Vistage Celebrates Global Member Milestone by Giving Back

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Oct 06, 2015, 12:33 ET

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Vistage Worldwide, a global organization that assembles and facilitates private advisory boards for CEOs, has announced a new collaboration with non-profits Endeavor and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in celebration of reaching 20,000 global members. Later this month, Vistage will present a significant donation to both organizations to support the shared goal of guiding entrepreneurs and inspiring the CEOs of tomorrow.

Vistage's network of 20,000 members represents more than 800 industries and 1,800 cities around the world. Vistage members control businesses with annual sales ranging from $1 million to over $1 billion, representing the most vital components of the economy. Members meet on a monthly basis, in small groups to help each other gain new perspectives and achieve excellent results. A 2015 analysis by Dun & Bradstreet revealed that companies that joined Vistage over the past five years grew at three times the rate of average U.S. companies.

"Vistage strongly believes in encouraging entrepreneurship, and the power of mentorship to help businesses grow and succeed," said Leon Shapiro, CEO of Vistage Worldwide. "We are thrilled to partner with such great organizations to provide mentorship, guidance and support through an exclusive community of 20,000 CEOs, executives and business leaders worldwide."

The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), is an international nonprofit that empowers youth to tackle challenges as tenacious innovators and global citizens. Through their project-based curriculum, NFTE activates the entrepreneurial mindset in youth and builds their knowledge about business startups, with a focus on youth from under-resourced communities. With this donation, Vistage's network of members will continue to support NFTE's mission of providing youth with the tools to grasp opportunity all around them, and to build a future of which they are proud to take ownership.

"We are excited to begin working with Vistage towards the shared goal of encouraging entrepreneurship," said Ann Marie Almeida SVP, Marketing & Development at NFTE. "With Vistage's support, we all look forward to seeing what our young entrepreneurs can achieve."

Endeavor, a non-profit organization that mentors high-impact entrepreneurs around the world, provides scale-up entrepreneurs in the U.S., Latin America, South Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia with the resources to succeed, including mentorship, talent programs and access to investment. In addition to its donation, Vistage plans on working directly with Endeavor in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the network of experienced Chairs will work closely with a select group of international Endeavor entrepreneurs who have come to the region to accelerate the growth of their businesses.

"Endeavor and Vistage share the belief that leaders cannot succeed alone," said Fernando Fabre, president of Endeavor Global. "We look forward to welcoming members of the Vistage community into the global network of mentors who support our entrepreneurs to scale their businesses."

About Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Founded in 1957, Vistage assembles and facilitates private advisory boards for CEOs, senior executives and business owners. Vistage members participate in monthly, Chair-led private advisory board meetings. More than 20,000 members in 16 countries also have access to one-to-one executive coaching, expert speakers, and our global network of business leaders.

About NFTE

Since 1987, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has taught and inspired more than 600,000 young people to pursue educational opportunities, start their own businesses, and succeed in life. By providing entrepreneurship education programs relevant to the real world, NFTE empowers students to own their education and future success. NFTE has programs runs through 17 U.S. program offices and in 10 countries. To learn more visit www.nfte.com, like NFTE on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/NFTE and follow us on Twitter at @NFTE

About Endeavor

Hailed by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman as "the best anti-poverty program of all," Endeavor is leading the global movement to catalyze long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world. To date, Endeavor has screened more than 40,000 entrepreneurs and selected more than a thousand individuals leading over 700 high-impact companies.

With support from Endeavor's worldwide mentor network, these high-impact entrepreneurs:

Created over 500,000 jobs
Generated $7.6 billion in revenues in 2014
Inspire future generations to innovate and take risks

Headquartered in New York City, Endeavor currently operates in 22 countries throughout Europe, Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the U.S.

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SOURCE Vistage Worldwide, Inc.