'Confessions of a CrackBerry Pusher' to be provided Oct. 14

Don McMurtry, a former vice president with Research in Motion, the firm that launched the BlackBerry device, will launch a new Skidmore College speaker series when he presents "Confessions of a CrackBerry Pusher" at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

The series, which focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, has been organized by William Wales, visiting professor of business strategy. His goal in presenting the series is to emphasize that "innovation is ever-present in business. Creativity matters, and is what propels the world forward," said Wales. He thinks that students will be inspired by the stories of business people who have "championed and pursued ideas in the face of adversity."

Wales earned his Ph.D. degree at Rensselaer and got to know McMurtry, who served as an entrepreneur in residence at RPI, during that time.

In 1993, McMurtry joined Research In Motion as the company was beginning a strategic shift from its early years as a small contract engineering shop. Along with hundreds of companies, Research in Motion was attempting to become a leader in the emerging cellular data market. Six years later, BlackBerry was launched and McMurtry was vice president of sales, responsible for the direct sale of BlackBerry to corporate America.

His talk will highlight milestone technologies, strategies, and tactics that helped Research In Motion grow from dozens to thousands of employees, and turning BlackBerry into a globally recognized brand.

Future speakers in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Series are Skidmore alumnus Rich Laxer '83, scheduled to speak Nov. 5; and local venture capitalist Bela Musits, who will give a talk Nov. 20. To learn more about Wales and his interests, read this week's Skidmore Q&A.