Eula Adams Spotlight Omaha is not only home to one of the wealthiest men in the world. But it is now the stamping ground for the 16th most powerful black executive in the country, according to the latest issue of Fortune Magazine. The title belongs to Eula Adams, senior executive vice president of First Data Corporation. He manages 6,000 Omaha employees for the $6.5 billion company, and appeared in the magazine as part of a cover story that listed the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America.” The magazine compiled the list after scouring through corporate America to find black execs that wield the most power in the business arena. And it found several in the upper echelons of the country’s most powerful companies, suggesting the dawn of a new day for black leadership. Mr. Adams, 52, was listed among such corporate giants as Stanley O’Neal, COO of Merrill Lynch (No.1 on the list); Ken Chenault, CEO of American Express (No. 2) and Richard Parsons, CEO of AOL Time Warner (No. 3). He came in just six places behind Oprah Winfrey (No. 10) and 17 ahead of Earvin “Magic” Johnson (No. 33). Cathy Hughes, an Omaha native and chairman and founder of Radio One, a $287 million company that owns 65 radio stations around the country, also made the list at No. 34. As senior executive vice president, Mr. Adams leads all domestic card operations for First Data Resources, a worldwide leader in transaction card processing, representing 1,400 card issuers and 317 million card accounts. While he and his wife, Janet, reside in Denver, Colo., they also have a residence in Omaha, and Mr. Adams spends most of the week in the city managing his employees. He is a member of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and leads his company in supporting many community projects. Mr. Adams was recently featured on the cover of B2B Quarterly, Omaha’s business to business magazine, which described him as a manager who “leads with a friendly management style.” “He’s one of the few people in the work place who is as effective talking to the CEO of the company as he is talking to the person in the mailroom,” said Vincent Shepherd, senior vice president of human resources. “He’s always concerned about how decisions impact people.” For more information about the “50 Most Powerful Black Executives in America” and Eula Adams, visit the Fortune.com Web site. | .jpg)
