by: Joanna Gammon | Client Relationship Manager
Engage Charlotte has released it’s first quarterly newsletter! Michael Juby, Engage Charlotte Chair, says “We are thrilled that you are interested in learning more about this great region and the important role you can play in shaping Charlotte's future! In our newsletters, we hope to provide you with concise, compelling information that will help you in your personal and professional development. We also want to help you connect to the region's business and civic leaders, to volunteer and leadership opportunities, and to one another. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about our newsletter or Engage Charlotte - I would love to hear from you! Have fun getting Engaged!”
Engage Charlotte recently hosted their 2nd Signature Event at the Westin Hotel. Integra sponsored the event on… Engaging Risk = Achieving Innovation
"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative." ~Woody Allen
Innovation is a rare and precious gem because so many people fear and avoid the risks necessary to achieve it. Of what are they afraid? Mistakes? Failure? Humiliation? Financial ruin? Those are legitimate concerns. However, mistakes and failure are excellent learning tools and should be embraced by young professionals and seasoned executives alike. As for humiliation and financial ruin, may we suggest calculated risks. Learn from an inventor and an intellectual property attorney how they engage risk to achieve innovation.
Guest Speaker: Louis Foreman founder and Chief Executive of Enventys an integrated product design and engineering firm with offices in Charlotte, NC and Hong Kong. Louis graduated from The University of Illinois with a Bachelors of Science degree in Economics. His interest in starting businesses and developing innovative products began while a sophomore with his first company founded in his fraternity room. Over the past 20 years, Louis has created 5 successful start-ups and has been directly responsible for the creation of over 10 others. A prolific inventor, he is the inventor of 9 registered US Patents, and his firm is responsible for the development and filing of well over 150 more.
The recipient of numerous awards for entrepreneurial achievement, his passion for small business extends beyond his own companies. Louis volunteers his time teaching small business classes at Central Piedmont Community College, and was just recently awarded the 2007 Instructor Achievement Award. He is a frequent lecturer and radio / TV guest on the topics of small business creation and product development, and is frequently invited by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to be a featured speaker on the topic of innovation.
In addition to being an inventor, Louis is also committed to educating others on the topic of intellectual property. Louis is the creator of the new PBS TV show, Everyday Edisons and serves as the Executive Producer and lead judge. The show is in production of its second season and appears nationally on PBS. In 2007, Louis became the publisher of Inventors Digest, a 20-year-old publication devoted to the topic of American Innovation.
Louis was a founding member of The Inventors Network of the Carolinas, a non-profit organization that empowers inventors through education, support, and networking opportunities. Louis currently serves as a board member for the University of North Carolina Charlotte Technology Commercialization Committee, The Entrepreneurial Leadership Council at Queens University, and the Central Piedmont Community College Small Business Advisory Board. In December of 2007, he was appointed by United States Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez to serve for a 3-year term on the nine-person Patent Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Guest Speaker: Keith Agisim is Associate General Counsel for Global Intellectual Property for Bank of America. Keith and his team are responsible for creating and implementing the Bank’s intellectual property and intellectual asset strategies, including protecting the Bank’s intellectual property, defending the Bank against claims of others, and monetizing the Bank’s intellectual assets.
Prior to joining Bank of America, Keith was IP Counsel at an affiliate of the Principal Financial Group, where he structured novel intellectual-property-based financings. The innovative structuring of these transactions earned a “Deal of the Year” Award from Securitization News and a “Deal of Distinction” Award from the Licensing Executives Society. He also provided strategic intellectual property counseling to businesses to assist them in developing and monetizing intellectual property assets.
Keith practiced law at Fish & Neave in New York, where he specialized in the protection, assertion, acquisition and divestiture of intellectual property assets. He has also advised investors and investment banks on the evaluation of the intellectual property and licensing strategies, as well as valuation issues related to intellectual property portfolios. In addition, Keith has litigated patent, trademark and copyright matters.
Keith graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology and received a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
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