Global Business Development Program Speakers
Neil Bagchi
After spending five years practicing law with Hutchison Mason (now Hutchison Law Group) and Kennedy Covington (now KL Gates), Neil launched Bagchi Law in 2008. Bagchi Law is a boutique law firm serving as a “virtual general counsel” to small and medium-sized US technology and life science companies for both domestic and international transactions. Bagchi Law draws on Neil’s prior experience as head of an international practice group to provide its clients with international counsel as well. At Kennedy Covington, not only was Neil a member of the firm’s emerging growth/business and technology practice, but also he initiated and headed the firm’s India practice, the first India-focused legal practice in the Southeast US. Through this India practice, Neil represented private and public US and Indian companies in a variety of transactions including joint ventures, strategic partnership, establishing overseas offices and entities, and negotiating and drafting software development, drug discovery collaboration, manufacturing and distribution agreements.
Jeff Cope
Jeff Cope serves in many roles at RTI and leads innovation advisory activities for a host of clients in the United States and abroad. His practice includes working closely with large corporations on technology scouting and partnership development activities. For universities, he helps optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of technology transfer practices and economic development activities. He also works with regions and states to help identify innovation assets and build targeted economic development strategies. Mr. Cope also leads RTI’s involvement in the Enterprise Europe Network, the world’s largest technology and business support network, with hundreds of partners in over 45 countries around the world who are engaged in creating new partnerships for small to medium enterprises (SME’s) via technology needs and offers. Mr. Cope has over 19 years of experience in commercialization and new product development. Prior to joining RTI, he spent 10 years working in new product development in the construction equipment and telecommunications industries. Mr. Cope frequently speaks at engagements worldwide on topics related to innovation, technology transfer and commercialization. Mr. Cope holds a master’s degree in business management with a focus in technology commercialization, and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, both from North Carolina State University.
Jean Davis
Jean Davis serves as Director of the International Trade Division at the North Carolina Department of Commerce and directs the Division’s efforts to increase exports of North Carolina products and services in all industry sectors to global markets. She oversees two domestic offices as well as 7 international offices staffed with a team of foreign trade consultants. Prior to joining Commerce, Jean was the co-owner of Serentec Inc, an international pharmaceutical consulting company which was sold to Lloyd’s Register in 2003. Jean’s early career included progressive international positions at IBM, Computer Digest Magazine and McGraw Hill. Jean spent eight years living and working in Europe and has extensive experience in building business operations in Asia, Europe and South America. Jean is a 2005 Eisenhower Fellow and a 2009 Henry Toll Fellow. She received her undergraduate honors degree in Political Science and Business Administration at New England College, Arundel, England and her Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Boston.
Marco Fregenal
Marco Fregenal is a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of experience in leading high growth companies both in the U.S., Latin America and Europe. As CEO of Carpio, Marco is responsible for leading the diverse and multi cultural executive team to implement its strategy and exceed the company's goals. Prior to founding Carpio, Marco was the President and COO of Ultimus, Inc., a leading BPM software company. Marco led the company to over 800% growth in 6 years, increasing its customer base to over 1,500 customers and the opening of 18 offices around the world. Prior to joining Ultimus, Marco co-founded HowStuffWorks.com, the leading e-learning and reference web site with over 10 million visitors per month. Before his tenure with HowStuffWorks, Marco spent 6 years in the telecom arena with Pagenet where he co-founded and served as COO of PAGENET Brazil and led the company $70 million in revenue in its third year of operation. Prior to that, he served as vice president and general manager of Pagenet New York. Marco has started companies both in the US, Europe and Latin America. Marco has raised over $200 million in capital both in private and public markets. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Rutgers University and an MBA in econometrics from Monmouth University. Marco was born in Brazil and speaks fluent Portuguese and Spanish.
Owen George
With more than 20 years of consulting expertise in developed and emerging markets, Owen George helps businesses and organizations position their products and technologies through competitive intelligence studies, market research and international partnership building. With a background in environmental technology, electronics, consumer goods, and manufacturing, his client list includes Acer, Yageo, Volvo, and Thermaco, Inc. Owen is also active in numerous humanitarian and environmental organizations. A North Carolina native, Owen graduated valedictorian in Political Science at North Carolina State University and as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar studied at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Fluent in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, Owen is currently engaged in helping North Carolina companies develop new markets in Taiwan, China, Korea, Mexico, Brazil and Poland.
Donnie Goins
Donnie Goins is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in building companies in the technology and retail sectors. He has skills in building organizations and companies from idea concept to being profitable. He has experience in software, hardware, and management with world-class research and development corporations that include leading multi-international development teams in the areas of communication software development, wireless and wireline technologies, and project and process management. Through the 25 years, Donnie has been part of four startups in the technology sector and simultaneously four startups in the retail and commercial sector. He has developed an extensive network of industry contacts and solid domain knowledge in information, cellular and telecom technologies. He presently resides on the NC State Engineering Foundation and is co-chair of the Student Relations committee. He is an Advisory Board member on the NC State Entrepreneurship Initiative. He is presently COO and President of Tavve Software Company. Tavve focuses on building Security Management products for the Enterprise market and Global Government Security Agencies. Prior to joining Tavve, Donnie served as the Senior Director of Software Development at Fujitsu Network Communications, Inc., where he was responsible for the management and direction of an R&D team focused on network management for a multi-service switch platform. He held the position of Vice President of Research & Development at Allen Telecom, Inc., where he was responsible for the supervision of multi-international R&D sites focused on wireless product development. He spent ten years at Bell Northern Labs, Inc. in the research division for Nortel, where he held a number of senior level (Director) development and program management positions.
David Himebaugh
David N. Himebaugh, President, Blue Nano. Mr. Himebaugh has 21 years experience running his own businesses, including a high-tech start-up telematics business, a management and strategy consulting business, a franchise restaurant, a commercial maintenance service business, and a shipping company. Mr. Himebaugh brings an acute ability to define the correct strategic direction for new businesses, experience in capturing high growth opportunities while managing costs, and ethical leadership. Mr. Himebaugh is the lead sales and business development professional for Blue Nano.
Tom Kurke, Chief Operating Officer, Geomagic
Tom Kurke joins Geomagic with more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, product management, business development, engineering and law. Prior to joining the company, he was Vice President of Subscriptions at Bentley Systems, Inc., a leading provider of infrastructure solutions that enable engineers, architects, governments and utilities to design, build and operate more efficiently. Mr. Kurke was part of the senior management team that grew Bentley's annual revenues to over $500 million and was directly responsible for the global software subscriptions business which represented nearly 70% of the company's annual revenues. Prior to his last role at Bentley, Mr. Kurke held various functional management roles including sales and marketing, product and program management, corporate and business development and law. Mr. Kurke was previously an attorney with Dechert, an AmLaw 100 firm, focusing on M&A and intellectual property. Mr. Kurke earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Villanova University and his J.D. from Temple University.
Teresa Spangler
Teresa Spangler, founder and Managing Partner, PlazaBridge Group, is uniquely differentiated by her creative thought leadership. She has bridged the gap between products and consumers’ purchasing behavior leading to increased sales. Teresa’s experience includes growing companies as the entrepreneur, creating and launching new divisions, entering new markets and creating and executing strategies to take companies to their next level of growth. She excels in brand strategies, creating revenue driving sales and marketing plans, and taking companies through the process of ideation, formation, and revenue acceleration. Prior to PlazaBridge Group, Teresa founded Creative Leadership Adventures where she had the privilege to lead innovation and change strategies for such global giants including Coca Cola, Merck, and Hope Depot. She also launched European technology company in the US. and later sold company to a UK firm, she has done spin out divisions from ideation to revenue generation for larger companies and relocation project for a F1000 that lead to cost savings of more than $4million/year. Teresa has had the responsibility of building teams to drive revenue from 0 to $150 Million and contributed to worldwide growth of companies from start up to $500Million. Her most recognized accomplishment was during her time at Red Hat where she held senior executive positions and was responsible for pre and post IPO revenue. Teresa’s innovation extends beyond creating brands and startups, she is author to a four book series, Game of Life and columnist to monthly publications including, Over the Edge in Women’s Edge Magazine. Teresa holds a B.S. from Appalachian State University and Executive Leadership & Management certifications from Duke University and Harvard University. Teresa currently serves on the Board of The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, The NC World Trade Association and is Chair of the non-profit arts organization, Night of Dreams. Teresa’s passion for the arts and music can be witnessed firsthand when she performs as a singer/songwriter and guitarist.
Eric Wolff
Mr. Wolff is currently serving as a Commercial Officer at the U.S. Export Assistance Center in Charlotte, NC. In this capacity, he works closely with U.S. clients to identify new export opportunities for existing and emerging international markets. From 2006-2009 Mr. Wolff served as Principal Commercial Officer with the American Consulate General in Chengdu, China. In this capacity, he was responsible for U.S. commercial affairs throughout southwestern China, covering the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, the municipality of Chongqing, and the Tibet Autonomous Region. During this tour, Mr. Wolff has served with distinction, earning a Bronze Medal Award in 2008 for Outstanding Manager/ Supervisor within the International Trade Administration. In addition to his commercial achievements in the region, Mr. Wolff has also been recognized for his leadership and dedication while organizing the U.S. diplomatic community and business rescue efforts following the devastating Sichuan earthquake. From 2004-2006 Mr. Wolff served as Commercial Officer with the American Embassy in Beijing, China. In this role, he provided leadership to CS China’s trade promotion initiative, developing the program from an initial three events to 33 annual U.S. Pavilions at China’s top trade shows. In addition, Mr. Wolff managed several sectors from Beijing, acting as China-wide industry team leader for the Consumer Goods, Retail, Franchising, Distribution Services and Direct Sales portfolios. Mr. Wolff’s dedication to the mission earned him a Meritorious Honor Award in 2005 from the U.S. Ambassador to China. Prior to joining FCS, Mr. Wolff had over 20 years of private sector experience in engineering management, project leadership and management consulting. Most recently, Mr. Wolff was Principal Consultant for Supply Chain Operations with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), based in Charlotte, NC. In this role, he worked closely with numerous Fortune 500 firms on improving supply chain processes and strategic procurement. Before joining PwC, Mr. Wolff served as Project Manager for several large multi-million dollar chemical and waste treatment facilities at Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, based in Englewood, CO. Mr. Wolff’s educational background includes an MBA from the University of Southern California, an MS in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He speaks conversational and business Chinese.
Michael Zapata
Michael Zapata is the Executive Chairman of Protochips, Inc., a semiconductor based interactive real-time microscopy company serving the materials and life sciences markets. Mr. Zapata is also Entrepreneur-in-Residence with the Entrepreneurial Initiative at NC State University, Chairman of ArrayXpress, a genomics sciences company, and a Board Member of HueMetrix, an instrumentation company. Michael has served in roles as CMO, President, and CEO of multiple companies. He is a retired LTC and combat aviation officer, having served in the US Army and NC Army National Guard.
