Dr. Jeff Kaplan
Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership, 2007
A long-time leader and entrepreneur, Dr. Jeff Kaplan founded his first business in 1991 with $1,500 and two friends that he couldn’t pay. After his first year of operation, his event management and marketing business had sales just shy of $1 million and a profit of $100,000—impressive for a new business.
From there, the business grew. But, after three years of operation, Jeff found himself $200,000 in debt. That’s when he realized things had to change. He developed a network of experts who would work for a reduced rate, with a promise of more business in the future. After creating solid working relationships and a board of directors who steered him in the right direction, Jeff sold his business 10 years later for nearly a million dollars.
Since then, he has worked in a leadership capacity for a number of firms and has served as Marketing Department Chair for the Graduate School of Business at University of Phoenix. There, he also earned his doctorate from the School of Advanced Studies in organizational leadership.
Currently Jeff directs the Leadership and Development Training practice team for Ferrazzi Greenlight Institute and manages the Greenlight Research Institute. Ferrazzi Greenlight is a strategic relationship management firm.
