Mannie Jackson, former chairman of the board and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, releases his new book Boxcar to Boardrooms on the same day as the documentary Boxcar to Boardrooms, airing Mon., Feb. 18, 2013 9:30 pm EST, on BTN
[Press Release Distribution]
Mannie Jackson has served on multiple boards of Fortune 500 companies. He is chairman of Boxcar Holdings LLC, a former two-time all-Big Ten basketball star at the University of Illinois, and has served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and chairman of the board and owner of the Harlem Globetrotters. He is one of the nation’s most requested speakers and philanthropists. He is a member of the University of Illinois Foundation board of directors and the recipient of two honorary doctorate degrees.
His story in many ways is that of the proverbial Horatio Alger, literally born on the other side of the tracks, who, through a Big-Ten University education, all-star basketball career, the help of many good Samaritans, and a commitment to hard work, lived an incredible “rags to riches” life—from integrating basketball at all levels and reaching the top as a business unit general manager in corporate America, to pioneering entrepreneurship in sports and entertainment and business development in South Africa. His memoir, Boxcar to Boardrooms, has already sold thousands of copies, and “yes, he was actually born and lived in a 58-foot railway boxcar in then tiny Illmo, Missouri.” His story defies the odds of coming from humble beginnings, social and institutional racism of the late 50s and 60s, the corporate glass ceiling, and the myths of affirmative action. Boxcar to Boardrooms appeals to audiences from sports, business, and the multi-cultural education sector.
The book and the documentary retraces his life journey using personal and intimate anecdotes; from his boxcar birthplace to presidency in a Fortune 500 company, serving on the board of directors of six Fortune 500 hundred companies and going from player to owner of the Harlem Globetrotters. Readers will find this story as meaningful as the oppressive dramas of the pre-civil rights era, the post-World War II era, the Viet Nam conflict, riots in our nation’s largest cities, and the tidal wave of hope brought on by desegregation. He shares his experiences with the emergence of the digital industry and its role in awakening of diversity, the ending of the cold war, the emergence of a new breed of sports and entertainment heroes, his historic 14-year ownership of the Harlem Globetrotters, encounters with the private equity world, and current life of consulting and philanthropy.
“The goal of this book is to sell over 200,000 copies, with all proceeds going to cancer research and the University of Illinois I-LEAP Academic Scholarship Program,” says Jackson.
The Big Ten Network will air the documentary of Mannie Jackson—the former two-time All-Big Ten player turned corporate executive turned owner of The Harlem Globetrotters—Monday, February 18, 2013 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time, 8:30 p.m. Central Time. The title of this documentary is Boxcar to Boardrooms. In association with this event, Mannie Jackson’s memoir of the same title will be offered for free on Amazon Kindle for a limited time, February 17-19, 2013.
His book is available in paper format from www.BoxcarHolding.com and in Kindle ebook format from http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085MJDA8. Upcoming book reviews are currently scheduled in New York, Chicago, Denver, and Las Vegas.
More details about the Kindle ebook can be found on Amazon, Facebook and Twitter.
Documentary Trailer:
http://youtu.be/I1DdD8txHZs
Contact Info:
Name: Steve Fischer
Email: steve@redlinedezign.com
Address: Chandler, Arizona
Phone: 602.327.1919
Organization: Redline Marketing
