Professor Eddleston has been inducted as a Justin G. Longenecker Fellow by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Kimberly Eddleston, a pioneering Northeastern professor, has been inducted as a Justin G. Longenecker Fellow — the highest recognition offered by the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE).
The award recognizes Eddleston for her “extraordinary contributions and exemplary leadership in scholarship, teaching and research in the fields of entrepreneurship reflecting the highest ideals, standards and commitment in support of small, entrepreneurial, and family businesses.”
Eddleston, the Schulze Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business, helped establish entrepreneurship as a mainstay of Northeastern.
“It means a lot because when I was hired at Northeastern in 2001 there were only two other people focusing on entrepreneurship — Marc Meyer and John Friar,” says Eddleston, who recalls attending a USASBE conference for teaching guidance. “It was a time when entrepreneurship was just entering the [academic] mainstream.
“Many of the fellows there are leaders in the field,” Eddleston adds. “They call themselves the ‘old Turks’ and they talk about us being the ‘Young Turks.’ And they’re the ones who had a hard time getting published, had a hard time gaining legitimacy. USASBE is really important for its support of entrepreneurship education and research — and I’m a big believer.”
Eddleston expresses gratitude to Richard M. Schulze, the founder of Best Buy, and his Schulze Family Foundation, which has endowed her professorship and supported her work — including FamilyBusiness.org, the world’s top site dedicated to educating family businesses.
“Most of my research has practical implications, which aligns with Northeastern and our mission,” says Eddleston, who grew up working for several of her family’s businesses (and continues to be a stakeholder in them).
Last year Eddleston was recognized with a fellowship from the Family Firm Institute, the leading global association for family enterprise professionals. Family Capital named her a Top 25 Family Enterprise Academic this year.
“One thing I love about working with Dick Schulze and the Schulze Family Foundation is he truly believes that in America being able to start and run your own business is a basic necessity,” Eddleston says. “You look at all of the amazing stories we have of immigrants coming to America and having nothing and being discriminated against — and they start their own businesses.
“Family businesses are some of the oldest in the world. About 35% of publicly held companies in the U.S. are under family control. And when you go outside the U.S. the percentage is even higher.
“So it’s an amazing field to work in, to have an impact in keeping these businesses alive and helping them thrive and innovate,” Eddleston adds. “It’s something that always motivates me. I love it.”