure an organization and a decision process to address issues within a changing business environment.The second part was devoted to how to understand the customer in your marketplace.

By practicing empathetic modeling, participants learned how to integrate a market-driven mentality throughout the organization. Sedlik highlighted the tools to assure effective communication with the customer within a competitive environment. According BEIED’s presentation the company "is in the business of " Minding the Gap™ " for those who intend to close the gap between their current level of competency and their aspirations for higher levels of achievement".According to Sedlik, it also fills the gap between science and practice. He does this by giving many examples from reality while teaching.In his lectures, he advises managers that first of all they have to define success for themselves. Asked what success means to him, he answers:"To continue enjoy the interaction with these people and see them developing. Success is when one of these students creates a company or a product and it is so successful he could retire before 35 to 40. It has already happened!

Article by: Juliana Ivanova