Entrepreneurs Come to CATEC

CATEC is embarking on a new school-wide initiative for next school year to infuse entrepreneurship into all of our programs. To kickoff this exciting new focus, the March session of the Guest Lecture Series will focus on Entrepreneurship. On March 26th, the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC) will host an Entrepreneur Panel Discussion for high school students and community members in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area. Speakers in session one (10:30  12:00) include Denny King, Owner Paladin Pictures, Location Lodging Worldwide, Inc.; Marijean Jaggers, Senior Manager Standing Partnership; Guy Cohen, Owner Beck-Cohen; Sarah Wesley, Corporate Trainer Hair Cuttery. Speakers in session two (1:15- 3:00) include Colin Steele, AOL Instant Messenger creator, Owner Perfect Flavor Ice Cream; Matt Frey, CEO Sammy Snacks; Jim Bain, Owner Flying Dog Media; Tori Tremaglio, General Manager Festive Fare. Speaker bios are listed below. To see the complete schedule, visit www.catec.org

Speaker Bios

COLIN STEELE For fifteen years, Colin Steele has worked in IT, management and entrepreneurial environments, spanning IP networking software development, distributed systems and the Internet. As one of America Online's early employees, he wrote AOL's first Internet gateway. Later he helped architect and develop AOL Instant Messenger. During his tenure as Director of AIM Host Development, he designed and implemented key components of the system and co-authored patented technology for AIM. After leaving AOL, Colin launched WebG2, Inc., offering innovative online business intelligence services. Since then, he has worked with numerous startups and early-stage ventures, in industries ranging from food service to construction to music. His most recent endeavor is Perfect Flavor Ice Cream (www.perfectflavor.com). Colin graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA with a BA in Mathematics. He now resides in Charlottesville, VA.

MARIJEAN JAGGERS As a senior account manager, Marijean Jaggers brings experience in government relations, strategic communications, community and media relations to the Standing Partnership team. With a background that spans healthcare, business-to-business ventures, technology, finance and nonprofit client work, Marijean's well rounded history contributes strength and knowledge in support of her clients.

A journalist, as well as public relations professional, Marijean's background includes feature writing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and freelance articles to several publications including Sauce, Where Family and Albemarle Family Living. As a working mother interested in mentoring others, Marijean has been blogging as STLWorkingMom since early 2005 and has developed a following of several thousand readers. In addition, she served as an adjunct professor of communications at Fontbonne University.

Prior to joining Standing Partnership, Marijean served as marketing director for a marketing consulting firm, The Growth Partnership and was the public relations director for Crown Vision Centers, the region's largest eye healthcare company, for several years.

DENNY KING Dennis L. "Denny" King, came to Albemarle County fifteen years ago from Los Angeles, California. His professional career in California spanned nearly three decades as a business executive for several large firms including National Teleproductions Corp., Technicolor Corporation, Paramount Pictures Corporation, ABC Sports and Editel Inc. After retiring from the corporate world he applied his considerable experience to a variety of consultancies for major corporations in various cities throughout the country. His professional efforts have been recognized by The Hollywood Radio and Television Society, the VPA, numerous business organizations. In recent years Denny has founded two local companies. He is the Executive Producer, Paladin Media Group, LLC. and President / CEO of Location Lodging Worldwide, Inc. SARAH WESLEY Sarah Wesley started her career as a Cosmetology student at CATEC. She made such a great impression during her internship at the Hair Cuttery that it turned into a full-time job after her graduation from Charlottesville High School. Sarah's job duties soon went from stylist to manager. In 2005 she assisted in the start-up of the newest Hair Cuttery at Forest Lakes and became its first manager. Sarah is now a Salon Leader and Educator for the Hair Cuttery, responsible for training new hires in Charlottesville, Richmond and the Virginia Beach area.

JIM BAIN Jim Bain is the founder and principal of Flying Dog Media, a Charlottesville web and multimedia development company. Jim has twenty years of experience in information technology and Internet applications, working with small businesses, entrepreneurs, and start-ups. Jim enjoys bringing the latest web technologies and strategies to organizations that don't have dedicated IT resources. Jim is also responsible for the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council (www.CvilleBIC.org) and the Annual Business Forum (www.CvilleBIC.org/abf) websites. A native of Crozet, Virginia, Jim graduated from the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science. GUY COHEN Guy graduated high school in 1971, and went to UVA with aspirations of becoming a Doctor. He enjoyed the sciences so he majored in Biology, and realized he was not a good fit for the medical profession. After graduation Guy started working as a lab assistant for the introductory Biology courses and was able to team teach several courses in Biology. He needed a larger house for his growing family and the opportunity to actually build his own house with professional help presented itself and he did. This led to friends and neighbors asking him for help on construction projects and eventually to the inception of J.G. Cohen electrical. The company specialized in electrical from 1984 to 1993 when Mr. Jim Beck and Guy met to discuss the possibility of merging the two companies to provide electrical, plumbing and heating and air conditioning under one roof. This merger took place in the fall of 1993, and with the merger of two different companies and philosophies there were a few hurdles to clear before they began performing as well as expected. With the help of good employees, customers and a lot of hard work Beck-Cohen now has twenty one terrific employees and looking for more. They specialize in both residential and small commercial service work, renovation and remodel, and custom new construction HVAC, plumbing and electrical contracting.

TORI TREMAGLIO Tori Tremaglio is currently the General Manager for Festive Fare, a Classic Party Rentals company. Tori, along with her husband Carl, opened Festive Fare Rentals in 2000, and operated the company until 2007, when they sold it to Classic Party Rentals. The Tremaglios have a history of entrepreneur ventures. They also opened Oregano Joe's Italian Restaurant in 1988, and operated the establishment for 10 years. In 1988 they also opened Festive Fare Caterers, which closed in 2000 when they started the rental company.

MATT FREY Matt Frey has been involved in the organization and management of several different businesses. A graduate of Western Albemarle High School and University of Virginia, Matt recently moved back to Charlottesville and is currently the CEO and President of Sammy Snacks, a food and treat bakery for dogs and cats. The company was experiencing some financial setbacks when Matt stepped in and helped turn it around. The company is currently selling its products not only in Charlottesville, but in ten other states, as well as online www.sammysnacks.com.