Aaron Krause, the president and CEO of Scrub Daddy, is a serial inventor, entrepreneur, and Shark Tank star with over 30 years of experience in manufacturing innovative products.

Krause will bring his story of inventive entrepreneurship to Neumann University’s Meagher Theatre on Tuesday, November 12, at 12:00 p.m. when he delivers the ninth Rocco A. and Mary Abessinio Lecture in Management and Entrepreneurship.

Titled “Soaking It All In,” the program is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Krause received national attention in 2012 when he appeared on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank with his invention of The Original Scrub Daddy. After successfully pitching the scratch-free scrubber to the sharks, he accepted the offer from celebrity mogul Lori Greiner.

In 2014, The Original Scrub Daddy was named the “most successful product” in Shark Tank history, a title which it held for ten years. Since initially airing on Shark Tank, more than 250 million units of Scrub Daddy product have been sold.

Krause graduated from Syracuse University in 1992 with a degree in Psychology and pursued a career in the auto detailing industry. He developed and patented a double-sided buffing pad and other car detailing products over the next 15 years.

In September 2008, global conglomerate 3M acquired Krause’s buffing pad business; however, not all related assets were included in 3M’s deal. Material deemed superfluous was carved out of the contract and notably included the then-undiscovered Scrub Daddy foam.

Now selling in every major big box retailer in the USA and 59 countries worldwide, Scrub Daddy has grown into a household name with manufacturing facilities in the USA, Mexico, Vietnam, Hungary, Taiwan, and China. What was once a single-product company has over 160 unique items and was recently named one of the “fastest-growing private companies in America” by Inc. 5000.

To date, Krause – known as "The Daddy of the Scrub Daddy” -- holds more than 50 patents and trademarks and owns or has sold more than 10 companies.

When he is not traveling for the company, he spends his time pursuing his passion for ice hockey, designing new products, and being an active shareholder/board member in TOVI hockey (a company specializing in revolutionary NHL-approved ice hockey sticks). Krause enjoys mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and working alongside his wife, Stephanie, who is the director of PR and Special Initiatives for the brand.

Time permitting, there will be a Q&A after the presentation.

Rocco Abessinio and his wife Mary established The Rocco and Mary Abessinio School of Business Chair in Management and Entrepreneurship Endowed Fund in 2015. It is the center of entrepreneurship education, activities, and programming for the School of Business and across campus. The annual lecture series is one of the outcomes from this endowed fund. Neumann’s inaugural Abessinio Lecture was delivered by Rocco Abessinio himself on October 4, 2016.

Mr. Abessinio, an alumnus and longtime friend of Neumann, is chief executive officer of Roch Capital, Inc., a privately owned capital management firm, headquartered in Glen Mills, PA, and focused on making investments in quality assets that will be he held for the long term. He is also the founder of Applied Bank and Applied Card System, which grew to be the 10th largest issuer of Visa and MasterCard credit cards in the country.