Building upon a three-decade-long relationship with Kennesaw State University, Michael and Donna Coles announced a significant gift to establish a scholarship endowment benefitting veterans of the armed forces.

A $1 million gift to KSU made the The Michael J. and Donna N. Coles Veterans Scholarship Endowment Fund possible. It will help lessen the financial burden of veterans who have exhausted their GI Bill benefits before the completion of their degrees. Military veterans have long been a soft spot for the Coles, as Michael was named for his uncle who died serving his country and Donna’s father served in WWII.

“Through their generosity, Michael and Donna Coles are elevating KSU’s efforts to support the men and women who bravely serve our country,” KSU President Pamela Whitten said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have donors like the Coles who are ensuring that veterans will achieve their educational dreams at KSU.”

Longstanding Relationship

The latest gift is just the next chapter in a longstanding relationship between the Coles family and Kennesaw State University, which began in 1990 when the Great American Cookie Company founder Michael Coles joined the institution’s board of trustees eager to help continue its upward trajectory.

“Donna and I are so honored to make this gift to KSU,” Michael Coles said. “Military veterans have always had a special place in our hearts. When I ran for the U.S. Senate in 1998, I made many friends in the military and was saddened to learn how little the government does for them. This is our way to honor their sacrifice by offering some help for a better life.”

Coles-Novak Family Foundation

In 1994, through their Coles-Novak Family Foundation, the Coles gave KSU its first seven-figure gift. In the following year, Kennesaw State renamed the business school the Michael J. Coles School of Business, now the College of Business. In 1998, the college awarded Coles with the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion of Entrepreneurship. The next year he received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters and was a 2015 inductee into the Coles College Hall of Fame. Coles remains a member of the KSU Foundation Executive Committee.

Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, the College celebrated “The Year of Michael J. Coles,” commemorating the 25th anniversary of becoming the Coles College. Since the initial gift from the Coles in 1994, KSU has seen exponential growth in its business-focused disciplines, including the successful launch of the Georgia WebMBA and the College’s first doctoral program in business administration. In that span, the College’s enrollment more than doubled from 3,075 to 6,869. As of the fall 2020 semester, the College has more than 7,700 students.

Philanthropy

Beyond his commitment to KSU, Coles has been heavily involved in the greater community. He is the former chair of the Georgia Film Commission and Kennesaw State University Foundation Board, and served on the University System of Georgia Board of Regents and the Walker School Board. He also is involved in a wide variety of nonprofit philanthropic organizations.

For more information or media request, please contact Liz@LizLapidusPR.com.

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Michael Coles, Co-founder of Great American Cookie Company, entrepreneur, philanthropist and immediate past president of Hillels of Georgia reflects on giving.

“I’ve been fortunate to work on many important causes throughout my life. Unequivocally, my six years as president of Hillels of Georgia have been some of the most rewarding.  

Empowering Students 

I’m proud to be an advocate for Hillels of Georgia’s mission to engage and empower Jewish students in vibrant Jewish life across campuses in Georgia. Hillels of Georgia gives students the space to proudly embrace their Jewish identities, and make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, community and Israel. 

Combating Antisemitism 

During my tenure as President of Hillels of Georgia, from 2012-2019, the world experienced a significant rise of antisemitism and discrimination. This was especially apparent on college campuses, that continues unabated today. With the help of a revitalized Board of Directors, dedicated staff and passionate student leaders, we transformed the mission of the organization to ensure a welcoming, inclusive and safe “home away from home” for Jewish students on campus.   

I am continuously inspired by the work of Hillels of Georgia. I saw first-hand the lasting impact the organization. Hillel creates a safe space for Jewish students and combats antisemitism on college campuses through generous support from our community. 

Three W’s 

In my time in philanthropy, I’ve always followed the concept of the “Three W’s“—Work, Wisdom, and Wealth.  

I see the concept in place with young students who are just starting out. They donate their time, energy and work to building the Jewish community. When they graduate, becoming more stable and successful, their contributions grow to encompass wisdom and wealth. 

Nonprofits and charitable organizations need community members to donate all three. Are you ready to give?”

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Welcome to The Business Couch with Dr. Yishai. Where we delve into the minds and mistakes of entrepreneurs and business leaders so you can learn from them 3 days a week!

This episode follows entrepreneur Michael Coles, his story and his Struggle and the Road to Success.

What You’ll Learn

With host Dr. Yishai Barkhordari, awe-inspiring psychologist and adaptability coach to entrepreneurs, business executives, and leaders. It is my mission to unlock the minds, thought processes, strategies, and hard-earned lessons from industry leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs. Through a conversation, we extract and share core ideas, principles, skills, and strategies so that you can learn and apply them in your life and business.

In casual yet thoughtful conversations, The Business Couch with Dr. Yishai contains insightful interviews with industry and thought leaders, business founders, and CEOs. Plus, you’ll hear scientific research, my personal reflections, and thought-provoking questions. You’ll hear origin stories that inspire and educate.

Uncover and Unlock

You’ll uncover success secrets to overcoming obstacles, setbacks, and mistakes. Unlock lessons learned by giants who came before you as well as relatable, humble journeys of evolution and adaptation… with all the disruption, stumbling, and struggling that meets us on the road to greatness.

We deep dive into relevant topics from habits, mindset, productivity, and high performance to navigating online business, marketing, and scaling to team management, work-life, culture, and leadership.

You’ll get access to new ideas, perspectives, strategies, and tactics to grow your business and yourself as leader-in-chief at the helm. Whether you are beginning your journey, have some experience under your belt, or a seasoned entrepreneur or business leader there is so much you can gain by subscribing and learning from the experience and wisdom of others to grow yourself and your company at any stage.

More podcasts here.

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Virtual business presentation from keynote speaker Michael Coles

Last month, Michael Coles presented at Small Business Expo NYC’s virtual event. Small Business Expo is New York City’s BIGGEST business networking and educational event. This year, the event went virtual, reaching small businesses owners and entrepreneurs from around the world.

So, through a virtual format, Michael brought his thought leadership to passionate business owners in New York City and beyond. During the event, Michael shared his story, talked tips and discussed how to increase revenue & grow your business.

After watching the video, if you are interested in booking Michael Coles to deliver a keynote at your next event, please reach out here.

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Virtual business presentation from speaker Michael Coles

In November, Michael Coles presented a keynote speech at the virtual Small Business Expo in Atlanta. Small Business Expo is the city’s biggest business networking and educational event. This year, the event move to a virtual format to reach small businesses owners and entrepreneurs from around the world.

So, through a virtual format, Michael brought his thought leadership and business tips to passionate small business owners in Atlanta and beyond. During the event, Michael shared his story, talked tips and discussed how to increase revenue and grow your business.

After watching the video, if you are interested in booking Michael Coles to deliver a keynote at your next event, please reach out here.

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Virtual business presentation from keynote speaker Michael Coles

Last month, Michael Coles presented at Small Business Expo Miami’s virtual event. Small Business Expo is Miami’s BIGGEST business networking and educational event. This year, the event went virtual, reaching small businesses owners and entrepreneurs from around the world.

So, through a virtual format, Michael brought his thought leadership to passionate business owners in Florida and beyond. During the event, Michael shared his story, talked tips and discussed how to increase revenue & grow your business.

After watching the video, if you are interested in booking Michael Coles to deliver a keynote at your next event, please reach out here.

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Michael J. Coles is co-founder of Great American Cookie Company and the former chief executive officer of Caribou Coffee, but these titles are just the tip of the iceberg of his professional background. Coles is also a well-known speaker, business mentor and educator and serial entrepreneur. He has tasted great success in his lifetime, quite literally. Although, it hasn’t been without his own experiences as an underdog and facing many challenges as well. 

Coles reflected in a 2019 speech at TiECON Florida on one of the hardest moments in his life. At age 10, he had to give away his dog, Lucky, after his father’s warehouse caught fire and his family had fallen into poverty. 

So, at age 13, Coles began working due to his family’s financial troubles. His early work experience led him to find a mentor in his employer, Irving Settler. Coles said he “taught me everything about retail.”

“I would not have been successful had he not been so hard on me or invested so much time in my education,” he explained. “As I have moved throughout my career, I have tried to pay back that debt by giving time and energy to young entrepreneurs, helping them avoid the same mistakes I made.” 

One way Coles has paid it forward is by being the benefactor of the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University.

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“You’ve to finish the last 5 miles no matter how difficult they are. If you don’t finish and learn from it, you’ll not be prepared for the next 5 miles.”

What you’re today isn’t an overnight miracle, it’s the outcome of years of hard work, dedication & perseverance. Thank You Michael Coles for an inspiring session with our members, the biggest takeaway for us is “Time To Get Tough.”

Book Michael to speak.

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Michael Coles, founder of the Great American Cookie Company, networks with Jewish Atlanta.

On March 4, member Eric Fisher, through his Buckhead firm Barnes & Thornburg, hosted 60 eager, mostly millennials, for a motivational talk by local legend cum business guru and author Michael Coles.

Fisher, a business litigation attorney who recently changed law firms, said, “JNA’s support network helped to ensure the transition was easy in terms of community awareness of the change and referrals of new business. In the nine-plus years that I’ve been a member, I have built friendships, client relationships, and connections within the Atlanta Jewish community.”

After a light dinner, Coles, who has been generous in sharing his wisdom with various groups, including the Atlanta Jewish Book Festival, brought to life scenes from his book “Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee, and a Crash Led to Success in Business and Life.” That all translates into his “aggressive” push in 1977 to get a cookie business into Perimeter Mall, recovering from a near-fatal motorcycle crash to become a record-breaking cyclist, and heading Caribou Coffee, doubling its business model. And that’s just a tiny glimpse of his roller coaster ride, which found him with a financially bankrupt father, and forced him as a youth to take very seriously pitching in to help the family “while peers were out enjoying Miami Beach.”

Coles recalled that he had 25 years of Post-it notes, which he eventually compiled into the book. He told the group that his message is to move forward by understanding that things go wrong, learning from them, and then doing a better job. He recalled that in 1977 he stalked the Perimeter Mall manager to take a chance on his 100-square-foot cookie business, which later became a pioneering and huge franchise. He said, “We had no paid employees, my mom, all family when we opened the doors.” They had no oven mitts and made a smoky mess, but persevered. “Things progressed from there,” Cole recalled. “Southlake Mall was the first store to do a million dollars, then Greenbriar Mall was a disaster.” Coles’ mantra is: “Learn to deal with the unexpected.” Confidence is one of Coles’ charms and forces.

Coles, immediate past president of Hillels of Georgia, ended his talk with an emotional acknowledgment. “We all draw from our inner strength grounded in our Jewish heritage.” Fisher then announced a $500 donation to Hillel in Coles’ honor. Coles will be honored by Hillels of Georgia at its annual event March 24. The Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University is yet another example of his education advocacy.

After the program March 4, Coles signed books and networking continued. Holly Kurtz, meeting planner and hotel insider, a two-year JNA member, noted, “Here is a professional community which creates opportunities for leadership. I gain more knowledge of what others do in their fields, which helps me refer clients and vice versa.”

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Spirit of America Ride | S.O.A.R. Productions

Original Footage and Interview:

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