Len Forkas.
| Len Forkas. | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🏡 Residence | Vienna, Virginia[1] |
| 🏳️ Nationality | American |
| 🏳️ Citizenship | USA |
| 🏫 Education | American University, Ball State University - College of Architecture and Planning |
| 💼 Occupation | Executive, Entrepreneur, Author, Endurance Athlete, Inspirational Speaker, Philanthropist |
| 📆 Years active | 38 |
| 👔 Employer | Milestone Communications Inc. |
| 🏢 Organization | Milestone Communications |
| Known for | entrepreneur, endurance athlete, author, speaker, social philanthropist |
| Notable work | What Spins the Wheel: Leadership Lessons from our Race for Hope |
| 🏡 Home town | Lakewood, OH |
| 💵 Salary | NA |
| Height | 5'10" |
| 💪 Weight | 185 lbs 185 lb (84 kg) |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Forkas |
| 👶 Children | Matthew Forkas, Viena Forkas |
| 👴 👵 Parent(s) | Leonard Forkas Sr. Patricia Forkas |
| 👪 Relatives | Michael Forkas, Deborah Forkas, Laureen Forkas |
Len Forkas is an, entrepreneur, author, inspirational speaker, athlete and benefactor. He is the founder of Milestone Communications, a Virginia-based company that develops, owns and manages wireless communication towers. He has 25 years experience as an investor and developer of commercial and residential real estate in the Washington DC region. He is a past trustee and member of the board of directors for the Urban Land Institute and the Greater Washington YMCA. In addition, Forkas founded Hopecam, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps children with cancer overcome social isolation. Forkas has also competed in five Ironman Triathlon events, mountain bike, over 20 ultra-marathon and ultra-cycling competitions and successfully completed the 2012 3,000 mile Race Across America. In 2013 he hiked to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro with his college age son Matthew, a cancer survivor. In June 2014 he published the book What Spins the Wheel: Leadership Lessons from our Race for Hope and was featured on WJLA-TV ABC, WTTG Fox 5, Fox & Friends and CNN Anderson Cooper 360°. In August Forkas was the first person in the greater Washington region to complete the Lifetime Fitness "Leadman Series" consisting of the "Leadville Marathon", the 50 mile "Gold Rush Mountain Bike Race", the "Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race", and the "Leadville 100 Ultra Marathon". All races were held in Leadville, CO the highest city in the USA at an elevation of 10,200 feet above sea level. In November 2014 Forkas competed in the three day mountain bike race across the country of Costa Rica names "La Ruta de Conquistadores" known as one of the most difficult mountain bike races in the world.
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
After graduating from the College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University, Forkas attended American University where he earned his Master of Business Administration from Kogod School of Business in 1987. During this time, Forkas worked at Oxford Development Company as an Associate Developer, developing multi-family rental apartments and assisted living communities.
Forkas held management positions at Weyerhaeuser Company and at Bank of America as Vice President of the Special Assets Division where he managed disposition of distressed real estate assets.
In 1996, Forkas founded Milestone Communities, Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based real estate development company. Milestone Communities, Inc. developed commercial and residential real estate projects in both the United States and Canada.[2]
2000-Present[edit]
In 2001, Forkas founded Milestone Communications, Inc., where he currently serves as the president and CEO. Milestone Communications, a Virginia-based developer of wireless infrastructure, works with local governments, public school districts and public utilities to develop and build wireless towers on public properties.[3]
Charity work[edit]
Founding of Hopecam, Inc[edit]
In 2002, Forkas’ nine-year-old son, Matt, was diagnosed with Leukemia. Forkas describes that day as “the worst day of [his] life.” (Forkas, Leonard (2014). What Spins the Wheel: Leadership Lessons From Our Race For Hope. Search this book on 
) During treatment, Matt was homebound which often left him feeling lonely and disconnected from his friends.[4] To help ease the social isolation, Forkas arranged a webcam connection with his son’s classroom, allowing Matt to stay connected with his friends while he was out of school.
Forkas was inspired by his son’s own plight and in 2003 founded Hopecam, Inc. to help children with cancer stay connected with their friends and family. To date, Hopecam has connected over 1,000 children to over 10,000 classmates in 46 states and worldwide.[5]
Race Across America[edit]
To raise money and awareness for Hopecam, Forkas competed in the 2012 Race Across America, a 3,000 mile race across the continental United States.[6][7] As a solo rider, he had to finish the race in 12 days, requiring him to ride between 250 and 350 miles a day.[8] An 11-member, all-volunteer team helped him complete the race in 11 days, 4 hours, and 47 minutes. Of the original 46 solo competitors, Forkas was one of the 28 riders to finish the race. He placed tenth overall and first in his division.[9]
Forkas’ original goal was to raise $150,000 but through various personal and corporate donations and sponsorships, he was able to raise over $300,000 for Hopecam, allowing the charity to expand nationwide. On June 13th, 2017 Forkas will compete in Race Across America with the goal of raising $1 million to help support even more children.[10]
Publications[edit]
Forkas’ debut memoir, What Spins the Wheel: Leadership Lessons From Our Race For Hope (2014), is based on the challenges that he faced, competing in Race Across America, “the toughest bike race in the world.” [11] The memoir tells Forkas’ story, from California and the scorching heat of the desert to the joint-wrenching cold of the mountains and across the finish line in Maryland.[12]
All proceeds from the book will benefit Hopecam, Inc.
Public speaking[edit]
2017[edit]
- NAIOP Emerging Leaders Group, Reston, VA
- Membership Dev - Credit Union Leaders, Scottsdale, AZ
- Melrose Public Schools Minnesota, Melrose, MN
- ECS Inc. Corporate retreat, Atlanta, GA
2016[edit]
- Lincoln Property, Orlando, FL
- Vail Technologies, Arlington, VA
- UDR Real Estate REIT, Las Vegas, NV
- AASA National, Phoenix, AZ
- Bell Partners Inc., Charlotte, NC
- Minnesota School Superintendent Assoc, St. Paul, MN
- Lincoln Property Company, Chicago, IL
- Baker Tilly, Chicago, IL
- Florida School Board Association, Tampa, FL
- Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Annapolis, MD
- UDR Real Estate REIT, Denver, CO
- NERIC : NY School Board Team, Albany, NY
- ULI - Leadership Institute, Alexandria, VA
- Morgan Franklin, McLean, VA
- Vpost - VA After School Leaders, Herndon, VA
- MindShare Leadership Class 2016, McLean, VA
- Vintage Leadership Team, Springfield, VA
2015[edit]
- 2015 Distribution Summit (D15), Columbus, OH
- Arlington County Public Schools, Superintendents Leadership Event Conference, Arlington, VA
- ODEC - Old Dominion Electrical Cooperative Association, Team Leadership Speech, Glen Allen, VA
- AMT Association for Manufacturing Technology, 2015 Distribution Summit, Columbus, OH
- REICO, Leadership Retreat, Homestead Resort, Hot Springs, VA
- Lincoln Property Company, Leadership Speech, Dallas, TX
- Moran & Company, Leadership Speech, San Diego, CA
- Utility Telecommunications Council, Panelist, Washington, DC
- American University, MBA Presentation to Real Estate Class, Washington, DC
- Baker Tilly, Litigation Team Retreat, Tysons Corner, VA
- Manassas City Public Schools, Leadership EventKeynote, Manassas, VA
- Woodson High School Baccalaureate Commencement Address, Fairfax, VA
- Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Superintendent Leadership Meeting, Annapolis, MD
- Herndon Rotary Club, Herndon, VA
- Virginia School Board Association Summer Meeting, Manassas, VA
- Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, Future Leaders Conference, Washington, DC
- Kogod School of Business, Featured speaker, MBA commencement event, Washington, DC
- Christopher Consultants, Fairfax, VA
- Virginia School Boards Association: Awards of Distinction Lunch Keynote Speaker, Charlottesville, VA
- Virginia Community College System Leadership Conference, Breakfast Keynote Speaker, Richmond, VA
- Favorite Staffing, Corporate Training Event, Kansas City, KS
- Booz Allen Hamilton, Keynote Speaker, Washington DC Leadership Event, Bedford PA
- AllianceBernstein, Client Speaker Series, Washington DC
- The Real Estate Group, Keynote Speaker, Washington DC
- The Urban Land Institute, Multi Family Product Council, Houston TX
- Baker Tilly Washington DC, Firm-wide meeting, McLean VA
- The Capital Grille, Team Meeting, McLean VA
- Central Intelligence Retirees’ Association, Washington DC
- Georgetown University Business School Lecture Series, Washington DC
- Washington Area School Study Council, Washington DC
2014[edit]
- Baltimore County Public Schools Leadership conference, Timonium MD
- ULI Washington leadership event, Alexandria VA
- Colvin Mill neighborhood book club, Vienna VA
- ECC Consulting teamwork event, Chantilly VA
- PCIA conference, Las Vegas NV
- Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, Washington DC
- U.S. Department of Energy, Washington DC
- Prudential Mortgage, McLean VA
- Ballard Spahr, Washington DC
- SHRM, Society for Human Resource Management, McLean VA
- Penn State University Alumni Association Event, Washington DC
- Hooks Books Events interactive book and author programs, Online at HooksBookEvents.com
- Spokes Etc. Bicycles book signing, Alexandria VA
- Avalon Bay Communities, Leadership Event, Headquarters Location, Arlington, VA
- Riveron Consulting Inc. event, Client Breakfast, Hay Adams Hotel, Washington, DC
- The McLean Group Inc., Annual leadership Conference, McLean, VA
- ULI Commercial and Retail Development Council, Vancouver, BC
- Balfour Beatty Construction Company, Corporate Leadership Retreat, Wintergreen Resort, Wintergreen, VA
- Langley High School Baccalaureate Class of 2014, McLean, VA
- Sunrise Valley Elementary School, Reston, VA
- Flint Hill School, Class of 2014, Clifton, VA
- RCLCO Annual Retreat, McLean, VA
- Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, Team meeting, Boulder, CO
- First Potomac Property Trust, Oakton, VA
- Virginia Wireless Association, Annual Fundraiser, Leesburg, VA
- Oracle Government Sales Division, Reston, VA
- ULI Washington Leadership Team Meeting, Washington, DC
- ACG National Capital Area Mid-Atlantic Conference, McLean, VA
- Georgetown University MBA students, Washington, DC
- Montgomery County, Maryland, Brownie Troup 6108, Potomac, MD
2013[edit]
- Eagle Bank, Reston, VA
- Ernst and Young, Tyson’s Corner, VA
- Alexandria Rotary, Belle View Country Club, Alexandria VA
- Fairfax Virginia Television Channel 16, Interview by Penny Gross, “Mason Matters”, Hopecam interview, Fairfax, VA
- Urban Land Institute Washington, D.C., District council meeting, Washington, D.C.
- St. Jude Children’s Hospital Leadership Team, Memphis, TN
- Capitol Seniors Housing, Washington, D.C.
- JBG Rosenfeld Company, Washington, DC
- Virginia Wireless Association, Lansdowne Resort, Leesburg, VA
- Accenture, Arlington, VA
- Kettler Company, Company Retreat, McLean, VA
- E&Y non-profit event, Vienna, VA
- USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
- Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
- SAP National Security Services Executive Team Conference, Potomac, MD
- Georgetown University MBA students, Washington, D.C.
- Xenith Bank, McLean, VA
- Bechtel Corporation Wireless Team Baltimore Washington, Baltimore, MD
- Savi Technologies, Executive Team Meeting, Alexandria VA
- BDO annual CFO conference, McLean, VA
2012[edit]
- Georgetown University MBA School, Washington, D.C.
- Network Building and Consulting Annual Meeting, Columbia, MD
- Celebratory Speech, McCormick and Schmick, Reston, VA
- The Peterson Companies, Fairfax, VA
- The Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C.
- The Buchanan Companies, Gaithersburg, MD
- The Great Falls, Virginia Rotary Club, Great Falls, VA
- Interview with Morgan Franklin for publication “Pivotal Plays”, Matthew Langan
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Hopecam Founder Leading In Age Group In World's Toughest Bike Race". wusa9.com. 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
- ↑ ("Our Team". Milestone Communications. Retrieved 2014-04-10.)
- ↑ ("Kogod Alum Bikes Across America for Charity". 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2014-08-04.)
- ↑ ("Videos on FOX 5 News WTTG Washington DC - Len Forkas Race for Hope". Myfoxdc.com. Retrieved 2014-08-04.)
- ↑ ("Alumni Headliner". 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2014-08-04.)
- ↑ ("Riding For Hope". 2012-06-24. Retrieved 2014-05-06.)
- ↑ ("Hopecam Founder Leading In Age Group in World's Toughest Bike Race". 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2014-04-03.)
- ↑ ("Len Forkas of Vienna, Va., CEO of Hopecam, to raise funds while riding 3,000 miles cross country". 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2014-08-04.)
- ↑ ("Kogod Alum Bikes Across America for Charity". 2012-07-08. Retrieved 2014-08-04.)
- ↑ ("Cyclist Races Across America to Help Others". 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2014-05-06.)
- ↑ ("About". Retrieved 2014-04-04.)
- ↑ (Forkas, Len (2014). What Spins the Wheel: Leadership Lessons From Our Race For Hope. USA: Hopecam Publishing. ISBN 9780996096904. Search this book on )
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