James Jorasch currently heads up the R&D department of Walker Digital, the think tank which launched Priceline.com. Walker Digital, LLC invents business systems which solve problems. Founded in 1994 by Jay S. Walker, Walker Digital's inventors have been granted over 200 U.S. and International Patents for unique business systems. The invention teams, lead by Mr. Walker, currently have a portfolio of more than 500 business solutions. Walker Digital is best known for its role as the invention laboratory that created priceline.com, which was subsequently launched by Mr. Walker in 1998. James Jorasch is a graduate of Cornell University.
Scott Blackwell is the founder of Immaculate Baking Company. At first, it was a desperate need for college tuition money that fueled his first foray into the food business. Using his knack for creative resourcefulness, Scott began selling homemade pies (made in his tiny apartment) to local Greenville restaurants. What began as a venture of desperation soon became a viable little business with over 28 restaurants buying his extraordinary pies. After college, several other food ventures followed suit. From driving a seafood truck up and down the South Carolina coast to establishing Ben and Jerry's 9th ice cream distributorship (covering the Carolinas), Scott absorbed everything he learned along the way. At 23, Scott sold his Ben and Jerry's distributorship, paid off his student loans, and moved to Columbia, SC with 30 dollars in his pocket. What began as a spontaneous itch to try something different soon led to the grand opening of his restaurant, Immaculate Consumption, a popular gathering spot with an eclectic menu and home of the only coffee roasting machine in town! Inspired by the cult following of his artisan-roasted coffee, Scott began making cookies and biscotti to be served with the fresh espresso and soon crowds were pouring through the doors not to eat funky sandwiches and sip lattes but to satisfy the cravings for his infamous pancake-sized cookies! It didn't take long for him to recognize the incredible potential of his famous cookie recipes, and he sold the restaurant and moved to Flat Rock, NC in order to pursue that full time. Well, like many people who drop everything to follow a dream, Scott discovered that it wasn't quite as glamorous as it sounded. There he was doing exactly what he wanted to do, but doing it in his two-car garage, and he suddenly found himself lacking both inspiration and confidence. With this in mind, he turned to folk art, an old interest that had never failed to inspire him, and began traveling, often for days at a time, to visit with different folk artists he had befriended in the past. While driving one day, he had a revelation - why not combine his two passions, folk art and cookies, into the start of his new business? With that thought, Scott returned to his garage, newly inspired, and Immaculate Baking Company was born. Almost 12 years have passed since then, but Scott is more passionate about the food business than ever before. He still develops all of the recipes himself and can be found most any day scouring the grocery aisles for signs of new products and new trends. Aside from his overwhelming interest in Immaculate, Scott is also an avid folk art collector, founder of the Folk Artist's Foundation and has even dipped into the world of filmmaking to complete the 10-year documentary project about Southern folk artists entitled "All Rendered Truth."
David Goldsmith is the co-founder of MetaMatrix Consulting Group LLC, a consulting firm specializing in generating strategies that create competitive advantages for his clients. Goldsmith received his B.S. and M.B.A from Syracuse University.
Christopher Totman is a fashion designer based out of New York City's NoLita neighborhood on the Lower East Side. Totman is a 10-year industry veteran who has been designing under his own name since 1997. He has translated ecological awareness into some adorable, feminine clothing. He uses recycled materials and vintage fabrics as well as natural fibers.
<p>Ron Vos is a young entrepreneur who started the company, Hi Frequency in 1995. Hi Frequency is an independent music-marketing firm that promotes for labels, concert halls, and distributors. The company uses over 60 field representatives (that are unpaid) to perform promoting in 50 markets across the country. Ron educates his reps so that they will have not only use the position as a resume builder but also gain a strong understanding of the music industry to help further their careers.</p>
<p>Jonathan Klein is the Founder and Managing Partner of Topline Strategy Group. Prior to founding Topline, Klein was VP of Marketing at Promptu, a venture-backed CRM software company. He also served in senior marketing roles at Documentum and Docent. Klein also worked as a Case Leader in the Chicago office of The Boston Consulting Group, advising Fortune 500 clients in a range of industries on corporate growth.</p> <p>Jon Klein holds an MBA from The Kellogg School at Northwestern University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. </p>
<p>Tony Eisenhut is Co-Founder, CEO, and President of KensaGroup. He has launched seven university-derived technology start-ups since KensaGroup's inception. Tony has served as former CEO of Tarjac Inc., a supplier of finishing services to consumer goods manufacturers. He also served as Vice President of Aldi, Inc., a $40 billion international food retailer. </p> <p>Eisenhut has been advisor to NextGen (Senator K. LaValle) in conjunction with New York's Task Force on Economic Development and Emerging Industries. He also served as advisor to Center for Life Science Enterprise (New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research Center for Advanced Technology at Cornell.</p> <p>Tony Eisenhut earned his B.A. degree in 1988 from Cornell University.</p>
<p>Seth Goldman is President and CEO (TeaEO) of Honest Tea, the company he founded together with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. An entrepreneur at heart, Seth started with lemonade stands and newspaper routes, created an urban service corps and almost pursued a prize-winning biotechnology idea before he started Honest Tea in his kitchen in 1998. </p> <p>Before launching Honest Tea, Seth was Vice President of Calvert Social Investment Fund, managing the marketing and sales efforts for the nation's largest family of socially responsible mutual funds. His previous work includes managing a corporate child labor initiative for the Calvert Foundation, directing an AmeriCorps demonstration project in Baltimore and serving as Senator Lloyd Bentsen's Deputy Press Secretary for two and a half years. Before that he worked for a year in China (1987-1988) and a year and a half in the former Soviet Union (1989-1990). </p> <p>Seth Goldman received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a Master's degree from the Yale School of Management.</p>
Matt Russo is the Managing Partner of Northwestern Mutual\'s midtown Manhattan office. In 1995, Russo joined the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network as a financial representative, concentrating his market within the medical field and the hospitality industry. As a financial representative, he had achieved Forum honors since 2000, and had been the recipient of numerous individual sales awards. In 1999, Russo was appointed Managing Director of The North Shore Group in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Under his direction, The North Shore Group had been awarded the District Network Office Growth Award for the last 6 years, and the Outstanding Achievement in Recruiting and Selection for the last seven years. Matt Russo received a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Administration in 1990 from Cornell University.