Okay, meeting doesn’t quite describe it.  I was in the audience at the annual American Society of Association Executives SpringTime event to hear Kwame Jackson’s keynote speech.  Mr. Jackson came in second place on "The Apprentice" (first season), and hasn’t looked back since.

His speech was better than I expected, and it’s nice to see that he’s doing a lot more than just riding his "Apprentice" fame on the speaker’s circuit.  His Legacy Holdings LLC venture looks interesting, and I think Prince Georges County, Maryland (just outside D.C.) where they are building the Rosewood mixed-use development can really use a lot of the energy and promise that Kwame exudes.

One interesting thing he talked about was how his buddy, and current business partner, David J. Smith actually called him, told him about the show, and talked him into applying for "The Apprentice."  And he convinced Mr. Jackson that this would be their ticket to a successful future, even though they both already had lucrative positions on Wall Street.

Instead of just going through the normal channels Mr. Smith picked up the phone and called the casting director for the show.  He convinced the casting director to come to New York and meet with the two of them, and from that point on they had an inside track. They still had to send in a videotape and application, but basically one of them was pretty much a sure bet to be one of the 50 called to Hollywood to audition for one of the 16 spots on the show.

Now it looks like Mr. Smith was prophetic, and things are going just as he and Mr. Jackson planned.  Actually I think it would be just as interesting, if not more, to meet Mr. Smith as it would be to meet Mr. Jackson.  I think we’ll be hearing a lot more from both of them in the future.