Mark Forchette, a 1981 graduate of the Harbert College of Business with a degree in Marketing, remembers when he first decided he was driven to become a CEO. “I was working the front desk at the local Howard John- sons motel in Perry, Georgia at age 17,” says Mark, “and in walks a gentleman who checks in under the name ‘Ray Kroc.’ So, I ask him ‘You’re not THE Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds, are you?’ And he says, ‘Yes, I am.’ So, we sat down in the lobby for an extended conversation about all things business related. That was a life-changing expe- rience. It was then and there that I became inspired to become a CEO. I looked back on that experience when I decided to leave Alcon to be a first time CEO at OptiMedica, and that long-term goal drove me.” As part of its Inspired Entrepreneurship initiative, the Harbert College of Business sat down with Mark, an accomplished medical technology executive with demon- strated success transforming industries and driving breakthrough technologies to market leadership. Our conversation reveals how that moment — and many more critical decisions along the way — shaped his journey to entrepreneurial success. ‘My playbook is disruption’ ... Mark Forchette’s recipe for entrepreneurial success
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