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GBTC
NEWS Neil Davis Named Co-chair of GBTC Business Advisory Committee --------------------------- Created by the GBTC in 2002, MoshPit! provides an opportunity for students from Maryland Colleges and Universities to experience every aspect of starting a business - from recruiting employees and advisors to writing a competitive business plan to pitching ideas to potential investors for funding. MoshPit! is open to any Maryland college undergraduate student, who wants to test their business plan or simply be part of a team. "The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Greater Baltimore and it is proven every year by the innovation and creativity of the business plans submitted, representing a diverse range of industries," says Melanie Kelleher, the GBTC's Director of Programs and Partnerships. From the 108 original ideas submitted from Johns Hopkins University, Loyola College, Towson University, University of Baltimore, University of Maryland Baltimore County, University of Maryland College Park, Villa Julie College and Community College of Baltimore County, 40 were selected. Of the 40 selected, 35 came through ThePit, 34 Business Plans were submitted, and seven finalists were chosen. To
get to the Finals, teams had to go through several grueling rounds
of competition. The seven MoshPit finalists (in no particular order)
are: With this year's prize money totaling $30,000, all teams that made the Finals will be eligible to receive a cash prize. The winner of this year's MoshPit! competition will walk away with $10,000 in prize money, two tickets to TechNite (the premier night out for the region's business and technology community), and a full year of free office space at the ETC @ Johns Hopkins Eastern, donated by Baltimore City's Emerging Technology Center. For the MoshPit! Finals, each judge will have $5 million in MoshPit dollars to invest in any combination of teams. The team that garners the most investment dollars will be this year's MoshPit winner. The MoshPit! Finals will be held on Thursday, April 24 at Loyola College (Timonium Graduate Campus) from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m., 2034 Greenspring Drive Timonium, Maryland 21093. Support
for MoshPit is provided by our public sector partner, the Maryland
Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED), and sponsors:
Advertising.com, Baltimore County, DLA Piper, Jacoby, Maryland Technology
Development Corporation (TEDCO), Mind Over Machines and The Columbia
Bank. Neil
Davis Named Co-chair of GBTC Business Advisory Committee The Business Advisory Committee is the GBTC's initial "sounding board" - the voice for program development for the Council. The mission of the Committee is to develop the programs and resources that help members grow and succeed. The meetings are open to all GBTC members so that they may provide feedback and enact change within the Greater Baltimore region. "Neil Davis has been involved with the GBTC for years, has dedicated a tremendous amount of time with us, and knows both the organization and Greater Baltimore's technology community very well," says GBTC Executive Director, Steve Kozak. "His depth of experience and track record in working with tech companies in all stages of growth makes him an ideal fit for the Business Advisory Co-chair position." Mr.
Davis' responsibilities at the ETC include planning, budgeting and
administration; new client recruitment, including marketing and
public relations; and, direct business assistance to client companies.
Prior to joining ETC, Mr. Davis had hands-on management experience
in domestic and international settings with large and small publicly-owned
firms in which he had responsibilities for marketing and sales,
operations, business development and an ISO 9001:2000 quality program.
His business development responsibilities included both start-ups
and acquisitions. He has held a variety of senior management positions
with Browning-Ferris Industries and Environmental Elements Corporation.
Mr. Davis graduated from Lafayette College with a B.S. degree in
Mechanical Engineering and from the University of Maryland with
an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in Finance. He is a registered
Professional Engineer in the State of Maryland and serves on the
Advisory Board of Johns Hopkins University's part-time Environmental
Engineering Graduate Program. |
MEMBER NEWS DLA Piper Enters Houston Market to Build a Leading Global Energy Practice March 10, 2008 (Houston) – DLA Piper announced today its entry into the Houston market with the addition of three partners who bring strong credentials in serving clients in the energy industry. With plans to grow the office aggressively, DLA Piper has signed a lease at the Chase Tower office building located at 600 Travis St. in downtown Houston and will look to more than double its space in the near term. The three lawyers establishing DLA Piper’s Houston office are Jack O’Neill, Mark White, and Jack Langlois. O’Neill and White, formerly of Howrey LLP, join the firm’s Litigation and Regulatory practice while Langlois, formerly of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, joins the Corporate practice. The Houston office complements DLA Piper’s existing practice in Texas, which includes 47 lawyers in the Dallas and Austin offices. O’Neill, a leading Houston trial attorney and formerly the head of Howrey’s global Litigation group in Houston, focuses his practice on large complex cases in a wide range of industries, with significant experience in the oil and gas industry. White has handled several large toxic tort matters, including multi-party cases involving environmental contamination, product liability and commercial transactions. Langlois, formerly the head of Akin Gump’s Energy Projects practice in Houston, focuses on domestic and international corporate transactions in the energy industry, including M&A, JVs, investments and financings, as well as other transactions related to energy projects. “With 800 lawyers in our New York, London and Middle East offices and with our strong relationships in the energy sector, it was only a matter of time before we entered the Houston market in order to support our efforts to build a leading global energy practice,” said Francis B. Burch, Jr., Joint Chief Executive Officer of DLA Piper. “Given the size and significance of the Houston market and the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered there, we also expect to build a broad corporate practice within the Houston office as well as a leading litigation practice.” “The opening of DLA Piper’s Houston office is consistent with our strategy to establish highly respected global practices that support the needs of the major industries we serve,” added J. Terence O’Malley, DLA Piper’s U.S. Managing Partner. ”Our global footprint and cross-border deal experience match up well with the complexity of the energy industry in the 21st century. We have a deep understanding of the cultural and governmental policy issues attendant to doing business in emerging markets, as well as a comfort level in dealing with the range of political, regulatory and financial issues implicit in major energy transactions. ” “I will miss all the friends I have made at Howrey, a first-rate firm.” said Jack O’Neill, who will now be the Chair of DLA Piper’s Commercial Energy, Oil and Gas Litigation practice. “Akin Gump is a fine firm with many talented lawyers,” said Jack Langlois. “And while I continue to have a great deal of respect for the firm and the colleagues I had there, the prospect of launching and growing DLA Piper’s presence in Houston is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” Building a Leading Global Energy Practice DLA Piper’s Energy practice lawyers serve as counsel to both national and international energy companies around the world, as well as developers, sponsors, banks and private equity funds. Clients also include investor-owned and municipal utilities, specialized energy equipment and technology companies and petrochemical companies. The firm has represented these clients in a variety of energy, utility, regulatory, privatization, and complex infrastructure project and structured financing matters, as well as litigation and international arbitration. The firm also represents developers and venture capitalists involved in the development of clean technologies, and, through its own industry-leading, comprehensive sustainability program, is itself ISO 14001 certified. “These lawyers’ wealth of experience and strong client relationships in the energy industry space provide a strong foundation for building our Houston practice,” added Bob Gruendel, a DLA Piper partner with an extensive background in energy transactions and the attorney spearheading the Houston office opening. “They will serve as invaluable resources to our clients regionally, nationally, and internationally and we welcome them to the team.” |
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