James Madison University Alumnus Eric Major to Receive Medallion for Entrepreneurship from Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society

March 16, 2016, Harrisonburg, VA – Eric Major, a graduate of James Madison University College of Business and member of the JMU College of Business Board of Advisors, has been selected to receive a 2016 Medallion for Entrepreneurship from Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society. The medallion will be presented on April 22, when Major will be the featured guest speaker at ceremonies for new inductees to Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society at JMU.

One of only four nationwide recipients this year of the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for Entrepreneurship, Eric Major is president, CEO and co-founder of K2M, Inc., a fast growing global medical device company focused on developing innovative surgical solutions for the most complex spinal pathologies. Headquartered in Leesburg, Virginia, the company has offices in the United Kingdom and Germany.

“No one is more deserving of this award than Eric Major,” said Dr. Mary Gowan, dean of the College of Business at JMU.  “Eric epitomizes the ideals of JMU through his work as a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist. In addition to his ongoing support of JMU with time and financial resources, his company makes donations to indigent care and medical missions, as well as supports activities in his local community. Eric demonstrates what we mean at JMU when we tell our students and alumni to ‘Be the Change’.”

“The Medallion for Entrepreneurship is awarded annually to outstanding individuals who combine innovative business achievement with service to humanity and we are pleased to present this award to Eric Major,” said Christina Carosella, CEO of Beta Gamma Sigma, which has more than 560 collegiate chapters and 30 alumni chapters. Founded in 1913, BGS is the oldest international business honor society and has inducted more than 775,000 outstanding students around the world.

Major has more than 20 years of experience in the spine industry.  His business accomplishments include having co-founded and served as president and CEO of American OsteoMedix Corp. (AOM), and subsequently president of the Minimally Invasive Division for Interpore Cross International (a Biomet company), which acquired AOM. Earlier in his career, he served in several sales/marketing, strategic and product development capacities with various spinal companies. He was the 2010 recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Emerging Technologies in the Greater Washington, D.C. region and currently serves as a member of the AdvaMed CEO Advisory Council.  As a community volunteer, he serves on the Loudon Small Business Development Center Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees for the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation, Inc., a local historic preservation organization.

About Beta Gamma Sigma

Beta Gamma Sigma, the global honor society serving higher education business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), has more than 560 collegiate chapters and 30 alumni chapters.  Founded in 1913, BGS is the oldest international business honor society and has inducted more than 775,000 outstanding students around the world.  Members residing in all 50 states and more than 160 countries serve in management and leadership roles in academic, corporate, government, nonprofit and professional service sectors. More information is available at www.betagammasigma.org.

About James Madison University

James Madison University is a comprehensive university that is part of the statewide system of public higher education in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the only university in America named for James Madison. Established March 14, 1908, the university offers programs on the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels with its primary emphasis on the undergraduate student. JMU provides a total education to students — one that has a broad range of the liberal arts as its foundation and encompasses an extensive variety of professional and pre-professional programs, augmented by a multitude of learning experiences outside the classroom. The university has been a coeducational institution since 1966 and is located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.