NetApp creates innovative products—storage systems and software that help customers around the world store, manage, protect, and retain one of their most precious corporate assets: their data. It is recognized throughout the industry for continually pushing the limits of today’s technology so that its customers never have to choose between saving money and acquiring the capabilities they need to be successful.

NetApp finds ways to enable its customers to do things they couldn’t do before, at a speed they never thought possible. The company partners with industry leaders to create the most efficient and cost-effective solutions optimized for their IT needs, and to deliver and support them worldwide. With Netapp technologies, customers are able to:

• Reduce their data center footprint by 50%
• Boost storage utilization by 200% and storage system performance by up to 400%
• Achieve up to 166% ROI as a result of data center transformation

For more information, see the NetApp website.

 

 

Capitalogix develops "Hedge Fund-In-A-Box" technology with thousands of AI Trading Systems evaluating global markets in the cloud. In addition to internal use, Capitalogix offers its data & software as a service to institutional investors and governments. The company also has plans for a consumer level product. 

Capitalogix uses thousands of algorithmic trading systems, an automated testing platform and a database of trillions of performance records to identify the trading candidates with an edge in different markets & trading conditions. Its team finds and trades what is working, while it is working, in real-time, to generate extraordinary results. 

For more information, visit the Capitalogix website.

 

 

Coalfire is a fast-growing IT governance, risk and compliance (IT GRC) firm. It serves as a trusted advisor and IT GRC tools-provider to security-conscious leaders in retail, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, higher education, government and utilities. Coalfire helps its clients recognize and control IT-related risks and maintain compliance with all major industry and government standards.

Coalfire has been in the IT security business for as long as that business has existed. One of its first clients was a large credit card processing company that was compromised by a major cyber attack. Coalfire investigated the breach, uncovered the root causes and helped create a controls program that protects that client to this day. That firm is now a recognized leader among its peers and continues to successfully protect itself against increasingly sophisticated (and daily) attacks.

Today, Coalfire serves thousands of clients across North America, with offices in Dallas, Denver, New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle.  Soon, it will open offices in San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago. It is a privately-held company that is growing rapidly.

See Coalfire’s website for more information.

 

 

ettain group is a privately-held, award-winning IT Services company that provides IT jobs, IT staffing, technology solutions and management consulting to companies throughout the Southeast and Atlantic Coast.  

Since 1996, ettain has been focused on delivering to its clients innovative and effective technology solutions designed to meet their unique business needs. The company’s dedication to creating value and providing world class service to its clients, contractors, and internal employees has enabled it to sustain profitable growth and unparalleled excellence since its inception.

An ever-expanding pool of talented IT professionals and a commitment to its customers has placed ettain group at the forefront of the IT Services industry. ettain has offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, Jackonsvville, Raleigh, Washington, D.C. and Winstom-Salem/Greensboro. ettain also is a NetSuite solution provider and provides mobile application development.  

See ettain’s website for more information.

 

There has been a lot of talk about innovation by the news media lately following the death of Apple founder and icon Steve Jobs. Many are questioning whether Apple will survive now that it has lost it chief innovator. Was Jobs really the innovation behind Apple, though?  

In his book Think Huge, local author Mark Arnold credits Jobs’ vision for making Apple such a successful company.  

“Apple founders Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak have been known to attribute some of the company’s success to luck, but it takes so much more than luck to go from building circuit boards in a garage, to building a multi-divisional technology enterprise worth billions of dollars.  

“Even in tough economic times, Apple is selling two million computers, 11 million iPods and three million iPhones every three months. That’s not luck. It’s vision—the vision to create products that literally change the way people live their daily lives. That has been Apple’s vision since 1982: ‘To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind’…  

“It’s astounding to think that such a poignant vision came at a time when computers were virtually unknown. Both the Apple I and Apple II machines were designed as a hobby. In fact, the schematics of the Apple I were regularly passed around the computer club to which Jobs and Wozniak belonged. Wozniak was helping other techies build these machines in their homes. That all changed when Jobs convinced Wozniak they should sell a machine,” writes Arnold.  

There is no question that Apple is synonymous with innovation—but it’s not the only one. Lots of companies are – especially member companies of the MTBC. We have been recognizing that innovation at our Tech Titans events for more than 10 years, and each year, the recipients are different.  

Innovation doesn’t belong to one person, and successful companies do not survive long-term on innovation alone. Sustainability is a combination of innovation, vision and good business sense. It’s about making the right connections at the right time and capitalizing accordingly.  

That is what has made the DFW high-tech industry so successful. We have weathered a few storms, but that hasn’t stopped our high-tech companies from continuing to create and discover new and better technologies. It hasn’t stopped them from looking ahead to what the average person can’t even conceive. It hasn’t stopped them from becoming stronger by collaborating together, often with connections made through the MTBC.   The loss of Steve Jobs is a definite loss for Apple in many ways, but the company has not lost its innovation. It has lost a great visionary who most likely had the vision to pick the right successor.

 

 

Cooperative Computing is a strategic consulting firm. It serves the planning and execution needs of small or large enterprises looking to properly align their IT operating capabilities with the business markets they serve. Through the use of a consistent and pragmatic methodology, Cooperative Computing can quickly asses an IT organization’s current operating situation. Working with the management teams, it can develop an execution plan that can rapidly transform the fundamental cost and speed at which the organization operates.  

Cooperative Computing has a four-phase transformation process which includes: economic analysis; capability analysis; the transformation road map; and the dashboard of success. The process assesses current capabilities, defines critical changes needed, analyzes operating costs and continuous improvement programs and produces a pragmatic timeline of execution and strategy. The company’s deep understanding of the business and IT practitioner perspectives helps it smoothly rationalize changes with the transformation teams.  

More information about Cooperative Computing is available on the company website.

 

 

Argus Connection provides electronic hardware lifecycle management solutions and IT project and staffing services to customers in medical, energy, defense, banking, financial and other corporate environments, where asset management, data integrity, and information security are critical requirements for regulatory compliance and risk mitigation. Formed in 1997, Argus has created a focus, culture, and track record of excellent customer service.

Argus provides enterprises with a simple, scalable, yet comprehensive suite of IT services and staffing solutions that will maximize their investment in technology, people and processes nationwide. Its customers engage them because of their unique and demonstrated ability to consistently develop and deliver value that will exceed their expectations every time. Argus supports a diverse client industry base and size ranging from large fortune 500+ corporations to small and medium-sized business (SMB). Offerings include: lifecycle services, asset recovery, end of life services, IT project and staffing services and more.

 Argus has been in business since 1997. For more information, visit the Argus website.

 

Wayne Rampey is responsible for business development at The InSource Group, including executive level relationships, client satisfaction, training and client seminars. 

Wayne joined The InSource Group in 2001 through a merger with his company, Acclaim Services, Inc. Wayne founded Acclaim Services in 1993 to provide information technology and technical consulting and staffing services.

He has more than 30 years of high-tech industry experience, including engineering and software development, sales and regional sales management, and company operations. Much of his career includes full Profit & Loss responsibilities in company operations and sales.

Wayne began his career as an engineer with E-Systems, later acquired by Raytheon. He then moved into sales and sales management with Hewlett Packard and Cadre Technologies. He entered the IT resource service provider side of the industry as a manager of a very profitable staffing office for one of the largest national staffing firms from 1983 to 1989.

Wayneis active in the technology community through participation in professional organizations, including the MTBC. Wayne is a member of the board of directors for the MTBC, and as the vice-chair on the executive steering committee is responsible for the oversight of the programs and networking events. Wayne also serves on the advisory board for the Management Information Systems degree curriculum for Texas Christian University (TCU). Wayne is married and has two children. He was very active with the Boy Scouts as his youngest son achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, and also volunteered for Big Brothers and Big Sisters inDallas.

Wayneholds a BS in Engineering from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an MBA from Texas A&M-Commerce.

J. Robert Arnett II is a partner at Munck Carter, practicing in the Litigation section. Mr. Arnett is an A-V rated attorney and was named a "super lawyer" by “Texas Monthly” magazine and “Law & Politics” magazine.

Mr. Arnett has more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of civil litigation at trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts, as well as before domestic and international arbitration tribunals. Mr. Arnett has represented businesses in the hospitality, commercial and residential real estate, construction, insurance, finance, medical services, corporate services, telecommunications, entertainment, and retail marketing industries.

Mr. Arnett also has significant experience in bankruptcy cases, representing debtors, creditors, creditors' committees, and other parties in interest. Mr. Arnett has represented all types and sizes of clients, from individuals and small family-owned businesses to publicly traded Fortune 500 companies.

Mr. Arnett received his juris doctorate from UCLA School of Law, where he achieved the Order of the Coif, received multiple American Jurisprudence awards, and served as the managing editor of the UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal for two years. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Martin Pence, Senior District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.

Mr. Arnett received his bachelor of arts degree from Rice University in Houston, Texas. He also served a four-year assignment as an infantry officer in the United State Marine Corps.

The Atterro Human Capital Group offers interim staffing, executive search and smartSourcing services to its national and global customers. The company provides total hiring solutions to its clients, delivered by tenured sales and recruiting professionals.

“Atterro is a privately-owned and independent staffing company ranked 64th by staffing industry analysts,” said Joshua Smith, general manager. “We have the corporate resources of many of our largest competitors, but we enjoy the entrepreneurial independence at the local level to respond quickly and service the needs of our clients.”

Atterro offers its service through four specialty brands: Pro Staff Administrative and Light Industrial; Digital People Creative and Marketing; Hunter Hamilton Finance and Accounting; and Ware Technology Services for engineering and information technology.

For more information, visit the Atterro website.

Cloudrock Strategy Ventures helps technology-product and SaaS-based companies break through to next level growth by providing analyst relations, seminars, workshops and consulting. Cloudrock helps its clients accelerate results by focusing on competitive advantage, alignment and accountability.

 “Our analyst relations service is focused on three technology sectors: call center technologies, unified communications and cloud computing,” said Kip Heuertz.

Cloudrock’s strategy consulting covers several areas, including business consulting, breakthrough sales programs, product strategy and marketing assessments. Workshops and seminars offered include:

• competitive advantage
• alignment and accountability
• leadership and team building
• partnerships at the speed of trust
• sales and marketing alignment and acceleration

For more information about Cloudrock Strategy Ventures, visit the company’s website.

 

As senior vice president and general manager of DLP^® Products, Kent Novak directs the development and deployment of Texas Instruments’ display technologies and platforms. With Kent’s global expertise and experience with diverse company sizes, DLP^® Products continues the expansion of its customer breadth and expanded product portfolio.   

Kent has a long history with TI. Since joining the company in 2003, he has held leadership roles in a broad spectrum of groups, including the Wireless Infrastructure Business Unit, the High-Speed Communications Group and, most recently, he served as vice president and general manager of the Medical/HiRel organization. Appointed to his current role as head of DLP^® Products in late 2008, Kent’s wireless and medical expertise play an integral part in the proliferation of DLP display technologies and developer platforms in new and emerging markets.  

After earning undergraduate and graduate degrees in industrial engineering from Purdue University, Kent began his career as a digital switching systems engineer with AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1988.  His 15 years in the telecom industry were spent with industry leaders such as Bell Labs, AT&T-Network Systems (Lucent), DSC Communications, Alcatel and Corvis Communications. He has experience in customer-oriented functions including product management, marketing and sales support. He has extensive international experience including frequent travel in Asia (Japan, Taiwan), in addition to expatriate assignments in Denmark, The United Kingdom and The Netherlands.

 

 

Bill Kleinman is a partner with the Haynes and Boone law firm. He focuses on corporate and securities law. His expertise includes public offerings and private finance (including venture capital), corporate governance, SEC/S-OX compliance, mergers and acquisitions. 

Bill also assists general counsel and corporations that have robust legal needs by coordinating service delivery, project management and budgeting across all sections of the firm. 

Bill's recent transactional matters include:

•  Represented companies in industries such as telecommunications hardware, enterprise software, wireless PCS and international distribution in IPOs, public offerings of equity and debt and 144A transactions

• Represented buyers and sellers of companies in industries such as technology, software, service, and industrial products in mergers, stock and asset acquisitions, auctions, private equity and ESOP transactions

• Represented publicly traded companies in connection with corporate governance matters, defensive measures and SEC reporting and compliance

• Represented industrial and service companies in connection with the formation of domestic and international joint ventures and strategic partnerships

• Represented start-up companies and their investors in segments such as VOIP, network processors, semiconductors, outsourcing and internet media in seed and venture capital fundings, stock option plans, stockholder agreements and strategic agreements

Bill graduated as a chemical engineer, and he has a broad understanding of the science and technology that drive today's most innovative companies. He helps companies implement technology intensive business strategies and transactions, and turn their technology advantage into competitive advantage. 

 

 

Steve Watson is the managing director of Stanton Chase International, Dallas office. Steve began his career in computers and technology, having held several senior management positions with global companies, including Burroughs Corporation, Tandem Computers and Micronyx, where he served as President & CEO.

Steve offers a unique value in understanding the requirements and needs within the demanding high-technology industry. Steve’s search experience started in 1995, when he has specialized in senior management positions within technology and industrial, in addition to CIO assignments across industries.

Steve currently serves on the board of directors for Terra Nova Financial (“TNFG”), Metroplex Technology Business Council, CEO Netweavers, Dallas Summer Musicals (Executive Committee) and Woodvale Fishing Club. He has a degree in electrical engineering from University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from SMU.

 

Virtualization is placing new demands on infrastructure that conventional storage platforms were never designed to handle. Hie Electronics has the solution. Based in McKinney, Hie is the innovator of an emerging technology that is revolutionizing the way companies store data. 

Hie Electronics specializes in the development and implementation of dense, Blu-ray, multi-tiered optical data storage units and enterprise-class digital video recorders. Its flagship product, the TeraStack® Solution, supplies innovative data backup and disaster-recovery capabilities, video-surveillance file storage, medical data retention, architectural and engineering database file storage, high-speed paper scanning and image processing and critical e-mail backup and recovery for small, medium and large enterprises using Blu-ray optical technology. 

“We provide fully scalable computing platforms, active archive devices and services,” said Patrick Humm, president. 

Hie Electronics considers its emerging technology the next 3PAR. It provides long-term data backup archiving and digital asset management essential to any large business or governmental agency. The TeraStack® Solution supplies a "green" storage solution that can cut energy consumption by up to 70 percent and total cost of ownership by up to 90 percent. 

The digital asset management provided by the system offers critical data backup for e-mails and vital documents. The data backup archiving uses Blu-ray discs to protect sensitive files online, nearline, offline and/or offsite. The TeraStack® Solution provides users with energy-efficient digital asset management with a passive shelf-life of 50 to 100 years.

Hie’s technology solutions earned the company the 2009 North American Data Storage Technologies Green Excellence Award in Technology Innovation. See the company’s website for more information. 

   

The people at Smoothapps in Allen believe there’s a certain magic to making IT, and they want to help IT companies recapture it. Smoothapps is a boutique IT management consulting firm that trains leaders and develops software engineering teams in the areas of project management, agile transformation and leadership development.  

“We blend ideas from the world of organizational development and IT to help develop leaders and self managing teams at all levels of an organization. Our mission is to develop strong teams and inspire leaders to recapture the magic of making IT,” said Ravi Verma, Smoothapps founder and org whisperer.  

With more than 12 years in the industry, Verma has a proven track record of delivering multi-million dollar, enterprise-class software in the networking, telecom, wireless and security software space. He has worked with IT giants like Cisco, Avaya, Siemens and Hewlett Packard, as well as startups and mid-sized companies. Based on recurring obstacles he found in all sized IT companies, he created the “Framework for Accelerating Organizational Transformation,” a model he uses to help team avoid or overcome obstacles.  

“There are patterns of obstacles that occur whenever you put together a bunch of people with a  bunch of code,” Verma said.  

Smoothapps uses various techniques to help teams succeed, including brown bag seminars and workshops on helping teams lead change, harness conflicts, leverage personality type differences and boost motivation.  

More information is available at smoothapps.com.  

Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences Division provides credit and financial services and products to early-stage, growing, institutional-backed technology and life sciences companies, as well as their more mature counterparts. Whiting’s responsibilities include assisting existing and new clients with debt structuring, treasury management and/or International banking needs. He is also responsible for the Bank’s ongoing relationships with Midwest and Dallas-area based venture capitalists.   

Prior to joining Comerica in 2003, he was the European Vice President of Operations with the Dallas-based software company, Global360, Inc. While with Global360 in Europe, he assisted with the integration of two acquisitions from Avaya and Kodak. In addition to the day-to-day accounting, banking and human resources activities, he was specifically responsible for the streamlining of order processing, negotiating new customer maintenance and partner/reseller agreements and implementing new pricing. 

Prior to working with Global360, he spent eight years with Imperial Bank and Comerica Bank in Austin, assisting early-stage venture capital-backed companies with debt structuring. Whiting is a licensed CPA and received his BBA in Finance and Accounting from Texas A&M University. He resides in Dallas with his wife and two children ages 11 and 8.

About Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences Division

Comerica’s Technology and Life Sciences Division is one of the nation’s leading technology banking practices, offering a wide range of financial services tailored to corporate customers, entrepreneurs and professionals. Veteran bankers provide credit and financial services and products to young, growing, professionally backed technology and life sciences companies, as well as their more mature counterparts in the software/hardware, Internet services, telecommunications, life sciences and e-commerce industries. From 12 offices located across the U.S., Comerica’s Technology and Life Sciences Division serves all major technology centers. Comerica is among the 20 largest banking companies in the nation, with more than $55 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.comerica.com.

Jeff Van Mater serves as the operations director for the South West in the Commercial Segment for Cisco Systems, Inc. In this role, Jeff is responsible for leading the Operations direct sales and engineering teams. He has held the position since 2007.

Jeff has more than 20 years of management and executive experience in sales, operations, engineering and program management. His background and leadership roles provide expertise in sales and business development.

Previously, Jeff served as vice president and general manager of the Western US for Siemens Communications and was a member of their US executive leadership team.

Before joining Siemens in 2002, Van Mater spent sixteen years with MCI WorldCom (now Verizon), where he held various leadership roles including regional vice president of the Shared Technologies Division, regional vice president of the Commercial Division and director of sales for national accounts.

Jeff holds a BBA degree in Marketing from Stetson University, is on the Board of Directors for the Metroplex Technology Business Council and serves on the Cisco Executive Site Leadership team for the Richardson campus.

Member Profile: About 2X

The server-based computer market is booming because of companies like 2X Software Ltd, which develops software for that market. Some benefits: thin client computing controls, spiraling PC management costs, centralizes application and desktop management, improves security and performance and allows users to work remotely. 2X provides simple and affordable application and desktop delivery for businesses of all sizes.

“Our unique licensing structure allows our products to cost as little as 1/5 the cost of comparable competitor solutions,” said Scott Sims, general manager, Americas.

The company's product line includes: 2X ThinClientServer for Windows and Linux – a  solution for central deployment, configuration and management of thin clients and user's connection settings; 2X ApplicationServer for Terminal Services – for tunneling any Windows application onto remote desktops to save on administration & support; 2X LoadBalancer for Terminal Services - which provides load balancing, increased security and redundancy for terminal servers; and 2X SecureRDP - a freeware product which increases the security of servers.

2X is a privately held company, with offices in the USA, Germany, UK, Australia, Japan and Malta. Its management team is backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. It is a Microsoft, Novell ISV and IBM partner. The company is part of a group of software companies which includes Acunetix, a developer of web application security scanning software, and 3CX, a developer of IP PBX software for Windows.

See the 2X website for more information.

 

MTBC Board of Director Recognized for Innovation in India

George Brody is a native of Kerala, India, a state known for its beauty and tourism. Although he’s been in North America for decades, his reputation and contributions to the wireless industry have earned him accolades in his homeland. Brody, a director on the MTBC board, was a recipient of the Kerala Kalakendram’s Golden Honor Award. The award recognizes prominent professionals, both within India and with ties to Kerala, who have made significant contributions in various areas, like industries, arts and others.

“I was pleasantly surprised and honored,” said Brody. “This is not an award you apply for. The Kerala Kalakendram conducts its own research and finds people they believe are deserving of this award. I’m not even sure how they heard about me.”

Brody is an accomplished leader in the wireless world. He was a Nortel executive for years before founding GlobeRanger, an RFID software and solutions company. He also has spent many years mentoring young entrepreneurs, including the three young men who started Mobme, a young and vibrant Mobile Media & Entertainment company in India. When Mobme was starting up, Brody would wake up in the middle of the night so he could work with them and accommodate the time difference. Brody is Mobme’s non-executive chairman.

Kerala Kalakendram is a society for socio-cultural research and development. The award was presented to Brody at the historic Kanakakkunnu palace in Kerala by the union minister of the state for commerce and industry.

Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences Division provides credit and financial services and products to early-stage, growing, institutional-backed technology and life sciences companies, as well as their more mature counterparts. Whiting’s responsibilities include assisting existing and new clients with debt structuring, treasury management and/or International banking needs. He is also responsible for the Bank’s ongoing relationships with Midwest and Dallas-area based venture capitalists.   

Prior to joining Comerica in 2003, he was the European Vice President of Operations with the Dallas-based software company, Global360, Inc. While with Global360 in Europe, he assisted with the integration of two acquisitions from Avaya and Kodak. In addition to the day-to-day accounting, banking and human resources activities, he was specifically responsible for the streamlining of order processing, negotiating new customer maintenance and partner/reseller agreements and implementing new pricing. 

Prior to working with Global360, he spent eight years with Imperial Bank and Comerica Bank in Austin, assisting early-stage venture capital-backed companies with debt structuring. Whiting is a licensed CPA and received his BBA in Finance and Accounting from Texas A&M University. He resides in Dallas with his wife and two children ages 11 and 8.

About Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences Division

Comerica’s Technology and Life Sciences Division is one of the nation’s leading technology banking practices, offering a wide range of financial services tailored to corporate customers, entrepreneurs and professionals. Veteran bankers provide credit and financial services and products to young, growing, professionally backed technology and life sciences companies, as well as their more mature counterparts in the software/hardware, Internet services, telecommunications, life sciences and e-commerce industries. From 12 offices located across the U.S., Comerica’s Technology and Life Sciences Division serves all major technology centers. Comerica is among the 20 largest banking companies in the nation, with more than $55 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.comerica.com.

Member Profile: The TransSynergy Group

Change is inevitable. Growth is intentional. The TransSynergy Group’s job is to keep businesses pushing ahead. TransSynergy is a marketing firm with the expertise to help high-tech companies solve real challenges, expand business opportunities and drive additional sales. The company’s expertise ranges from helping companies with the basics of a marketing plan to comprehensive go-to-market strategies, national PR campaigns, new product launches and sales lead generation.

“We understand technology. I used to run a software development group,” said TransSynergy Founder Donna Hegdahl. “I started TransSynergy after identifying the growing needs of entrepreneurs - mostly engineers, technologists and other non-marketers - who had no idea how to get their ideas to product, then to market.”

Even the best products don’t sell themselves. TransSynergy helps companies grow by applying the right marketing programs. The TransSynergy experience focuses on a customer’s marketing and communications challenges, whether it’s a small firm or an international conglomerate. The firm even has its own marketing formula.

Other services offered include:

• Outsourced marketing departments
• Strategy and planning
• Lead generation and sales development
• Branding and brochures
• Web marketing
• Social media
• Partner programs
• Call center programs
• Hispanic marketing programs

More information about the TransSynergy Group is available on the firm’s website.

 

 

James R. Von Ehr II is the Founder and Chairman of the Zyvex group of companies: Zyvex Technologies, Zyvex Labs and in Singapore: Zyvex Asia and ZyCraft.

Von Ehr is recognized as a respected leader within the nanotechnology industry and speaks frequently at industry conferences worldwide. He founded the Texas Nanotechnology Initiative and the Feynman Grand Prize in Nanotechnology. His significant gift established the University of Texasat Dallas NanoTech Institute. He has also endowed the James Von Ehr Distinguished Chair of Science and Technology at UTD, held by the late Nobel Laureate Alan G. MacDiarmid (Chemistry Prize in 2000). In 2006, he endowed the James Von Ehr Scholars program at Michigan State University, funding scholarships for 16 engineering undergrads.

Von Ehr was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in June 2003. In 2004, he was named Distinguished Alumni of both Michigan State University and The University of Texas at Dallas. Also in 2004, he received the Richardson Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Leadership Award. In 2006, he received the Claud Erickson Award, MSU’s highest Engineering Alumni award, as well as MSU’s Computer Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award. He holds six patents in software and nanotechnology.

David E. Daniel is the fourth president of The University of Texas at Dallas. He received his bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. degrees in engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and served on the faculty at UT Austin from 1980 to 1996. In 1996, he moved to theUniversity of Illinois, finishing his service there as Dean of Engineering before being appointed UT Dallas' president in 2005.
 
Dr. Daniel’s professional work has been recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which awarded him its highest honor for papers published in its journals (the Norman Medal), and on two separate occasions awarded him its second highest honor, the Croes Medal. He was also awarded the Presidents’ Award in 2007 and the OPAL (Outstanding Projects and Leaders) Award for Education for 2010. In 2000, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the nation’s most prestigious organization recognizing engineering achievement.
 
In 2005 through 2008, Daniel served as Chair of the External Review Panel of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which reviewed the facts surrounding the performance of New Orleans’ levees during Hurricane Katrina. In 2009 Daniel served as President of The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas (TAMEST), which is an organization comprised of all Texas residents who have won Nobel Prizes or been elected to one of the three National Academies. In July 2010, Daniel was appointed by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council to a committee investigating the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The committee is charged with conducting a technical analysis of the accident’s causes and recommending measures to prevent similar disasters in the future. Daniel serves on the Sandia Corporation Board of Directors, which oversees management of Sandia National Laboratory. He also serves on boards of numerous Dallas-area organizations, including the Dallas Regional Chamber.
 
During his presidency, UT Dallas has doubled its research expenditures, initiated or completed $300 million of construction of new buildings, added 33 new degree programs, raised $125 million in private funds and won two national collegiate championships in chess.
 
He has advocated widely for UT Dallas to become one of the nation's top research universities, focusing on hiring exceptional faculty members, attracting top students, delivering a quality education, expanding diversity and partnering with the community in research, education, outreach, the arts, and technology commercialization. The approach that he suggested for creating more top-tier research universities in Texas gained widespread support that led to two legislative initiatives that pumped more than $500 million of state funds into this effort. His work on this legislation led to his being named a finalist for “Texan of the Year” by the Dallas Morning News in December 2009.
 

 Arun Bhikshesvaran has more than 15 years of experience in the wireless communications industry.  He has been with Ericsson since 1995 and is currently senior vice president of strategy and chief technology officer for Ericsson North America. Bhikshesvaran is responsible for identifying Ericsson's long-term vision, defining the overall company strategy and driving business value creation for Ericsson’s customers.

He has served in a variety of roles within the industry, including multimedia and infrastructure solutions, systems solutions and integration, field engineering, R&D and global product marketing.

Bhikshesvaran holds a masters degree in electrical engineering and has completed a post graduate executive program at Columbia Business School. He serves on the board of directors of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC).

Comerica’s Technology & Life Sciences Division can provide companies with the resources they need to realize their vision. Comerica’s products and services are tailored to meet the demands of emerging technology and life science companies throughout their lifecycle.
 
Now in its second decade, Comerica’s Technology & Life Sciences Division has fueled thousands of success stories. Their strengths include extensive experience in technology, life sciences and venture services, strong relationships with top-tier investors and the proven ability to add value with other financial services. Comerica offers growth capital lines, equipment loans, working capital lines, international trade finance, treasury management, institutional trust, investment management, retirement plans and executive and personal banking services.
 
With offices nationwide from Boston to Silicon Valley, Comerica Technology & Life Sciences Division can provide expert financial services to companies in every stage of their lifecycle.
 
See the technology and life sciences section of Comerica’s website for more information.

 

Craig Berry is senior vice president, chief information officer for Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division 
Berry oversees technology infrastructure and applications for the 7,400-employee, global company. He led the implementation of a globally consolidated, SAP and Teamcenter-based, enterprise system, and continues to evolve an integrated, analytic and service-oriented architecture in order to meet the needs of key decision makers, customers and partners.
 
His association with Siemens PLM Software began in 1997, when he served as SAP project manager and Enterprise Applications director for Structural Dynamics Research Corporation (SDRC), a leading provider of mechanical design and product development software and services. In 2001, EDS acquired SDRC and merged it with Unigraphics Solutions, Inc. to form the PLM Solutions line of business, later known as UGS. In 2002, Berry was appointed to his current position.
 
Prior to joining Siemens PLM Software, Berry was a senior manager with Ernst & Young's Management Consulting Group, where he consulted within numerous industries over a seven-year period. He specialized in Strategic Information System Assessments, software package deployments, and large-scale ERP implementations. He is a certified SAP FI/CO Consultant. Prior to joining Ernst & Young, Berry was an officer in the United States Air Force, where he served as an Intelligence Systems Engineer. His systems project leadership and long-term contributions to imaging technology earned him an Air Force Commendation Medal in 1990.
 
Berry received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Dayton in 1990, graduating with "Outstanding Academic Achievement." He earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1986. Berry is a Distinguished Military Graduate and also attended language studies in Strasbourg, France.
 
Berry chairs the University of North Texas’ College of Engineering Advisory Board.  He also serves on the board of the Metroplex Technology Business Council.
 
Craig Berry resides in Plano, Texas with his wife and three children.
 
 
 

BKM Sowan Horan is a full-service CPA firm that brings together an experienced team of audit, tax and consulting professionals to help clients succeed. The firm serves middle market companies, both private and publicly traded. Its partners have decades of public accounting experience in a diverse range of industries.
 
“We are enterprising people who collaborate with each other to provide the highest level of service to our clients,” said Richard Sowan, owner and partner. “Our approach is to involve multiple partners even though professional standards may not require it.”
 
BKM operates on the belief that working collaboratively provides multiple points of view, which better addresses a client’s needs in a rapidly changing business environment. It believes in continuous involvement with its client as a means of increasing oversight and mitigating risk.
 
BKM is located in Addison. Its partners are members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and the firm is registered with the Public Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and licensed under the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.
 
See the firm’s website for more information on its business approach and services offered.

 

Rusty Cone joined Alliance Systems (now part of NEI) in January 1999 and is currently senior vice president of sales and marketing for NEI. With more than 20 years of experience in high-tech manufacturing and quality process management, he is responsible for sales, sales operations, marketing and customer service. Previously, he served as vice president of M&S Systems, a nationally recognized consumer electronics manufacturer. In addition, he held management positions at Texas Instruments and Marlow Industries, a winner of the 1991 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. He holds a BS degree in naval science from the U.S. Naval Academy.

Tanis Cornell is the Global Enterprise Manager for NetApp, a global leader in the storage and data management industry. She has more than 25 years of experience in sales, marketing and alliance leadership in the telecommunications, software and data management industries. She currently has responsibility for NetApp’s global relationship with AT&T.

Tanis leads the NetApp sales teams responsible for the IT and consumer business units as well as affiliates such as YP.com and AT&T WiFi. Her previous roles include executive vice president of sales and marketing for PhaseWare, a software firm providing help desk software solutions, and vice president positions with Level 3 Communications and WilTel, wholesale telecommunications carriers.

Tanis serves on the board of directors for Sales & Marketing Executives International and the Metroplex Technology Business Council. She is on the business advisory council for the Oklahoma Christian University School of Business. She has previously held board president positions for the Tulsa Area Red Cross and Dale Rogers Training Center, a non-profit serving the needs of the adult mentally handicapped in Oklahoma City. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of North Texas and resides in Plano with her husband Don and son Christopher.