From New Jersey to Epitomizing the Auburn Creed
Fortune 500 senior executive discovered his love for Auburn and found his purpose mentoring Auburn’s next generation of entrepreneurs
Let’s be clear, this is a story – a series of stories, really – unlike any you have ever heard.
Auburn University’s New Venture Accelerator Entrepreneur-in-Residence Dan Leonardi’s life reads so much like a Hollywood movie that you might have a hard time believing it. But for Dan Leonardi, it’s all real. Now a respected Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the New Venture Accelerator at the Harbert College of Business, Dan’s path to The Loveliest Village on the Plains is anything but typical.
- A self-described “Jersey guy, the dumbest kid in the class,” who quit college after two years.
- An ambitious young man who started out driving a Pepsi truck for a living before working his way up the corporate ladder at some of the world’s most iconic consumer products goods companies, including Kellogg’s and Pepsi-Cola.
- A father of two sons, whose “chance encounter” during a corporate sponsorship event at a memorable Auburn football game catapulted him and his family along a truly magical journey.
- A “retired” executive with an entrepreneurial spirit who found what he was looking for at Auburn’s New Venture Accelerator—a way to give back by making a difference in the lives of Auburn students.
- Above all, a man of deep faith with a “commitment to serve” that grounds him to this day.
I had a chance to sit down recently with Dan to discuss how he got to Auburn, what he has found here, and why — as his wife, Sue, says: “We have found a home in Auburn!”
The Leonardis’ bold foresight to embrace Auburn and its Auburn Creed set the stage for an enlightening conversation from someone with “roots” far from Auburn, Alabama.
But then again, boldness seems to run in the family, as I’m sure you will see.
NVA: The most intriguing question to start with, from my perspective as a fellow tri-state northerner, is: How did a guy born and raised in New Jersey find his way to Auburn, Alabama?
Leonardi: One way to answer that question is to walk you through how I first became aware of Auburn, back in 2003. Before that, I didn’t have a clue as to what, where, or who Auburn was.
We were living in New Jersey when I was promoted to vice president of Kellogg’s Snacks Division. So, we packed our bags and moved to Peachtree City, Georgia, just south of Atlanta.
Needless to say, this was a very difficult move for my two sons—a senior and a junior in high school—and my high school sweetheart wife from Bergen County, New Jersey. Little did I know we were about to take a challenging situation and turn it positive.
Right after I was promoted, I got a phone call from two of my Auburn alumni field managers saying, “Hey, listen, you’re coming down as vice president, and we’ve got this event at Auburn University right after Thanksgiving where we’re going to have our key customers—Kroger, Publix, all these other supermarkets—and it would be great if you could come and meet them as the new VP leader of our division.”
So, I ask, where do we have to go? And they said, Auburn. I said, I have no idea where Auburn is. They said it’s in Alabama. And I said to myself, “I’m scared. I saw My Cousin Vinny. I ain’t goin’ to Alabama.”
NVA: Seriously? What changed your mind?
Leonardi: I thought about it for a minute and said, “Hey Sue, why don’t we go down to Auburn University and check it out? The boys have to look for colleges. Let’s go see!”
And so, we did.
I remember it like it was yesterday. The Iron Bowl, November 22nd, 2003. The goose bump experience of being on Tiger Walk with customers, watching this hyped-up Auburn fan base, and all the players walking into the stadium – it was impressive. I was standing there with one of my directors – an Ohio State Buckeye grad – and he understood all this rivalry stuff. Now, I’m from New Jersey – all I know is the New York Yankees, and their rivalry with the Boston Red Sox. And I always thought that was crazy.
But here I am, standing on the side of the road, trying to take in all the pageantry and feeling completely overwhelmed as the players made their walk to the stadium. I’d never seen anything like this before. And if that didn’t show me a new level of passion for a team…we then go into the game.
Oh my. I thought I knew what a rivalry was, but man was I ever wrong. The magic happened right at the start. Remember, we have no earthly idea what the Iron Bowl is. I can’t even spell S-E-C! Until that first play from scrimmage, when Cadillac Williams goes 80 yards for a touchdown. The place goes absolutely crazy! I mean, it’s a ruckus the likes of which I have never, ever experienced!
Goose bumps… I mean GOOSE BUMPS! It was at that moment that the four of us, my wife and my two sons, all looked at each other at the same time – our eyes saying – “this is the most amazing moment we have ever seen. We’re sports fans, but THIS is a rivalry. Oh my Gosh.”
And from that moment on, we fell in love with Auburn.
The ride home to Peachtree City was 75 miles of our sons pleading, “Can we go to school at Auburn?” Sue and I looked at each other and said, “Absolutely YES!! War Eagle.”
Daniel started in ‘04, and Christopher started in ’05, and we never looked back. Sue and I knew that someday, Auburn would be where we’d want to live for the rest of our lives. So, we built our forever home in Auburn and moved in a few months ago. It has really been quite magical.
NVA: Let’s go back to a meeting you attended celebrating Auburn alum Alex Hoskins and the launch of 121GM, the marketing arm of 121G , a company founded by another Auburn grad, Tee Green.
Leonardi: To begin with, Alex isn’t just a friend, he’s like a son to me. He and my son, Daniel, went to Auburn University together, so when he invited me to the launch of his new marketing company, I gladly showed up to support him.
What I didn’t expect was that this gathering would ignite a fire in me that I thought had quietly settled. You see, at 68 years old, I’ve carried a deep, unshakable passion: to give back by mentoring students. But here’s the thing—my story doesn’t begin with a degree. I don’t have a college degree. I was a Pepsi truck driver, just a guy with a dream and a drive, and college always seemed out of reach. Still, mentoring? That dream never left me.
So, I walk into this event, newly retired, just hoping to show support. Then this remarkable man steps up to the mic—Ward Swift, a leader at the Auburn University New Venture Accelerator (NVA). And he starts speaking… not just about programs or students, but about purpose—about exactly what I had been feeling inside for years — how Auburn is shaping the next generation, how mentorship is transforming lives.
And with every word, I felt it again: goose bumps. That unmistakable Auburn magic, coursing through me again. Sue leans over, nudging me. “Dan, this is you. This is what you’ve always wanted to do.” She must’ve said it twenty times.
The event ends. We raised a toast to Alex and Tee. And I don’t walk — I run — straight over to Ward. I looked him in the eye and said, “You don’t know me, but I want in. I want to be part of this. I want to help. I need to be part of what Auburn is doing through the NVA.”
Because sometimes, life gives you a moment that changes everything. This was mine.
NVA: And his response was?
Leonardi: I suspect his first thought was “Who the heck is this guy?” I said, “Just give me one hour of your time and I promise I’ll value yours. Well, he did. He was gracious enough to not only give me one hour, but three hours, ending with “When can you start?”
This journey here at the NVA is everything that I’ve dreamt about since my days as a truck driver through all those years of learning the techniques, concepts and business practices necessary to succeed, never knowing that I would ultimately come to a place like the NVA, at a place that I love – Auburn University – and have an opportunity to influence students.
I simply wanted to put talented young entrepreneurs at ease, give them the confidence that says the best is in front of them, and share what I’ve learned along the way.
After all, I wish someone had shared their time, techniques and concepts with me when I was in the early stages of my career. Chances are, I would have earned my college degree!
NVA: Talk to me a little bit about the work that you’re doing with NVA companies, how it all works – from your experience so far.
Leonardi: The first thing I need to mention is the collaborative structure of the NVA, how every aspiring student entrepreneur is afforded the very best team of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, designed to help them succeed, regardless of the particular technology, market, or customer base they are leveraging or addressing.
It reminded me of what good organizations do—they pull from a broad, diverse portfolio of expertise to place the best, most qualified individuals where they will perform optimally and give them the resources they need to succeed.
At the NVA, I’m surrounded by Lou Bifano, our director, and all these phenomenal EIRs – Scott McGlon, Lee Hicks, Bob Roblin, Dan O’Keefe, Professor Jennifer Nay, Dan O’Keefe, Barry Thomasson, Greg Cessna and, of course, Ward – that all come from different experiences and industries. I find it fascinating that I could lean on these peers to continue to learn, even at this tender age of being a senior citizen.
Then I came here and got the honor of being assigned to multiple students – one of them is Room2Room Movers , headed by ’22 finance major, and former Auburn baseball player Brooks Fuller.
“Dan Leonardi is a first-class leader. His knowledge and experience in team building has been invaluable to my development as a young leader,” says Brooks. “Room2Room Movers uses Dan’s lessons learned to help build a positive culture and community around our walls. Like all the NVA entrepreneurs-in-residence, Dan is always available and excited to help us navigate the waters of growing a young business.”
And then, I got placed with Thomas Lester and his company Early Bird/HeatStream Solutions, who have invented self-heat exchange technology and products. He has some awesome products, but he needed help in commercializing his ideas.
Like many at the NVA, Thomas has learned that it’s not just the concept or breakthrough technology that matters. There are multiple steps in the process. The idea is just the beginning. The reward comes when they suddenly realize they CAN do it when they surround and align their ideas with the right PEOPLE, PROCESS and SYSTEMS.
NVA: In reading your book, Be the CEO of Your Life, you talk about the 70:20:10 Rule of Learning and how students always get it wrong when you ask them what percentage of these three learning approaches – Education, Relationships, or Experiences – will be most important to their learning success? Explain that, please.
Leonardi: My book is designed to help individuals bridge the gap between education and the practical world. One of the most powerful lessons in life is realizing this: what we think matters most…often doesn’t. At least, not in the way we assumed.
Let me explain.
When I speak to students, I like to start with a little challenge — something I heard years ago from the Center of Creative Leadership — one that always gets the room buzzing. It’s called the 70:20:10 Rule.
I ask, “If you had to divide the value of learning into three parts — Education, Relationships, and Experience—how would you break it down into 70%, 20%, and 10% of how we learn?” Without fail, hands shoot up. Eyes light up. The overwhelming answer? “Education has to be 70%. The rest are split between relationships and experience.”
And then I drop the bombshell. Actually, education is only 10% of our learning – relationships and experiences represent 90% of learning.
At this point, the room goes quiet. Curious. Confused. Then I turn to the whiteboard and draw a football field. I mark one end zone and draw a bold line to just the near 10-yard line. This is where you are right now, on the 10-yard line. You thought education got you 70 yards downfield… but in reality, it’s only 10 yards.
You can see their faces drop. Reality hits. But then comes the moment that changes everything: I smile and say:
“Here’s the good news: you’ve got 90 more yards of learning ahead of you in building relationships and experiences… and that’s how you win at the game of life.” And just before I leave the room, I look them in the eyes and say
“Now, go take your powerful EDUCATION, add a lifetime of rich RELATIONSHIPS and meaningful EXPERIENCES… and then — GO GET ’EM.”
And they get it. They’re invigorated to follow their entrepreneurial dreams.
NVA: In closing, what would you say to folks who – like you back in the day – have no idea what Auburn is, what Auburn stands for, what Auburn does, especially when it comes to the New Venture Accelerator? And how can Auburn alumni help?
Leonardi: First off, there is no better place to be than Auburn, whether you are an incoming student, a business looking to tap into an extraordinary base of future employees, an alumnus who wants to give back, or an entrepreneur looking to help aspiring student entrepreneurs.
To put it simply, Auburn wants you. Auburn needs you. You have more to offer Auburn than you may think.
Give it a shot. Contact Lou Bifano at loubifano@auburn.edu to learn more about how you can help drive entrepreneurial student success at Auburn.
You’ll be glad you did.
Take it from this Jersey guy – I am forever grateful to Auburn and its beloved Auburn Creed, from how it begins to how it ends:
“I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count on only what I earn…
…I believe in Auburn and love it.”
Thank you, Auburn. War Eagle 4Ever
To Learn More about Leonardi Personal Development, visit his website HERE.
