Marquette University alumnus Marcus Lemonis announced he will donate up to $1.5 million to the university in a matching challenge.
Lemonis, who stars on CNBC shows “The Profit” and “The Partner,” is the chairman and chief executive officer of Bowling Green, Kentucky-based Camping World. He previously donated $300,000 to the university in a giving challenge to raise a total of $1 million. This time, Marquette plans to raise a total of $3 million.
The new giving challenge was announced as part of the school’s National Marquette Day alumni celebration this weekend. The challenge will start Friday and run through April 17.
The $3 million will be used to start a student-run business program, the Marcus Lemonis Pay the Profit Forward Program, in the College of Business Administration. Students can use the money to research and potentially start businesses.
“I am eternally grateful for the guidance and development that Marquette University provided to me as I embarked on my journey,” Lemonis said. “It is my honor to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders on the same campus where it all began for me.”
Last year, Marquette raised $1.3 million from 3,072 donors for student scholarships and university initiatives through its giving challenge.
“We have incredibly passionate alumni and are confident they will rise to this new inspirational challenge from Marcus Lemonis,” said Michael Lovell, president of Marquette. “Marcus is leading the way by supporting his own passion at Marquette, and we encourage all of our alumni to do the same, through gifts small and large.”
Camping World is the nation’s largest RV and outdoor retailer, with $1.7 billion in annual revenue. The company has nearly 3,600 employees and serves more than 4 million RV enthusiasts at more than 100 retail locations.
On the CNBC show “The Profit,” Lemonis assists struggling businesses around the country from a variety of industries. He has invested more than $35 million in companies featured on the show’s three seasons. In his newest show, “The Partner,” which premieres March 7, he will search for a partner to help him run all of these companies.
