NBIA's 19th International Conference on Business Incubation

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

Tuesday, May 17

Sessions, 9 – 10:15 a.m.

Country Update: Asia

Get the latest information on the incubation industry in South Korea, China and Chinese Taipei. Presenters will give reports on the history, current trends and state of the industry in their regions.
Bong Jin Cho, President, Korean Business Incubation Association, Seoul, South Korea
Pei Xiasheng, Deputy Director, Torch High Technology Industry Development Center, Beijing, China
Ren C. Luo, President, Chinese Business Incubation Association, Chinese Taipei

Arts Organizations Working With Universities

During this session, presenters will explain how community arts organizations and educational institutions can become partners and leverage resources to provide artists with entrepreneurial assistance. Learn the challenges and rewards of university-community collaborations and how one school is adding business concepts to art department curricula.
Ron Bechet, Chairman, Art Department, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, La.
Mary Kahn Davis, President, Arts Incubation Development, Inc., Metairie, La.
Genny Nadler Thomas, President and CEO, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, La.

Giving Venture Capitalists What They Want

When making investment decisions, venture capitalists look for companies with solid plans for generating revenue. This session will explore different revenue generation models, identify common errors companies make when seeking funding and explain how incubator managers can help clients increase their fundability.
T.K. Kieran, President, T.K. Kieran and Associates Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
Moderator: Cindy Cheatham, Venture Catalyst, Advanced Technology Development Center, Atlanta, Ga.

Achieving Incubator Financial Self-Sustainability

Achieving financial self-sustainability is possible with proper planning and financial management. Highlighting incubators in Switzerland and rural Colorado, this session will explore creative funding alternatives that can allow an incubation program to operate with little outside support.
Thea Chase Gilman, Executive Director, Business Incubator Center, Grand Junction, Colo.
Marc Hamburger, CEO, START Business Incubator Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Moderator: Lisa Ison, President, The New Century Venture Center, Roanoke, Va.

Evaluating State Incubator Programs

Find out how and why state programs that provide funding for incubators should evaluate their performance and outcomes. This session will cover data collection, reporting methods and other aspects of evaluation. Representatives of state incubator programs will discuss their experiences with evaluation and with lobbying.
Jamie Beletz, President, Innovial, Tacoma, Wash.
Catherine Renault, Program Manager, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Heidi Sheppard, Program Manager, Maryland Technology Development Corp., Columbia, Md.
Moderator: Tony Antoniades, General Manager, Advanced Technology Development Center, Atlanta, Ga.

Helping Bioscience Clients Meet Regulatory Requirements

Bioscience companies seeking product approval from regulatory agencies such as the FDA, CDC and NIH need testing facilities that meet important guidelines. This session will outline the requirements of these federal agencies and explain how you can ensure your incubator facility meets the right standards to house bioscience clients.
William Bailey, Vice President, Facilities Solutions Group, Elk Grove Village, Ill.
William Hartzell, Vice President, Facilities Solutions Group, Elk Grove Village, Ill.

Roundtable: Strategic Growth Through Continuous Entrepreneurship

How does a young company stay entrepreneurial as it grows? What are the benefits and pitfalls of remaining entrepreneurial? Discuss how to help your clients achieve strategic growth by operating in an entrepreneurial manner and employing management systems.
Moderator: Robert Leaver, CEO, New Commons, Providence, R.I.

Forum: How New Incubator Managers Can Foster Entrepreneurial Communities

Are you a new incubator manager interested in expanding your community's resources for entrepreneurs? Participate in this NBIA Forum discussion to learn ways your incubation program can become a hub for entrepreneurial training, locate well-connected champions and investors, and create a healthy entrepreneurial climate in your community.
Moderator: Morris Windhorst, President & CEO, Muncie Innovation Connector, Muncie, Ind.

Sessions 10:45 a.m. – noon

Incubator Development in Developing Economies

The session will provide insights into critical factors that can enhance development of incubators in developing economies. Panelists will utilize cases studies from Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia to address local economic conditions, integration with other economic development initiatives, and potential impacts of cultural and regulatory conditions.
Amber Nystrom, Founding and Executive Director, Social Fusion, San Francisco, Calif.
Julian Webb, Managing Director, CREEDA Projects Pty Ltd, Dickson, Australia
Chuck Wolfe, Principal, Claggett Wolfe Associates, Auburn, Calif.
Moderator: Dinah Adkins, President & CEO, National Business Incubation Association, Athens, Ohio

RPI: Celebrating 25 Years of Incubation Success

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Incubator Program, an industry pioneer, is marking 25 years in operation. This university-based technology incubator has graduated hundreds of companies and created thousands of jobs. Listen as five former RPI incubator managers share lessons learned from a quarter century of experience.
Simon Balint, Project Director, Center for Economic Growth, Albany, N.Y.
Glenn Doell, Director, Office of Technology Transfer, Entrepreneurial Research and Education, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.
Jerome Mahone, Executive Director, National Environmental Technology Incubator at Central State University, Wilberforce, Ohio
Mark Rice, Dean, F.W. Olin School of Business, Babson College, Babson Park, Mass.
Moderator: Mike Wacholder, Director, Rensselaer Technology Park, Troy, N.Y.

Developing an Angel Network

Creating an angel network is challenging, and several successful models exist in the United States. This session will explore some of these models and identify best practices as well as potential pitfalls. Presenters will share specific examples of success and failure. (41 words)
Robert Calcaterra, CEO and President, Nidus Center, St. Louis, Mo.
Marianne Hudson, Director, Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, Mo.

Determining the Value of Intellectual Property

Intellectual property is a valuable asset, yet assigning a dollar amount to a concept or a technology can be difficult. This session will describe methods for determining a reliable value for intangible assets and discuss how this valuation affects financial and strategic planning for small companies.
Christopher Helmrath, Managing Director, American Express Tax and Business Services Inc., Timonium, Md.
Lawrence Levine, Director, Corporate Finance Services, American Express Tax and Business Service Inc., Chicago, Ill.

A Sector Approach to Incubation

Focusing on a specific industry sector can help new and existing incubators identify clients and generate revenues while ensuring program sustainability. This session will present a successful sector-focused incubation model, based on theories of economic clustering, that has helped 25 incubators.
Carol Lauffer, Principal, Business Cluster Development, Palo Alto, Calif.
James Robbins, Principal, Business Cluster Development, San Jose, Calif.
Susan Arcady Barich, Director, Marina Technology Cluster, Marina, Calif.

The Importance of Anchor Tenants

At least half of all North American incubators have anchor tenants, according to NBIA’s 2002 State of the Business Incubation Industry survey. This session will describe anchor tenants, explain the role they can play in an incubator, and recommend ways you can identify and accommodate a good one for your program.
Patti Breedlove, Incubator Manager, Sid Martin Biotechnology Development Institute, Alachua, Fla.
Jim Greenwood, President, Greenwood Consulting Group, Sanibel, Fla.
Moderator: Tony Tadasa, Director, Tyler Area Business Incubator, Tyler, Tex.

Roundtable: Exploring Kitchen Incubation

Many times communities develop kitchen incubators with unrealistic or unclear expectations. Come discuss what kitchen incubation can and can't do for the entrepreneurs in your community.
Moderator: Thea Chase Gilman, Executive Director, Western Colorado Business Development Corp., Grand Junciton, Colo.

Forum: Incubating Arts and Creative Industries

This NBIA Forum discussion will focus on arts and creative industry incubators in the United Kingdom and the United States. Whether you're already involved in this industry segment or just starting to consider its potential impact on your community's economic development, join this discussion to learn from experts.
Moderators: Mary Kahn Davis, President, Arts Incubation Development Inc., Metairie, La.
Sheila Hoogeboom, Program Manager, Center for Design & Business, Providence, R.I.
Toni Wanklin, Development Manager, UK Business Incubation, Birmingham, United Kingdom

Sessions 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Country Update: The Middle East

Get the latest information on the incubation industry in the Middle East. Presenters will give reports on the history, current trends and state of the industry in their regions.
Walid Bakr, CEO, Ideavelopers, Cairo, Egypt
Faris Gammoh, Managing Partner, United Group Management Consultants, Amman, Jordan
Moderator: Khaldoon Tabaza, ICT Business Incubator, Higher Council for Science and Technology, Amman, Jordan

Leveraging University Resources for Incubation

University infrastructure can provide resources for incubators and their clients, including administrative assistance, a community of support and a pipeline of potential clients. This interactive panel will describe the features of a healthy university-incubator relationship, using examples from the University of Maryland Technology Advancement Program.
David Barbe, Executive Director, Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, College Park, Md.
Herbert Rabin, Director, Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, College Park, Md.
Moderator: Lisa Smith, Principal, ANGLE Technology Group, Vienna, Va.

First Sales for Start-Ups: Tools to Ensure Extraordinary Success

Many new companies take a passive approach to securing first sales without realizing the significant impact early decisions have on later success. This session will give you the tools you need to help your clients proactively structure first sales, increasing the likelihood of sustainable revenue streams.
T.K. Kieran, President, T.K. Kieran and Associates Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
Moderator: Cindy Cheatham, Venture Catalyst, Advanced Technology Development Center, Atlanta, Ga.

GAAP vs. Tax Accounting: What Emerging Companies Need to Know

GAAP accounting presents the most accurate picture of a company’s financial condition, (necessary for management and investment purposes), while tax accounting complies with IRS rules and minimizes excess taxation. This session will explain the two approaches and how incubator clients can use them to promote financial success.
Brian Meritt, Managing Director, American Express Tax and Business Services Inc., Baltimore, Md.
Daniel Whelan, Managing Director, American Express Tax and Business Services Inc., Rockville, Md.
Moderator: Jim Sanders, Director, New Ventures, Honeywell International, Columbia, Md.

Business Incubation: Looking to the Future

Lessons related to business and entrepreneurial concepts are scattered throughout the curricula at all levels of education, but they are not taught systematically to convey the big picture of entrepreneurship. Learn about a model from England that shows how streamlining these lessons can shape the incubator clients of tomorrow.
John Edmonds, Manager, Huddersfield Business Generator, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England
John Thompson, Roger M. Bale Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England
Moderator: Devron Veasley, Director, Bessemer Business Incubation System, Bessemer, Ala.

Meet the 2005 Incubation Award Winners

Get an inside look at the 2005 NBIA Incubation Award winners. Representatives of this year’s Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year, Incubator of the Year and Innovation Award winning incubator will discuss aspects of their programs that you may wish to emulate at your own.
Moderator: Tom O’Neal, Chief Executive Officer, University of Central Florida Technology Incubator, Orlando, Fla.

Forum: International Linkages -- Turning Rhetoric Into Reality, Part 1

Your incubation program can help entrepreneurs start enterprises outside their home countries. This NBIA Forum discussion will offer examples of successful partnerships in developing and developed regions, explore options for international incubation, and suggest ways to mobilize government support for financing international linkages.
Moderators: Mary Spaeth, Manager, East Sweden Development Agency, Linkoping, Sweden
Rustam Lalkaka, President, Business & Technology Development Strategies LLC, New York, N.Y.

Forum: Keys to Incubation Success in Rural Areas

Join this NBIA Forum discussion to learn about best practices and programming for incubators in rural areas. Find out how rural programs can create support through public/private partnerships, increase your knowledge of creative fundraising, and discuss the incubator’s role in leading rural economic development.
Moderator: Jeffrey Garrett, Executive Director, Venture Out Business Center, Madison, Ind.

Sessions 4 – 5:15 p.m.

20 Years of NBIA and Incubation

Over the last 20 years, both the incubation industry and NBIA have grown and changed in numerous ways. In this session, individuals who have chaired NBIA’s Board of Directors will share their recollections and thoughts about the future of the business incubation industry and NBIA.

Moderator: Dinah Adkins, President and CEO, National Business Incubation Association, Athens, Ohio.

Country Update: Latin America

Get the latest information on the incubation industry in Latin America. Presenters will give reports on the history, current trends and state of the industry in their regions.
Manuel Bello, Steering Committee Member, INGENIO, Laboratorio Tecnologico del Uraguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
Enrique Draier, Executive Director, Instituto de Emprendimientos Cientificos y Tecno, Buenos Aires, Argentina
José Eduardo Fiates, Business Superintendent, CERTI, Florianopolis, Brazil
Moderator: Héctor Hernán Gonzalez Osorio, Director, Instituto PROINTER, Curitita, Brazil

The Role of Incubators in Research Park Success

Approximately two-thirds of North American research parks feature incubators. This session will discuss the relationship between research parks and incubators and the resources necessary to make these partnerships work. Presenters will also address economic development trends and the importance of building companies around locally developed technologies.
J. Michael Bowman, President and Chairman of the Board, Delaware Technology Park, Newark, Del.
Brian Darmody, Assistant Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University of Maryland, College Park, Md.
Ellen Hemmerly, Executive Director, UMBC Research Park Corp., Baltimore, Md.
Moderator: Charles D’Agostino, Executive Director, Louisiana Business and Technology Center, Baton Rouge, La.

Collaborating With the Community

Developing strategic community partnerships, particularly with other entrepreneur assistance organizations, helps ensure an incubator’s success. Learn how to increase awareness of your incubator, improve programming and establish a pipeline of potential clients through community partnerships.
Patrick Longo, Director, Hamilton County Business Center Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio
Adele Lyons, Executive Director, Gulf Coast Business Technology Center, Biloxi, Miss.
Moderator: Michael Lehere, Akron Industrial Incubator, Akron, Ohio

Producing Powerful Partnerships

Learn about a unique contract-for-services partnership between an incubator and a federal agency that generates business for clients and funding opportunities for the incubator. Discover how you can implement this model at your incubator.
John Elstner, CEO, Chesapeake Innovation Center, Annapolis, Md.
Carol Lauffer, Principal, Business Cluster Development, Palo Alto, Calif.
Moderator: Larry Fiorino, President, G1440, Inc., Baltimore, Md.

Best Practices in Incubating Women-Owned Businesses

The Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) has identified several best practices for helping women-owned businesses succeed. During this session AWBC members will highlight these best practices and address unique issues and challenges women business owners face.
Wendy Baumann, President, The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative, Milwaukee, Wis.
Ojeda Hall-Phillips, Executive Vice President and Director, Women’s Business Center, Local Development Corporation of East New York, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Janet Lees, Program Director, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, San Francisco, Calif.
Barclay Todd, Owner, Life Visions Media, Springfield, Va.
Barbara Wrigley, Executive Director, Women's Business Center of Northern Virginia, Springfield, Va.

Forum: International Linkages -- Turning Rhetoric Into Reality, Part 2

Forum: Issues Affecting University-Affiliated Incubators

This NBIA Forum discussion will cover university incubation as a focus for local and regional economic development, finding the right mix of university- and community-based businesses, minimizing costs of protecting intellectual property, and working with university technology transfer offices, among other topics.
Moderator: Tom O'Neal, CEO, University of Central Florida Technology Incubator, Orlando, Fla.