Billionaire Bartmann to speak at UVa-Wise Napoleon Hill Day

Motivational speaker and billionaire Bill Bartmann will be the featured speaker for the 10th annual Napoleon Hill Day at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise on Oct. 22.

The event is part of the College's annual commemoration of the birthday of Napoleon Hill, the Wise County native and author of “Think and Grow Rich” and other motivational books. Bartmann’s lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Fred B. Greear Gymnasium.

At the age of 14, Bartmann became homeless, dropped out of high school and became a member of a street gang. He began turning his life around by passing the GED and putting himself through college and law school.

Through a number of business failures and successes, Bartmann became a millionaire three times over and finally a billionaire. He and his wife and business partner Kathy have been individually listed on the Forbes list of the 400 wealthiest Americans.

In their business, Debt Resolution, Bartmann and his wife developed novel financial instruments that are still utilized on Wall Street today. They also implemented unheard-of perks and benefits for their 39,000 employees, such as free health care, free on-site day care and a 250 percent 401K match program.

Bartmann and his wife now travel around the country sharing the stories of how they created their successes and how they dealt with challenges.

Bartmann’s visit to UVa-Wise is sponsored by the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Headquartered on the campus of UVa-Wise, the Napoleon Hill Foundation is a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to promoting Hill’s philosophy and “to making the world a better place in which to live.”

Napoleon Hill was born in poverty in a one-room cabin on the Pound River on Oct. 26, 1883. From these humble beginnings, the Wise County native became an advisor to presidents and a best-selling author. During the early 20th century, Hill interviewed the nation's most successful business leaders, including Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford. From those interviews and many more conducted over 20 years, Hill compiled his eight-volume set “The Law of Success,” a collection of the philosophy of individual achievement. He later condensed his research to compile “Think and Grow Rich,” often called one of the most important motivational books ever written.

First published in 1937, “Think and Grow Rich” has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and continues to appear on the list of top business books. In this classic on personal achievement, Hill introduced the concept “whatever the mind can conceive and believe the mind can achieve.” Thirteen principles form Hill's philosophy of personal achievement include cultivating a burning desire, faith, and persistence in the attainment of goals.

Hill's writings are still must-reads for business professionals. His volumes have influenced many successful individuals including Mary Kay Ash, Wally "Famous" Amos, Bruce Jenner, Paul Harvey and Senator Jennings Randolph. Hill's works are licensed for publication in a host of other counties, including China, Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Croatia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Other works by Hill, which are also still widely distributed, include “Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude,” “How to Raise Your Own Salary,” “How to Sell Your Way Through Life” and “The Magic Ladder to Success.”

During the 2004 Napoleon Hill Day, the Napoleon Hill Foundation presented UVa-Wise with a $200,000 gift to endow the Napoleon Hill Scholars Program. Established at UVa-Wise in 1997, the Napoleon Hill Scholars Program annually selects 10 outstanding business students to participate. The students complete the College's Keys to Success course, which is based on Hill's business philosophy, and share what they've learned with students at area high schools.

Posted October 16, 2007