Conference Sessions

With more than 60 sessions to choose from, including lectures, panels and roundtable discussions, NBIA’s 2005 conference will offer something for everyone.

Click on the following links to view detailed listings of sessions for each day of the conference.

Monday, May 16 | Tuesday May 17 | Wednesday, May 18

 

Monday, May 16

Sessions, 9 – 10:15 a.m.

Roundtable: Rural Incubation Survey Results

Come find out the preliminary results of the Appalachian Regional Commission's latest rural business incubation survey. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss those results as well as their own critical rural incubation issues.
Facilitator: Jim Greenwood, President, Greenwood Consulting Group, Sanibel, Fla.
Moderator: Lisa Ison, President, The New Century Venture Center, Roanoke, Va.

Country Update: Western Europe

Get the latest information on the incubation industry in Western Europe. Presenters will give reports on the history, current trends and state of the industry in their regions.
Luigi Campitelli, CEO, Business Innovation Centre Lazio, Rome, Italy
Rolf Friedrichsdorf, Vice President and Managing Director, ADT – Association of German Innovation-, Technology- and Business Incubation Centres, Berlin, Germany
Peter Harman, Deputy Chief Executive, UK Business Incubation, Birmingham, United Kingdom

State Incubation Associations: The Maryland Model

Incubators in Maryland work together through the Maryland Business Incubation Association, a statewide network the Maryland Technology Development Corp. helped found. Panelists from both organizations will share insights from their experiences in creating a statewide incubation network and explain how your state can do the same.
Sarah Djamshidi, Associate Director, Technology Advancement Program, College Park, Md.
John Elstner, CEO of Chesapeake Innovation Center, Annapolis, Md.
Ellen Hemmerly, Executive Director, UMBC Research Park Corp., Baltimore, Md.
Ann Lansinger, Executive Director, Emerging Technology Center, Baltimore, Md.
Carol Morrison, Manager, Technology Incubator, The Center for Business and Technology Development, Columbia, Md.
Phillip Singerman, Executive Director, Maryland Technology Development Corp., Columbia, Md.
Moderator: Heidi Sheppard, Program Manager, Maryland Technology Development Corp., Columbia, Md.

Working With Angel Investing Organizations

Prepare clients to secure angel funding by learning about angel investment interests and processes. Presenters representing the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Angel Capital Association will provide information about angel organizations and explain how to catalyze the development of one in your community.
Marianne Hudson, Director, Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, Mo.
John May, President, New Vantage Group, Vienna, Va.
Susan Preston, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Woodinville, Wash.
Moderator: David Lohr, Executive Director, Virginia Biosciences Development Center, Richmond, Va.

Student-Led Incubation: A Real-Life Success Story

Undergraduate students on Drury University’s Students In Free Enterprise team are in charge of an entirely student-run incubator, providing start-up companies with services such as business planning and accounting assistance. Learn about the rewards and potential pitfalls of student-led incubation.
Robert Wyatt, Dean, Breech School of Business Administration, Drury University, Springfield, Mo.
Travis Baker, Undergraduate Student, Drury University, Springfield, Mo.
Justin Purdy, Undergraduate Student, Drury University, Springfield, Mo.
Moderator: Peter Abramo, Executive Director, Center for Emerging Technology and Entreprenurial Studies, Cameron University, Lawton, Okla.

Making the Most of Consulting Relationships

Having a satisfactory relationship with a consultant requires good communication and a mutual understanding of project goals. During this session, presenters who have been on both sides of the consulting relationship will explain how to effectively define a project, avoid ineffective consultants and make the most of results.
Gary Evans, CEO, ANGLE Technology Group, Charlottesville, Va.
Robert Gittler, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
Jeffrey Milanette, President, Innovative Partners Inc., Westfield, N.J.

Social Enterprise Incubation

Social enterprise incubation involves incubating both social-purpose businesses and revenue-generating nonprofits. This rapidly growing market opportunity can generate economic and social development returns for new and existing incubators. Get practical advice on accessing new funding resources and learn techniques for building or improving a social enterprise incubation program.
Amber Nystrom, Founding and Executive Director, Social Fusion, San Francisco, Calif.
James Robbins, Principal, Business Cluster Development, San Jose, Calif.
Moderator: Susan Prado, West Coast Regional Director, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Sierra Madre, Calif.

Roundtable: International Incubation

Representatives of an incubator with an international business development program will draw from experience to facilitate a conversation about helping foreign companies enter the U.S. market and how to best help U.S. companies to succeed internationally. Topics include legal issues, technology transfer and adding an international component to an incubation program.
Marshall Ferrin, Director, International Business Programs, Mason Enterprise Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Toshi Ochi, President and CEO, CoreMed America, Inc., Arlington, Virginia
Keith Segerson, Managing Director, Mason Enterprise Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Roger Stough, Director, Mason Enterprise Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Moderator: Judy Barral, Manager, Fairfax Innovation Center, Mason Enterprise Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.

Sessions 10:45 a.m. – noon

Country Update: Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Get the latest information on the incubation industry in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Presenters will give reports on the history, current trends and state of the industry in their regions.
Tatyana Shpuling, PR & Communications Manager, SODBI Business Incubator, Shymkent, Kazakhstan
Krzysztof Zasiadly, Vice President, Polish Business and Innovation Centers Association, Poznan, Poland

Raising Funds for Your Incubator

Conducting an effective fund-raising campaign helps ensure adequate resources for your incubator. During this session, an incubator developer who has raised more than $20 million for U.S. incubation projects will share tips for developing an investment rationale, creating effective marketing materials and building a broad base of potential stakeholders.
Charles Stein, President, Strategic Development Services, Dublin, Ohio
Moderator: David Cattey, Executive Director, Business Technology Center, Columbus, Ohio

Cost-Effective Approaches to Rural Business Incubation

Because of the unique challenges rural areas face, particularly resource scarcity, the traditional incubation model isn’t always appropriate. This session will explore how partnerships and networks in rural areas can cost-effectively create an entrepreneurial culture.
Burt Chojnowski, President, Fairfield Entrepreneurs Association, Fairfield, Iowa
Mark A. Edelman, Director and Professor of Economics, Community Vitality Center, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Moderator: Devron Veasley, Director, Bessemer Business Incubation System, Bessemer, Ala.

Key Issues In Successful Incubator Development

Developing a successful incubator requires juggling multiple tasks, building stakeholder relationships and managing competing priorities. Learn some tricks of the trade from two experienced consultants whose firm has helped develop 25 incubators.
Carol Lauffer, Principal, Business Cluster Development, Palo Alto, Calif.
James Robbins, Principal, Business Cluster Development, San Jose, Calif.

Stimulating Regional Growth Through Business Plan Competitions

Business plan competitions have proven to be an effective tool for identifying new clients. Learn how a mixed-use incubator and a community development corporation in Philadelphia teamed up to sponsor a contest that has influenced companies to locate in the incubator and in the racially diverse neighborhood of Mt. Airy.
Jocie Dye, Owner, Infusion - A Coffee and Tea Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
Farah Jimenez, Executive Director, Mt. Airy USA, Philadelphia, Pa.
Pamela Rich-Wheeler, Executive Director, The Business Center at New Covenant Campus, Philadelphia, Pa.
Moderator: Ken Weinstein, Co-owner and Partner, Brinton Housing Partners, LP/ Trolley Car Diner, Philadelphia, Pa.

The Economics of Business Incubation

Applying economic theory to incubation can help you manage specific activities to add value to client companies and your program. This session will explore modern economic theory directly relevant to incubation and provide an economic toolkit for making management decisions. Examples and data from European incubators will illustrate the points.
John Gabriel Goddard, Marie-Curie Research Fellow, Institut pour le Management de la Recherche et de l'Innovation – Paris Dauphine University, Paris, France
Moderator: Evan Jones, Director, @Wales, Welsh Development Agency, Cardiff, Wales

Roundtable: Does Your City Promote or Inhibit Business Incubation?

This roundtable discussion will explore the role and contributions of cities and towns, as distinct local and regional environments, in facilitating or inhibiting business incubation. Participants will analyze and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their cities and consider what their cities can do to sustain business incubation.
Moderators: Joseph Eshun, Assistant Professor of Management, Pennsylvania State University, Fogelsville, Pa.
Lee Huang, Executive Vice President, The Enterprise Center, Philadelphia, Pa.

Forum: Attracting Homeland and National Security Business to Your Incubator and Its Clients

At this NBIA Forum discussion, gain information that will help you tap into growing demand for security technology and services that could mean additional revenue streams for your incubator and its clients. Learn practical ways to serve this market and find out about an incubator network being established as a gateway to federal and corporate contracts and grants.
Moderators: John Elstner, CEO, Chesapeake Innovation Center, Annapolis, Md.
Mark Sauter, COO, Chesapeake Innovation Center, Annapolis, Md.

Sessions 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.

International Collaboration

Gain tips for helping foreign, early-stage companies establish operations in the United States. This session’s panelists, including incubation and economic development experts who have worked with foreign entrepreneurs, will cover topics such as legal requirements, employment laws and potential cultural barriers.
Marshall Ferrin, Director, International Business Programs, Mason Enterprise Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Anders Lindberg, President and Founder, ScandTrace AB, Mora, Sweden
Heidi Steinmetz, Assistant Director, Elk River Economic Development Authority, Elk River, Minn.
Moderator: Harlan Jacobs, President, Genesis Business Centers Ltd., Columbia Heights, Minn.

Improving Profitability Through Organizational Unity

Organizational unity is a company's ability to overcome challenges, stimulate creativity and achieve peak productivity and profitability. During this session, an award-winning author and consultant to more than 500 companies will present strategies for encouraging employee participation and creativity, generating higher revenues as a result.
Suzanne Mulvehill, Founder and CEO, Emotional Endurance Institute, Lake Worth, Fla.
Moderator: Angela Glover, Executive Director, Chattanooga/Hamilton County Business Development Center, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Suzanne Mulvehill, author of Employee to Entrepreneur: The Employee's Guide to Entrepreneurship, will sign copies of her book immediately following this session at the NBIA Bookstore.

Incubating Youth-Run Ventures

Encourage the entrepreneurs of tomorrow by starting a youth program at your incubator. This session will explain the benefits of youth-centered programming and also will provide specific examples of how your incubator can engage youth through targeted activities.
Lee Huang, Executive Vice President, The Enterprise Center, Philadelphia, Pa.
Moderator: Keelin O'Leary, Manager, Genesis Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Feasibility Studies and Financial Self-Sustainability

Conducting a feasibility study is a significant step in developing a successful self-sustaining incubator. During this session, experienced incubator development consultants will address important elements of feasibility studies and explain what the process entails. The presenters will also give tips on finding a good consultant and expected costs.
Jim Greenwood, President, Greenwood Consulting Group, Inc., Sanibel, Fla.
Charles Stein, President, Strategic Development Services, Dublin, Ohio
Moderator: Kyle Harfst, Director, SouthernTECH, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Ill.

The ESOP Advantage

Employee Stock Option Plans (ESOPs) allow business owners to defer capital gains taxes, maintain company control and increase employee loyalty, among other benefits. During this session, an experienced stock plan administrator will describe ESOPs and explain how they can be powerful tools for incubator clients.
Thomas Roback Jr., Director, Business Development, Blue Ridge ESOP Associates, Baltimore, Md.
Moderator: Philip Helgerson, President, Longreach Technologies, Bath, Maine

20 Tips to Improve Your Writing

Sharpen your #2 pencils. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn tips for trimming jargon, reducing wordy expressions and making your prose sizzle. The presenter will share common errors that plague business writing – including examples from our own industry – and ways to avoid them.
Ellen Gerl, Assistant Professor, E. W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Moderator: Thalia Mendez, Program Officer, Greater Milwaukee Committee, Milwaukee, Wis.

Roundtable: Tax-Exempt Incubators

Many incubators are 501(c)(3) non-profit entities, yet pay real estate and/or personal property taxes. Some communities have developed innovative ways to reduce the tax burden on incubator facilities. This discussion will center around the types of tax relief various incubators have successfully achieved and will provide incubator managers with various options for approaching local government to request tax relief.
Moderator: Sandra Cochrane, COO, Southwest Michigan Innovation Center, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Forum: Challenges in Technology Incubation

Are you trying to access laboratory space or support client companies developing complex products? Technology incubation professionals will identify critical issues and help find solutions to problems during this NBIA Forum discussion. NBIA Technology Incubation Forum members will continue the discussion online after the conference.
Moderator: Gary Evans, CEO, ANGLE Technology Group, Charlottesville, Va.