Cornell alumnus Steven B. Belkin, chairman and founder of Trans National Group (TNG), a Boston-based privately held corporation, and the principal owner of the professional sports teams the Atlanta Hawks and the Atlanta Thrashers, will be honored on campus, Oct. 14-15, as Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2004.

The award, managed by Cornell's Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise (EPE) Program, is given annually to a Cornell graduate who best exemplifies entrepreneurial achievement, community service and high ethical standards.

Belkin founded Trans National in 1974. Principally a direct response marketing and investment company, TNG has a staff of 250 and has more than $200 million per year in sales. Belkin was the founder of "affinity" credit cards, those Visas and Mastercards that also bear the logo of both businesses and nonprofits, which can generate special deals for the user or income for the organization. He also pioneered the concept of using direct mail marketing to provide products and services to the affinity group marketplace.

Belkin has started more than 20 companies under the TNG umbrella. Eight of those have been sold, including an affinity credit card company that originated more than 10 million credit cards.

Trans National companies currently include: TNT Vacations, a wholesale tour operator; Trans National Communications, a long-distance telephone service reseller; Trans National Ventures, an investment and venture capital firm; Trans National Marketing, a marketer of limited edition books and videos; B.E. Realty, a real estate investment firm; and Charlesgate Management Co., a real estate management company.

In September 2003, Belkin realized a lifelong dream by becoming the principal investor and owner of a professional sports enterprise consisting of the Atlanta Hawks, a National Basketball Association team, and the Atlanta Thrashers, a National Hockey League team, as well as leaseholder for the Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Belkin received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Cornell in 1969 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1971. He met his wife, Joan Wolfers Belkin '69, at Cornell during his freshman year. The couple's daughters, Julie '98 and Amy '01, are also Cornell graduates. Steve and Joan Belkin reside in Weston, Mass.

Belkin is a Cornell trustee, a member of the Cornell Athletics Alumni Advisory Committee and a recent recipient of the Cornell Alumni Volunteerism Award. He also serves on several Harvard Business School committees and is a board member or adviser to many other organizations, including Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Sports Museum of New England, Boston Medical Center, the Hoffman Institute, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Team Harmony Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League and the National Basketball League. Together, Steve and Joan Belkin have served on the boards of 20 different charitable organizations.

The past four Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year (CEY) award winners have been Jules Kroll '63, executive chairman of the board of Kroll Inc.; Rob Ryan '69, founder of Ascend Communications; Jeffrey Parker '65, M.Eng. '66, MBA '70, founder of First Call and co-founder, chairman and CEO of the Corporate Communications Broadcast Network (CCBN); and Jeff Hawkins '79, inventor of the PalmPilot and co-founder of Handspring Inc. A committee of Cornell alumni, faculty and students reviews the nominations and selects the recipient.

The award was established in 1984 by Cornell's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management and is now managed by the EPE Program. Founded in 1992 as a combined initiative of the Johnson School and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, EPE supports instruction, internships, student groups and an alumni network. The deans of nine participating Cornell schools and colleges govern the program.

This year's CEY celebration will begin with an award presentation dinner and reception Thursday, Oct. 14, hosted by Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman. It also will include Belkin's public address, "Lessons Learned by an Entrepreneur," Friday, Oct. 15, in the Statler Auditorium on campus.