Tuesday, February 5, 2008

"How to Select and Retain Management for your Startup Company"

Presentations

Meeting Overview:

Selecting and retaining the management team are the keys to building a business that is scalable.  If you envision building a business � or if you already are building a business � a commitment to excellent management is just as essential as functional purpose.

When investors consider your business, it's often said the three things they focus on are "management, management, and management".  Investors invest in people, and it's the people of the management team that must have the skills and dexterity to succeed where others have failed.  Seldom is a business plan carried out precisely on plan � there are pitfalls, changes, choices to be made.

Entrepreneurs are adventurers and explorers � advancing innovation, creating compelling jobs, surmounting unexpected obstacles.  Leading edge technology is just a part of the success formula.  It takes a team to grow a business.  How do you select the right candidates, without settling, without over-relying on a limited network, or the dreaded resume?

How do you attract the mix of talent and experience you need?  Talent and experience to fill in the knowledge gaps � to bring maximum value to the investors' dollar, to carry your enterprise to success?

Then, once you have a team in place, how do you keep them engaged?  They are looking for challenging yet achievable goals, a working environment that is productive and focused, a group which challenges themselves and others to be even better.  How do you benefit from different perspectives, foster dissent, work collaboratively and keep the team engaged?

Join us February 5, 2008 for a panel presentation of experienced leaders and consultants who offer different approaches and strategies to selecting and building the management team for your startup company, reducing attrition and retaining your team through to a successful exit.

 

Panelists:

Janet Britcher, president of Transformation Management (www.transformationmanagement.com).  Her success derives from her expertise in:  executive coaching, organizational development, and human resources, along with her own extensive management expertise.  This rich background provides reference points that assist clients in achieving change, and developing management and leadership skills, in the context of their own organizational culture and systems.  Her clients also benefit from Janet's devotion to continually exploring new management and leadership practices and research.  She synthesizes complex models and translates them into practical tips.  In addition, her years as an entrepreneur provide for a strategic business orientation.

Transformation Management offers:

  • executive coaching
  • management and leadership workshops
  • organization development

Executive Coaching is designed for already highly capable professionals, to enhance their effectiveness within their culture.  Coaching is customized to attain outcomes as defined by the candidate and management.  Through inquiry as well as skill building, the coachee develops increased awareness and a more authentic personal connection to his/her particular style of leadership.  This increases access to personal resources and naturally translates into enrolling and motivating others.  Janet holds an MBA with a concentration in Organization Development; certifications include Myers-Briggs, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), and Lego Serious Play (a strategic facilitation process).  She has experience using several 360 instruments, as well as change management and team development approaches.  Previous in-house corporate leadership roles included head of Human Resources & Organization Development for several corporations, including Thomson Financial Software Solutions and a 500-person Boston law firm: Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo.


Elaine Crowley, M.Ed, principal, The Crowley Group (www.TheCrowleyGroup.com).  In her 25 year career, Elaine Crowley served as Vice President of Organizational Development & Human Resources at 3 multi-national companies before founding the Crowley Group.  This virtual coaching and consulting firm has worked with over 60 companies and non-profits.  Elaine prefers the dynamic pace and greater impact achieved by developing smaller companies and their leaders.  The author of 3 books, Elaine's articles on management and leadership appear in both US and international publications.  While serving part time as Consulting VP, OD & HR to an oncology start-up, her firm develops leaders, teams, and organizations by:

  • Coaching - communication, management, transitions
  • Team building and meeting facilitation
  • Custom workshops with follow-up coaching

Jay Teich, Founder, President and CEO, Seahorse Bioscience (www.seahorsebio.com).  Jay incorporated Seahorse Bioscience, formerly Thermogenic Imaging, in 2000, completed the technology licensing and initial funding in 2001 and in 2004 completed the acquisition of Innovative Microplate.  Prior to forming Seahorse Bioscience, over a seven year period Jay led the growth, management buyout, and sale of Inframetrics, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of thermal imaging systems for industrial and law enforcement applications.  In 1999, he negotiated the merger of Inframetrics with FLIR Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:FLIR) to form the world's largest supplier of commercial thermal imaging systems.  During a twenty-five year career, Jay has led engineering and marketing teams in development and commercialization of a diverse range of electro-optical, ultrasound, and biochemical instruments for Honeywell, Damon Corporation and Ciba Corning Diagnostics, Inc.

Moderator:

Robert A. Adelson, JD, LLM, partner at the Boston law firm Engel & Schultz, LLP (www.engelschultz.com) has been a corporate and tax attorney since 1977.  He began as an associate at major New York law firms Dewing Ballantine and Weil Gotschal & Manges, before returning home to Boston in 1985 where he has since been a partner in small and medium sized firms.  Rob's clients are (1) early stage companies, (2) independent consultants, (3) senior executives and key employees, and (4) family businesses.  His main practice areas are:  business formation and finance; commercial contracts, licensing, and alliances; executive employment, stock, options and severance; trademarks; copyrights; M&A.  Rob is a frequent speaker and author of articles published by Boston Business Journal, Mass High Tech, Family Business Magazine, Genetic Engineering News, Culpepper Letter and others.  A member of the MA and NY bars, Rob is also Vice-Chairman of Boston Entrepreneurs' Network and a board member of 128 Innovation Capital Group.  He holds degrees from Boston University, B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Northwestern University (Chicago), J.D., Law Review, New York University, LL.M. in Taxation.