On Nov. 8, Gardner became the seventh inductee in the UofL College of Business Entrepreneurship Circle of Fame. The college’s Board of Advisers created the elite group last year to recognize its top entrepreneurial graduates.
SOASTA, a company that helps businesses test their mobile and Web applications, is one of five successful tech firms Gardner has started. He holds 12 patents and has been on the boards of each business he has founded, as well as boards at Commerce One, Kabira, DataSage, Everdream and The Application Group. In 2000, he was named a UofL College of Business Alumni Fellow for his achievements. Alumni Fellows
His ability to envision and develop new technologies and successfully move them to the marketplace landed him in the Circle of Fame, said college officials.
“We’re proud of the way Ken has embraced business innovation,” said business dean Carolyn Callahan. “He’s an excellent role model for our students on the importance of continuing to innovate in our current economic climate.”
Gardner’s name will appear on a granite slab in Goldstein Plaza along with Circle of Fame inductees Stewart Cobb, Tom Davidson, Terry Forcht, David Jones, James Patterson and Dan Ulmer.