Research Triangle Park, NC – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED) today announced concurrent panel topics and more than 60 confirmed panel speakers for CED’s Entrepreneur ’04 Conference. CED is presenting Entrepreneur ‘04 in partnership with and at The Fuqua School at Duke University on Oct. 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

Conference co-chair Grace Ueng, founder and president of RTP-based Savvy Marketing Group LLC, described the confirmed panel topics and speakers as appealing to a broad audience of prospective and current entrepreneurs.

 

“Entrepreneur ’04 is not only intended for those considering a new business venture, but it is also geared to those already in the trenches of growing their business,” Ueng said. “Entrepreneurs from all walks of life, and from various stages of building their business, can take advantage of the knowledge and networks at this conference.”

 

In addition to two previously announced keynote speakers (Blue Rhino’s CEO Billy D. Prim and Inspire Pharmaceuticals’ CEO Christy Shaffer), Entrepreneur ’04 will feature concurrent panel sessions grouped into specific tracks such as finance and legal, management and HR, and marketing and sales.

 

Panel topics include the following:

 

• Growing Your Company's Infrastructure: Accounting, HR and Marketing
• Marketing vs. Selling: Knowing Your Customer
• Legal & Accounting 101: Getting Through the Mumbo Jumbo
• From Garage to Growth Business: Turning Your Mom and Pop into a Full-scale Operation
• Writing a Business Plan: Critical Components
• Sales 101: Ramping up your Revenue
• Financing Options: The Traditional and the Creative
• Building a Great Entrepreneurial Team: It’s a Lot Like an NFL Draft
• Market Research: The Goose that Lays the Golden Egg
• Lessons Learned: Start-up Screw-ups
• Smart Marketing: Where to Put Limited Resources to Maximize Success
• Is Venture Capital Right for You?
• Strategic Planning: Successful Businesses Have Vision
• EVERYTHING is Negotiable
• One on One Coaching: Curbside Consulting
• Are you ready to start a company? . . . Reality Check
• Where Do I Turn for Help: CED & Other Resources
• Leaving the University or Corporate Nest: Challenges & Opportunities
• Women and Entrepreneurship: A Good Match

Also, a partial list of the confirmed panel speakers:

 

• Noreen Allen, Vice President of Marketing, SpectraSite
• Alison Arter, Executive Vice-President, Bluebird Biosciences, Inc.
• Claudia Black, Founder, Sicel Technologies
• Jud Bowman, President & COO, PowerByHand
• Jason Caplain, Partner, Southern Capitol Ventures
• Steve Clark, CEO, SpectraSite
• Lewis Copulsky, President, Lewis and Clark Research
• Todd Creech, Duke University
• Mary Lou Drake, President, Drake & Associates
• Jennifer Dunleavy, President, Accuro Group, Inc.
• Sherry Essig, President, Priority Ventures
• Ben Feldman, Joint Owner, RapiData
• David Fitchett, President, Carolina Glass & Mirror
• Joe Forbes, CEO, America Connect
• Jane Foreman, Director of Marketing, StrikeIron
• Manoj George, Consultant
• Judy Gerard, President & Director of Operations, Llamawerx, Inc.
• Jennifer Gibson, CFO, ChannelAdvisor
• Patti Gillenwater, President & CEO, Elinvar
• Brian Handly, CEO and co-founder, Accipiter
• Chris Hegele, Partner, Intersouth Partners
• John Howe, President, MicroMass Communications
• Tim Huntley
• Jim Kitchen, President, Spring Break Travel
• Rich Lee, CEO, Hosted Solutions
• Karen LeVert, CEO, Southeast Tech Ventures
• Deb Lovig, Vice President Marketing, Smart Online
• David Mannheim, Partner, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP
• Meredith Mannheim, Development Director, hesketh.com/inc.
• Pat Martin, President/CEO, Websourced
• Gary McCants, President, Black Pages USA
• Robert McKenzie, Partner, Rankin|McKenzie, LLC
• Rebecca Merrill, President, The Life Structuring Company
• Sheila Mikhail, Member, Life Sciences Law, PLLC
• Greg Norton, Executive Director - Business Strategy, RM Agency
• Alicia Paladin, Founder, NutraSage
• Karin H. Patrick, Practice Owner, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
• Scott Place, President, Maverick Marketing
• Gary Pratt, Hospital Director, Veterinary Specialty Hospital
• Chris Price, CEO, Nobex
• Gary Roberts, Partner, Cabot
• Howard Rockett, Chairman and CEO, Rockett, Burkhead & Winslow
• Bill Sax, Executive in Residence, The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
• Nicole Schapiro, Author, Keynote Speaker and Trainer
• Tom Scholl, Partner, Novak Biddle Venture Partners
• Mark Self, Consultant
• Mike Seibert, Assistant State Director, SBTDC
• Joel Sheer, Founder and President, Sheer and Associates
• Katherine Sliva, President & Founder, Women’s Institute
• David Spencer, COO, Biolex
• Marianna Suciu, Vice President of Government, Latin America and Canadian Operations; SAS
• Blount Swain, Former CFO Closure Medical and YOUcentric
• Beth Traynham, Associate, Hughes Pittman & Gupton
• Doug Vaughn, President, Vietri
• Bill Warner, Founder & Managing Partner, Paladin and Associates
• Shelly Weitz, Creative Director, Creative Strategy, Inc.
• Rich West, CEO, Adigy and founder and former CEO, TriVirix

 

University researchers, “garage entrepreneurs,” corporate employees, small business owners, early-stage entrepreneurs, undergraduate and graduate students or anyone else starting and growing a new business venture are encouraged to attend the conference.

 

Additional details on Entrepreneur ’04 – including the full agenda, confirmed speakers, panel session topics, sponsorship opportunities and online registration – are available at www.cednc.org/entrepreneur.

 

About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED, which celebrates its 20^th anniversary in 2004, is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org

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Contact:  Robert Albright  |  CED Public Relations Manager  |  ralbright@cednc.org  |  919-549-7500 ext. 123