Agenda information is posted on a regular basis. Please visit this page again for periodic updates. For any immediate questions, please contact Linsey Dyson, program manager, (919) 549-7500 or ldyson@cednc.org
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Time |
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Session |
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8am |
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Continental Breakfast / Registration
Mallway |
9am |
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Keynote Speaker
Billy Prim, Founder and CEO, Blue Rhino Corporation
Geneen Auditorium
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9:50am |
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Break |
10am |
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Concurrent Session I
- Growing Your Company's Infrastructure: Accounting, HR and Marketing
Room B
Concerned about growing the key functions of the company in an orderly and cost effective way? Receive insight into which processes to perform internally and externally in the early stages of growth -- taking into account knowledge, optimum costs and flexibility of structure.
Moderator:
Bill Sax, Executive in Residence, The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
Panelists:
- Marketing vs. Selling: Knowing Your Customer
Room C
Learning how to reach your target audience is essential knowledge for early stage entrepreneurs. Hear experienced executives share key lessons learned from selling real products to real clients.
Moderator:
Steve Clark, CEO and Chairman, SpectraSite Communications, Inc.
Panelists:
Howard Rockett, Chairman and CEO, Rockett, Burkhead & Winslow
Noreen Allen, Vice President of Marketing, SpectraSite Communications, Inc.
- Legal & Accounting 101: Getting Through the Mumbo Jumbo
Room D
Learn the top 5 legal and accounting items every entrepreneur should address when starting a business. Discover how to reduce your taxes, protect your intellectual property and prevent internal disagreements from destroying your company.
Moderator:
Panelists:
Linda Markus Daniels, Partner, Daniels, Daniels & Verdonik, P.A.
Justyn Kasierski, Associate, Hutchison & Mason PLLC
Robert McKenzie, Partner, Rankin|McKenzie, LLC
Beth Traynham, Associate, Hughes Pittman & Gupton LLP
- From Garage to Growth Business: Turning Your Mom and Pop into a Full-scale Operation
Room E
Many business start as a dream and don't understand what it takes to get to the top. There's no shame in starting small! This session will have panelists who began their businesses in their “garage.” They have real life stories of how inspiration and desire can turn into a multi-million dollar business. Come learn about the challenges and rewards of starting and growing a business.
Moderator:
Farad Ali, Vice President, North Carolina Minority Business Development Center
Panelists:
- Case Study #1: Vietri -- Doug Vaughn, President
Room A
Discover how Business Leader’s 2003 Entrebizneur of the Year turned a vacation to Italy into a multi-million dollar, thriving business. Doug Vaughn, President of Vietri, will shed light on the Hillsborough success story – the largest importer of handcrafted Italian products. Learn about the smart moves, partnerships and…yes, mistakes, that Vietri made in the last 20 years – allowing them to become the nationally regarded creator of unique Italian artistic wares sold exclusively at fine national retailers such as Neiman Marcus as well as with local venues such as A Southern Season.
Moderator:
Grace Ueng, Founder and President, Savvy Marketing Group, LLC
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10:50am |
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Break |
11am |
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Concurrent Session II
- Writing a Business Plan: Critical Components
Room B
Don't miss this walkthrough of the critical components of a successful business plan, followed by an interactive discussion with leading entrepreneurs offering unique insights into planning do's and don'ts.
Moderator:
Panelists:
- Sales 101: Ramping up your Revenue
Room C
No matter how good your product is, chances are very strong that it is not going to simply sell itself to the marketplace. Ever. If “sales process” reads like an oxymoron to you, or if you think selling is some black art best left to others, then Selling 101 is the breakout session for you!
Moderator:
Panelists:
- Financing Options: The Traditional and the Creative
Room C
Interested in started a high-growth company, but don't have the funds to begin? Financing Options: The Traditional and the Creative will deliver tools for early stage companies to get the capital they need to begin their climb to success.
Moderator:
Claudia Black, Founder and Senior Vice President of Finance & Corporate Development, Sicel Technologies
Panelists:
- Building a Great Entrepreneurial Team: It’s a Lot Like an NFL Draft
Room E
Delve into the critical factors in building a world class team -- What skills do we need? How do I find the right people? How do I attract and hire the best candidates? How do I retain those I want and make changes when necessary?
Moderator:
Panelists:
- Market Research: The Goose that Lays the Golden Egg
Room F
Need clarity about your industry, market characteristics or trends? Need assistance with identifying marketplace competition or market share breakdown? What is a demand analysis and how do I perform one effectively? If you have any of these questions above, you need to attend this panel.
Moderator:
Panelists:
- Case Study #2: Plaxo -- Todd Masonis, Co-Founder and Vice President of Products
Room A
Come hear Todd Masonis, visiting from the bay area, share the Plaxo founding story how they got their idea, and how they successfully faced the challenges of raising money and hiring the right people. In addition to sharing key management duties with Plaxo co-founder Cameron Ring and Vice-President of Engineering Rikk Carey, Masonis is Plaxo's lead user interface designer and Windows programmer. As co-founder of Plaxo, Masonis has appeared on CNBC's morning investors show Squawk Box and has spoken at technology industry events for the Software & Information Industry Association and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others. Prior to founding Plaxo, Masonis was co-founder of two start-ups, netElement and Natient Technologies. He also served as a systems developer with e-steam, Inc. Masonis received a Bachelor of Science in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Computation Linguistics from Stanford University.
With nearly 3 million members and 1 billion connected contacts, Plaxo keeps people connected by securely updating and maintaining the information in one’s address book. Plaxo, a privately held start-up located in Mountain View, CA, was founded by the co-founder of Napster and two Stanford engineers including Todd Masonis. They have raised $20 million from some of the most successful firms in the industry including Sequoia Capital, Globespan, Cisco Systems, Yahoo!, Netscape, and Amazon. CBS MarketWatch has featured Plaxo and compared their startup story to that of Google and Yahoo.
Moderator:
Grace Ueng, Founder and President, Savvy Marketing Group, LLC
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11:50am |
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Break |
Noon |
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Concurrent Session III
- Lessons Learned: Start-up Screw-ups
Room B
Concerned about mistakes you've made (or might make) in starting your company? Wondering how you can turn around your business? Hear successful entrepreneurs talk about past screw-ups and the challenges they have overcome.
Moderator:
Steve Clark, Chairman and CEO, SpectraSite Communications, Inc.
Panelists:
- Smart Marketing: Where to Put Limited Resources to Maximize Success
Room C
We’d all love an ad on network TV or our company's name on a sports stadium. But, what do you do when your budget can’t afford it? Learn how a small company with limited resources can create a name for itself and its products, including advice on developing comprehensive and effective marketing plans on any budget.
Moderator:
Panelists:
Deb Lovig, Consultant, Accelerant Ventures
Shelly Weitz, Creative Director, Creative Strategy, Inc.
Jeff Wood, Co-founder and VP of Sales and Marketing, Accipiter
- Is Venture Capital Right for You?
Room D
Interested in attracting venture capital? Leading entrepreneurs and venture capitalists will provide unique insight into venture capital as a funding alternative, the process and critical factors investors use in determining whether or not to fund a company, and positioning your company to receive it.
Moderator:
Panelists:
- Strategic Planning: Successful Businesses Have Vision
Room E
Successful entrepreneurs are the ultimate business strategists. And while strategic planning is typically associated with large, established companies, research shows that most successful small businesses strategize their growth. This panel will share insights and tips for strategically planning and managing a small business.
Moderator:
Mike Seibert, Assistant State Director, Small Business and Technology DEvelopment Center
Panelists:
David Fitchett, President, Carolina Glass & Mirror
Gary Pratt, Hospital Director, Veterinary Specialty Hospital
Joel Sheer, Founder and President, Sheer and Associates, Inc.
- EVERYTHING is Negotiable
Room F
Learn from first-hand examples how to make your small company successful in negotiations of all kinds. Identify valuable skills you need to bring to the table as you start-up your new company. This panel's speakers represent over 70 years of experience and creativity on a wide variety of negotiations...from little company development deals with “Big Pharma” to deals with employees.
Moderator:
Alison Arter, Executive Vice-President, Bluebird Biosciences, Inc.
Panelists:
Sheila Mikhail, Managing Member, Life Sciences Law, PLLC
David Spencer, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Research & Development, Biolex, Inc.
- Case Study #3: Sports Endeavors, Inc. -- Brendan Moylan, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer
Room A
Come hear about the fabled Eurosport story which includes starting in their basement, a meteoric growth period, poor business decisions that left the company on the verge of extinction, stabilization through the introduction of professional management and a refocus on its core competencies that has allowed it to take a dominant position within its sector. Incorporated in April of 1984, Sports Endeavors, Inc. was born from a business project idea that soccer player Mike Moylan had while he was in high school. Today, Mike Moylan is President/CEO of Sports Endeavors while his brother Brendan is the Chief Operating Officer.
Headquartered in Hillsborough, Sports Endeavors Inc.'s mission is to be the world's leading authentic grassroots soccer and lacrosse company, building strong relationships in a vibrant, creative, and ethical environment - to inform, inspire, and innovate. Their properties include Eurosport catalog (Soccer.com) and Great Atlantic Lacrosse Company catalog (Lacrosse.com). The company has experienced strong growth -- the Eurosport catalog alone has an annual circulation of 11 million and does business in all 50 states. Having received national recognition ranging from Good Morning America to Saturday Night Live, Sports Endeavors has also developed a strong work culture and has received numerous awards for its corporate citizenship and has been noted as one of the best places to work in the Triangle.
Moderator:
Grace Ueng, Founder and President, Savvy Marketing Group, LLC
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10am - 1pm |
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One on One Coaching: Curbside Consulting
Room 11 (First come, first served basis)
Have an idea for a new business? Wish you could find out what successful entrepreneurs and potential investors think? Tell your idea in 5 minutes to our select panel and receive 5 minutes of candid feedback on whether or not it's ripe and suggested next steps. Sign up via email with a brief description to Howie Rhee hrhee@cednc.org by October 15th. Space is limited to 15 slots.
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12:50pm |
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Working Lunch
Keynote Speaker:
Christy Shaffer, Ph.D., CEO, Inspire Pharmaceuticals
Geneen Auditorium
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2:15pm |
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Break |
2:25pm |
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Concurrent Session IV
- Are you ready to start a company? . . . Reality Check
Room B
Stars in your eyes? Thinking about starting your own company and how great it will be when you make your millions? For a reality check on those entrepreneurial fantasies, come hear two entrepreneurs and an executive coach speak candidly about the impact that embarking upon an entrepreneurial adventure can have on your life outside the world of work.
Moderator:
Panelists:
- Where Do I Turn for Help: CED & Other Resources
Room C
Many entrepreneurs are desperate for help in starting their businesses, but don’t know specifically where to look. Support organizations can sometimes seem like an endless maze of acronyms. Hear from some of the community’s entrepreneurial support leaders and find out which organization may be a good fit for your venture.
Panelists:
Robert Albright, Public Relations Manager, Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED)
Farad Ali, Vice President, North Carolina Minority Business Development Center
Larry Keen, Vice President, NC Community College System
Mike Seibert, Assistant State Director, Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC)
- Leaving the University or Corporate Nest: Challenges & Opportunities
Room D
Anxious about the prospect of leaving your university or corporate job to start your own business? Learn from panelists who have faced the challenge and won. Successful entrepreneurs and corporate refugees will discuss such topics as utilizing your rolodex, licensing and non-compete challenges, and leveraging relationships to build strategic partnerships.
Facilitator:
Panelists:
Martin F. Haslanger, Ph.D., CEO, Amphora Discovery Group
Holden Thorp, Professor of Chemistry and Director, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, UNC-Chapel Hill
- Women and Entrepreneurship: A Good Match
Room E
Discover how women entrepreneurs are successfully starting businesses in record numbers; why they believe owning their own business is a good fit for their skills, traits, needs and dreams; and the special skills they bring to the task.
Facilitator:
Panelists:
- CED New Member Orientation
Room F
- Case Study #4: Ultimus -- Marco Fregenal, President & COO
Room A
Founded in 1994, Cary-based Ultimus is an innovative pioneer in business process management and workflow automation. In under a decade, Ultimus has become a global company with over 1000 customers in over 60 countries with a history of delivering consistent profitability. Its remarkable growth has garnered national recognition such as being included in the Inc 500 ranking of fastest growing private companies. Marco Fregenal, President & COO of Ultimus, will provide an inside look at how Ultimus grew from just an idea into a thriving commercial software success. He will be sharing their strategies and the smart moves they made in the areas of technology, marketing, sales, partnerships, and financingand shed light on mistakes and important lessons learned along the way.
Fregenal joined the Ultimus team in February of 2001, prior to which he served as President, CFO and COO of HowStuffWorks.com, the leading e-learning and reference Web site on the Internet with more than 1.9 million unique visitors per month. Before his tenure with HowStuffWorks.com, he served as COO of PAGENET Brazil, the world's largest provider of wireless messaging and information Fregenal, with more than ten million subscribers. As the President and COO of Ultimus, oversees the company's day-to-day operations and drives sales and services throughout the Americas. Fregenal speaks fluent English, Portuguese and Spanish. Fregenal holds an MBA from Monmouth University and a B.S. in Economics from Rutgers University.
Moderator:
Grace Ueng, Founder and President, Savvy Marketing Group, LLC
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3:15pm 4:15 |
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Closing Reception
Terrace |
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