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Keynote Speaker
Rhonda Abrams
Small Business Columnist
USA Today
Author, entrepreneur, and nationally-syndicated columnist, Rhonda Abrams is widely recognized as one of the nation's foremost experts on business planning, small business and entrepreneurship. Rhonda writes the nation's most widely-distributed column on small business and entrepreneurship, appearing weekly in USA Today. She is the author of 19 books -- which have sold more than a million copies, been translated into over 30 languages, and adopted by more than 1000 business schools. Her books include the best-selling business plan guide in the United States: Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies. Her most recent book is Entrepreneurship: A Real World Approach.
Rhonda not only writes about entrepreneurship; she lives it. She has started four successful companies. Currently, she's President and Chief Entrepreneur of PlanningShop, a leading content creation and publishing company specializing in entrepreneurship, based in Silicon Valley.
Rhonda was named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Silicon Valley and every year has been named one of the Top 100 Small Business Influencers. She was educated at UCLA (where she was named Outstanding Senior) and Harvard. She lives in Palo Alto, California.
USA Today
Hugh M. Evans III
Vice President of Corporate Development & Ventures
3D Systems
Hugh Evans is currently the VP, Corporate Development & Ventures at 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE: DDD). In this role, he leads both M&A and Venture Capital investments on behalf of the leading 3D printing company in the world. Previously, he served as an analyst and portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price Associates in Baltimore, MD for over 20 years. In this role, he focused on small-capitalization and private equity investments.
Hugh has served with a broad number of nonprofit organizations. He was formerly board chair of V-LINC, which provides technology solutions to the developmentally disabled, as well as a board member of the T. Rowe Price Foundation. He is currently on the boards of Catholic Charities of Maryland and The Arc of the United States. He is also on the investment committees of Catholic Charities of Maryland (chair), the Archdiocese of Baltimore (chair), The Arc of the United States, Mercy Hospital and The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and serves The Jefferson Scholars Foundation at The University of Virginia.
Hugh grew up in New Orleans, received a B.A. at The University of Virginia, and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. He is an active angel investor in the Baltimore and New Orleans markets. He currently lives in Baltimore with his wife Sarah Labouisse Evans and four children Eleonore, Alexander, Sidonie and Mignon.
3D Systems
Michael Megalli
Senior Director of Brand Strategy
Michael Megalli is Senior Director of Brand Strategy at Microsoft where he has led re-branding and product launch strategy across the company's wide portfolio of products and services. Prior to joining Microsoft, Michael led Group 1066, a New York-based brand consultancy which he also founded. Michael serves on the board of RISE Egypt, an organization that will use market-based social entrepreneurship as a means to build new solutions to Egypt's critical challenges. He's a graduate of New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program and Brown University.
Amos Winbush III
Founder & CEO
Amos Winbush III is the CEO and mastermind behind CyberSynchs, the world's leading universal data transfer and synchronization company. It all began when Amos's iPhone crashed: frustrated with no simple solution, he took charge of the problem and created a universal synchronization company with global reach. Amos drives solutions. Under 30, Amos is one of the youngest and brightest CEO's in the tech industry. Amos views today's world of technology as an ecosystem supporting innovation and valuing disruptors. Through his leadership and vision, Amos quickly grew CyberSynchs into the multi-million dollar company it is today. Understanding and devoted to providing technical tools and education in both rural and urban areas, Amos donates resources and technology to schools nationwide. He currently serves on The Board of Directors for The New York Urban League and The United States of America Congressional Awards Foundation. Amos continues to lead the CyberSynchs' executive team on the path of high growth, revolutionizing the world of data synchronization for virtually any digital device. In addition to CyberSynchs Amos launched AW3 Media in 2013. AW3 Media is a media firm dedicated to developing compelling programs that share the global entrepreneurial journey. AW3 Media's first developed series "Project Entrepreneur" will debut the winter of 2013 across BET and CentricTV. He's from Louisiana and lives in New York.
Andrew Yang
Founder & CEO
Venture for America
Andrew Yang is the author of Smart People Should Build Things and the Founder and CEO of Venture for America, a fellowship program that places top college graduates in start-ups for 2 years in low-cost U.S. cities to generate job growth and train the next generation of entrepreneurs. Andrew has worked in start-ups and early stage growth companies as a founder or executive for more than twelve years. He was the CEO and President of Manhattan GMAT, a test preparation company that was acquired by the Washington Post/Kaplan in 2009. He has also served as the co-founder of an Internet company and an executive at a health care software start-up. Andrew was named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2011 for his work with Venture for America and one of Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business" for 2012 and 2013. He is a graduate of Columbia Law and Brown University.
Smart People Should Build Things
Venture for America
Torrie Adams
Product Manager
Torrie Adams is a certified Project Management Professional, ex-developer (who still likes to dabble here and there), and Product Manager at Kickboard. Prior to Kickboard, Torrie ran the Test Delivery Systems suite of products for Prometric, a subsidiary of ETS and industry leader in test development and delivery. In her career, Torrie has brought five new products to market and advised entrepreneurs on three additional new product developments. In her spare time, Torrie founded and runs the New Orleans Women in Technology Group, which offers mentoring, networking, and career guidance to local women.
Klint Alexander
Of Counsel
Baker Donelson
Klint Alexander, of counsel in the Firm's Nashville office, is a member of the Firm's Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions Group and is a member of the Global Business Team. He concentrates his practice in the areas of international law, commercial litigation and government affairs, including UK regulatory matters and energy and utility regulations. Dr. Alexander has represented numerous clients in federal and state court litigation and in arbitrations before various governing bodies, including the American Arbitration Association and the International Chamber of Commerce.
For the past decade, Dr. Alexander has represented and counseled corporations in the United States and in England on international and domestic law matters. During the 1990s, he served as a trade negotiator in the Clinton administration, where he led the U.S. negotiating team to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the first trade policy reviews of Japan, Canada, the EU, Pakistan, Indonesia and Zimbabwe, and he represented the United States in negotiations before the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels. In 2004, Dr. Alexander joined the Political Science and Law faculties at Vanderbilt University, where he has taught courses on International Law, the United Nations and International Trade and Investment. He is the author and editor of several books, book chapters and articles on international and constitutional law.
Baker Donelson
Dean Amhaus
President & CEO
The Water Council
Dean Amhaus has served as the President & CEO of The Water Council since March 2010. His diverse, thirty-year background in multiple sectors encapsulates a wide-range of expertise in government relations, branding, fundraising, economic development and non-profit management in Washington, D.C. and Madison, Wisconsin. Amhaus has also served as the President of The Spirit of Milwaukee, the President of Forward Wisconsin, the state's economic development organization, and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission.
The Water Council
Jon Atkinson
Financial Executive
TruFund Financial Services, Inc.
Jon Atkinson is the Senior Loan Officer and Manager of Origination for Trufund Financial Services, Inc. covering the state of Louisiana. Trufund is an alternative lender focusing on the needs of clients that are underserved by traditional banks. Trufund provides flexible capital for working capital, inventory finance, equipment and leasehold improvements from $50,000-$500,000 for operating companies across a wide range of industries. Prior to joining Trufund, Jon worked in commercial banking for Hancock Bank. He holds an MBA from Tulane with a focus on Entrepreneurship and a degree in Economics from Davidson College in Davidson, NC.
TruFund Financial Services, Inc.
Katie Beck
Chief Operating Officer
4.0 Schools
Katie Beck joined the 4.0 Schools team after working in public education in New Orleans for the past four years. Ms. Beck taught 5th and 6th grade English at Schaumburg Elementary. After teaching, Ms. Beck joined the Teach For America-Greater New Orleans staff, most recently working as Director of Strategy and Innovation. In this role, she led multiple innovation initiatives. This included a recruiting initiative that tripled the number of African American corps members, a new program for second year corps members to explore their long term career and leadership interests, and an entrepreneurship pilot that included 25 corps members and alumni. Katie graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Social Studies.
4.0 Schools
Eron Bloomgarden
EKO Asset Management Partners
As a pioneer in the development of international carbon markets, Eron has advised governments, multilateral institutions, and corporations on many aspects of environmental markets. He has extensive experience in the areas of carbon finance, ecosystem services, and green infrastructure. Eron has worked on several carbon market "firsts" including the first Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in the world to receive carbon credits and the first unilateral CDM project.
Eron is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University where he teaches environmental markets at the Earth Institute's MS in Sustainability Management. He is a frequent speaker on environmental finance and a member of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Agenda Council on Biodiversity and Natural Capital. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Environmental Markets Association (EMA), and as a Liaison Delegate to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
EKO Asset Management Partners
Peter Bodenheimer
A native New Orleanian, Peter has almost 20 years working in software and web application development with startups in markets from San Francisco to Boston. As a partner in FlatStack, Peter directs the sales, marketing, and client relations for a 50+ person global software engineering firm with clients across 11 different time zones. He is also a partner in Launch Pad, focusing on working with early stage companies and the co-founder and CEO of BarNotes, the first social network dedicated to the art of the cocktail.
Daniel Bourgeois
Executive Director
St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation
Danny Bourgeois is currently the Executive Director and one of the founding Board Members of the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation. Immediately after Hurricane Katrina devastated St. Bernard Parish this Foundation was established as a non-profit entity in December 2005 to serve to promote economic development and commercial growth in St. Bernard Parish.
St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation
Bryan Bowdler
Phelps Dunbar LLP
Bryan Bowdler practices in the area of commercial litigation in Phelps Dunbar LLP's New Orleans office, where he handles a broad array of commercial disputes and specializes in contract disputes, bankruptcy litigation and professional liability. He has served as counsel to several companies sued for unfair trade practices and violating non-compete covenants and has represented creditors, professional services firms, manufacturers, and shipping companies in a range of litigation. Mr. Bowdler also provides pro bono legal services to Propeller: A Source for Social Innovation in New Orleans.
Phelps Dunbar LLP
Chris Boyd
Chris Boyd founded Apptitude, a mobile app design and development studio, in 2012 after being recruited by an entrepreneur outreach program called NOLAbound. His company helps entrepreneurs and businesses launch apps for iOS, Android, and the web. Chris has been building applications for over ten years for companies such as Continental Airlines, WordPress, and Hearst Corporation. He is a proud New Orleanian and loves showing people all the great things that are going on in his city. His favorite tools are Objective-C, Ruby on Rails, and JavaScript.
Quin Breland
Baker Donelson
Quin Breland focuses his practice in mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions and real estate. He is also experienced in gaming matters and maritime law. His general corporate practice involves assisting clients in a variety of corporate transactions. Quin represents clients in transactions on both the buy-side and sell-side, including providing advice on deal structure, handling the negotiations and documentation, and deal closing. He also represents buyers, sellers and lenders in commercial real estate matters, including the purchase and sale of real property, leases, financing and title related matters. Quin has been listed as a Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Blair Broussard
Vice President
Blair is a seasoned communications professional who understands the ever-evolving world of social media and how it intersects with traditional marketing and public relations. With both agency and in-house communications and marketing experience, Blair recognizes the importance of delivering tangible results, and has strategically grown social media networks by 90% annually across multiple platforms. During her time as communications manager at Community Coffee Company, she was featured in publications such as Inc.com, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Social Media Marketing and a Hootsuite social medial webinar series as someone who "gets" social media in the corporate world. Blair received a Masters degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University's Manship School of Mass Communication, and has experience in digital and traditional marketing and public relations in a variety of industries.
Matt Candler
4.0 Schools
Matt Candler, a veteran of the charter school movement is Founder of 4.0 Schools. From 2001 to 2004, Matt served as KIPP Foundation's Vice President of School Development, where his team established 37 new schools across the U.S. Matt later served as founding COO of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence, a $41 million effort to promote quality charter school creation. Most recently, Matt served New Schools for New Orleans as its first CEO and built a team whose human capital and school creation efforts have led to the most innovative and aggressive public school reforms in the nation. Matt continues to play an active role in Louisiana reform as chairman of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools and co-founder of the city-wide teacher support community closingthenolagap.org.
4.0 Schools
Patrick Comer
Federated Sample
Patrick has ten years of experience with start-ups as a founder, investor, and executive with seven years experience in the market research industry. As CEO of Federated Sample, Patrick is leading the effort to revolutionize the Sample Industry. Prior, he led OTX Research's effort to improve sample acquisition and routing technology resulting in the company's acquisition for $71MM. Patrick got his entrepreneurial start in the halcyon days of dot-com as Chief of Staff of govWorks, an e-government startup raising $65MM in the US. Patrick has his MBA from Columbia Business School and his BA from Sewanee.
Federated Sample
Barrett Conrad
Barrett Conrad is a New Orleans based independent software engineer with a decade of software development and management experience. Through his company CotingaSoft, he specializes in the development of business applications, startup products and mobile apps. His software experience is spread across multiple industries including medical, legal, banking, insurance, education and games. He is an active organizer and member of the New Orleans technology community.
Warner Delaune
Of Counsel
Baker Donelson
Through representation of both large and small companies, Warner Delaune has written and prosecuted numerous patent applications across a wide variety of technologies, including medical devices, sporting goods, watercraft, computer networking, wastewater treatment, recycling processes, metal cleaning and coating, electromechanical control systems, oil and gas extraction and manufacturing equipment. Mr. Delaune also counsels clients in transactional matters involving intellectual property, including license agreements, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, he handles intellectual property litigation matters in both federal and state court. Mr. Delaune is AV® Preeminent™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America®.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Melissa Ehlinger
Vice President, Strategy, Industry & Research
New Orleans Business Alliance
Melissa Ehlinger is responsible for leading the New Orleans Business Alliance's economic development strategy, working with City leadership to drive policy outcomes that improve competitiveness, and providing customized research to support strategy and policy objectives. She led the development of and is responsible for the implementation of ProsperityNOLA: A Plan to Drive Economic Growth for 2013, the City's five-year economic development strategic plan. Her previous experience in urban economic development includes work with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, where she worked as a Project Manager in residential and commercial corridor redevelopment. Melissa previously served as an Attorney with the United States Department of Transportation in New York City and Washington, DC prior to moving back to New Orleans in 2008. A native New Orleanian, Melissa holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin, Phi Beta Kappa; a JD from The George Washington University; and a Masters in Urban Planning, with a specialization in housing and economic development, from the University of New Orleans.
New Orleans Business Alliance
Susan Fernandes
Director of Operations
US Business Council for Sustainable Development
Susan Fernandes directs the Louisiana Water Synergy Project for the US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD), a program that brings together government, industry and stakeholders into a structured forum to find and implement mutually beneficial solutions to address water quality, quantity, and stormwater issues. Twenty one companies participate, including major refining, chemicals, steel, aluminum, power, fertilizer, beverage, and service industries. Ms. Fernandes earned a Master of Science in Information Technology at the University of Texas at Austin, and her B.A. from Scripps College in Claremont, California. She has more than 30 years of experience as an environmental consultant with URS and AECOM focused on environmental risk management, site characterization and risk assessment, remediation, decommissioning, due diligence, permitting and compliance management, and sustainability program support.
US Business Council for Sustainable Development
Asher Friend
Jones Walker LLP
Asher J. Friend is a partner in Jones Walker's Corporate & Securities Practice Group. His practice is exclusively transactional, concentrating principally on the areas of securities law, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and general corporate law. Throughout the course of his professional career, Asher has represented clients at each stage of the growth cycle; from emerging, start-up, privately owned companies to mature publicly-traded companies. He has extensive experience in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities, M&A transactions, as well as advising and assisting clients through the entire spectrum of related corporate and securities matters. Asher is a frequent presenter for the National Business Institute and the Idea Village, having presented at the Idea Village's 2010 workshop, "Legal Panel: Start-Up Law for Entrepreneurs," and "Angel and A-Round Equity Financing – Issues and Process" as part of the past three New Orleans Entrepreneur Weeks.
Jones Walker LLP
Todd Giustiniano
The McLean Group
Todd Giustiniano is a Director in The McLean Group's Mandeville, LA office. Mr. Giustiniano has 27 years' experience, including public accounting with a Big Four accounting firm, serving as CFO for several privately-held companies and eight years as a principal with a national investment banking firm. Mr. Giustiniano has participated in due diligence reviews, capital raises, mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations and turnarounds on behalf of both private and public companies across a variety of industries.
Mr. Giustiniano graduated from the University of New Orleans with Bachelors and Masters degrees in accounting. He is a CPA and began his accounting career with Touche Ross' New Orleans office.
The McLean Group
Alex Glaser
Phelps Dunbar LLP
Alex Glaser, an associate in Phelps Dunbar LLP's New Orleans office, practices in the area of labor and employment law with a concentration in employee benefits and executive compensation. His practice includes the design, implementation and administration of tax-qualified and non-qualified plans and arrangements. He also drafts and amends employment agreements, non-competition agreements and severance agreements. Mr. Glaser also practices in the area of immigration law, assisting clients with hiring foreign employees and regulatory issues. He is interested in assisting new and expanding businesses, and has presented to entrepreneurs regarding trade secrets, confidentiality, employment law issues and other topics.
Phelps Dunbar LLP
Mark Graffagnini
Managing Member
Graffagnini + Associates, LLC
Mark is a lawyer who focuses on company formation, venture capital financing and mergers/acquisitions for businesses of various sizes. Prior to founding his own law firm, Graffagnini + Associates, Mark worked at the largest law firm in Silicon Valley. Mark represents companies raising capital, investors forming funds and making investments and has experience representing both public and private companies in a variety of transactions including securities reporting, tax credits and licensing. He is a former law clerk to Judge Ivan Lemelle, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Mark graduated with honors from Tulane University Law School, where he was an editor of the Tulane Law Review.
Graffagnini + Associates, LLC
Charles Groat
President & CEO
The Water Institute of the Gulf
Chip Groat, Ph.D., is a globally recognized expert on earth sciences, energy, resource assessment, groundwater issues and coastal studies. Along with decades of experience he brings from the United States Geological Survey, academia and as a world-class researcher on energy and water resources, he has a deft understanding of Louisiana's coastal issues. He directed the U.S. Geological Survey under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and served as executive director of the American Geological Institute. His experience as an educator includes time spent as Executive Director at the Center for Coastal, Energy and Environmental Resources at Louisiana State University and as a professor for LSU's Department of Geology and Geophysics.
The Water Institute of the Gulf
Colin Grussing
Colin Grussing grew up in Lafayette and moved to NOLA in '07 after graduating from Yale in Mechanical Engineering. Colin has since started 6 businesses selling a variety of products from Bear Coats to Motorcycle Sidecars, as well as investing in real estate. In 2013, he appeared on Shark Tank with his business RootSuit.com. With his next venture, 52Businesses, he intends to start a new business each week and document the adventures in a blog, podcast, and web series. 52Businesses will showcase the accessibility of entrepreneurship, with the goal of helping other entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life.
Megan Hargroder
Founder & Strategist
Conversations LLC
Megan Hargroder developed Conversations, LLC in 2010 to pursue her passion: helping startups create social media strategies that work, and empowering them to build an online buzz around their badass brands! She works exclusively with companies and individuals that she loves, believes in and wants to see thrive. Megan's background is in broadcast journalism, video production and non-profit communications. Besides the Internet, she loves yoga, exploring the city, cooking healthy food and reading at the park.
Conversations LLC
Lesli Harris
Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
Lesli Harris is a Member of Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C. She focuses her legal practice on intellectual property and entertainment law, representing sports teams, a television network, startup companies and a music venue. Other areas of emphasis include employment law, class action defense and business litigation. She assists individuals, start-ups and small businesses to maximize their potential by assessing and managing risk, protecting assets and developing growth strategies. Lesli regularly discusses fashion, media, entertainment and intellectual property law with a unique N'awlins perspective on her Fashion & Entertainment Law Guide blog.
Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
Jill Harrison
Practice Director
Silverline CRM
Jill Harrison is a technology consultant and team builder whose creative design and business process engineering skills are laser-focused on helping her clients succeed. Jill has 10 years of experience with design, architecture, and integration in the Financial Services, Education, High-Tech, and Non-Profit worlds. Her experience in recent years has led to a passion for helping start-ups hit the ground running with all the right processes and tools to succeed and iterate.
Jill is a Practice Director with Silverline, a Salesforce.com Premier Consulting Partner located in New York City. At Silverline, Jill directs the design and implementation services of strategic projects with the firm while also acting as the internal Marketing expert and leading up Silverline's corporate volunteerism program.
A Midwestern native hailing from Kansas City, Jill studied English and International Studies at the University of Chicago. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York and spends any and all free time she has renovating an old house, taking photographs with old cameras, and traveling to new and exciting places.
Silverline CRM
Benjamin Janke
Baker Donelson
Benjamin Janke focuses his practice on commercial litigation and intellectual property. Mr. Janke is an experienced advocate in a broad spectrum of industries, assisting clients in matters related to trademark, copyright, media, emerging companies, construction, title insurance, real estate, landlord/tenant, hospitality, telecommunications, insurance, mortgage, foreclosures and collections. Mr. Janke also has extensive knowledge and experience with prescription and statutes of limitation under Louisiana law and in a global context. Mr. Janke also enjoys the study of international and comparative law, and working on law reform. Mr. Janke has been listed as a Louisiana Rising Star in Louisiana Super Lawyers.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Mark Jeanfreau
Phelps Dunbar LLP
Phelps Dunbar LLP partner Mark Jeanfreau practices in the area of business law, with a focus on corporate and securities law and mergers and acquisitions. He has particular experience in all aspects of public and private company representation, including public offerings, private placements, reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, proxy contests, general corporate governance matters, as well as mergers and acquisitions for both publicly-traded corporations and privately-held firms. Mr. Jeanfreau also represents investors in venture capital and private equity transactions. A number of Mr. Jeanfreau's clients are entrepreneurs and investors.
Phelps Dunbar LLP
Kevin Laborde
Cash Flow Resources, LLC
A native of central Louisiana, Kevin is the founder and President of CFR. He earned his degree in finance from Georgetown University and a MBA from Louisiana State University. Over the ensuing 22 years, Kevin went on to hold numerous marketing, credit and managerial positions with regional, national and international banks; the last 14 with Bank One in Louisiana (now Chase) where he worked in meeting the credit needs of clients of all sizes. In addition to CFR, Kevin was an adjunct faculty member for 10 years in the Finance Department of Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business, where he taught a senior-level course in commercial banking. Having been a Rotarian for many years, Kevin was the 2010-11 president of the Rotary Club of New Orleans. He also chairs the Southeast Louisiana interviewing committee for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Georgetown University, and is a board member of the New Orleans Chapter of the Turnaround Management Association.
Cash Flow Resources, LLC
Sen. Mary Landrieu
United States Senator of Louisiana
U.S. Congress
Sen. Mary Landrieu has dedicated her life to serving Louisiana and helping build a prosperous future that Louisiana families, small businesses, and seniors can count on. After serving eight years in the Louisiana State Legislature and two terms as Louisiana's Treasurer, Sen. Landrieu became the first woman elected from Louisiana to a full term in the U.S. Senate.
In the U.S. Senate, Sen. Landrieu has been the leading voice to secure Louisiana's fair share of offshore energy production revenue to rebuild its coast and to make flood insurance affordable. Sen. Landrieu fought a nearly 10-year, bruising battle to establish revenue sharing for energy producing states in the Gulf so Louisiana can restore and protect our coast. Sen. Landrieu also led the successful effort to pass the RESTORE Act that directs 80 percent of the billions BP faces in fines back to the five Gulf Coast states for environmental and economic recovery, among other victories.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Sen. Landrieu is the daughter of Moon and Verna Landrieu and the oldest of nine children. She is married to Frank Snellings of Monroe, and they have two children, Connor and Mary Shannon, and a dog, Sugar Belle.
Mary Landrieu - Leadership for Louisiana
Jennifer Larino
Business Reporter
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Jennifer Larino has lived in New Orleans and worked covering local business since 2010. She was managing editor of New Orleans CityBusiness before moving to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune in December 2013 where her beats now include energy, banking, and finance. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Michael Leachman
Jones Walker LLP
Michael Leachman is a Registered Patent Attorney and a partner on Jones Walker's Intellectual Property team. Mr. Leachman provides clients with a full range of services relating to the acquisition and enforcement of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. He has experience handling a wide variety of technologies in numerous industries, including the biomedical, chemical, computer science, mechanical, and nanotechnology fields. Mr. Leachman also has represented clients in federal and state courts across the country, as well as before the International Trade Commission.
Jones Walker LLP
Chip Leyens
Baker Donelson
Chip Leyens focuses his practice on commercial real estate leasing and development, and business financing. He has represented numerous companies and individuals, including both lenders and borrowers, in connection with a wide spectrum of commercial transactions, including leasehold development and financing, securitized transactions, asset-based financing, bond loans, public-private cooperative endeavors and utility development matters. Mr. Leyens represents office, retail and industrial landlords, as well as tenants in significant office, hotel and retail transactions. Mr. Leyens is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review by Martindale-Hubbell listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America®, and Louisiana Super Lawyers.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Barry Liner
Director, Water Science & Engineering Center
Water Environment Federation
Dr. Barry Liner earned his doctorate in Water Resources Sustainability and degrees in environmental systems engineering, business administration, and economics. He serves as Director of the Water Science & Engineering Center at the Water Environment Federation (WEF). Dr. Liner leads WEF's water technology innovation cluster development, working closely with EPA and a growing number of regional water clusters and leaders. He is a licensed professional engineer with more than two decades of experience working in the water industry in engineering, manufacturing, and with the World Bank. Dr. Liner also worked at George Mason University as a professor of Sustainability and Environmental Engineering. He is active in Engineers Without Borders and is a US Green Building Council Green Associate.
Water Environment Federation
Lisa Lloyd
Lloyd Marketing Group, Inc.
Lisa Lloyd has patented and licensed seven of her own products, and more on behalf of clients netting over $30M in sales. She's been featured on shows like Dr. Phil, The Big Idea, and Shark Tank. Her success and passion for helping inventors makes her one of the foremost trainers in the industry. During the 2014 Entrepreneur Season, Lisa is serving as an IDEAsession mentor as well as an EIR for the inaugural Food Challenge. Her areas of expertise include Business Strategies for Patents, Licensing Best Practices, Direct Response Advertising methodology, and Overall Invention Process.
Lloyd Marketing Group, Inc.
Cordelia McGee-Tubb
User Experience Prototyper
Cordelia specializes in building clean user interfaces that enable people to get things done quickly. She spent the past few years as a software developer building tools for salesforce administrators to customize their applications. She recently transitioned to the User Experience team, where she helps design new products and creates functional web prototypes to communicate the team's visions. She is an advocate for digital literacy and volunteers regularly as a computer tutor for senior citizens.
Carl Nelson
Senior UI Designer, Research & Development
Carl designs web applications, products, and services in San Francisco. His interests focus on behavior change, system and service design, and the intersection of the physical and the digital. Currently, Carl is a Senior UI Designer by day at Salesforce.com and a craftsman and tinkerer by night.
Scott Nesbitt
Senior Solution Engagement Director
Scott has 30 years experience in Business and Technology. He has worked for 3 start-ups ranging from initially 2 people that grew to 25 and from 50 that grew to 200 people, as well as for large companies such as EDS, Ernst & Young Consulting, and Salesforce. Scott has been working in the CRM market space since 1999. He has helped sell licenses and projects, and has managed teams that have done both. He has overseen the implementation of hundreds of CRM projects.
PJ Newcomb
Sustainability Program Manager
Coca-Cola North America
PJ serves as Sustainability Program Manager for Coca-Cola North America. In addition to leading the Energy & Climate space in North America, PJ works on policy, governance, and the tactical integration of all the Environment and Sustainability work streams in North America, including Water Stewardship, Energy Efficiency and Climate Protection, Sustainable Packaging, and Sustainable Agriculture. He has focused on advancing sustainability for most of his 18-year career in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, government, and higher education. PJ holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering as well as an MS in History of Technology from Georgia Tech.
Coca-Cola Sustainability Report
Jenna Nicholas
CEO & Co-founder
Phoenix Global Impact
Jenna is the co-founder and CEO of a social enterprise, Phoenix Global Impact. Phoenix Global is a consulting firm that specializes in helping leaders in the fields of impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and strategic philanthropy. Through investment advisory, strategy consulting, and research-driven business development support, Phoenix Global works to magnify its clients' impact and promote a more sustainable and just society. Jenna is also an Associate to Wayne Silby, Chairman of Calvert Special Equities in Washington, DC.
Jenna Nicholas graduated from Stanford University, with an International Relations Honors Degree, having also read International Development at Oxford University. Jenna has also interned at: the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR); the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society; the Siebel Foundation; Global Health Corps, and Business for Social Responsibility in Beijing. She was on the Board of the Stanford Haas Center for Public Service, and the Judging Chair of the Business Association for Stanford Entrepreneurial Students Social Entrepreneurship Competition. In Fall 2013, Jenna co-taught a course at Tsinghua School of Economics and Management on Value Creation through Impact Investing and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Phoenix Global Impact
Yakaira "Kai" Nunez
Lead Researcher, Research & Development
Kai is a user, a customer, and a design researcher. She is a user experience strategist and UX program delivery manager. She loves technology that enables the human/life/work experience to integrate seamlessly. She has employed her expertise across industries and services for multinational organizations, educational institutions, and small boutique firms. Kai's current focus is design research project management, cloud tech, social networking & collaboration, and customer relationship management systems (CRM) improvement.
Gerard Ramos
Founder & CEO
Revelry Labs LLC
Founder and CEO of Revelry, Gerard has been working on the web for 15 years. He's a self-taught developer and passionate entrepreneur always up for a challenge. When he's not on the web, you will find him fishing the South Louisiana bayous, building things, traveling and urban farming with his amazing wife, Corina.
Revelry Labs LLC
Stephen Reuther
St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce
Stephen began his career as a Realtor in 2003 and has been a partner in multiple small business entities since then. In September of 2011, Stephen was hired to serve as CEO for the St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce. Previously he served as Vice-Chairman and Chairman for that organization.
As CEO of the St. Bernard Chamber, Stephen oversees the successful execution of all programmatic and administrative activities and is responsible for representing the interests of approximately 200 businesses that employ over 4800 employees in the metro New Orleans area. His success includes the creation of St. Bernard's first leadership program – Leadership St. Bernard.
Stephen serves on the Board of Directors for multiple organizations including the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation, GNO Inc., Crimestoppers GNO, and NORLI (New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute). He also serves as a member of the Southeast Regional Coalition of Business Councils, Nunez Community College Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, and is a founding member of GNO Inc.'s NextGen Council.
St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce
David Rieveschl
Baker Donelson
David C. Rieveschl concentrates his practice in corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and securities law. His practice includes structuring public and private sales of equity and debt instruments and advising clients on compliance with securities laws. In addition, Mr. Rieveschl regularly counsels established and emerging enterprises on issues affecting legal structure, intellectual property rights and venture capital financing. David is AV® Preeminent™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers and Louisiana Super Lawyers, and was named a "Top Lawyer" by New Orleans Magazine in Venture Capital Law and a "Silicon Bayou Top 100" by the Silicon Bayou News.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Kim Rodriguez
Senior Program Architect
Kim Rodriguez is part of the Strategic Accounts team as a Senior Program Architect, and has worked with dozens of customers over 6 years of experience in implementing and advising Salesforce customers. She specializes in developing solution strategies across a technology stack for enterprise to small businesses.
Kristen Schorp
Of Counsel
Graffagnini + Associates, LLC
Kristen Schorp is an attorney representing several of the most prominent companies in the New Orleans entrepreneurial ecosystem over the last year. Kristen is of counsel at Graffagnini + Associates, a law firm focusing on the representation of entrepreneurs and investors in emerging growth company sector. In the last three years, Graffagnini + Associates has acted as lead counsel in several millions of dollars worth of angel, venture capital and private equity financings, and mergers and acquisitions. Kristen also serves on the board of directors of local non-profit The Green Project and on the Executive Counsel of the New Orleans Bar Association Young Lawyers Section.
Graffagnini + Associates, LLC
Britton Seal
Jones Walker LLP
Britton Seal is a partner in the Corporate & Securities Practice Group at Jones Walker. With broad knowledge of corporate and securities law, Mr. Seal represents clients in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; private equity transactions; business formation, counseling, and capitalization; joint ventures; and private and public securities compliance.
Jones Walker LLP
Amber Seely
Interim Economic Development Director
Regional Planning Commission
Amber Seely is an urban redevelopment professional engaged in real estate development, community development, urban planning and public policy. For 5 years she focused on real estate development for a quasi-public entity and a non-profit organization. Building on her real estate finance and underwriting work, Amber became a certified real estate market analyst and consulted with a variety of clients to strengthen real estate development proposals throughout the New Orleans region post-Katrina. She is now the Interim Director of Economic Development for the Regional Planning Commission coordinating long-term planning in the 5-parish region. Amber holds a Masters in Urban Policy from The New School and an Urban Redevelopment Certificate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.
Regional Planning Commission
ED Shedlock
Assistant Executive Director
The Entrepreneurship Center at Nunez Community College
ED was born and raised on the edge of Detroit, Michigan and moved to New Orleans in 2007. He has worked as a prison guard, an automotive industry liaison, business consultant, controller and a pizza franchise developer, among other things. In 2013 he was offered an opportunity to become a Chef Instructor at the New Orleans School of Cooking and also accepted a position as the Assistant Director of the Entrepreneurship Center at Nunez Community College. In his spare time, ED is an avid runner and fitness fanatic. He enjoys all things related to Bourbon and its history. He and his wife live in the French Quarter, where they run a women's boutique (Hoi Polloi) and stay involved in keeping the neighborhood a vibrant place for residents and businesses alike.
Nunez Community College
Chris Sloan
Baker Donelson
Mr. Sloan focuses his practice on start-ups and other emerging businesses and also handles complex software and other IT transactions for both small and large companies alike. He helps many early-stage, high-growth businesses with business planning and formation, funding, drafting and negotiating vendor and customer agreements, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property protection and other business intellectual property law issues. Mr. Sloan is listed in The Best Lawyers in America® and Mid-South Super Lawyers and was named a "Top 40 Professional in Tennessee Under 40" by the Nashville Business Journal.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Blair Suire
Jones Walker LLP
Blair B. Suire is a Registered Patent Attorney and an associate on Jones Walker's Intellectual Property team. She assists clients with obtaining and enforcing patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Ms. Suire's patent experience spans several fields, including oilfield service products, chemical and pharmaceutical products, medical devices, electrical and software systems, and consumer products. She has also assisted clients in litigation in federal and state courts.
Jones Walker LLP
Paul Thibodeaux
Frilot LLC
Frilot partner Paul Thibodeaux specializes in mass tort and class action litigation. Mr. Thibodeaux earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Louisiana State University in 2000 before going on to earn his law degree from Tulane University Law School in 2004. Mr. Thibodeaux's background in engineering assists him in the defense and prosecution of many technical-based claims in the fields of energy and environmental law, construction law, products liability, intellectual property, and toxic torts. Mr. Thibodeaux is also a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Thibodeaux works closely with fellow partners Kerry Miller and Miles Clements on high profile cases such as the BP oil spill multi-district litigation, the Chinese drywall multi-district litigation, and the Hurricane Katrina-related Murphy oil spill class action litigation.
Frilot LLC
Alan Weinkrantz
Alan Weinkrantz & Company
Public Relations advisor and contributing columnist, Alan Weinkrantz has worked with teams who developed the standards that enabled the transmission of data through wireless networks, the development of computer networking, one of the first Internet cafes in the world, the rise of computer security, the commercialization of VoIP, the creation of the WiFi standard, the deployment of IPTV, a new wired home network standard known as G.hn, the world's first Windows-based true multi-touch tablet PC, and many other transformational technologies that are now considered mainstream.
Alan Weinkrantz & Company
Rhett Weiss
Executive Director
Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute, Cornell University
Rhett Weiss is Executive Director, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University. He also is on Johnson's and Cornell Tech's (NYC) faculties. Rhett created and teaches Tech Enterprises, Cornell Tech's entrepreneurship course. He also is Chairman & CEO of DEALTEK, Ltd., and serves as a director or mentor for several startups. Rhett has been involved in $35+ Billion of transactions and numerous entrepreneurial ventures, including with XM Satellite Radio (now Sirius), Motorola, Orbital Sciences, AOL, and Oracle, among others. From 2005 to 2010, he was Senior Team Leader - Strategic Development at Google, and led project and deal negotiations in various parts of the world. He also has served as a bank COO, directed a Big 4 firm consulting practice, practiced law at a global law firm, and holds a software/business method patent. An author and frequent presenter, he conducts negotiation workshops globally. Rhett holds a BS in Management with Honors from Tulane, a JD from William & Mary, and executive MBA-level certificate in international business from Georgetown.
Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute, Cornell University
Jerry Weissman
Founder & President
Power Presentations, Ltd.
Jerry Weissman is the world's number one corporate presentations coach. His private client list reads like a who's who of the world's best companies, including top brass at Yahoo!, Intel, Intuit, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Netflix, Dolby Labs, EBay and many others. Mr. Weissman founded Power Presentations, Ltd. in 1988. One of his earliest efforts was the Cisco Systems IPO road show. Following its successful launch, Don Valentine, of Sequoia Capital and then chairman of Cisco's Board of Directors, attributed "at least two to three dollars" of the offering price to Mr. Weissman's coaching. Mr. Weissman's focus has widened from coaching IPOs to include public and privately held companies, and his techniques have helped over 600 plus firms develop and deliver their presentations. Mr. Weissman is also the author five business books Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story, The Power Presenter: Technique, Style, and Strategy from America's Top Speaking Coach, In the Line of Fire: How to Handle Tough Questions, Presentations in Action: 80 Memorable Presentation Lessons from the Masters, and Winning Strategies for Power Presentations.
As a prelude to Power Presentations, Mr. Weissman had an extensive career in television as a producer of public affairs programs, including three years at the Network for continuing Medical Education, and a decade at WCBS-TV, the flagship station of the CBS Television Network in New York. In 1980, Pinnacle Books published Mr. Weissman's novel The Zodiac Killer. Mr. Weissman has a BA degree from New York University, and an MA in Speech and Drama from Stanford University.
Power Presentations Ltd
Scott Whittaker
Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
Scott Whittaker is a member of Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C. He is chairman of the firm's Business section, and his legal practice focuses on business mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity transactions, and commercial real estate development and financing. He regularly assists individuals, small and large companies and franchises in obtaining capital. He also helps clients evaluate and acquire federal, state and local tax incentives and benefits. Scott is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth, Louisiana Chapter; Louisiana's Southeast Super-Region Committee, the American Bar Association M&A Committee and the American and Louisiana State Bar Associations.
Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
Nicole Widder
Principal Consultant
Silverline CRM
Nicole is Principal Consultant with Silverline, a Salesforce.com Premier Consulting Partner located in New York City. Nicole has over 10 years of experience advising Private Equity and Venture Capital firms and working with all types of financial services clients. Previous experience at high-growth startups like DoubleClick and Google have given her the breadth of knowledge and expertise to advise clients on best practices and enable teams for success.
A native Austinite, Nicole now lives in Manhattan, New York and spends her free time traveling and cheering on her favorite sports team, the Glasgow Celtic.
Silverline CRM
Anna Ruth Williams
Founder & CEO
An entrepreneur, Anna Ruth founded AR|PR in 2012, having previously managed communications for national and international B2B and B2C accounts as well as high-profile political figures. She has a proven record of executing strategic online marketing campaigns and securing media coverage in some of the nation's biggest outlets, such as Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, Fast Company, Forbes, GigaOM, Hispanic Business, Industry Week, Mashable and The Wall Street Journal. Anna Ruth graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama where she won four national championships in public speaking events and has completed post-graduate coursework in strategic public relations at George Washington University. She is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta's LEAD program and the Atlanta Technology Angel's LaunchPad2X class, and is a member of the Technology Association of Georgia.
David Wilson
Sales & Marketing Executive
David Wilson is a 23 year veteran Sales and Marketing Executive at UPS with the responsibility to drive profitable revenue growth of the Mid South District by focusing on the High Tech, Small Business, and UPS Retail Channels. David's greatest strengths are his creativity, drive and leadership. He thrives on challenges, particularly those that help businesses grow. Under David's leadership, his customer segments grew by over $40 million dollars in 2013. He serves as the President-Elect of the American Marketing Association Birmingham chapter and is the Board of Directors Vice President of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. He is also a trustee member of several chambers of commerce in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.
David worked as a defense contractor in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm, and taught at Indiana Wesleyan University as an adjunct faculty member, where he earned an MBA.
David and his wife Amee are both US Air Force veterans, where they served throughout Europe and Asia. They live in Birmingham with their four children, two dogs, and two hamsters. When not working, David's hobbies include personal fitness, fishing, gardening, and teaching his twin daughters to drive.
Rob Wollfarth
Of Counsel
Baker Donelson
Rob Wollfarth represents private and publicly-held companies located across the country, concentrating his practice on assisting large and small companies with a wide variety of business transactions including start-up, tax planning, business combinations, acquisitions and sales, contractual relationships, financing of projects and operations, restructuring, buy-outs and dissolution. Mr. provides his business clients with creative solutions rather than just answers to their questions. His focus is always on helping his clients attain their goals, rather than merely a legal result. He is AV® Preeminent™ Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed as a Rising Star by Louisiana Super Lawyers.
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Jarrett Woods
Regional Manager
Accion Louisiana
Jarrett Woods, a native of New Orleans, is the regional manager for Accion NOLA. Jarrett graduated from St. Augustine High School and earned a Bachelor's Degree from Florida State University and an MBA from Florida A&M University. Some of his previous professional positions include Policy Analyst in the State of Florida Legislature, Consultant for the Florida Small Business Development Center, and owner of JW Consulting. For the last six years he has been committed to the growth of the small business community in New Orleans. As a regional manager for Accion Jarrett has loaned over $2 million in microloans to both startup and established NOLA entrepreneurs.
Accion Louisiana
Désirée Young
Chief Entrepreneurial Officer
Désirée H. Young has over 15 years of experience in project management, marketing strategy and business development. She's the founder and CEO of VentureWalk Business Partners, LLC; a New Orleans-based small business and entrepreneur development company that uses a proprietary 8M process to grow businesses by creating compelling communications, marketing their messages, solidifying success systems and developing profitable plans. Since 2004, Désirée has worked with companies in over 27 different industries that have boasted record increases in sales, nation-wide product placement, pitch contest wins and business expansion. Clients included corporations like Capital One Bank and the National Basketball Association; non-profits like Common Ground Health Clinic and Fonkoze and countless small, local businesses. Désirée earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University and an M.B.A. with concentrations in marketing and entrepreneurial strategy from Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business. She also studied international marketing at E.S.A.D.E. in Barcelona, Spain.
Venture Walk
Nicole Alford
Salesforce Success Account Manager
Salesforce Foundation
Nicole Alford is a Salesforce Success Account Manager in the Customers For Life division at salesforce.com, an enterprise cloud computing leader serving thousands of customers globally. She has an extensive career in database architecture and administration spanning a wide variety of industries including higher education, oil and gas, and high tech. Recently she has also worked with non-profit customers that fall under The Salesforce.com Foundation to ensure their continued success. She has presented globally as well as nationally on key topics within the cloud computing industry as well as Salesforce's flagship conference, Dreamforce. Ms. Alford has also been recognized as a Salesforce MVP, highlighting exceptional individuals within the community for their leadership, knowledge, and ongoing contributions. A proud Tulane graduate, she currently resides in the Washington, DC area.
Salesforce Foundation
Michael Antino
Founder & CEO
Merchant Media LLC
Michael A. Antino, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Merchant Media, LLC, a leading direct response television (DRTV) and retail marketer. Merchant Media specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of innovative consumer products. For nearly 20 years, Mr. Antino has been utilizing direct response marketing to build rapid brand awareness and to place products into almost every major retailer in the country, including chains like Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Walgreens. Prior to that, he was the founder and Executive Vice President of Alex Global Group, LLC, an exporter and distributor of computer products and business equipment to Russia and Eastern Europe. Mr. Antino holds a B.A. in Communications from Boston College and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Pepperdine University.
Merchant Media LLC
Michael Casey
Fitness Brands, Inc
Michael has developed, patented and commercialized 100+ exercise innovations. He has been the executive producer of over 25 long form DRTV (Direct Response Television) infomercials that have aired in 80+ worldwide markets, with sales exceeding $5 billion USD. Michael is a two time Product and Infomercial of the Year winner from ERA, the Electronic Retailing Association - the only trade association that represents the global leaders of the direct-to-consumer marketplace.
TV Fitness Ideas
Andrea Chen
Executive Director
Andrea began her career as a high school English teacher at John McDonogh Sr. High School and subsequently trained teachers at the University of New Orleans and The New Teacher Project. She has worked at the Louisiana Association of Charter Schools where she oversaw grantmaking for over $5 million in charter school startup funds and launched a $1.5 million below-market rate Bridge Loan Fund. She was named "40 Under 40" by Gambit Magazine, 2010 City Business Women of the Year, World Economic Forum Young Global Shaper, and is an appointed board member of the New Orleans Business Alliance, the official economic development arm of the City of New Orleans. She graduated from Stanford University, attended Harvard's Graduate School of Education and the University of New Orleans, and was trained in business at Dartmouth University's Tuck School of Business.
Kirk Coco
Founder & CEO
Nola Brewery
Kirk Coco is a native of New Orleans, who spent 11 years in the United States Navy before returning to New Orleans post-Katrina to help in the rebuilding and renewal of the city. In 2008 Kirk began his initial dream of bringing production and products back to New Orleans by founding NOLA Brewing Company. Since Dixie's departure from the city in 2005, NOLA Brewing is the only operating production brewery in Orleans Parish.
Nola Brewery
McKenzie Coco
Founder & President
FSC Interactive
McKenzie Coco is the founder of FSC Interactive and specializes in helping companies increase the effectiveness of their marketing investment with revenue generating recommendations for interactive optimization. With fifteen years combined experience in New Orleans, Seattle and San Diego, McKenzie has worked with a variety of clients in multiple industries including hospitality, financial services, law, education, telecommunications and publishing. McKenzie is a graduate of Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Communications. She has served as a member of board for the New Orleans Chapter of the American Marketing Association and New Orleans Ad Club and was an EO Accelerator from 2008 – 2010. She is currently a NextGen Council member for GNO, Inc and is one of 2013 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. McKenzie was honored as one of the Junior Achievement Rising Stars in 2010 and was named in Gambit Weekly's 40 Under 40 in 2012.
FSC Interactive
Bret Collazzi
Senior Analyst
HR&A Advisors
Bret Collazzi helps build more vibrant cities through his work at HR&A Advisors, a leading urban development consulting firm in New York City. A former journalist and political aide, Bret is passionate about neighborhood development and creating strong local economies. He currently administers two programs for NYC's Economic Development Corporation that aim to grow the tech and creative sectors and tap into young talent to create a smarter city. He hails from the Bronx and visits New Orleans as often as possible. As an MBA at Cornell University, he led the winning team at last year's NOEW IDEAcorps Challenge, working with the local beverage brand Bissap Breeze.
HR&A Advisors
John B. Elstrott, Jr.
Emeritus Executive Director
The Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship at Tulane University
Dr. John Elstrott is the Emeritus Executive Director of the Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business in New Orleans, LA. He holds bachelor and master's degrees in economics from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge and a doctorate in economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Elstrott teaches courses in entrepreneurship and has research interests in the areas of entrepreneurship, family business, strategic planning, regional economic development, technology commercialization, and environmental economics. He has won numerous teaching awards including the National Freedoms Foundation Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education, the Edwin Appel Prize for bringing Entrepreneurial Vitality to Academe, and the James T. Murphy award for Teaching Excellence.
Prior to joining the Tulane University faculty, Dr. Elstrott was Chief Financial Officer for Celestial Seasonings, Inc. He is an active entrepreneur and investor in the venture capital, wetlands mitigation banking, pharmaceutical, financial services, medical and functional food, technology, and authentic herbal remedy industries. Dr. Elstrott serves on the boards of several public and private corporations and non-profit community service organizations.
He serves as the Chairman of Board and is past chair of the audit committee for Whole Foods Market, Inc., a Fortune 300 and S&P 500 company.
The Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship at Tulane University's Freeman School of Business
Donna Fenn
Contributing Editor
Inc. Magazine
Donna Fenn is an author and journalist who has been writing about entrepreneurship and small business trends for more than 25 years. She is the author of two books: Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business (McGraw-Hill, 2009); and Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack (Collins, 2005). She is also a contributing editor at Inc. Magazine, where she helps manage the creation of Inc.com's 30 Under 30 Coolest Young Entrepreneurs list, and a columnist at OPEN Forum, where she writes about startups. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Associated Press, Reader's Digest, The Washington Monthly, Working Woman, Working Mother, Family Money, CFO, Corporate Finance, Parents, and New England Monthly. Through Alpha Dogs Media Group, she consults, creates content, and speaks publicly on topics that inspire and educate entrepreneurs, and that help large brands understand and reach the SMB market.
Daniel Gross
Business Editor & Columnist
The Daily Beast
Daniel Gross is one of the most widely read financial and economic writers working today. He is the business editor and columnist at The Daily Beast.
In a 25-year career that has taken him to two dozen countries and 40 states, Gross has been a columnist for The New York Times, Slate, and Newsweek, a contributing writer to magazines such as New York, Fortune, and Wired, and economics editor at Yahoo! Finance. He frequently discusses political and economic events in media such as CNBC and MSNBC, CNN, PBS, and National Public Radio.
He is a New York Times-bestselling author of seven books, including, most recently Better, Stronger, Faster: The Myth of American Decline and the Rise of a New Economy (Free Press, 2012). Other books include Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time, and Dumb Money: How Our Greatest Minds Bankrupted the Nation.
A native of East Lansing, Michigan, Daniel Gross graduated from Cornell University in 1989 and holds an A.M. in American history from Harvard University.
He lives in Westport, Connecticut, with his wife and two children.
The Daily Beast
Celton Hayden Jr.
President & CEO
CC's Coffee House
From a grocery bagger as a teenager to President of southeast Louisiana's favorite specialty coffee shop, Celton Hayden, Jr.'s professional life in many ways has come full circle with a job always to provide quality service to his guests. After 13 years with CC's Coffee House Celton became the president in 2013 previously serving as general manager of retail operations. The company, born in 1995, now operates a combination of owned and licensed locations. Having recently rebranded to a national audience, CC's embarks now to bring the very best coffee and the best concept to a waiting America. Celton attaches his success to being a servant leader and a practical visionary.
Born in Dallas, where his family still lives, Celton attended Texas A&M University where he studied for about one and half years. He continued to study in S.O.H.N University, a school he jokily refers to as the 'School of Hard Knocks'
Known for his influential and powerful speaking qualities, he wants people see him as a person who brings positive impact to whatever he does and believes that people need one another regardless of their position. Celton attributes his success to his parents who provided and encouraged him at a young age, and thanks his wife who according to him, came to finish the job his parents started many years when he was a young boy. His selfless attitude and strong urge to help the community, has further contributed to the passion that drives CC's mission today.
CC's Coffee House
Katherine Jollon
Vice President of Corporate Engagement
Goldman Sachs Foundation
Katherine leads the 10,000 Small Businesses initiative for the Goldman Sachs Foundation and is responsible for overseeing the education and business support services program components. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Katherine was the Director for Organizational Development and Effectiveness at ONE, a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver that is focused on reducing extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. During her tenure at ONE, Katherine managed the organization's strategic planning, performance management, and organizational development functions. Katherine previously worked at Accenture where she was a Manager in the Government Practice and served clients focused on international development and international trade, among other disciplines. Katherine graduated from the University of Richmond.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
Jess Knox
Olympico Strategies
Jess Knox founded Olympico Strategies in July of 2012. Olympico helps companies and organizations manage growth and change by taking a system-wide relational approach to growth, change, and performance. He previously served as Vice President and Partner in the Washington D.C. consulting firm Growth Squared, and prior to that was Associate Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he managed more than 1,000 employees in 119 locations, in every state and U.S. territory. He received a Juris Doctorate from the University Maine School of Law in 2004, pursued a Master's in Public Policy and Public Organization Management from the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, and received a Bachelor's in Politics and Government from Ohio Wesleyan University. Jess grew up in York, Maine, but he now resides in Portland, Maine, with his wife Kate and son Edson.
Olympico Strategies
Brandon Lagarde
Postlethwaite & Netterville
Brandon Lagarde, CPA, JD, LLM is a Director in the Postlethwaite & Netterville Tax Services Group. Brandon joined the firm in 2009. Prior to joining P&N, Brandon practiced law at the law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz. As a leader in the firm's Tax Services Group, Brandon concentrates his practice on tax planning and consulting for federal and state and local tax. Brandon's tax planning practice often involves analyzing various tax credits and other economic development incentives. Brandon concentrates his practice on navigating these incentive programs and ensuring that clients comply with the numerous requirements of these programs.
Postlethwaite & Netterville
Josh Mayer
Chief Creative Officer
Peter Mayer Advertising
With more than 25 years experience in advertising and a degree in Film and Television from the University of Southern California, Josh knows what it takes to turn a concept statement into a game changer. Before joining Peter Mayer in 1991, Josh worked on a number of national and international accounts, including Kodak Film, Burger King, McDonald's, Unilever Personal Products, Mobil Oil and Glaxo. He worked for some of the best New York shops - Dentsu, Young & Rubicam and J. Walter Thompson - before his talents took him to Bangkok, Thailand, where he created memorable campaigns for DDB Needham Worldwide and J. Walter Thompson's most important international clients. When he's not leading Peter Mayer's Creative department, Josh supports the Louisiana Children's Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art and LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication.
Peter Mayer Advertising
Kristen McEntyre
President & Director of Operations
Tutti Dynamics, Inc.
Kristen McEntyre is the President and Co-Founder of Tutti Dynamics, a company that creates music education technology. Tutti's software is used by orchestras, universities, and high school music programs. Kristen started her career as an investment banker and consultant providing financial services to technology companies and major arts and education institutions. She then gained operational experience working for digital media companies such as Google News and IAC/Dow Jones. Kristen graduated from Williams College and Stanford University. She plays the piano.
Tutti Dynamics, Inc.
Jen Medbery
Founder & CEO
Jen Medbery, founder and CEO of Kickboard, drives the company's vision, strategy and growth. Jen is a software developer who spent three years as a high school math teacher. Kickboard was developed out of Jen's first-hand experience in the classroom. She and her colleagues needed a way to make better real-time instructional decisions based on data that showed which skills students knew, which they had yet to master and how student behavior impacted academic achievement. The company's mission is to equip schools with must-have tools to establish or enhance a performance-driven school culture where students and teachers thrive, and currently counts over 1,100 schools as a part of its growing community.
Michael Miller
Director of Product Partnerships
NCH Corporation
At NCH Corporation, Michael Miller leads the Product Partnership Program, including a cross-functional team and multiple cross-company teams that identify and work with external partners (e.g. inventors, product-oriented companies, supply chain partners, etc.) to systemically supplement internal product development efforts. Michael leads the Product Partnership Program for the Retail Products Group with a focus on pet products and the Plumbing Products Group, which includes Danco and LSP companies. Major Customers include: Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Lowes, Petco, ACE, Bed Bath and Beyond, QVC and HSN to name a few. Before joining NCH in 2008, Michael was the head of Research and Development at Andover Healthcare where he led the development of the world's first cohesive elastic bandage with silver antimicrobial foam and was the Field Service and Training Manager for FEI Company, the leader in Focused Ion beam technology.
NCH Corporation
Michelle Murray
Strategic Innovation & Applications Manager
With over 40 years' experience in the industrial and institutional market, Partsmaster has been making their customers' work easier with a wide variety of innovative, yet practical, solutions for their maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) needs and problems. To maintain their position as a premier MRO solution company, Michelle Murray leads the cross-functional team charged with identifying and working with external partners to supplement Partsmaster's product development efforts. Michelle has more than 11 years of experience with Partsmaster and has been recognized for her contributions with multiple Partsmaster Vision Award nominations. She has managed multiple product lines for Partsmaster representing more than $10 million in revenue annually. Prior to joining Partsmaster, she worked with sales organizations in the telecommunications industry and taught mathematics at both high school and collegiate levels. Michelle holds a BA in Mathematics from Simpson College.
Charlie Romaine
Assistant Director, Business Expansion & Retention Group
Louisiana Economic Development (LED)
Charlie Romaine is Assistant Director of the Business Expansion & Retention Group within the Louisiana Department of Economic Development under Secretary Stephen Moret. Charlie grew up in Acadiana and graduated with a degree in Finance from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He moved to N.O. in the late 80's to pursue a career as a Series 7 licensed stock and bond broker. He built and maintained a financial consulting practice for over 17 years helping individuals and companies meet their financial goals. In 2010 he joined LED's Business Expansion and Retention Group (BERG). The BERG group's mission is focused on a comprehensive strategy for the retention and expansion of existing companies within the State. He has helped facilitate project wins in the State including several billion in capital expenditures, and thousands of new jobs in industries ranging from chemical refining, software development, advanced manufacturing and startups.
Louisiana Economic Development (LED)
Arman Sadeghpour
President & CEO
Theodent, LLC
Arman Sadeghpour has lived in Louisiana since 1975 and is proud to call New Orleans home. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane in French language and a Bachelor of Science in psychology with an emphasis in neuroscience. Additionally, he has a Masters degree in Computer Science and a PhD from Tulane's School of Science and Engineering with an emphasis in Bioinformatics. Arman was a recipient of the Tulane 34 award, which is presented to 34 graduates who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate life at Tulane University. Students are recognized for their exemplary leadership, service, and academic excellence. Named for the year in which the university was founded, 1834, Tulane 34 is among the most coveted university-wide honor bestowed upon students. Additionally, Arman was nominated for Popular Science magazine's "Brilliant Ten" edition that features the top ten innovative new researchers.
Theodent, LLC
P.K. Scheerle
Chairman & Owner
Gifted Nurses
PK joined Gifted Nurses in December 2009, and acts as the Chairman of the Board and principal owner of the company. She is a nationally recognized leader in business and healthcare. PK founded American Nursing Services, Inc., one of the most successful supplemental staffing agencies, in 1982. By the time she sold the company in 2002 it had 28 locations.
A graduate of the Executive Program at Harvard Business School, PK has received numerous civic, business, and professional awards. She is the founder of the Great 100 Nurses Celebration, a program that recognizes and honors exceptional nurses. She has received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Southeast Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the American Business Ethics Award from the Society of Financial Service Professionals. She has been inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame and was named one of City Business' Women of the Year Award for three consecutive years. PK also served as the Chairman of the Young Presidents Organization for Louisiana and served on its Southern Regional Board.
Gifted Nurses
Chris Schultz
Launch Pad
Chris Schultz is a tech entrepreneur living in New Orleans and San Francisco. He has launched several Internet companies and writes about entrepreneurship on his blog, ChrisSchultz.net. He founded Voodoo Ventures as a platform to invest in companies to build their own products, and in 2009, co-founded Launch Pad, a community that provides workspace, a mentor network, and educational events to develop talent in the New Orleans ecosystem. In 2005 he co-founded Flatstack, a software development company with offices in Kazan, Russia and New Orleans that builds applications for clients worldwide.
His angel investments through Voodoo Ventures are in Federated Sample, a market research technology firm, and Neighborland, a platform for civic engagement in communities. Through Launch Pad he invested in 23 seed-stage startups in their accelerator program. He actively mentors young entrepreneurs in New Orleans and is passionate about connecting the startup ecosystem in New Orleans to global networks in Silicon Valley and New York.
He received an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California in 2002, and his Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1996.
Chris Schultz's Blog
Launch Pad
Will Scott
CEO & Co-founder
Search Influence
Will Scott founded Search Influence in collaboration with COO Angie Scott in 2006 with the goal to create scalable solutions for SEO, SEM and social media. Scott has been online since 1994 and has a deep history in building scalable systems for the Web. Scott is a recognized leader in local search, social media, and content marketing and is a frequent speaker at national conferences and contributes to projects such as the Annual Local Search Ranking Factors project. He also sits on the faculty of Local U.
Search Influence
Cheryl Scripter
Bittersweet Confections
Cheryl Scripter, a Louisiana native, founded Bittersweet Confections in 2002. She started Bittersweet Confections with a mission to create an exceptional collection of chocolates using local ingredients and superior chocolate. After sharing kitchen space for many years with other chefs and working from local outdoor markets, Cheryl eventually decided to branch out by opening her doors on Magazine Street in 2004. Twelve employees strong, an extensive menu including handmade truffles, a variety of artisan confections, wedding cakes, custom cakes and pastries, and locally roasted coffee and espresso, Bittersweet Confections is open six days a week.
Bittersweet Confections
Liz Shephard
Founder & President
LifeCity LLC
Liz is trained as an energy rater, water policy analyst, LEED Green Associate, and sustainability coordinator. After graduating with honors and distinction at Carleton College, Liz was hired by her university to become the school's Sustainability Coordinator, where she also built connections to the city of New Orleans. Originally from the Gulf Coast, Liz moved to Louisiana to teach Earth Science and has been working in the environmental non-profit field for nearly 3 years. Daughter of two independent business owners and as a previous steering committee member of Social Entrepreneurs for New Orleans, she is passionate about making business sustainable. She serves on the Green Collaborative Steering Committee, the Keep New Orleans Beautiful Committee, and is a Lay Leader and Chair of the Caring for Creation Committee at Rayne Memorial Methodist Church.
LifeCity LLC
Lauren Thom
Founder & CEO
Fleurty Girl
Lauren Thom is the woman behind the New Orleans brand, Fleurty Girl. Her personal story and 'you-can-do-it spirit' have continued to motivate and inspire people. In May 2009, this single mother of three took her income tax refund check and invested all of it into her own idea, Fleurty girl, a unique New Orleans collection of tees and apparel. Within a month, Lauren sold out of her initial inventory and continued to do so every time she came out with more items. Locals fell in love with the brand and tourists sought it out as well. Lauren opened her first shop six months later and today has five locations around New Orleans and turned her $2,000 tax refund check into a multi-million dollar company.
Fleurty Girl
Derek Thompson
Senior Editor
The Atlantic
Derek Thompson is the senior editor for business and economic coverage for The Atlantic. He oversees The Atlantic business section online and writes the business column for the magazine. "[Thompson] writes and edits economic news that is readable, informative, and often entertaining," said the Huffington Post.
Thompson is also an adjunct professor at the Columbia Journalism School, where he teaches digital journalism. He has appeared on numerous lists, including Folio's 15 Under 30 in Media. He appears frequently on television and radio, particularly CNBC and NPR.
The Atlantic
Dan Walter
Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
Daniel Walter is an associate at Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C. He focuses his legal practice on federal and state tax credits and incentives and general business law. Prior to his legal career he worked as a pension actuary for a major human resources consulting firm and owned and operated a music venue in New Orleans. Dan uses his legal and entrepreneurial experience to advise clients on both the corporate and tax aspects of the entire life cycle of their businesses. He also volunteers with the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic and the ELLA (Entertainment Law Legal Assistance) project.
Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
Clayton White
South Coast Angel Fund
Clayton is the Director of The South Coast Angel Fund LLC (South Coast), a member-managed angel venture capital fund designed to utilize the capital, resources, and expertise of its members to profit from its investments in entrepreneurial, early-stage companies, primarily within Louisiana and the Gulf Coast community.
South Coast Angel Fund
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Senior Member
So i like the tribunal, it's cool idea. It helps weed out some of the more *******'ish players, but it got me thinking. The tribunal is made to discourage negative behavior, like intentional feeding, harassment etc. But it does nothing to encourage positive behavior My thought was, to put a system into the tribunal, that instead of reporting people for bad stuff, you report them for being especially friendly or helpful, and the community votes on whether or not to reward them in some way. The ideal outcome of this would be that people's thinking would change from, "I should try not to be bad enough to get reported" to "I should try to be good enough to be commended" Obviously it wouldn't be a simple matter, people will try to game the system, by playing with their friends and commending each other after every game for example. Though you could avoid this particular problem by only letting someone commend someone else once. Such a system is unlikely to ever be implemented, but hey I can dream right? So what are your thoughts on this? Do you think this could work? What problems could come out of it and how could they be fixed?
Junior Member
Dunno if would be to have both tribunal and your idea.. It would require a lot time from each player. But yeah i think it sounds great (:
Interesting idea - could avoid abusing the system by not letting you commend someone you queued with.
I don't know how well this would work, most people are more likely to say something when someone has upset them then they are when someone has done a good job/been nice.
Seen this idea suggested in here at least once before. Its an interesting one, but obvious much less important for improving the community than getting all the bad eggs out of it. The problem is that it would be even more subjective, and would require some sort of reward to have any kind of impact. At least when people are being bad there are rules written in stone that they're violating.
Honestly, I don't think that being nice should carry a special reward. I think it should be the minimum expected behaviour. You should compliment your team when they're doing well, you should be understanding if they're having a bad game, you should give helpful hints, etc. It's just what you should do if you're a decent person and a good team mate. It makes the game more fun for everyone, and actually encourages people to continue trying, which raging does not.
THE WAY IT IS IS TOO MUCH POWER TO A LOT OF PISSED PLAYERS ... so this will do more damage then the damage the afkers/quiters/etc already done ... this is all players are GMs in a wow server .. .. will be just for greed people and this will be CAOS son ...
A combination of punishment and positive reinforcement has been proven the best way to train animals to behave properly. Since middle schoolers are essentially animals, I see no reason not to at least give it a shot.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dayton's Dyshawn Pierre wiped out hard during celebration (GIF)
The Dayton Flyers were understandably ecstatic on Thursday when they knocked off No. 6 seed Ohio State to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The victory took 40 minutes of hard-nosed basketball and hustle, and the celebration got a bit dangerous. After Aaron Craft missed a runner and the final seconds ticked…Read More


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Protect your little one with the best sun protection in the Kids Wave Rashguard.
We have a 5 year old boy who usually wears size 6 in boys clothes (he's tall and slender). We put this size "6" shirt on him and it looked like it was for a 3 year old! Runs WAY too small. Which they had this swim rashguard in it's true size.
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Kimi ni Todoke
Summary: Kimi ni Todoke is about a girl named Kuronuma Sawako. She is nicknamed Sadako (from the ring) because many people see her as strange and often mistake her for a ghost. A boy called Kazehaya kun becomes her friend and, to her, is "100% refreshness."
Category: Anime Show
Status: Completed
Released: 2009


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The Obama administration has broken with its own history of support to the Paul Kagame regime of Rwanda and joined other Western nations in an effort to cut off military aid to Kigali.
This move comes following a United Nations report that supplied evidence of Rwanda's involvement in rebel-led violence in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a rare public statement hinting at a possible shift in the U.S. administration's position, State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland described the U.N. report as "quite comprehensive and quite concerning", adding that following its publication Washington had "deep concerns about Rwanda's support to the Congolese rebel group that goes by the name M23."
According to the report and other human rights organisations there is now material evidence of Rwanda "providing fighters and military equipment to rebels in the eastern DRC where 18 years of conflict have cost the lives of several million people."
However, the apparent turnaround in the U.S. position on Rwanda was not without controversy as some members of the U.S. administration, reportedly including the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, resisted allowing some parts of the reports being published.
That effort nevertheless was said to have failed when leaked private communications revealed that Ms. Rice — who also faced criticism for being slow to recognise what happened in 1994 in Rwanda as "genocide" — tried to block "a crucial annex detailing evidence of Rwandan support for the DRC rebels from being attached to the main report and made public".
Keywords: Congo violence, Rwanda regime, Paul Kagame, US-Rwanda relations


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If we survived Richie Incognito, we can survive Miami's March sports calendar
Miami in its history has survived all sorts of challenges and trying times, from race riots to massive hurricanes to Richie Incognito.
Every March brings a somewhat more pleasant challenge, but a hectic challenge nonetheless. This is when we face the sensory overload of our most crowded month for sports. I'd present March in South Florida to anybody still peddling the myth about how Miami is such a lousy sports town.
I don't know many better for the breadth of stuff we see this month. Consider:
Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and their fellow PGA Tourists are among us these days for the Honda Classic and then Doral on deck.
Soon, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and the racket crowd will be in Key Biscayne for tennis' annual "fifth major" in our most gorgeous setting for sports.
Baseball spring training is a short hop to the north in Palm Beach.
The Heat is blasting toward the NBA playoffs.
The Panthers are still on the ice.
The Hurricanes and college basketball wrap up their regular seasons and chug toward March Madness as conference tournaments and NCAA bracketology near.
The baseball Canes play at No. 2 Florida State this week, while down in Coral Gables, UM opens spring football practice.
The Dolphins delve into free agency this month and prepare for the NFL Draft.
Oh, and Gulfstream hosts the pageantry of the upcoming Florida Derby, kickoff to horse racing's Triple Crown season.
That about enough for ya?
• The Dolphins' estranged bully-guard Richie Incognito continues in the news, entering rehab in Arizona for stress one day after using a baseball bat to vandalize his own car, an expensive Ferrari. Cannot confirm Incognito's explanation was that he mistook the car for a waist-high fastball.• The fading Florida Panthers could be sellers as the NHL's Wednesday trade deadline approaches. The good news: Panthers fire-sale speculation is not quite as depressing as the actual games.
• The Heat lost out on signing two potential free agents, Caron Butler (to the Thunder) and Danny Granger (Clippers). It's good that the Heat loses sometimes just so the rest of the league doesn't feel so sad.
• San Diego State running back Adam Muema left the recent NFL Combine in Indianapolis early because he said God told him to. It's OK, Adam. That's perfectly reasonable and won't send up red flags with NFL teams or anything.
• Golfer Steve Elkington wrote on Twitter that Michael Sam, set to be the NFL's first openly gay player, led the Combine in the "handbag throw." First, that sounds homophobic. Second, aren't the only people who still call purses "handbags" women in their 80s?
• This past week marked the 50th anniversary of the famed Cassius Clay- Sonny Liston fight in Miami Beach just before Clay became Muhammad Ali, somewhat of a greater highlight in Ali's Miami history than being sadly wheeled out by Jeffrey Loria before the Marlins' 2012 opener.
• Answer: Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko said his back surgery would be televised live. Question: Can you think of anything on TV you'd like to watch even less than Marlins president David Samson on Survivor?
• Turns out Samson missed two months of the 2013 season filming Survivor in the Philippines. Well, it's good he takes his job seriously and has his priorities straight!
• Things are going from bad to worse for the poor New York Knicks. Raymond Felton was arrested on gun charges. Now Carmelo Anthony has been cited for playing defense like it's an all-star game.
• Fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500, the perfect scenario. Surprised NASCAR doesn't call it a season and just declare Junior champion.
• Duck Dynasty is the new name sponsor of the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. Because it wasn't bad enough your team was relegated to playing in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport.
• The Oklahoma football program self-reported that three football players ate one helping of pasta too many at a graduation banquet. Seriously. What an ingenious anarchy: Flooding the NCAA with trivial admissions. This just in: The Miami Hurricanes are self-reporting that two divers took an excessive bounce on the three-meter board.
• The WNBA and its players union entered into a new labor agreement, a relief to the estimated dozen fans worried about a strike.
• NASCAR legend Richard Petty, 76, who criticized Danica Patrick's driving, said he would be happy to race her. Love that to start a trend. You really want attention, UFC? Put Ronda Rousey in the octagon against a man. I'm serious.
• Sports Illustrated's 50th anniversary swimsuit issue came out. The highlight for me? Seeing the original models, now in their 70s, wearing only body paint.
• Parting thought: Fisherman Randy Howell just collected $300,000 for winning the annual Bassmaster Classic. Parents, forget putting a ball in baby's crib. Put a baited hook in there!
Visit Greg's Random Evidence of a Cluttered Blog daily at MiamiHerald.com and follow on Twitter @gregcote and also on Instagram, Vine and Facebook.
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Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists there is no bad blood between the club and Luis Suarez following the Uruguayan's move to Barcelona.
The Catalan club claimed Suarez was \"100 per cent\" their player last week but there has not yet been an official announcement from either club.
The controversial striker is currently going through an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against his prospective four-month ban from football, including nine international matches, for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
But Rodgers once again spoke about Suarez in the past tense from Liverpool's pre-season base in Boston and hailed the man who scored 33 goals in 39 appearances for his side last season.
\"Luis hasn't let me or the club down at all - he gave everything for Liverpool,\" Rodgers said.
\"Of course there have been issues, but they're in the past. He was a brilliant player for us and for me, and I will always see him as a good man and a good friend.
\"It's a shame he's not here but Liverpool, as a club, is bigger than any individual and we will move forward without him.
\"It's really exciting going into this season. We've qualified for the Champions League and brought in some good players. Hopefully we'll progress.\"
Rodgers was speaking at his first press conference in the USA, having been taken ill when the club touched down in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
Their arrival followed the announcement by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard that he was retiring from England duty and Rodgers believes that decision will be beneficial to his side's hunt for silverware this season.
\"I've spent a lot of time speaking with Steven and I know how much it means to him to play for and captain England - he was a wonderful captain,\" the Reds boss said.
\"But Liverpool means everything to him and there's certainly no doubt missing out on international football means he will be fresher and at his optimum level as often as possible for us.\"