Howard Putnam, who helped build Southwest Airlines before he shepherded Braniff International out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, will keynote the first Governor's Award Cup Gala in Sparks on April 27.
The event is the capstone of a business plan competition among students from colleges and universities across the state.
The winner of the competition will be announced during the gala.
"I have seen business plan competitions in action, and they work," Putnam said last week.
"Nevada's student competitors will be more successful and more likely to engage in developing new technology as a result of their participation."
Putnam was chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines before he left to lead Braniff International's reorganization and emergence from bankruptcy.
Earlier in his career, he spent 20 years with United Airlines.
Today, he speaks to audiences on corporate leadership and ethics.He's the author of "The Winds of Turbulence." Co-chairs of the Governor's Cup Awards Gala will be Gov.
Kenny Guinn along with John Lilley, president of the University of Nevada, Reno; Carol Harter, the president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Luther Mack, a Reno businessman who owns 10 McDonalds franchises in Nevada.
The university presidents said the competition is contributing to the development of educational programs in entrepreneurship and will help building an entrepreneurial economy in the state.
Mack,meanwhile, said he looks forward to meeting students with a high potential of success in the business world.
The first competition of its kind in Nevada, the Governor's Cup competition brings $55,000 in cash prizes to winning teams of students.
Members of the winning team will split $20,000.
The second-place team will split $10,000, and the third-place team will win $5,000.
Each team's faculty advisor will win $1,000.
Along with UNR and UNLV, teams entered from Sierra Nevada College, Great Basin College and Community College of Southern Nevada.
The competition is underwritten by the Donald W.
Reynolds Foundation and organized by Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.
Tickets for the gala at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks are $35 per person or $350 for a table of 10.
It begins with a networking session sponsored by Van Gogh Vodka at 5 p.m.
The gala itself begins at 6:30 p.m.
