New Jersey Entrepreneur

New Jersey Innovates 2011
Tentative Agenda
March 11, 2011
Hilton Woodbridge

To register, go to NJInnovates.com

Conference Participant Bios

Breakfast Panel

Moderator:
Malcolm R. Kahn: Vice President, Enterprise Development & Licensing is Vice President for Enterprise Development & Licensing at Stevens Institute of Technology. He is responsible for the full cycle of business development, from helping researchers and staff identify markets and applications, to the spawning of Stevens’ Technogenesis® startup companies. Mr. Kahn has been a serial entrepreneur of technology-based companies for more than 30 years.  He has an extensive experience in the fields of analytical and scientific instrumentation, membrane filtration, lab-on-chip technology, and first-hand knowledge of the medical diagnostics, clean-tech, telecommunications, analytical instrument, and biopharmaceutical markets. Mr. Kahn began his career at Pfizer in their Medical Diagnostics Division and then at Millipore before moving into start-ups.

Panelists:
Tad Martin is the Founder and CEO of Cross Commerce Media. CCM operates the first cross media analytics network designed to give marketers a real time, holistic view of their campaign performance across all media. Prior to founding CCM, Mr. Martin headed operations at Overstock.com as the company’s COO / GMM. Mr. Martin joined Overstock as one of the company’s early employees and, as such, played an integral role in growing the company from $70m in revenue to over $800m – taking the company public in the process (NASDAQ: OSTK).  Leading up to Overstock, Mr. Martin was part of Gear.com (funded by Amazon.com), which he helped grow from an early stage startup to the largest sporting goods closeout e-commerce website before its sale to Overstock.com in 2000.

Mario Casabona is an active Angel Investor and Business Advisor to technology driven emerging companies. In 1982 he founded and was CEO of Electro-Radiation Inc. (ERI), until 2004 when ERI was acquired by Honeywell International. ERI was a developer of Radar, Navigation and Communications technology and equipment for the Defense industry. In 1998, he was awarded the SBA National Tibbetts Award which recognizes contributions in technology. Most recently, he was awarded the 2010 Financier of the Year award by the New Jersey Technology Council. Mario currently serves as the Chairman of the New Jersey Jumpstart Angel Network, is a Commissioner on the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, and enjoys serving on several industry, university and government boards. Mr. Casabona is an Electrical Engineering and holds 12 national and international patents -with 6 pending - in the field of satellite-based navigation and communications.

Anne Shehab is Managing Director of Golden Seeds Fund LP, a network of angel investors dedicated to investing in early stage companies founded and/or led by women. Golden Seeds has more than 150 accredited investors, with locations in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco. Anne began her career as a consultant with Arthur D. Little specializing in the pharmaceuticals industry.  This had followed receiving her degree in Chemical Engineering from Rice University and her MBA from The University of Chicago.  From 2000 to 2003 Anne was Vice President of Business Development at Biovalve Technologies, a specialty pharmaceutical and drug delivery company, engages in the development and commercialization of chemical entities for the treatment of conditions of the central nervous system.  She joined Dupont in 2003 and stayed for six years prior to becoming an angel investor at Golden Seeds.

Mid Morning Panel

Moderator:
Dr. Ron Cook, Professor and Chair, Department of Entrepreneurial Studies and Strategy Director, Rider Center for Entrepreneurial Studiesr.

Carol C. Skipper, MD  began her educational journey in her home town at St. Peters College in Jersey City. After completing her undergraduate degree she attended medical school at Universidad Del Noreste in Tampico, Mexico. After successfully completing her medical training she completed her fifth pathway at St Vincent’s Hospital in Staten Island with New York Medical College.   Dr. Skipper completed her Family Practice training with Robert Wood Johnson Family Practice program in Plainsboro, NJ. After her fulfilling residency she began Premium Family Health Care LLC in Jersey City (2000).  It is a progressive and growing institution in the heart of down town Jersey City where she focuses on prevention, traditional and physiological medicine as well as alternative healing.  She  opened ReGenesis Medi-Spa in 2007.

Dr. Huailing Zhong graduated from Nankai University ( Tianjin , China ) with a B.S. degree in Medical Physiology.   He earned his Ph.D. degree in Physiology and Pharmacology in 1997 from Wayne State University ( Detroit , MI ), where he studied adenosine receptors in the rat brain with focus in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS).  Dr. Zhong then conducted extensive post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI) in the following areas: structure and function of serotonin and dopamine transporters (SERT, DAT); regulation of DAT by cocaine; G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling mechanisms; physiology of Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS).  In 2002, Dr. Zhong joined Synaptic Pharmaceutical Corporation ( Paramus , NJ ), which shortly became Lundbeck Research USA ( Paramus , NJ ) in 2003.   At Lundbeck, Dr. Zhong was Senior Research Scientist with broad responsibilities in drug discovery and development projects related to psychiatric and neurological disorders.  Dr. Zhong has over 20 scientific publications on the signaling mechanisms as well as therapeutic discoveries within GPCRs, transporters and other targets.  In 2010, Dr. Zhong co-founded U-Pharm Laboratories LLC in Parsippany , New Jersey .  The mission of U-Pharm is to provide dedicated pharmacological and drug discovery services in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.  Dr. Zhong is a member of many professional associations, including the Society for Neuroscience (SFN), American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), the Society of Biological Psychiatry (SOBP), New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), North American Chinese Entrepreneur Association (NACEA), and Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (SAPA).  Dr. Zhong is also an executive Committee Member of NACEA.

Priti Pandya-Patel, 41, pioneered the first independent, State-Licensed sleep laboratory in New Jersey. She is a Co-Founder and CEO of the International Sleep Network (ISN), an Iselin-based business that operates and manages 12 independent sleep diagnostic centers in 6 states and growing. She is also currently working on expanding her enterprise with few other international projects, including one patent pending product.  Pandya-Patel was drawn to the business by her passion for people and her commitment to helping them lead healthy lives. With a license and Associates in Physical Therapy, BA in Therapeutic Recreation Administration and an MBA in Healthcare Administration, Pandya-Patel has spent almost 20 years in the healthcare industry.

Supporting Organization Speakers

Lori Matheus is Vice President of Regional Business Development for the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.  In this position, she is responsible for developing and executing the strategic plan for business development and manages key statewide initiatives.  The EDA is a self-supporting, independent state agency whose mission is to stimulate business development, job creation and community revitalization throughout the State.  The EDA promotes economic growth through financing assistance, technical support and real estate development activities.

John Harmon serves as the President of the New Jersey American Chamber of Commerce. AACCNJ is an organization dedicated to the business development and economic empowerment of American society, and particularly the African American communities within the State of New Jersey, via entrepreneurship utilizing educational models, best practices and technical assistance.  He also serves as the Regional Vice President of New York and New Jersey for the National Black Chamber of Commerce.  Mr. Harmon previously worked at Bowery Savings Bank in New York City in which he managed the bank's real estate division overlooking major mortgage loan transactions and Chemical Bank where he managed third party loan originations for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. While working at Chemical Bank Harmon established Chemical Bank's Affordable Housing Loan Program. He also started his own company in 1989 called Harmon Transfer, Inc., a company that transported food and produce throughout the Northeast United States and Canada.

May Li is Chairman, North-America Chinese Entrepreneur Association and Managing Partner, Business Development, RimLife Green Technologies.  She has been working in the Renewable Energy sector for the past 3 years and has accrued comprehensive knowledge and market experience in solar, wind and biofuel industry. She is the co-founder and CEO of RimLife Green Technologies, a company that focuses on renewable energy product development and marketing. Prior to this, May Li has served as VP of Marketing in RimLife Technologies, a software and IT outsourcing company where she led the development of several patented software and a successful revenue model in outsourced business. Her working experience also includes chief market/sales analyst of a multi-national company Sandvik US, and associated professor at University of International Business & Economics in Beijing, a renowned business school in China.  In addition to entrepreneurship, May Li founded and has served as the first president of North-America Chinese Entrepreneur Association (NACEA, www.naceaus.org ), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that nurtures entrepreneurship and help small business owners & start-ups to build capabilities and develop business opportunities. May Li has devoted a lot of energy in developing a winning team of NACEA’s executive committee (composed of volunteers) and a successful organization. In addition, the organization has played an important role in helping members to build business relationship with China. In the past two years, she led two delegations to the country, visited over 30 cities and developed solid relationship with the local governments and businesses.

Workshop Hosts, Speakers & Panelists

Jerry Creighton, Sr. is the President of The New Jersey Business Incubation Network (NJBIN), an organization representing twelve (12) incubators and 520 venture companies, collectively employing over 1,500 in NJ. NJBIN is dedicated to helping early stage and expansion companies to advance technology, create jobs, attract and retain investors and businesses and generally stimulate the Economic Growth of New Jersey. 

He is also Executive Director of the Enterprise Development Center (EDC) at NJIT. The EDC is New Jersey’s largest high-technology business incubator with over ninety (90) portfolio companies. The EDC is a recipient of the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) “Soft Landings International Incubator” designation which recognizes incubation programs that are especially capable of helping nondomestic companies enter the incubator’s domestic market.  

Mr. Creighton has an extensive background in management and consulting spanning multiple facets of strategy development, operational management, finance, and venture transaction planning and implementation.

Barry Cohen, Author of Start-up Smarts.  For over thirty years, Barry has plied his trade in the advertising industry and the broadcast community. For the past twelve years, Barry has served as principal of Clifton, NJ-based AdLab Media Communications, LLC, a firm specializing in radio and television. Prior to that, he held positions with New York radio stations WPAT and WOR.  Barry is the author of a widely reviewed advertising guide book for smaller companies, entitled TEN WAYS TO SCREW UP AN AD CAMPAIGN.  He is a familiar speaker on advertising and small business addressing both national and regional organizations.

Joe Shure is a Rutgers' graduate and co-founder of The Intersect Fund. The Intersect Fund is a New Brunswick-based nonprofit that helps low-income entrepreneurs start and grow strong businesses. Founded in 2008, the Fund offers business training, micro-loans and consulting throughout New Jersey. Since getting started, they have trained 150 entrepreneurs and disbursed loans to 30. They also host the Mobile Marketplace, a series of community vending events.

Luis De La Hoz has a passion for small business.  The Edison resident started out managing a medical center and several restaurants in his native Colombia. His marketing acumen led to increased sales, more employees and new locations. Success was sweet, but De La Hoz's sights were set on America. In the early 2000s, De La Hoz moved to New Jersey to help family friends start a tax preparation and financial services firm called Mar Mar Enterprises. The firm grew, and De La Hoz now manages its New Brunswick location. His office has become one of the area's most productive tax preparation sites, handling more than a thousand returns a year. When he's not preparing tax returns, De La Hoz works tirelessly to help fellow entrepreneurs. He runs a consultancy focusing on Latino small businesses and helps the local Small Business Development Center reach out to Hispanic clientele. De La Hoz also works as a loan officer for the Intersect Fund, a New Brunswick-based nonprofit that lends to local low-income entrepreneurs.  De La Hoz holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Manizales in Manizales, Colombia, and a certificate in Management from the University of the Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.

To register, go to NJInnovates.com