Paul Orfalea slated for “Conversations with the Dean” event Sept. 23
—By Lori Craig
The “Conversations with the Dean” lecture series continues Tuesday, Sept. 23, with distinguished guest Paul Orfalea, the founder of Kinko’s.
Orfalea, who launched Kinko’s (now FedEx Office) with a $5,000 loan and a single copy machine, will sit down with USC Law Dean Robert Rasmussen from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. in Room 1. The event is open to the greater USC community, and lunch will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
It was during his years as a student at USC that Orfalea was struck with the idea of launching a copy business that would provide services and supplies to students. His first store, a converted hamburger stand, was so small that Ofralea operated his single copy machine on the sidewalk.
Today, 38 years later, the company boasts 1,700 stores worldwide and more than 23,000 employees (or, as Orfalea describes them, "co-workers"). Orfalea attributes much of the company’s success to his resolve to support his co-workers by encouraging teamwork, offering incentives and promoting a healthy work/life balance.
Now retired, Orfalea and wife Natalie helm the Orfalea Foundations, which support nonprofit organizations dedicated to childcare, education, and critical community needs. He also has made frequent contributions to higher education, including to USC and USC Law, and has taught at a number of universities. He is the author of Copy This! Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic Who Turned a Bright Idea Into One of America’s Best Companies (Workman Publishing Company 2005).
The Sept. 23 discussion is titled “The Power of Entrepreneurship: How One Man Launched Kinko’s.” To download a flyer, click here. For more information, e-mail the USC Law Events Office.
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