Business students in the Lod Cook Conference Room heard about the real-world entrepreneurial experiences of the building’s namesake Wednesday. Lod Cook, Louisiana native and world-renowned businessman, gave a presentation to the business college’s entrepreneurship class, MGMT 4030, which is part of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute. “An exciting thing about entrepreneurship is the risk taking,” Cook said. “You can try to minimize it, but there’s always going to be a risk.” Chancellor Michael Martin said for all Cook’s success and accomplishments, he continues to contribute to the University. “Hearing Lod Cook speak here in the Lod Cook Room is like hearing Abraham Lincoln speak at the Lincoln monument,” Martin said.  Cook received degrees in math and petroleum engineering from the University. He later received his Masters of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. He began working for the Atlantic Richfield Company in 1956, one of the largest oil companies in the U.S., where he later became a chairman and CEO. “Entrepreneurship doesn’t just mean starting your own business,” he said. “At ARCO, everyone had responsibility for the bottom line and could therefore influence it.” Cook said the first time he made a difference was when ARCO was working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. A portion of the pipeline caught fire and shut down and could have cost the company millions, Cook said.  “I came up with the idea of a drag-reducing agent additive that could pump more crude at the same capacity, without having to build more pumping stations,” Cook said. He said he started investigating the idea, which he later named “Slick ‘Em,” on his own. “People actually laughed at me,” he said. “But I felt it was the right thing to do, and it had a great reward. We were able to get two million barrels a day without building more stations.” Cook worked for numerous other companies and is now working in the medical field, developing a deep brain stimulation technique to combat obesity. Dominic Tognietti, finance junior, said Cook was one of the most successful speakers to address SEI. “It was great to hear all his different success stories,” Tognietti said. “I want to hopefully run my own business one day, but I’m not sure what it will be.” Johnston Waring, management junior, said the presentation was inspiring. “It was really cool to hear Lod Cook speak in the Lod Cook room,” Waring said. –Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]