Donor Spotlight: Steve Blackwell

Steve Blackwell has made a living as a business leader, building teams and then following a solid, pragmatic plan to success.

In short, the CMU alum knows a potential winner when he sees it. More importantly, he knows the path.

When he saw what was on the drawing board for Central Michigan Athletics and its Chippewa Champions Center, he enthusiastically lent his support, making a significant contribution to the transformational facility which is now under construction inside Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Now living in Texas where he is the founder and CEO of two companies, Blackwell was introduced to the plans during a meeting with Zyzelewski Family Associate Vice President/Director of Athletics Michael Alford.

Blackwell embraced the Chippewa Champions Center project and he liked Alford's overriding message, points that were further entrenched with a subsequent visit to campus for a football game and a meeting with Alford, CMU President Robert O. Davies and others.

"Give credit to Michael for basically casting a vision for the sports program," Blackwell said. "When you talk to Michael about Central, he doesn't come across as if we can't compete or that we aren't on the same level with every other program.

"That doesn't mean that he's not aware that we're not a Power 5 school; we don't have that kind of budget, but we should still strive for excellence. I think he's done a great job setting those standards not only for the facilities, but also for the coaching staffs."

The philosophy was in line with what has brought business success to Blackwell, a Jackson native. A standout quarterback at East Jackson High School in the mid 1980s, Blackwell eschewed offers to play football at several Division II and Division III colleges to attend CMU.

Certainly, he could have gone to school elsewhere and played football, but to what end? It was a decision emblematic of the self-awareness and foresight that produced academic success for Blackwell. He put together a solid academic resumé at CMU and graduated in 1992 after majoring in finance and minoring in accounting.

"In college, you get out on your own, you learn personal responsibility, mom and dad aren't there to take care of you," he said. "It's about performing in the classroom and getting good grades and you get an opportunity to grow, an opportunity to prove that you can accomplish something. And it is an accomplishment to graduate from college.

"I still have lots of good friends from Central."

Blackwell's CMU degree coupled with his vision, goals and drive took him first to Denver, where he worked in the financial services and mortgage business, and then to Texas, where today he his is the founder and CEO of two companies, Invito Energy Partners and Invito Operating.

"I was more than happy to engage with the university and help support the program," he said. "I enjoyed my time at Central Michigan, I appreciate my experience and my degree from there and I was more than happy to be reconnected to the school.

"When I go around the country and I run across Central folks, everybody's pretty proud of being a Chippewa."

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