Scheduled Speakers for 2006-2007:
Barry Gribbon- Executive Producer/CEO, Home Run Entertainment
After producing and overseeing dozens of television series and specials, Barry Gribbon co-founded his own production venture. As Homerun's executive producer and CEO, Gribbon oversees all productions and development. Prior to Homerun, Gribbon served as Vice President of Scripps Productions, a division of Scripps Networks. Throughout his tenure at Scripps, he supervised production, operations and budgets for more than 200 television series and specials. Prior to joining Scripps, Barry was involved in producing 52 network specials and 14 television series for major broadcast networks (including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX) as well as major cable networks (including HBO, Showtime and USA).
Kelly Crean- Founder and President, Creanspeak Productions and Falcon Funding
Crean recently financed & produced Black Irish, Bradley Gann's directorial debut, starring Brenden Gleeson, Michael Angarano, Tom Guiry, and Emily Van Camp (WB's "Everwood"). Ms. Crean currently serves as the executive producer of "Gagsters!," the first hybrid reality/scripted TV show for children. Since the hit show began its run on Kids' WB in 2004; it has been sold in over forty countries. She also co-created and ep's, "Doctors of Rock," for HDnet, and "The Screaming Cocktail Hour" a new, cutting-edge musical variety series. In collaboration with the living Hip Hop legend Kool Mo Dee, Ms. Crean is also producing the revolutionary documentary There's a God on the Mic, based on his highly acclaimed book of the same title.
Kirsten Bradford- CEO, Spohn Ranch, Inc.
Spohn Ranch, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest full-service skate park firm offering design, construction, and operation services. We have an extensive background in the extreme sports industry, over 20 years of design and construction experience, and a solid knowledge of municipal contracting requirements.
Our mission is to help communities better serve the booming population of youth involved in skateboarding, inline skating, and BMX biking. We work closely with cities to create facilities that are unique, challenging, safe, and fun. Whatever the scope of your skate park project, you can rest assured that Spohn Ranch is the best choice for quality equipment and outstanding service.
Anne Marie Mueller- CEO, Creative Channel Services, Inc.
Anne Marie Mueller established Creative Channel Services in 1995, integrating her many years of channel marketing experiences with her high-technology background. Through her vision and strategic direction, CCS has become the leader in providing marketing and training solutions to the computer products and consumer electronics industries.
Tyler Garland- Boombang
Product development and branding.
Jimmy Desisto- Venice Bakery
At Venice Bakery all cakes are made from scratch with no artificial flavorings or preservations They are baked fresh daily from recipes, which go back 60 years Venice Bakery specializes in Italian and American cakes such as, cannoli, lobster tails, Pizza Rustica , Napoleon, Baba au-rum, Éclair, Tiramisu, Miniature pastries, Spumoni and of course Italian Cheesecake.
Alan Lowis- Professional Team Building and Founder of Alan Lowis Foundation
Mr. Lowis holds degrees in Economics & Business from UCLA, has completed Masters work in Psychology at Pepperdine University and has earned a Juris Doctorate from The Law School at the University of Chicago. He has presented more than 850 lectures, seminars, workshops and interactive programs on topics including motivation, teamwork, leadership, workplace morale, sales, marketing, and communication. He has served as a business consultant focusing on issues including process analysis, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence and customer relationship management. He has guided the growth and development of children and teens through philanthropic endeavors and partnerships with camps, schools and government agencies including the California Department of Juvenile Corrections and the Department of Child & Family Services.
Roberto Milk- Co-founder, Novica
Named among 'Fastest 50' Companies in the World, Novica is an online marketplace that sells the work of more than 10,000 craftspeople. The co-founders, Roberto Milk and Andy Milk, had a lifelong interest in artisans in developing countries. They teamed up with Armenia Nercessian, a UN human-rights officer, to create Novica. For five years now, Novica has served as the leading online world style marketplace, offering thousands of limited edition and one-of-a-kind gifts and home furnishings handmade in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Novica's impact group (artisans, family members, community members) has now surpassed 50,000 people worldwide.
Jeff Solomon- CEO, Leads360
Leads360, LLC, founded in August 2004, provides lead management software to mortgage, insurance and secondary education companies. Leads360 is managed by a team of technology professionals with 50 years collective experience in software development, sales and operations management.
Jeff Smith- CEO, JS2 Communications
Mr. Smith is a principal of JSsup2; Communications and a seasoned public relations and marketing professional. As CEO of JS² Communications, Smith develops long-term goals for the company within a framework of consistent daily performance objectives. Smith was co-founder of the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of New York-based public relations and marketing communications firm Kratz & Company (later Kratz & Jensen). He also serves on the boards of Los Angeles-based non-profit organizations Wonder of Reading and G.L.E.H. (Gay, Lesbian Elder Housing) and is a volunteer for the Los Angeles Alzheimer's Association. He is also a member of the Los Angeles chapter of Entrepreneur's Organization where he serves on its board as Communications Chair.
Myan Spanicelli- CEO and President, Looney Bins
Looney Bins is a waste hauling company leading with service and reliability that offers services for residential, commercial, roll-off, and storage containers. Looney Bins is dedicated to recycling and reuse of construction debris, and is an innovative recycler earning local and state recognition. The company hauls unsorted debris from residential and commercial construction sites, and processes it into reusable products and commodities. Looney Bins' modern computer tracking and reporting systems document recycling percentages that assist organizations in meeting state and municipal recycling requirements. Looney Bins is committed to helping municipalities and businesses recycle efficiently and economically.
Gary Alexander- Gemini Capital
Gemini Capital Partners is a multi-stage investment and management firm primarily focused on growth opportunities in Real Estate and early stage companies. Historically GCP and its principals have achieved a strong track record as a stage-independent investor and operator funding and managing number of companies and Real Estate holdings at various points in their life cycle. The company has been involved in the formation of companies, property development, construction and management.
Mike Caito- Founder, Restaurants on the Run
Restaurants on the Run began service in 1993 with 6 restaurants available for delivery in Irvine, California. As the concept and need for quality restaurant delivery/office catering grew, Restaurants on the Run expanded across Orange County and then into San Diego and Los Angeles. More recently, Restaurants on the Run has added the San Francisco Peninsula and the San Francisco Downtown to the growing list of delivery areas. Today, Restaurants on the Run delivers for more than 750 restaurants and growing throughout California and Las Vegas, Nevada. We are the industry leader in the restaurant delivery/catering business with over 2,000,000 successful deliveries serving more than 12 million people.
Wyatt Underwood- Founder, Safe Guard Surfacing Corp.
Safe Guard Surfacing Corporation has been providing design, installation and repair services to an array of clients since 1992. Safe Guard specializes in surfacing for playgrounds, tennis courts, running tracks, child care facilities, pools, aerobic areas, weight rooms and many other ancillary areas. Safe Guard offers many products for many needs including poured-in-place, rubber matting and pre-formed tiles. Safe Guard constructs its products with reclaimed rubber particles that have been manufactured from recycled shredded rubber. All Safe Guard Surfacing is bound together with polyurethane resin and a UV stabilizer to create an attractive, durable surface. With its free-form shaping capabilities, Safe Guard's poured-in-place design options are endless. Corporate logos, geometric patterns and shapes can be custom inlaid into the design.
Brad Schy- Founder, Musical Chairs
Mr. Schy is a UCLA graduate in communications studies and holds a JD from Loyola Law school. After practicing law for three years at Triad Artists, a major talent agency in Los Angeles, Brad backpacked throughout Europe seeing "The Wall" concert at the Berlin Wall and The Rolling Stones in Prague. Upon returning from Europe and not wanting to practice law, Brad opened Musical Chairs out of his apartment in 1990. In 1993 the agency moved to their present office in Brentwood, California. Brad is also on the Board of Directors for the UCLA Unicamp.
Brett Martz & Phil Koosed- Founders, Bamko
Founded in 1999, Bamko has expanded into 8 international locations and has become one of the fastest growing promotional companies in the $22 billion specialty advertising industry. Bamko has risen to the top 1% of the industry, and has worked with over 10% of the Fortune 500 companies. As Bamko grew, they improved their capacity by opening up satellite offices in New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, and Dehradun, India to complement their main branch in Los Angeles.
Amanda Shi- Founder, Avita Style
Conceived and designed by Amanda Shi, Avita is a contemporary collection that dares to re-imagine cashmere with a genuine sense of style for everyday wear. With fine, lightweight cashmere and silk blends, Avita is slated to be the year-round of fusionists everywhere from New York, Miami, Chicago to LA. Since its launch in 2003, Avita has consistently expanded nationwide and is now available on the website, www.avitastyle.com and is now in close to 200 stores and specialty boutiques including Southern California stores such as: Fred Segal in Santa Monica, Scou, Indexx, Rebel, The Glen Clothing Co., Laura Ganbucci. Florida stores such as At Easy On Sunset, Che Chic Boutique, Caramba, and Dazzles etc.
Marco Giannini- Founder and President, Dogswell
Marco Giannini is a native of the San Francisco bay area and has been immersed in the entrepreneurial world all his life. He attended the University of Southern California and completed his MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurial Studies. During this time, Marco also received the Best Business Plan Award and Marcia Israel Curly Award, both in 2003. Marco started his professional career working for Charles Schwab. In the fall of 2003, he launched Dogswell with the first sales in March 2004. Dogswell is currently available in over 48 states with distribution in over 3000 independent stores throughout the country.
Thaddeus Smith- Co-founder, The Music Box
Mr. Smith's professional experience includes several segments of the gastronomy industry, such as catering and event planning. While working at DC3 Restaurant and the Museum of Flying, Thaddeus was responsible for planning, design, budget and implementing all aspects of event ranging from 20 to 2000 guests. In his six years with them, he was able to build and maintain a clientele comprised of over 250 corporations, celebrity foundations and organizations.
Craig Benell- Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies, with offices in 36 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.8 trillion, at the end of second quarter 2006.
Matt Ridenour- Managing Director, Momentum Venture Management, LLC
Mr. Ridenour has been a principal in more than 25 private market transactions with an aggregate value of more than $200 million and has been active in private equity and venture capital and as a successful CEO in early stage companies. Prior to founding Momentum Venture Management in 2004, he served as CEO of Powerfile, Inc., a Silicon Valley based optical storage technology firm where he successfully led a turn-around and raised funding from Sequoia Capital. Prior to this, he was CEO and Executive Chairman of UNX, Inc., a venture-backed developer of equity trading software. In this role, Matt grew the company from start up to more than $20 million in sales in three years and led all aspects of fundraising through multiple institutional rounds and an add-on acquisition valued at $40 million. In 1999 he founded Gazelle TechVentures, a $60 million VC firm where he continues to serve as a venture partner. Previously he was a principal in Blue Capital, a mid stage private equity firm spun out of McKinsey & Company, and spent two years focusing on private equity advisory at Bain & Company. Matt holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and graduated with High Honors as a Baker Scholar (top 5% in his MBA class) from Harvard Business School.
Romie Chaudhari- Executive VP and Director of Operations and Marketing, Slimstix
 
Mr. Chaudhari has held positions as a process engineer for both Washington Group International (formerly Raytheon Engineers and Constructors, Inc.). Chaudhari also led the development of the mid-term and long-term strategic marketing plan for BASF Corporation's Human Nutrition Division. He has an MBA in Corporate Finance and Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Tufts University.
Zak Brown- President, Just Marketing Inc.
 
Just Marketing Inc. is an Indianapolis-based firm that develops strategic motorsports marketing packages on behalf of corporate clients. Just Marketing's clients include Subway, Volkswagen, Eli Lilly, Merrill Lynch, STP, DEWALT, and Smirnoff Ice Triple Black. In addition to sponsorship opportunities, Just Marketing offers its Executive Drive driving event program for corporate entertainment, putting executives and their top clients behind the wheels of high-powered race cars and sports cars. Brown spent more than 10 years racing in a variety of championship series in the United States and Europe. His racing career highlights include second-place finishes at the 24 Hours of Daytona and at the 12 hours of Sebring — both for Porsche. He also scored a first-place finish in his first professional race, at England's famed Donington Park, driving Formula Ford 1600.
Valentino Creus- Principal, The Creus Group
The Creus Group is an international brokerage company that specializes in delivering high value products and services in the healthcare, consumer business and technology-driven industries. Val is a Co-Founder and Program Director of the Ahead Leadership Program, a Mentoring Program designed to help high school boys from throughout Southern California to become successful in high school. The Program's focus is on leadership, character-building, academic, social and civic excellence. Val also serves as a Board Member of Tilden Study Center, a cultural and educational center that provides career counseling to both high school and university students.
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