Small Business Summit 2009 - Speakers

 

Melanie Attia is the Product Marketing Manager for Campaigner and is focused on managing the Campaigner marketing programs and product messaging.

Attia maintains a close watch on the frustrations of email marketers, industry trends, and market developments. With a great appreciation for customer concerns and a keen interest in delivering timely product initiatives and strategic value offerings, Attia delivers unparalleled email marketing solutions that provide the necessary tools for customer success.

 

Marian Banker, MBA, is a Business Leadership Coach and President of Prime Strategies, providing the small business community with coaching, consulting and training in business leadership skills since 1996.

Marian has provided targeted training and workshops in academic, professional and corporate settings for such sponsors as AT&T, AWED, McGraw-Hill, Citibank, Melard Technologies, Westchester Community College, Hunter College, Webgrrls and others. She was featured Business Coach on ABC's World News This Morning and Channel 12 News New Jersey. She has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal and numerous small business publications.

In 2006 she completed and launched the unique self-study Business Success System Course, which provides entrepreneurs with the tools, techniques, strategies and guidance to set their business on the fast track to success.

 

Jeffrey Bernstein is the Chairman and CEO of Strategic Brands, a company formed in 2008 to acquire restaurant chains operating primarily in the franchise sector. Mr. Bernstein was the founder, President and CEO of TruFoods Systems, Inc, a New York City based multi-concept company that franchised and operated over 100 restaurants under the Wall Street Deli, Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips and Pudgie's Famous Chicken brands.

Prior to TruFoods, Mr. Bernstein was President of Consolidated Services, Inc., a turnaround management consulting firm, which assisted numerous debtors and various creditor groups through the Chapter 11 process. He has spent many years in the food industry, working with well known brands including Juicy Juice Brand 100% Fruit Juices and Cooky's Steak Pubs.

Mr. Bernstein serves on the Franchise Relations Committee of the International Franchise Association and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Bernstein is also President of the Board of Trustees of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City and is Vice Chair of the Board of the American Heart Association's Long Island Region.

 

Harry Brooks is the Director of Search Marketing for Network Solutions. An expert in SEO, PPC, link building and Website marketing, Harry created and launched the Internet Marketing Webinar series for Network Solutions in 2007 to provide marketing education for Website owners and small businesses. Since, Harry has trained thousands of business owners on how to develop a search marketing strategy to increase traffic to their website.

Harry regularly engages business consumers in a variety of capacities, including being a regular contributor to Network Solutions Online Marketing Blog, and has appeared as a featured guest on Technically Speaking Radio to discuss search marketing.

 

Anita Campbell is CEO of Small Business Trends, LLC, a media and information company. In that role she closely follows trends in both the small business market and technology. Trained as a lawyer, she was most recently a senior executive with Bell & Howell Company, including serving as CEO of a technology subsidiary of Bell & Howell.

A respected speaker and emerging trends resource, Ms. Campbell's expertise has been noted or her opinion quoted in numerous major business and entrepreneurial publications. She was acknowledged as a participating source in the Intuit Future of Small Business Report. Her popular website, Small Business Trends, is regularly noted as a rich informational resource. In 2005 the site won the "Best of the Web" award for small business blogs from Forbes and numerous other awards and honors.

 

Danny Estrada is the CRM Practice Director at Net@Work. He guides the vision for delivering CRM capabilities to Net@Work customers and leads internal development of best practices and methodology for Customer Relationship Management personnel. Mr. Estrada has been consulting with sales and service teams for the past 20 years, helping each find the right mix of technology tools for maximum results.

He is also the author of the Practical CRM blog (http://blog.practicalcrm.net) that helps anyone using or implementing CRM achieve success through honest and straightforward dialogue.

 

Jezra Kaye, principal of Communicate with Power and Ease, helps good speakers become great, and excellent speakers become extraordinary. Whether working with scientists or CEOs, community leaders or university presidents, she builds on her clients' strengths—empowering them to be their best onstage, and to enjoy delivering messages that move and persuade.

Jezra learned her speechwriting skills as a marketing communications consultant to Fortune 100 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, IBM and Pfizer. She learned stagecraft and public speaking during her 18-year career as a jazz vocalist, and learned audience management from two years of bartending in San Francisco's infamous Tenderloin district.

Jezra is also a certified Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) consultant and the published author of a romance novelette. She lives in Brooklyn.

 

Brent Leary is a crm industry analyst, advisor, speaker and award winning blogger. He is co-founder and Partner of CRM Essentials LLC, an Atlanta based CRM advisory firm covering tools and strategies for improving business relationships. His client list includes Sage, Microsoft, Intuit, Cisco, Research In Motion and the state of Georgia's Depart of Economic Development.

Recognized by InsideCRM as one of 2007's 25 most influential industry leaders, Leary also is a past recipient of CRM Magazine's Most Influential Leader Award. He serves on the national board of the CRM Association, and as a subject matter expert for the Small Business Technology Task Force. He's been quoted in several national business publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Entrepreneur magazine.

Leary writes regular online columns for Inc. and Black Enterprise magzines. He hosts and produces the popular "Technology For Business $ake" radio program. Leary's blog can be found at www.BrentLeary.com.

 

Gene Marks is a columnist, author, and business owner.

He writes monthly online management and technology columns for both Forbes and Business Week as well as a bi-weekly column that appears nationally in American City Business Journals.

Gene's books include the #1 Amazon Small Business Best Seller The Streetwise Small Business Book of Lists (Adams Media), The Small Business Desk Reference (Alpha Books, 2004), Outfoxing The Small Business Owner - Crafty Techniques for Creating a Profitable Relationship (Adams Media, 2005) and The Complete Idiot's Guide To Successful Outsourcing (Alpha Books, 2005).

He owns and operates the Marks Group PC, a highly successful ten-person firm that provides technology and consulting services to small and medium sized businesses. The Marks Group PC, launched in 1994, has grown to help more than 500 companies and more than two thousand individuals throughout the country. Prior to starting the Marks Group PC Gene spent nine years in the entrepreneurial services arm of the international consulting firm KPMG in Philadelphia where he was a Senior Manager.

 

Bob Pearson is Vice President, Communities and Conversations for Dell. As a member of Dell's communications team, he is responsible for digital media activities, ranging from customer resolution to management of IdeaStorm, Direct2Dell, StudioDell and other digital initiatives.

Before joining Dell, Pearson worked for Novartis Pharmaceuticals as head of global corporate communications and as head of global pharma communications, where he served on the pharma executive committee. Prior to Novartis, he was president of the Americas for GCI and was responsible for creating and building the firm's global healthcare practice. He was previously vice president of global public affairs and media relations at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Sanofi Aventis) and worked at CIBA-Geigy in both communications and field sales. He has more than 20 years experience in executive corporate communications and public relations.

Pearson graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a degree in communications and completed his MBA at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is also a member of the executive committee of Dell's Political Action Committee and serves as the vice-chair of the Emerging Technology Committee for the State of Texas.

 

Brad Porteus is Chief Marketing Officer for Elance, where businesses connect with qualified experts to get work done online. Elance offers flexible access to specialized talent on-demand 24/7. Think designers, programmers, writers, translators, and much more.

Brad's background includes a variety of general management and online marketing roles including four years helping small business sellers succeed on eBay as well as executive roles at MTV and Yelp.

Brad earned an MBA from Stanford and an Economics degree from Duke, but asks that you don't hold it against him.

 

Ramon Ray is the editor of Smallbiztechnology.com and author of Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses (Amacom). He has written thousands of technology articles and news items for Smallbiztechnology.com. He is a contributing editor to the New York Enterprise Report and has written business small business technology articles for Inc Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, CNet, Var Business, TechTarget, Entrepreneur.com, Small Business Resources and other media.

Ramon has also written for technology vendors including Microsoft, FileMaker, Everest and others. He is often quoted in the media, including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc Magazine, WCBS Radio, Crains New York, National Federal of Independent Business, Small Business Advocate Radio Show, Wells Fargo Small Business Roundup and more.

Not "just" a technology writer, but as a former small business technology consultant, Ramon has years of hands on experience in building networks, installing software, upgrading computers and supporting the technology small businesses use on a daily basis.

 

Rob Roy is an award winning 28-year veteran of the US Navy with 22 years as an active member and leader of the elite Navy SEALs. In 2004, Roy founded SOT-G, one of the world's leading companies for military consultants, trainers and executive/force protection. As founder and President, Roy's mission is to provide effective and efficient solutions that enable clients to operate safely in challenging territories around the globe. Services include military consulting, risk management, entertainment advising, security/protection and training.

Roy recently formed "Leadership Under Fire," an intensive boot camp for CEOs looking to challenge their leadership and business skills by training under Navy SEAL conditions and philosophies.

An accomplished military veteran, actor and public speaker, Roy uses his knowledge and experience to help transform the lives of men and women through training, seminars and speaking engagements across the nation.

 

Jonathan Rochelle is a Group Product Manager at Google's New York City office. He is responsible for collaborative web products including Google Docs and Google Sites which are available as free consumer applications and components of the Google Apps product.

Prior to joining Google, Jonathan co-founded two companies - ITK Solutions, a Wall Street-based consulting firm, and 2Web Technologies, a software product company responsible for the development of the XL2Web product, which was acquired by Google as the technology behind Google spreadsheets. Jonathan also has 16 years of prior experience as a software engineer and applications development manager on Wall Street and received his BS degree in Computer Science from the State University of New York at Albany.

 

Michael Schultz is the director of marketing for Microsoft Office Live, one of the fastest growing services with over two million subscribers worldwide. Office Live Small Business debuted in 2006 to offer small businesses and non-profit organizations an affordable and easy solution for getting an online presence. Office Live Workspace was introduced in early 2008 to help people store and share their Office documents online.

Michael has a profound expertise in online marketing and customer acquisition, and his team has won several digital marketing awards. Prior to joining Microsoft, Michael was Senior Director of Product Marketing and Channel Development for PlaceWare, Inc., which was acquired by Microsoft in 2003 (now called Microsoft Office Live Meeting), and the Senior Director of Product Marketing at Voxeo, a startup company that offered hosted IVR, speech recognition and call center solutions for small- and mid-sized companies.

 

Yacov Wrocherinsky is the Founder, President and CEO of Infinity Info Systems. Since 1987, the company has specialized in contact management, sales force automation and customer relationship management software and services.

Even before the term "Customer Relationship Management" was coined, Yacov played a key role with innovators to conceptualize and develop CRM software, and the industry continues to depend on his and Infinity's expertise in this constantly evolving field.

As president and CEO of Infinity Info Systems, Yacov has led the company to be in the top 1% of sales for every product it resells. Infinity is the largest SalesLogix reseller worldwide and one of the nation's top distributors of ACT!, Microsoft CRM and Goldmine. Additionally, under the careful guidance of Yacov, Infinity Info Systems has grown by more than 30% year-over-year for the last five years. For more information, please click here.