From Greg's Head

Should Texas governors be term-limited?

• Yes, we always need new people, ideas.
• Yes, and then apply it to other offices.
• No, it might get rid of a good governor.
• No, we shouldn't go changing things.
• Other
   

Click here to vote!

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Existing U.S. home sales plunged 27.2 percent in July to a level not seen in more than a decade. The Dow has been trending downward. Unemployment remains high, and the price of oil is at around $72 a barrel. But since the fall of 2008, Houston has fared better than most U.S. cities. Compared to our national situation...

Where do you think the Houston economy is headed?

• Up - We’re headed for a rebound
• Down - A double-dip recession is near 
• Nowhere - It will continue its tepid pace
• Not sure

Click here to vote!

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The annual Inc. 500/5000 list has been posted to Inc.com.

This year’s 500 list included nine Houston area companies.  Two, Globalogix and eCardio are multiple-time FastTech 50 winners. An additional 23 FastTech 50 winners made the Inc. 5,000.

Texas has a whopping 52 companies in the top 500 and 404 companies in the top 5,000! This reinforces how the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Houston and Texas.

Take the time to look at the Inc. 500 web page, as there is lot of great information, including podcasts, articles and in-depth top 100 lists. Congratulations to all the FastTech 50 companies who are on this year’s Inc. 500/5000 list. I’m glad to see Inc. likes our choices!
 

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After successfully working with Texas A&M’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship for the past 7 years, I was appointed this past spring to join the LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute (SEI) Advisory Board. One of my suggestions to the SEI in the past was to consider the creation of the LSU 100 a program modeled after the Aggie 100. During the fall of 2009 SEI representatives Jill Roshto, Director of Development and Jarett Rodriquez, Associate Director attended the Aggie 100 program to perform their due diligence. They took the idea back to LSU to garner support and we now have the LSU 100. Good job Jill and Jarett!

The LSU 100 is a celebration of the fastest growing businesses around the globe that are being run by a former Tiger. Criteria includes:

Company Size and Longevity The Company must meet both of the following criteria: - Have been in business for 5 years or more as of November 15, 2010, and - Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2007.

LSU Leadership The Company must meet one or more of the following three criteria: - A Louisiana State University former student or group of former students must have owned 50% or more of the company, January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2009, or - A Louisiana State University former student must have served as the Company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2009, or - A Louisiana State University former student must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2009.

Company Character The Company must operate in a manner consistent with and in keeping with the values and image of Louisiana State University.

For you long time follows of my blog, you will note the similarity of the two programs (Aggie 100 & LSU 100). I am every bit confident that the LSU 100 will become at Louisiana State University, what it has become at Texas A&M. Outside of sports events and graduation, it is the single largest attended event on the campus of Texas A&M! And I know the LSU 100 will become the same in Baton Rouge.

If you are an LSU Alum, own or run your own business, or you are the CEO, President, or Chairman of a commercial organization, please nominate yourself for the LSU 100! If you have clients or friends where the top executive is a Tiger, don’t miss out a chance to be the person who nominated that Company to the LSU 100. There only be one first time for the LSU 100 and you have a chance to make that list. My experience tells me that in Years 2 and beyond it will be a catfight to make the list, because by then, everyone will want to be on the list.

You can nominate someone by going to the following link:
http://www.bus.lsu.edu/centers/ei/

Geaux Tigers and I look forward to the First Annual LSU 100 in the spring of 2011.
 

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The Texas Department of Transportation says Houston-area's long-range transportation plan will have a $70 billion deficit. With 1 million more people expected to move into the Houston-area over the next 10 years, the Houston-Galveston Area Council seeks ideas on how get funding for transportation projects.

How should Texas close a $70B transportation funding gap?

• Increase taxes/fees on gas, registration.
• Add tolls to roads that don't have them.
• Texas shouldn't even try.
• Better roads aren't necessary.
• Other - please comment

Click here to vote!

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Whether or not pets can accompany their owners into Houston restaurants has recently sparked a heated debate between pet lovers and those who don’t like to mix fur and food. According to Sec. 20-21.8 (f) in the City of Houston Code of Ordinances, it is against the law for restaurants to allow animals, except for service animals, inside a restaurant or even on its connected patio. So, the Houston Business Journal wants to know...

Should people be allowed to bring pets into restaurants?

• Yes, what's the big deal?  
• Yes, but only service animals. 
• Maybe.
• No, put 'em outside with the smokers. 
• No, leave them at home.
• Other

Click here to vote!

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This Week's Business Pulse Question:

Do you own an e-Reader?
• Yes, I love it! 
• Yes, but I rarely use it. 
• No, but I'm thinking of buying one. 
• No, I only read real books.
• Other 
 

TO VOTE GO HERE

 

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On July 27, BP Plc announced that it would replace Tony Hayward with Robert Dudley as CEO in October.

How has BP's change in leadership affected your perception of the company?

Positively, I might even buy some stock.
Not much, Dudley must still prove himself.
Negatively, BP has too many problems.
Other

TO VOTE GO HERE
 

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Received some great, breaking news today.  Houston is ranked number one in job growth over the past five years.  This information was released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Houston created 129,800 private sector jobs between June 2005 and June 2010. 

Coming on the heels of Forbes ranking Houston number one city in the country for Young Professionals, the statistics continue to show that Houston and Texas are the places to be if you want to have a good job and a good place to live.  With organizations like the Houston Technology Center and the Greater Houston Partnership committing to supporting and growing Houston’s entrepreneurial business community, I think we’ll continue to see this trend of growth.  Our city learned lessons and has come a long way from the low points of the 1980’s and I’m pleased to see we’re being recognized for the hard work of our business leaders!

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The 2,300-page financial reform act that recently passed in Congress attempts to let the government: Be a watchdog for American consumers so they receive clear, accurate information on mortgages, credit cards and other financial products; have the authority to liquidate failing financial companies and remove a taxpayer bailout situation; give shareholders a say on executive compensation; and get resources together to fend off future financial crises. What HBJ wants to know is...

How effective will the government be at financial reform?
• Totally effective
• Somewhat effective
• No opinion
• Hardly effective
• Not at all effective

     TO VOTE GO HERE
 

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As co-founders of the FastTech 50, PKF Texas together with the Houston Business Journal, Employer Flexible, the Houston Technology Center, Phillips & Reiter, Pierpont Communications, and the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship,would like to invite to nominate your own business or a friend of your firm for the 10th Annual FastTech 50 awards.  The deadline July 30th.

Nominees must meet the following criteria to be considered:

• 2008 and 2009 net revenue must exceed $200,000
• At least 51% of the consolidated revenue must involve the original manufacture, design or development of technology products or services
• Business must be headquartered in the Houston ten county region including: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller, Austin, and San Jacinto.

Visit http://consult.pkftexas.com/fasttech50 to submit your application online. This year's award ceremony will be held on November 5th at the Hilton Americas Houston Hotel. If you have any questions or would like more information please contact John Stephenson at 713-860-1428 or jstephenson@pkftexas.com. 

If you do decide to nominate your company or a friend of your firm, best of luck!

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This Week's Business Pulse Question:

A recent study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute and Rice University found that intersection safety cameras helped reduce the deadliest side-impact or "t-bone" collisions by 16 percent. Meanwhile, a local attorney is submitting a proposal to ban the use of red-light cameras in Houston. The proposal could make its way on the November ballot.

Do you believe red-light cameras improve safety?
• Yes, they help keep accidents down
• Yes, we need more of them
• No, they distract/cause more accidents
• No, they invade privacy
 

TO VOTE GO HERE
 

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This Week's Business Pulse Question:

Which TV show can you most relate to?

• 30 Rock
• Dirty Jobs
• Mad Men
• The Office
• Other

Click here to vote.

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This Week's Business Pulse Question:

What do you wish cell phone users would stop doing?

• Texting/e-mailing during a meeting
• Continuing their call on the elevator
• Talking loudly on the phone in public
• Using obnoxious ringtones
• other
   

Click here to vote.

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This Week's Business Pulse Question:

Do you care about the World Cup?
• Yes, I have watched from the beginning.
• Yes, now that the U.S. has advanced.
• No, it is not my 'cup' of tea.
• Other

Click here to vote.

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You've asked us for and have grown accustomed to PKF Texas, as CPA advisors, providing you with information and insight on trends in the Houston marketplace and beyond. In that vein, we are pleased to announce our partnership with the Houston Business Journal (HBJ) and the weekly BusinessPulse survey. 
 
Each week at www.Houston.Bizjournals.com, you can read the latest question and give your feedback. The BusinessPulse survey is a non-scientific poll of the HBJ readers.
 
We want you to be a part of the conversation and your opinion heard.  We will be posting the questions here and linking to the poll on the HBJ site.
 
This week's question is: What would you like to see happen to the Astrodome?  Click here to answer.
 
We would like the friends of our firm to be joint partners with us, working with the HBJ to highlight pulsepoints in the marketplace. If you have questions you would like to see on the survey, please submit them to hbjbizpulse@bizjournals.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

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I want to let all of the Aggies and friends of Aggies know that the nomination period for the 2010 Aggie 100 closes on May 31, 2010. To submit nominations, visit www.aggie100.com and click on “Nominate.”

To be considered for the Aggie 100 program companies (corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) must meet the following criteria:

• Company Size and Longevity – The Company must meet both of the following criteria:
     o Have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2010, and
     o Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2007.
• Aggie Leadership – The Company must meet one or more of the following three criteria:
     o A Texas A&M University former student or group of former students must have owned 
        50% or more of the company from January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2009, or 
     o A Texas A&M University former student must have served as the Company’s chief
        executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January
        1, 2007 through December 31, 2009, or
     o A Texas A&M University former student must have founded the company and been 
        active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1, 2007
         through December 31, 2007.
• Company Character – The Company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie 
  Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M University.

As the accountants for and the sponsors of the Aggie 100, PKF Texas is proud to play a part in the celebration of Aggie entrepreneurship. If you have any questions contact Lenae Huebner at 979-845-4882 or E-mail: lhuebner@mays.tamu.edu.
 

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I’ve written in the past about Lemonade Day and this year’s event is right around the corner. Local 2 Houston did a great segment on Lemonade Day last Thursday that I wanted to share with you: http://www.click2houston.com/video/23237757/index.html. PKF Texas’ President, Kenneth Guidry recently joined the Board of Directors, for Prepared 4 Life, the non-profit that runs Lemonade Day. They do a lot of great work in addition to the Lemonade Day festivities.

To quote them directly:
 

“Prepared 4 Life focuses on building assets in kids by integrating life skills, character education and entrepreneurship with engaging experiential, fun activities. We help youth take ownership of their lives and rise above their obstacles to become contributing and productive members of our society.

Lemonade Day is a great community wide program where we can all show Houston’s Youth that we care about their future. We can either teach them business or buy lemonade from their business. Lemonade Day is a nationwide event that teaches kids the entrepreneurial skills they need to be successful in the future. Youth learn to set a goals, make a plan, find an investor, sell a product, serve customers, make their own money, save for the future and give back to the community. All in a fun, family oriented community wide event.

Lemonade Day is on Sunday May 2, 2010. Youth ages 3 to 18 can participate and set up their stands at any location they choose.”
 

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The Rice Alliance just sent out an email listing the winners for this year's Business Plan Competition.  Click here to view the entire list of winners.  Below is an excerpt from that email:

$1 Million in Prize Money Awarded at 2010 Rice Business Plan Competition
Houston sets the pace for entrepreneurial leadership.
New prizes push total prizes over $1 million for the first time in the 10-year history of the Rice competition!! 

More than 600 people attended the 2010 RBPC Awards Banquet last Saturday.

The Rice Business Plan CompetitionTM (RBPC) awarded more than $1 million in prizes to aid new start-up businesses at the 10th annual competition.   The $1 million in prizes is a new record for the competition, which was already the world’s largest and richest.

This year’s winner was BiologicsMD from the University of Arkansas.   They are commercializing a new drug to treat osteoporosis that builds bones better than current alternatives.   The runner-up was Rebellion Photonics from Rice University which is bringing to market the first-ever portable, real-time chemical detection optical device.  The third place team is GlucaGo from Indiana University and Purdue which has a device to revolutionize the way that injectable drugs are stored and administered.

The 42 teams selected from over 420 entries represent the best universities around the world. Teams were chosen to compete in six categories: life sciences, information technology, energy, green tech, social and other technologies, in the April 15-17 event.

All 42 presented their Elevator Pitch to audience of 500 on Thursday night!   Teams presented their full 15-minute business plans on Friday and Saturday. 

During the first 9 years of the Rice competition, 95 past teams have successfully launched their companies (and are in business today) after competing at Rice, raising more than $223 million in early stage funding.
For more info and to see pictures of the event:  www.alliance.rice.edu/rbpc

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As you are aware, over the weekend  the Rice Business Plan Competition awarded $1 million in prizes.  The Houston Chronicle ran a story about the competition on the front page of the Saturday's Business section.  Thanks to Reporter David Kaplan, for quoting me, Brad Burke, and the team from Purdue University, Microfluidic. It was a good piece and it’s good to see the Houston media give the competition the recognition it deserves. 

Watching the results throughout the weekend, two teams were virtually neck and neck throughout the competition.  Those two teams were:  Biologics MD from the University of Arkansas and Rebellion Photonics from Rice University. They split the Elevator Pitch Awards and finished 1-2 respectively in the competition.  I hope both teams were very excited about the conference.  I would encourage both teams to review the feedback forms that they received from their judges.

In addition, Jessica Shambora from Fortune was live blogging at the event, she did a great job of capturing everything.  Click here to read the posts.

I was very impressed with all the teams, the participants and the judges.  Many thanks also goes out to Dean William Glick of the Jones School at Rice; Brad Burke, Managing Director of the Rice Alliance and the members of the Rice Alliance staff which includes: Mary Lynn Fernau; Yanette Jimenez; Tom Kraft; Lea Aden Lueck; Quynhmai Nguyen and Kerri Smith.  Thank you Rice Alliance!

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PKF Texas is again sponsoring the Rice Business Plan Competition, April 15th-17th.  Karen Love, Director of Practice Growth is on the host committee and I will be the official CPA, tabulating the competition results.  As in years past, I will be live blogging from the competition, giving you insight into the process and the teams.

I received the below email from the Rice Alliance that I’m excited to share it with you.  This year, for the first time, the RBPC is offering over $1,000,000 in prizes!

“We’re pleased to let you know that on Tuesday we will officially announce that prizes at the 2010 Rice Business Plan Competition will exceed $ 1 million for the first time ever!   Back in 2001, the competition was founded with 9 teams competing for $10,000.  By last year prizes had grown to over $800,000.   In two weeks, 42 teams will travel to Houston to vie for over $ 1 million.   This would not have been possible without the support that you and other judges and supporters have provided over the last nine years to make this possible.  Thanks for helping to make this possible!
 We received a record number of entries this year.   We had over 420 applications for the 42 spots to compete.  This year’s competitors include Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, UCLA, Michigan, Wharton, Purdue, Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, Texas (at Austin), Oklahoma, Arkansas, Baylor, and Rice.  In addition, we accepted international teams from India, Thailand, China, UK, and Canada.  

We will announce this year’s winners of the $1 million at the Awards Banquet at the InterContinental Hotel on Saturday night, April 17.  The Reception and Company Showcase starts at 6:00 pm and the dinner and awards start at 7:00 pm.”
 

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A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed by Lora Kolodny, a reporter for the New York Times.   The article was run last Tuesday March 23, 2010.

Kolodny was doing an article about Virtual Nerd, an online video-based math and science tutoring company, who had entered and won the 2008-2009 Olin Cup business plan competition at Washington University in St. Louis, but had turned down the $70,000 investment prize.

I was referred to her by Mary Lynn Fernau of the Rice Alliance because of PKF Texas’ and my involvement with the Rice Business Plan Competition (RPBC).  I am probably one of a dozen or less folks who have been judges each year since inception of the RBPC.

Though she only used one quote from me in the article, "Why Virtual Nerd Declined a $70,000 Competition Prize", we talked for about half an hour about the pros and cons of Convertible Notes being awarded as prize money for business plan competitions.  Both parties, (the student and the lender) can benefit from such arrangements. 

I think the best advice I offered to her during our discussion was the fact that students tend to overestimate the value of their idea/plan and want much more equity than quite frankly there are entitled to at that stage of the game.  And the lender is taking quite a risk, but it allows for easier transition when future rounds of financing come if the plan becomes viable.

After reading some of the responses to the article, I was disappointed by the feedback from students.  I don’t know where this entitlement mentality on the part of the students comes from, until you’re viable, your value is questionable.  So any funding is a guess at best.

I will be crafting an article with feedback from Richard Scruggs and Kala Marathi.  Richard is the former Director of Texas A&M’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship and has been a two time successful entrepreneur.  He is currently the CEO of  Salient Pharmaceuticals an emerging venture (his third venture).   Kala is the Executive Director of the Houston Angel Network, one of the largest angel organizations in the United States.  Between the three of us, we probably have over 75 years of experience with emerging market companies.

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The Best CFOs of the Year Nomination period has been extended to March 26th! The Best CFOs of the Year is a part of the three day Celebrate!Enterprise event presented by the Houston Business Journal.

PKF Texas has been a proud sponsor of the Best CFOs of the Year award program since 2007.

The criteria to nominate an individual for Best CFO is below.

To nominate your own CFO or a friend of your firm, please see the criteria below, then
• Fill out the nomination form on the Houston Business Journal website

Best CFO Eligibility and Nomination Criteria

• Nominees must be chief financial officers or hold equivalent positions in the greater Houston area.
• The greater Houston area includes Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller, Austin and San Jacinto.
• Nominators should give detailed and specific answers about the nominee with reference to the questions below for the period between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009.
• Nominators must give company revenue information to accurately back up the category for which they are nominating a CFO. Revenue information will not be disclosed outside of the judging process.

CRITERIA

• In order to qualify, nominees should effectively show how they act as a corporate financial steward by:
• Successfully implementing a strategic plan
• * Achieving profitable growth
• * Creating stability in the firm
• * Restoring life to an ailing firm (restoring stakeholder confidence?)
• * Identifying and managing risks
• * Being a visionary leader
• * Being a team player
• * Focusing on company's strengths
• * Possess a strong philanthropic mentality

CATEGORIES

• Emerging Public Company CFO (2009 revenue of less than $150 million)
• Mid-Cap Public Company CFO (2009 revenue between $151 million and $800 million)
• Large Public Company CFO (2009 revenue of more than $801 million)
• Emerging Private Company CFO (2009 revenue of less than $75 million)
• Mid-Cap Private Company CFO (2009 revenue between $76 million and $700 million)
• Large Private Company CFO (2009 revenue of more than $701 million)
• Large Nonprofit CFO (2009 total gross receipts of more than $5 million)
• Small Nonprofit CFO (2009 total gross receipts of less than $5 million)
• Best Growth Manager: To a CFO who developed the most creative way to diminish debt and achieve profitable growth through both organic and acquisition means.
• Best Turnaround Specialist: To a CFO who led the best effort to transition his/her company from ailing to acceptable.
• Good Samaritan: To a CFO who makes a contribution, not only to their company, but also to the community. (Includes pro bono work)

DEADLINE: Nominations are due by Friday, March 26, 2010.

QUESTIONS: Call Judy Rider at 713-395-9626 or email her at jrider@bizjournals.com.

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I have the latest news and updates on the 2010 Celebrate!Enterprise events.  As you know, PKF Texas is a proud sponsor of the 40 Under 40 and the Best CFOs of the Year.  Nominations for both are still open, along with Health Care Heroes.  I encourage you to nominate your clients and the friends of your firm for all three award programs. Click the links below to access the nomination forms.

• 40 under 40 - nominations due Friday, February 26th
• Health Care Heroes - nominations due Friday, February 26th 
• Best CFOs of the Year - nominations due Friday, March 5th

This year the 40 Under 40 and Battle of the Business Bands are moving to the House of Blues. Both will be held the evening of May 20th.  Last year’s event was a huge success and I’m looking forward to hearing the bands play the House of Blues!

Also new this year for 40 Under 40 and the Battle of the Business bands, multiple ticket options. If you just want to attend 40 Under 40 you can purchase a 40 under 40 ticket for $50. If you want to just attend Battle of Business Bands you can purchase a Battle ticket for $50.  Also available dual tickets if you would like to attend both events.

Though PKF Texas is not a sponsor, another great event under the Celebrate!Enterprise is the Houston Growth Summit.  The Houston Business Journal has just announced that Arthur B. Laffer, the founder and chairman of Laffer Associates and Laffer Investments will be featured on the panel.

Dr. Laffer was a member of President Reagan’s Economic Policy Advisory Board for both of his two terms (1981-1989). He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Reagan/Bush Finance Committee in 1984 and was a founding member of the Reagan Executive Advisory Committee for the presidential race of 1980. Dr. Laffer has been widely acknowledged for his economic achievements. Recently he was noted in Time Magazine’s March 29, 1999, cover story “The Century’s Greatest Minds” for inventing the Laffer Curve, which is deemed one of “a few of the advances that powered this extraordinary century”.

Houston Growth Summit Panel will also include Dr. Stephen L. Klineberg, Professor of Sociology, Rice University.

This year you can receive mobile alert about the event.  To sign up for Mobile Alerts on Celebrate!Enterprise - Text 41411 and enter in HBJ!

Celebrate Enterprise has expanded their presence on various social media sites this year.  You can check them out on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter by clicking on the links below. 

• Join Celebrate on Facebook
• Join Celebrate on Linked In
• Follow Celebrate on Twitter
 

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Could you be one of the 2010 Aggie 100?
The 2010 Aggie 100 program is looking for a few great companies!  100 to be exact!  Are you one of the fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world?  Read about this program and nominate your company.
 
About the Aggie 100
The Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world. The Aggie 100 not only celebrates their success, it also provides a forum to pass lessons to the next generation of Aggie entrepreneurs.

The Aggie 100 was created by Mays Business School's Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. The Center provides encouragement, education, networking and assistance to entrepreneurially-minded students, faculty and Texas businesses.
 
Last November, the fifth anniversary of the Aggie 100 was celebrated. Aggie 100 honoree companies sent representatives to campus for ceremonies honoring their achievements. In 2009, 96 companies sent more than 180 representatives to campus for the two-day Aggie 100 affair.  Recipients were welcomed with a reception at the newly remodeled Clayton W. Williams Jr. Alumni Center and then were individually recognized at a luncheon on the second day. Nearly 650 people joined in the celebration at the Zone Club as trophies were presented to each company to commemorate their membership in the Aggie 100. The energy in the room was amazing as current students, members of the Board of Regents, the chancellor, the university president and other members of A&M’s leadership team turned out to honor these successful former students.
 
Your company may be eligible for the 2010 Aggie 100.  Please visit www.aggie100.com to read about the program, the criteria, and see last year’s Aggie 100 Honorees.
 
If interested, please nominate your company for the 2010 Aggie 100!
 

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I've got some exciting news! I've been named to the Louisiana State University Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute (SEI) Advisory Board.

I'm honored to join 18 others on the board, including former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer.  The board works to meet the goal of challenging SEI to pursue emerging entrepreneurship opportunities.

 “Greg Price is a welcome addition to our advisory board,” said SEI Director Bob Justis. “Like our other members, he has a passion for LSU and wishes to see economic growth, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial development in Louisiana.”

As you know, I am passionate about fostering entrepreneurship at the university level.  I sit on the advisory boards for the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship Roundtable, and the Texas A&M Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship and am the accountant for the Rice Alliance Business Plan Competition.
 

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 As you know PKF Texas actively supports Houston and its business community in a variety of capacities. One way we show our support is through the sponsorship of area award programs. Two such programs are currently accepting nominations: the Best CFOs of the Year and 40 Under 40, both a part of the three day Celebrate!Enterprise event presented by the Houston Business Journal.

PKF Texas has been a proud sponsor of the Best CFOs of the Year award program since 2007 and the 40 Under 40 since its inception in 2009.

The criteria to nominate an individual for Best CFO or 40 Under 40 is in the extended entry below.

To nominate your own CFO or a friend of your firm, please see the criteria in the extended entry, then

·         Fill out the nomination form on the Houston Business Journal website

To nominate an individual for the 40 Under 40, please see the criteria in the extended entry, then

·         Fill out the nomination form on the Houston Business Journal website

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PKF Texas has done it again!  For the second year in a row, we are one of the Best Accounting Firms to Work For  in the country.  Accounting Today sponsors the program with the Best Companies Group.

Our President, Kenneth Guidry, had this to say about our inclusion on the list two years in a row, “PKF Texas is honored to again be named among the Best Accounting Firms to Work For. Several years ago, we chose to adopt a “people first” flexible workplace strategy to grow our business without overburdening our team or compromising client service. This strategy has proven to be beneficial as we make adjustments to our business in response to challenges posed by the economy.”

This survey and award program was designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in the accounting industry, benefiting the nation's economy, its workforce and businesses.

PKF Texas takes our commitment to corporate social responsibility and our culture very seriously, as it effects not just our internal team, but the clients and friends of our firm.  Congratulations to the PKF Texas team!  This is well deserved recognition.

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On December 3, PKF Texas hosted a “Rebound Roundtable” featuring CEOs from a cross-section of industries.  They discussed strategies and tactics companies can use to take advantage of the return of the economy.  The panelists were:

Ken Jones – Director of the Entrepreneur & Venture Development Center at The University of Houston Downtown
Keith Cole – President, Delcor USA
Vince Foster – CEO, Main Street Capital
Curtis Brown – CEO, Rimkus Consulting

Phil Morabito, CEO of Pierpont Communications was the moderator extraordinaire.  Pierpont was also a sponsor along with Sterling Bank, Sandler Training and the Houston Business Journal.

The transcript of the panel’s discussion will be featured in a special section of the HBJ this Friday.  PKF Texas’ Director of Entrepreneurial Advisory Services, Byron Hebert has written a brief article that will also appear in the section. 

The panel had many great insights that I think you will find valuable as you navigate your business through the current economy. 

Friday I will post the link to the online version of the section on the HBJ site.
 

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Russ Capper's interview with this year's Fast Tech 50 winner, Michael Kearney, president & CEO of Deep Flex Inc., is now posted to the BusinessMakers Radio Show website. 

Michael discusses how Deep Flex was able to acheive a staggering 3,000% growth and how their type of pipe works for oil companies.

You'll also hear from some familiar voices, Walter Ulrich - CEO of the Houston Technology Center, Bill Arend - Regional Manager for Oracle, Phil Morabito - CEO of Pierpont Communcitations and myself. 

Thank you to everyone who made this year's Fast Tech 50 a huge success!

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It’s an honor and a pleasure for PKF Texas to again serve as the Aggie 100 accountants. PKF Texas strongly supports the Mays School and its Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship here at Texas A&M.

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PKF Texas is one of the sponsors for the Houston Technology Center’s Roast of Paul Frison.  I’m on the Roast committee and am looking forward to seeing my good friend Paul “honored” in this way.  It’s shaping up to be a fun event.  The tickets are selling out quickly, so if you’d like to join in the fun, contact Sheila Whanger as soon as possible.  See you there!

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I was thinking the other day about what to say about the GCEC event held at Rice on October 15-17.  There were so many exciting things and I wasn’t sure what to say….Then I received this email from a participant at the Conference - Robert Fishbone from St. Louis University - and I thought I would share his comments with our blog readers….

The 2009 GCEC at Rice University--Where else could you learn the following:

“A young boy becoming a Dr. so he could become an astronaut?

Thousands and thousands of lemonade stands teaching kids about entrepreneurship?

Recently released, eloquent felons starting and growing their own businesses?

One university in Cambridge being the birthplace for bazillions of dollars in new ventures?

Almost 50 schools shamelessly bragging to each other about their innovations?

And one guy playing his tie?

Hello:  It was an eye opening experience for me to meet and listen to so many of you at GCEC 2009.  And not just those of you representing large, well established programs, but smaller universities and colleges creating, or hoping to create, an entrepreneurship center or program that speaks to their own students, and the surrounding community...challenges being met with boundless energy and really clever solutions.”

I want to thank Mr. Fishbone for his comments….I think it says it all.  If you want to ask me about his noted lines, contact me through the blog and I will share that insight with you.

Also I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the entire staff of the Rice Alliance for their tireless efforts in organizing and planning such an event.  Brad, Mary Lynn, Yanette, Sheethal, Karina, Quynhmai, and Kerri you folks are the greatest and it’s a pleasure to both work and  play with the  Rice Alliance team.  The Rice Alliance set a very, very high bar as I think this was by far the best attended and from what I heard best content ever for a GCEC event.   Several participants were blown away by the event, venue, quality of speakers and places we visited…Ok they liked the hospitality room at the Marriott too.

I learned that a lawyer can make an excellent catering and beverage executive chief; that I can land the Space Shuttle “in the Sim” (that’s Astronaut talk for you laymen); and I can fly a T-38 trainer and not crash land.
 
Next year’s GCEC will be at Penn State, my colleague Jen Lemanski (yep she’s one of those) will probably being going crazy to get an assignment to attend and see Joe Pa and the Nittany Lions put on a good show.
 

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Last night’s presentation was fantastic and all the universities were excited about the Kick off reception and open session.  Michael Holthouse led a presentation on Lemonade Day and how educating the youth of America on how to run a business will make our country stronger and better.   The evening closed out with a session on Shameless Self Promotion of the various entrepreneurship centers across the country.

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Tonight kicks of the 2009 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers at Rice University.  For the next three days the top global entrepreneurship centers in the world will have their representatives on campus for 2.5 days of education, relaxation, and networking.  We are very proud to be a Gold Level Sponsor of this event for the Rice Alliance and we wish all the attendees the best.

Looking at the agenda we have some outstanding keynote speakers from Houston:
Michael Holthouse, Dr. Bernard Harris and Dr. Jack Grill will be delivering some key addresses.  Also speaking will be Dr. Ed Roberts, Founder and Chair of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center.

I will be blogging from the event, as this an invitation only function so to learn what’s going on, check my out blog the next couple of days.

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As you know, my firm, PKF Texas and I are huge supporters of entrepreneurs.  We received an email (see below) promoting Lemonade Day 2010.  Houston’s Lemonade Day is run by Prepared 4 Life, a not-for-profit dedicated to teaching kids life skills, character education and entrepreneurship.  I think this is a great program and the earlier we can spark a future entrepreneur, the better!

Have you heard the buzz about Lemonade Day?
Sponsored by Prepared 4 Life and its many community partners, Lemonade Day is a city-wide program designed to teach youth how to start, own and operate their very own lemonade business.
It provides an opportunity for a community to show kids they care and to come together for a common purpose – to train the next generation of entrepreneurs through a free, fun, engaging, experiential activity.

The power of Lemonade Day is simple. The lemonade stand, an American icon that symbolizes the entrepreneurial spirit of the United States, is the cornerstone of our educational program. Almost every adult in this country can recall experiences of either selling lemonade or buying it from their friends. By teaching business fundamentals, the Lemonade Day experience literally changes the course of kid’s lives. The real payoff may be years down the road, but the effects are already being seen.

Today, Lemonade Day has become the largest city-wide program of its kind for youth. This program has grown from 2,600 registered stands in 2007 to over 27,000 registered stands in 2009. It is estimated that participating youth from all the cities sold over two million glasses of lemonade and donated almost $500,000 to charities of their choice. Houston’s 2010 goal is to impact 50,000 youth!

The recent and future success of Lemonade Day points to a partnership of community leaders, sponsors, volunteers and educators. We invite you to learn how you can play an important part in helping us reach our goal.

To learn more about Lemonade Day, please check out our website, www.lemonadeday.org or contact JC Perez at jcperez@prepared4life.org.

Lemonade Day!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
www.LemonadeDay.org

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Have you heard about Willard Wigan?  He’s a micro-sculptor whose sculptures are so small, they can fit in the eye of a needle or on the head of a pin.  He’s made appearances on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, spoken at the TED Conference and was awarded an MBE by Prince Charles for his contributions to the arts.

He’s going to be the guest speaker at The Parish School Fall luncheon on October 5th, at the Junior League here in Houston.  This is a once in a life time opportunity to hear Wigan speak about how he creates these micro masterpieces. The Parish School offers multi-age, language based developmental curriculum for children 18 months through fifth grade. 

Click here to watch his interview with Conan O’Brien.

Click to watch his TED Conference speech.

The luncheon will also honor Karol Musher for her dedicationto early intervention and service to children with language and learning differences.  For more information about the luncheon, visit http://www.parishschool.org/Fall_Luncheon.html or contact Brittany Lacy at blacy@parishschool.org.
 

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Great news! Rice University has been named the number five for Graduate Entrepreneurship Programs by the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. This year they jumped from 16 to five. That’s 11 spots! I’ve posted their press release below. Congratulations!

Rice University Graduate Entrepreneurship Program Ranked No. 5 in the United States by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine

Jones Graduate School of Business graduate entrepreneurship program moves up 11 spots.

HOUSTON – September 21, 2009 – Rice University Graduate Entrepreneurship Program is ranked No. 5 in the United States by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine (www.entrepreneur.com/topcolleges). Within the last two years the program has moved up a total of 17 spots, from No. 22, in 2007, to No. 16, in 2008 and currently No. 5. 

Further, Rice University is the No. 1graduate entrepreneurship program in Texas and again the only Texas graduate entrepreneurship program to make the Top 25 ranking.

 The rankings, released today, review 2300 entrepreneurship programs on key criteria in the areas of curriculum, faculty and student involvement with entrepreneurial activities and extra-curricular support for entrepreneurship, the survey showcases the strengths of our program. 

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) is the flagship entrepreneurship center at Rice University and was formed as a strategic alliance of three schools: the George R. Brown School of Engineering, the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business.  

The Rice Alliance hosts a number of programs each year:

• Annual venture capital forums in four sectors: Energy and Clean Technology, Information Technology and Web 2.0, Nanotechnology and Sustainability, and Life Sciences
• Facilitating more than 100 programs attended by over 24,000 individuals in last nine years
• Hosting more than 750 companies benefiting from participation and mentoring provided through the Rice Alliance
• Assisting in the launch of more than 235 start-up companies that have raised more than half-a-billion dollars in early-stage funding
• Rice Business Plan Competition – largest and richest competition in the world
  • Over 85 new ventures have been successfully launched after competing at Rice
  • These companies have raised more than $150 million in early-stage funding
• Program funding and sustainability – more than 150 corporations support the Rice Alliance
• Professional and media recognition

“We are extremely pleased and humbled to be recognized by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine as the No. 5 best graduate entrepreneur program. The best entrepreneurship programs in the U.S are represented in this prestigious ranking,” said Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance. “We are committed to helping build successful technology start-up companies through education, guidance and connections. To be acknowledged by this esteemed organization is a confirmation of our work to advance entrepreneurial education and new business ventures.” 

Other academic programs to the Rice University Graduate Entrepreneurship Program contributed to the ranking including a course in social entrepreneurship, a novel initiative to develop education entrepreneurs for K-12 school leadership, and two new concentrations – one in Entrepreneurship and a related concentration in Mastering Innovation and Creativity.    

“Entrepreneurship has become an important area of excellence for our school,” said Bill Glick, dean of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. “Our mission has been to build a quality curriculum, taught by the best professors and entrepreneurs. We felt adhering to this one principle would ultimately be recognized not only by those familiar with the Jones School but by the larger community involved with entrepreneurship. Today, we are honored to be ranked #5 among graduate programs by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine.”

About the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship is Rice University's flagship initiative devoted to the support of entrepreneurship. The Rice Alliance's mission is to provide entrepreneurship education and to support the commercialization of technology innovations and the creation of new companies in the Texas and Houston region. Since its inception in 1999, the Rice Alliance has assisted in the launch of more than 235 new technology companies, which have raised more than half-a-billion dollars in early stage funding.  Of these, approximately 35 companies have been launched based on technology developed by Rice faculty and researchers and licensed from the Rice Office of Technology Transfer.

Unique among many entrepreneurship centers, the Rice Alliance was formed as a strategic alliance of three schools at Rice University: the George R. Brown School of Engineering, the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business.

In 2009

• Jones Graduate School of Business and Rice Alliance were named the named No. 5 Graduate Entrepreneurship Program in the United States by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine.
• Rice Alliance named top the Outstanding Specialty Entrepreneurship Program for technology entrepreneurship in the U.S. by the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
• Rice Alliance awarded Houston’s Greatest Economic Development Ally by the Greater Houston Partnership.

In 2008 and 2007

• Rice University was recognized as having one of the top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs in the U.S. by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneurmagazine (No. 16 in 2008, No. 22 in 2007).

In 2007

• Rice Alliance was recognized as the No. 1 university entrepreneurship center in the U.S. for enterprise creation by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers.

 About the Jones Graduate School of Business

The Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, one of seven academic units of Rice University, excels in developing principled, innovative thought-leaders in global communities. In 2009, the Financial Times ranked the Rice Full-Time MBA program top 10 globally and the Rice MBA for Executives program 4^th globally in ‘Top Salaries in Finance’, in 2008. The Economist 2008 survey ranked the Rice MBA program the best in Texas and the Southwest.

 The Jones School offers the Full-Time Rice MBA, MBA for Executives, and MBA for Professionals degrees as well as joint MBA degrees in mechanical engineering and medicine. The Jones School also offers a Ph.D. in Management, an undergraduate business minor, and a full schedule of non-credit executive education and customized courses for business and industry. The wooded campus is located in Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city, and home to more Fortune 500 headquarters than any other U.S. city except New York.

###

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Received the below information in my inbox this morning about a great event from the Houston Technology Center.
 
101—Introduction to Nanotechnology
Friday, September 18
HTC Conference Center
 
The International Organization of Standards defines Nanotechnology as the application of scientific knowledge to control and use matter at the nanoscale, where size related phenomena and processes may occur.  This short course is designed to take the complex scientific arena that is nanotechnology and make it accessible to the business community and the general public. 
 
You will learn what it means to be ‘nano’ and why scientists say nano is so revolutionary, as well as a brief history of nanotechnology, the current state of nanotechnology research and applications, and where nanotechnology will take us in the next 5 to 50 years. This first of two sessions will concentrate on physical nanotechnology, nanomaterials, and nano in aerospace, energy and electronics.
 
7:30—8:00 a.m.   Networking and light breakfast
 
8:00—11:00 a.m. Course
Intro by: Dr. Wade Adams, Director, Richard E. Smalley Institute
Course by: Dr. Daniel Mittleman, Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University
LANCER Director
 
11:00—Noon - Nanotechnology company presentations
Oxane, Dr. Andrew Barron & SeprOx Corporation, Dr. Robert Shucker

Contact Deena Carstens deena.carstens@houstontech.org for more information
 

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In case you haven’t been following my blog, one the organizations I endorse is the Rice Alliance for Innovation and Technology.  I have been an active member of the Rice Alliance since its inception in January of 2000.  Today, I also serve on the Advisory Board for the Rice Alliance and my firm is also an active Platinum Sponsor of the Rice Alliance.  Brad Burke and the staff of the Rice Alliance do an outstanding job.  Last week was their kickoff event for the 2009-2010 year and its featured guest was George Foremen, former 2 time Heavyweight Champion and Successful Entrepreneur.

I listened to George being interviewed by another friend of our firm, Russ Capper for his Business Makers radio show.  During this interview I gained some insight in George’s thinking, his experiences and his advice for folks of all ages.  Some takeaways I garnered from my seat were:

As an entrepreneur it’s a good idea to have lots of friends…And friends with money is OK too.

Later George addressed a packed house at the Shell Auditorium in the Jones School.  I was taken by his humility and ability to speak candidly about his background and where he was headed as troubled youth in the mid 1960s.  He talked about how the Job Corps saved his future and got him focused into boxing.  Many young people today only know George as the Foreman Grill CEO, but George was the 1968 Heavyweight Gold Medal Champion of the Mexico City Summer games.  And for those of us who can remember, George saluted the crowd with an American Flag after knocking out the Russian competitor he faced that day.  George recalls that one of the things he is most proud of is that he was called an “American Winner”.

Recalling his time through the boxing times George was successful, broke and then regained his financial freedom along his way.  His story is one of self-accountability and steadfastness.  He looked only to himself to help his family and himself get to where they are today.

As a two time Heavyweight Champion, he called how at 45 years of age, he was forced to get back into boxing to get himself financial secure.  He indicated later in his life that Muhammad Ali and he become good friends, even though Ali took the title from him the first time.

He also recalled the story of how the George Foreman grill came to be and gives his wife all the credit for telling him to get behind the product.  Today it has sold over 110 million units and is the Number 1 selling appliance in the US.

George was accompanied by three of his children this evening.  In his own words his greatest accomplishment is his wife of 25+ years.

George has a new book out called “Knockout Entrepreneur”.  I have read the first few chapters but I am already very impressed with his comments re business success.  As many of my readers know, we are champions of free enterprise and free markets.  We believe in entrepreneurs at PKF Texas I can tell that many of friends and followers will like his book. 

After reading the first few pages of his book, I think George Foreman, a native Houstonian, is also an “American Legend”.  Thanks for a great evening George, we wish you and your family the best.

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Several friends of PKF Texas are participating in a panel for the next Houston Technology Center  Education Seminar Series presentation on September 11th. They will be discussing “Selling Yourself Up in a Down Economy.”

Panel:
Terri Ammerman, President and CEO, The Ammerman Experience
Blair Garrou, Managing Director, DFJ Mercury
Joe Heller, President and CEO, Brooke Staffing super human resources

Discussion Points:
- Develop a "personal story" for you and your company
- Learn what VC's are looking for in you, rather than your business, in order to invest
- Position you and your job to "pay for itself"
- Provide assurances to your employees, customers and partners that you and your company will make it through these tough times

 
7:00 - 7:30 a.m.   Networking and light breakfast
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.   Program

For more information contact Deena Carstens, Director, Marketing & Communications at deena.carstens@houstontech.org.

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As Gold sponsors of the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, PKF Texas is proud to share Rice Alliance events with our friends in the marketplace.  Join us as we celebrate the success of the Houston and Texas technology entrepreneurship community and kick off a new program year for the Rice Alliance with keynote speaker, George Foreman.
 
10th Annual Rice Alliance Kick-Off Celebration
"An Evening with George Foreman: Knockout Entrepreneur "
Thursday, September 3, 2008
Rice University
McNair Hall, Jesse H Jones Graduate School of Management

5:30pm - Registration & Reception
6:30pm - Keynote
7:30pm - Networking Reception & Book Signing

George Foreman - Knockout Entrepreneur will showcase his latest creative way to combine his winning boxing career with successful entrepreneurship. His latest book: Knockout Entrepreneurship, My Ten - Count Strategy for Winning at Business, will hit bookshelves on Sept. 1st.

Foreman will be speaking about his success and passion for entrepreneurship at the 2009 Rice Alliance Kick-off Celebration, Sept. 3rd, at the Jones School of Business, Rice University, Houston, TX.

Attendees receive a copy of Foreman's book: Knockout Entrepreneurship, My Ten - Count Strategy for Winning at Business.
 
 To register and for more information visit the Rice Alliance Website - www.alliance.rice.edu. 

I’ll be doing a post-event blog entry and Karen Love will be Tweeting from the event!
 

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Here it is July 20, 2009 and I was reflecting back to that historic day of July 20, 1969.  I can remember exactly what I was doing that evening when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon.  Watching on my parents small black and white TV that evening, I was struck with amazement as I saw Armstrong take his first steps and issue his immortal words “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”  That was time when we embraced the challenges we faced and led to so many improvements in our daily lives, words seem inappropriate in placing them in the proper context. 

I have some links here from President Kennedy’s famous speech from Rice University to kick off our space program.  I have never seen the entire speech but I am glad that I watched it today.  His vision and goals for America and the space program have never been equaled since that famous speech. 

I would encourage you to watch the entire speech and think about his words..in particular his support of Houston and the State of Texas as innovative and strong are powerful.  As Texans we need to draw our own internal personal strength from his words and define our goals and challenges because they are difficult.  
 
 

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I’m excited to let you know that John Hoffmeister, former President of Shell Oil and current founder and Chief Executive of Citizens for Affordable Energy, is the keynote speaker for the Technology Champions meeting at the Houston Technology Center on August 7th.

This should be another standing room only event.  It’s not every day one gets the chance to hear from one of the oil industry’s movers and shakers in such an up close and personal environment.  I’ve seen him speak several times, including at one of the World Energy Cities Partnership luncheons a couple years ago. He always has something interesting and insightful to say. 

Houston in an energy city, so I’m curious to get his thoughts on the current state of the energy industry, how it will affect Houston and to hear about his newest venture, the Citizens for Affordable Energy.

If you have any questions about the event, visit the HTC website, www.houstontech.org.
 

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The 2009 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) Conference, will be hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship at Rice University, October 15-17, 2009. It will be two and half days of learning, sharing best practices, networking and new ideas for education, business development and center development. I’ve embedded a video above, where you can learn about the Rice Alliance, the conference and Houston.

The line-up of confirmed speakers is quite impressive!

Bernard Harris

Vesalius Ventures

The Harris Foundation

NASA Astronaut

Jack Gill

Vanguard Ventures

The Gill Foundation

Michael Holthouse

Prepared 4 Life

Lemonade Day

Paranet

Catherine Rohr

Prison Entrepreneurship Program

Jeff Sandefer

Founder, Acton MBA Program

Sandefer Capital Partners

The intent of the GCEC is to provide a coordinated vehicle through which participating members can collaborate and communicate on the specific issues and challenges confronting university-based entrepreneurship centers.

For more information about the conference, visit the Conference website - http://www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/Home1.asp

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The Greater Houston Area is home to many high technology companies in key sectors including Information Technology, Life Sciences, Energy and NASA-originated technologies. In acknowledgment of the importance to Houston's regional economy of having thriving technology companies, PKF Texas and the Houston Business Journal along with Burnett Staffing Specialists, Fox 26 News, the Houston Technology Center, Philips & Reiter,  Pierpoint Communications, and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship announce the ninth annual FastTech 50 awards. The growth of these 50 companies from fiscal 2007 to fiscal 2008, has propelled the Bayou City's overall economy and led to the creation of many new jobs.

The 2009 FastTech 50 awards will be given to the 50 high tech companies, which have experienced the greatest percentage revenue growth in 2008. The top executives of the FastTech 50 will be honored at the official awards luncheon in November 2009, where we expect over 700 people to attend. Winners will be announced in the FastTech 50 Special Section of the Houston Business Journal.

To qualify:

• 2007 & 2008 net revenue must exceed $200,000

• At least 51% of the consolidated revenue must involve the original manufacture, design or development of technology products or services

• Your business must be headquartered in the Houston ten county region including: Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery Waller, Austin, and San Jacinto.

All nominations are subject to review by the FastTech 50 committee.

The nominations are now open.  Click here to download the nomination form. The award ceremony will be held at the Hilton Americas Houston Hotel on November 4, 2009. 

If you have any questions regarding the FastTech 50 program or survey, please contact John Stephenson directly at 713.860.1428 or email or Lee Ann Semmel by phone at 713.960.5916 or e-mail. If you would like to advertise in the FastTech 50 Special Section of the Houston Business Journal, please contact Cheryl Wentz at 713.688.8811.

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The Greater Houston Partnership has just released Tad Brown, Luis Scola and Dikembe Mutombo's promotional video for the 2009 World Trade Soiree. I've embedded the video above, or you can click here to view it on the Soiree site.

Karen Love, PKF Texas Director of Practice Growth, the Working Chair of this year's Soiree, reports that plans for the evening are coming together. A special thanks to Seliece Caldwell-Fulweber, Vice President, Ticket Sales & Business Communications for the Houston Rockets.  She is the liaison between the team and the Soiree committee.  The subcommittee chairs are as follows: Becky Thomas, CEO, BizDev Strategy – Sponsorship Committee; Lupina McMains, President, McMains & Associates, LLC – Silent Auction Committee; Adam Gibson, Business Development Director, Rottet Studio & Janis Schmees, Executive Director, Houston Sports Authority – Marketing Committee Co-Chairs; and Deanea LeFlore, Executive Director, Houston International Protocol Alliance – Consular Corps/International Dignitaries Committee.

In a new twist this year, several Houston Young Professionals have come together to form a Soiree subcommittee called the Jet-Set. Chaired by Leslie Farnsworth, President & CEO of Frog-Dog Communications, they will be encouraging other Houston YPs to get involved with the Soiree and the GHP. The committee members are Adam Gibson – Rottet Studio; Jen Lemanski – PKF Texas; Bridget Boggess – DressMarie; Dawn Hodges – PKF Texas; Kirsten Davis – World Affairs Council of Houston; and Daniel Travis – PKF Texas. Adam Gibson is the liaison between the marketing and Jet-Set committees. Stay tuned for more from the Jet-Set.

The Soiree will be held Saturday, August 29, 2009 at the Hotel ZaZa. For more information about the event contact Kristin Smith, Manager, International Business & Economic Development Events, Greater Houston Partnership at ksmith@houston.org or 713-844-3694. 

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I tweeted about this, but also wanted to mention it in the blog. On June 5^th, the Houston Technology Center is holding the Texas Technology Leadership day. *Note, the HTC is now on Twitter – @HouTechCenter.

During the morning Technology Champions meeting, Houston Mayor Bill White will be speaking about the role of technology in Houston. Then, during the Texas Emerging Technology Award luncheon, Texas Governor Rick Perry will be the keynote speaker. 

The Emerging Technology Fund assists small to midsized technology firms expediting the commercialization of new life changing innovations and improving research at Texas universities.

This will be a great opportunity to hear and ask questions about the future of technology in Houston and Texas from two of the men who can make things happen. This is definitely a can’t miss day down at the HTC. If you have any questions, contact Deena Carstens at 832-476-9235 dcarstens@houstontech.org. 

Another item of note the HTC recently released a new video about the value they provide entrepreneurs. It’s about 8 minutes long and you can watch it below, or click here to view it on the HTC site.

HTC Video from Houston Technology Center on Vimeo.

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I want to let all of the Aggies and friends of Aggies know that the nomination period for the 2009 Aggie 100 closes on May 31, 2009. To submit nominations, visit www.aggie100.com and click on “Nominate.”

To be considered for the Aggie 100 program companies (corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) must meet the following criteria:

• Company Size and Longevity – The Company must meet both of the following criteria:
  • Have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2009, and
  • Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2006.
• Aggie Leadership – The Company must meet one or more of the following three criteria:
  • A Texas A&M University former student or group of former students must have owned 50% or more of the company from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have served as the Company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008.
• Company Character – The Company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M University.

As the accountants for and the sponsors of the Aggie 100, PKF Texas is proud to play a part in the celebration of Aggie entrepreneurship. If you have any questions contact Lenae Huebner at 979-845-4882 or E-mail: lhuebner@mays.tamu.edu.

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Celebrate!Enterprise is this week and the events are all can’t miss events. As you know, PKF Texas is sponsoring the first annual 40 Under 40 awards, held in conjunction with the third annual Battle of the Business Bands. PKF Texas is also sponsoring the Best CFOs of the Year Awards for the third year. Next week, I’ll be posting wrap-ups of the events that I and other PKF Texans attend. Below is the schedule for the full three days:

Wednesday, May 20, 2009:

Houston Growth Summit

7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Healthcare Heroes Awards

Presented by Humana

11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 21, 2009:

The Houston Energy Forum

Presented by Porter & Hedges

7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

40 Under 40/Battle of The Business Bands Awards

Presented by Sterling Bank

4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Friday, May 22, 2009:

The Best CFOs of the Year Awards

Presented by Insurance Alliance

11:30 a.m.to 1:30 p.m.

If you have any questions, contact Lee Ann Semmel at the HBJ - lasemmel@bizjournals.com, 713-688-8811.

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I’ve written many times in this blog about how Houston is an international city and how the future of business is being a player in the global community. Here’s the perfect opportunity for you and your business to reach out to the international community in Houston, the Greater Houston Partnership’s World Trade Soiree. This year’s theme is Houston Scores! Connecting Global Champions, and will be held on August 29th at Hotel ZaZa.

Tad Brown, CEO of the Houston Rockets and the Toyota Center is the 2009 Honorary Chairman and PKF Texas’ own Karen Love is the 2009 Working Chairwoman of the Soiree.

With the Rockets in the playoffs (Go Rockets!), it’s worth noting that some of their biggest name players, Yao Ming, Luis Scola, and Dikembe Mutombo (recently retired), aren’t from the U.S.  These guys will be doing some promos for the Soiree, so be on the lookout in the coming months. 

Seliece Caldwell Fulweber, Rockets VP, Ticket Sales & Business Communications, was kind enough to send over some cool statistics about the Rocket’s International presence:

• Over 95% of the Houston Rocket’s regular season games were broadcast internationally this year

• Rockets games are seen in the following international telecast markets: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iceland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey and Ukraine

• Over 80% were directly broadcast in China

• Specific to just China, the Houston Rockets averaged over 11 million viewers per game this season for a projected total of approximately 400 million viewers for the 2008-09 regular season

• The Yao-Yi match-up in 2007-08 drew a reported television audience of over 200 million people worldwide

I’m really looking forward to this event!  The annual Soirée showcases the Houston region’s star power as an international business center. The region’s global business leaders, government representatives, economic development allies, and our valued Consular Corps take part in this world-class tribute to international business and the world marketplace. This year’s event will include ethnically diverse dinner stations, dancing, a silent auction, and entertainment highlighting the cultures of our regional trade partners. Stay tuned for more details!

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“Houston is where the future of the world is happening today.” – Dr. Stephen Kleinberg

I like the above quote, and no group demonstrates that better than the U.S. Commercial Service, a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The more I learn about their interactions in the Houston marketplace, the more I am impressed with their international connectivity. I’m not sure enough business owners in Houston know about the U.S. Commercial Service’s outreach efforts.

For example, they will have a large presence at the upcoming Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), May 4-7, 2009. One event of note is the Showtime event, where U.S. Commercial Service energy specialists along with representatives from the U.S. Export-Import Bank will be available at OTC to counsel U.S. companies on their exporting strategy. Energy specialists from 18 countries including Brazil, Mexico and Saudi Arabia will be attending OTC.

The U.S. Commercial Service’s Global Energy Team has coordinated several other seminars and events during OTC. Below is the schedule of events:

Monday May, 4
• International Partner Matchmaking

Tuesday May, 5
• Brazil Offshore Industry Breakfast
• Showtime
• Invest in Houston Lunch
• Briefing by China Shandong Chamber of Commerce for Petroleum Equipment on CIPEE 2009

Wednesday May, 6
• Offshore Asia Breakfast
• 2009 Algeria Energy Day
• Malaysian Business Briefing and B2B Meetings
• Nigeria: PETAN Matchmaking Seminar

Thursday May, 7
• Oil and Gas Frontiers of the Caribbean Basin

If you have any questions about the U.S. Commercial Service events, visit www.buyusa.gov/houston/otc09programs.html.

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The 2009 Rice Business Plan Competition is over and it was a whirlwind three days of competition.  I was impressed with all of the teams that presented. Over 350 teams applied to make the list of 42 with over 50 teams from around the globe vying to join the select group of Rice Business Plan Competition winners.

Congratulations to Dynamics, Inc. from Carnegie Mellon University, this year’s Grand Prize winner!  They are producing next-generation interactive payment cards that utilize programmable magnetic stripes to communicate dynamic information to the 60 million 1970s era magnetic stripe readers that are used in our day-to-day payment card transactions.

Check out the extended entry for the full list of winners.

I also want to say a hearty "Well Done!" to Brad Burke, and the staff and student volunteers at the Rice Alliance and the Jones School. Both Brad and I were quoted in a story about the competition in Saturday’s Houston Chronicle.

America's future and its strength lies in the hope and dreams of our youth: innovation, entrepreneurism, and a belief in yourself to make the future better.  The best stimulus plan in the world is the encouragement we should give these MBA students.  America is still the home of success!  I couldn't be prouder of our city, our country and our youth.

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Many of the friends of PKF Texas have asked to be informed about events we are a part of in the marketplace.  I’m moderating a panel at the next HTC Educational Seminar Series on May 1^st.  The topic is Building and Managing Boards in Venture-Backed Start-ups.  The panelists, Jeff Harder, Managing Shareholder, Winstead PC, Dan Parsley, Former CEO, AssetNation, N.J. Pierce, Principal, NJ Pierce & Associates, will be discussing the following:

• Why boards are relevant to entrepreneurs?
• Selecting and recruiting board members - when, who, what kind, how many?
• Defining roles and managing expectations - who's in charge?
• Roles and fiduciary responsibilities of Directors
• Roles of Advisors

The networking will begin in the HTC Conference center at 7:00 am and the panel will begin at 7:30.  If you have an interest in attending, please contact Sue Moore, 832-476-9280, Smoore@houstontech.org.

In more HTC news, they are gearing up for the 10^th Anniversary Gala – A Celebration for Entrepreneurs. Spotlighting honoree, Robert C. McNair, Founder and CEO of the Houston Texans, as well as 60 of Houston's landmark entrepreneurs, this year's event will be a red carpet gala to remember. The evening will also feature the presentation of 5 special and lifetime achievement awards:

• Aerospace – Gale Burkett
• Information Technology – Rod Canion
• Life Science – Dr. Nancy Chang
• Energy - Dan Duncan
• Nanotechnology - Dr. James Tour

A limited number of individual tickets are now available. For more information about the Gala, contact Deena Carstens, 832-476-9235, dcarstens@houstontech.org.

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Over the weekend I was watching the Masters Golf Tournament on television with my family, and lo and behold there was my good friend, Dr. Bernard Harris talking about his Summer Science Camps, he sponsors with ExxonMobil.

Dr. Harris, the current Chairman of the Houston Technology Center established the Harris Foundation in 1998 as a non-profit organization based here in Houston whose mission is to invest in community based initiatives to support education, health and wealth. The commercial for the Summer Science Camps can be found at:

http://www.exxonmobil.com/corporate/news_ad_masters_summerharris30.aspx

You might remember that back in October he also appeared in the Microsoft I'm a PC! campaign.

Dr. Harris, we salute your efforts to educate America’s youth! The only true stimulus for the future of America are the minds of our young people.

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The Rice Business Plan Competition kicks off Thursday morning.  Things are a little different for me as a judge this year.  I will be still sitting in on one of the flights, but will not turn in any scores on the teams.  I am the one who will be tabulating all of the results for each flight during the competition. In order to stay independent, I won’t be live blogging like I have in years past.  Below is the competition schedule:

Thursday, April 16, 2009
 
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm - Team Registration and Lunch
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm - Equipment Check for Teams
2:00 pm – 5:30 pm - Feedback Round for Teams (non-scoring)
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm - Kick-off Reception & Team Showcase, Elevator Pitch Competition, and Texas Bar-B-Q Dinner
 
Friday, April 17, 2009
  
7:30 am – 8:30 am - Breakfast
8:30 am – 9:00 am - Welcome and Review Judge Instructions
9:00 am – 3:00 pm - Semi-Final Round Competition (lunch provided)
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm - Teams receive feedback from Judges
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm - Finalists’ Reception and Announcements
 
 
Saturday, April 18, 2009
  
8:00 am – 9:00 am - Breakfast
9:00 am – 11:00 am - Wildcard & Challenge Round Competitions
11:00 am – Noon - Lunch
Noon – 4:00 pm - Final Round Competition
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm - Cocktail Reception and Company Showcase
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm - Awards Banquet

Good luck to all the teams competing!

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Everything in gelling for the upcoming Celebrate!Enterprise events.  You may recall back in February I blogged about the call for nominations.  Well, the finalists for the Best CFOs of the Year have now been announced.  They are:

• Emerging Private Company CFO (2008 revenue of less than $75 million):
  • John Biedermann, Entelligence LLC
  • Donna Charleson, The Right Step
  • Roy Johnson, Rig-Up Services Inc.
  • Kimberly Macias, ADC Rig Services Inc.
  • Stephen Odom, SolArc
  • Jesse Perez, Geotrace Technologies Inc.
• Mid-Cap Private Company CFO (2008 revenue $76 million to $700 million):
  • Al Gallo, Redstone Hospitality
  • Luke Saban, Falcon Gas Storage Co. Inc.
  • Harvey Schnitzer, EMS Group LLC
  • Dennis Turnipseed, Total Safety US Inc.
  • Trenton Thornock, US Zinc Corp.
• Large Private Company CFO (2008 revenue of more than $701 million):
  • Carl Lenz, Texas Pipe & Supply Co.
• Emerging Public Company CFO (2008 revenue of less than $150 million):
  • David Hollaway, Prosperity Bancshares Inc.
  • Michele Merz, Decision Strategies U.S.A.
• Large Public Company CFO (2008 revenue more than $801 million):
  •  Randy Meyer, Amegy Bank of Texas
  • John Rickel, Group 1 Automotive Inc.
  • Michael Taff, McDermott International Inc.
• Large Nonprofit CFO (2008 total gross receipts of more than $5 million):
  • Patrick Calelly, Collaborative for Children
  • Denise Castillo-Rhodes, Texas Medical Center Corp.
  • Patricia Chandler, Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services Inc.
  • Ray Chung, Neighborhood Centers Inc.
  • Melissa Fisher, Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center
  • Beth Tanner, Houston Food Bank Inc.
• Best Growth Manager:
  • James Kauderer Jr., OTC Global Holdings LP
  • Margaret “Meg” Lassarat, Mustang Engineering Inc.
• Good Samaritan: 
  • Patricia Chandler, Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services Inc.
  • Margaret “Meg” Lassarat, Mustang Engineering Inc.

Congratulations to all of the finalists! 

I’m pleased to announce that noted economist, James K. Galbraith will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon.  I’m looking forward to hearing his thoughts about the current economic situation.

To purchase tickets for the Best CFOs of the Year luncheon or any of the other Celebrate!Enterprise events, click here.

Also, be sure to check out the Celebrate!Enterprise promotional video below.  It’s about a minute long and gives a taste of what’s to come during the four days of events.

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The Rice Alliance has announced the 42 teams who will compete for $800,000 in prizes during the 2009 Rice Business Plan Competition, April 16 – 18, 2009.

From a company providing a college sports recruiting web platform, to another company developing a way to deliver pharmaceuticals to the brain using intranasal delivery technology, this year’s field is shaping up to be quite competitive. 

The Rice Business Plan Competition has grown steadily since its inception. They now have a page of success stories on the website. It’s interesting to find out about how the teams have fared from years past. Several of the companies I judged in the preliminary rounds, CertoLabs, Optimal Vision Corporation, SampleSaint, and Secure Surfer (formerly Internet Security Company) have all found success after the competition.

Congratulations to the below teams that will compete! I’m looking forward to hearing about your companies and what your plans are.

                                                                                                              
SOCIAL VENTURE COMPETITION      

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As PKF Texas focuses on the next phase of supporting our clients and the friends of our firm, please allow us to introduce five of the talented Keys to our Future.
 
We would like you to get to know the next generation of team members who are serving you and your business.  They are committed to providing you with the highest level of service as we navigate these unprecedented times of change together.
 
With our eyes on the future of Houston, we are proud to announce our co-sponsorship of the first annual 40 Under 40 awards, recognizing Houston's talented professional individuals.  Make sure to save the date, May 21, 2009, for the 40 Under 40 awards presented in conjunction with the third annual Battle of the Business Bands at Warehouse Live.

Also, this week's PKF Texas - The Entrepreneur's Playbook® will talk about Listening to our Youth, make sure you tune in to the BusinessMakers Radio Show on Saturday morning at 8:00am!

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The Houston Technology Center is now supporting the International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering, and Environment) Project Olympiad (I-SWEEEP). 

I-SWEEEP is a groundbreaking science competition open to middle and high school students. I-SWEEEP works with local, national and international science fair organizations to bring the top ranking brightest math and science focused student projects to Houston.

As the HTC Advisory Board Chairman, I am thrilled to see the HTC reaching out to young talents as a driving force to emerging technologies.

“The HTC likes to partner with local non-profit organizations related to technology and/or education. With the focus on Energy, Engineering, and Environment we feel I-SWEEEP is a good fit for HTC. Also, as a part of our support we will be offering an award to one of the students,” said Deena Carstens, HTC Director, Marketing & Communications.

The actual competition will be held from April 15-20, 2009 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Last year there were 402 projects from 1,356 participants. The students hailed from 52 countries, including Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines.

This is the second year the competition will be held here in Houston. I think it’s important that our city is hosting these kinds of events. I can foresee some of the students participating in I-SWEEEP at the middle and high school levels will be the ones entering the Rice Business Plan Competition when they reach the university level.

Supporting I-SWEEEP bookends the HTC's mission of enabling the growth of emerging technology companies and encouraging entrepreneurialism in Houston.  The HTC is promoting free enterprise and entrepreneurship to our youth and then honors the success of Houston's mature entrepreneurs at the annual HTC gala.

This year is the HTC's 10th Anniversary and they are celebrating by honoring Robert McNair, founder and CEO of the Houston Texans.  They will also be honoring five members of the Houston technology community with a life time achievement award.  The honorees are:

Aerospace – Gale Burkett
Information Technology – Rod Canion
Life Science – Dr. Nancy Chang
Energy - Dan Duncan
Nanotechnology - Dr. James Tou

The gala will be held on May 14th, at the Intercontinental Hotel.  It's going to be a great event!

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Jason Pontin, editor of Technology Review magazine and technologyreview.com will be speaking at the Federal Reserve here in Houston on April 22nd.  The MIT Enterprise Forum has scheduled him as the keynote speaker for their April MIT Flagship event.

Pontin will present “2009TR10” – Revolutionary technologies which will impact the future of Alternative Fuels, Global Healthcare, High Technology and Nanotechnology.

If you don’t know about the MIT Enterprise forum, their mission is to foster successful growth of innovative technology oriented enterprises in the South Texas area by providing access to MIT resources and through services and programs that inform, educate and support these business endeavors. 

I’m looking forward to hearing what Pontin has to say.  The cover of this month’s Technology Review addresses the Top Emerging Technologies of 2009.  There’s some cool stuff they’ve identified, like the $100 Genome and Software-Defined Networking.  It’s worth noting that when browsing through technologyreview.com, there are a number of articles discussing technology companies doing business in Houston.

Glad to see Houston is continuing to be on the radar of tech publications around the country.  With the 9th anniversary of the FastTech 50 and the 10th anniversary of the Houston Technology Center right around the corner, we’ve come a long way in establishing Houston as a technology center in the U.S.

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Calling all Aggies! You’ve read about it, you’ve talked about it with your fellow Aggies, you’ve even thought “Hey, maybe my company could be one of the 100…” Well, now’s your chance to join an elite group of Aggie business owners. Nominations are now open for the 2009 Aggie 100.

Created by Mays Business School's Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, the Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world. The Aggie 100 not only celebrates their success, it also provides a forum to pass lessons to the next generation of Aggie entrepreneurs.  

To be considered for the Aggie 100 program companies (corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) must meet the following criteria:

• Company Size and Longevity – The Company must meet both of the following criteria:
  • Have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2009, and
  • Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2006.
• Aggie Leadership – The Company must meet one or more of the following three criteria:
  • A Texas A&M University former student or group of former students must have owned 50% or more of the company from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have served as the Company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008.
• Company Character – The Company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M University.

The nomination form can be found here: http://aggie100.com/nominate/

As the accountants for and the sponsors of the Aggie 100, PKF Texas is proud to play a part in the celebration of Aggie entrepreneurship. If you have any questions contact Lenae Huebner at 979-845-4882 or E-mail: lhuebner@mays.tamu.edu.

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I was recently made aware of a cool organization called Genesys Works. It is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that enables inner-city high school students to break through barriers and discover through meaningful work experience that they can succeed as professionals in the corporate world.

Students enter the program during the summer prior to their senior year. After 8 intensive weeks of training, students are assigned to work at one of our clients, half time, during their senior year.

Their founder, Rafael Alvarez was featured in the Face to Face With… section of the Houston Business Journal last year.

He describes why he founded the company, what kinds of opportunities they offer the students, and their plans for the future. They expanded to St. Paul, Minnesota last year and are looking into other cities across the nation.

With all of the negative stories in the news during the past few months, it’s refreshing to learn about organizations like Genesys Works. They’re making a positive impact in the community and I’m looking forward to seeing where they go next.

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The Rice Business Plan Competition is rapidly approaching. This year’s competition will be held from April 16-18. I’m judge again this year, and I wanted to share with you the most up-to-date information I have. 

If you would like to be one of the 36 teams selected to compete in April, the deadline to submit your Intent to Compete form with your executive summary is Friday, March 6^th at 5:00pm CST.

Teams can compete in any industry including the following:

- Energy & Clean Technology

 - Sustainability

 - Social Ventures & Social Entrepreneurship

 - Life Sciences (diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics, biotech, drug development)

 - Information Technology (including Web 2.0, software, hardware, internet, RFID, etc.)

 - Nanotechnology

 - Advanced Materials (including coatings, sensors, etc.)

 - Consumer Products

The RBPC continues to be the largest and richest business plan competition in the world! This year $800,000 will be awarded including the $350,000 grand prize. This year’s prize breakdown is below:

Competition Prizes – $800,000 in total prizes, including:
        Every team that is accepted to compete is guaranteed to win cash awards

• $125,000 Investment Grand Prize – Sponsored by The GOOSE Society of Texas
• $100,000 Life Sciences Investment Prize
        – Sponsored by Opportunity Houston^SM  and Greater Houston Partnership
• $100,000 Technology Investment Prize
        – Energy/Clean Technology, IT, Nanotechnology, and Aerospace/Aviation
        – Sponsored by Opportunity Houston^SM and Greater Houston Partnership
• $100,000 DFJ Mercury Tech Transfer Investment Prize  

Special Cash Prize Categories include:

• $20,000 Dow Sustainability Award
      - Best plan to address world challenges for affordable housing, food,
          clean water, health & safety, and alternative/sustainable energy
• $20,000 NASA Earth/Space Life Science Award
   - Best life science plan with application in earth and space
• $60,000 NASA Earth/Space Engineering Innovation Prizes – (3 - $20,000 prizes)
      - Best engineering plan with application in earth and space
• $10,000 Sheafor-Lindsay Social Venture Award
      - Best business plan for a Social Venture will win $10,000

Special Cash Prizes to the best teams in the following categories:

• $2,500 – Life Science  
• $2,500 – Medical Devices
• $2,500 – Energy
• $2,500 – Information Technology
• $2,500 – Intellectual Property
• $2,500 – Hispanic Business Plan
• $2,500 – International Team

Other Special Cash Prizes:

• $2,500 – Best Sales & Marketing Plan
• $2,500 – Best Written Business Plan
• $2,500 – Best Executive Summary

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The Houston Technology Center is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. There will be a celebration gala, “A Celebration of Entrepreneurs,” held on Thursday, May 14th at the InterContinental Hotel. Below is the description of the event.

“Spotlighting our Honoree, Robert C. McNair, Founder and CEO of the Houston Texans, as well as 60 of Houston's landmark entrepreneurs, this year's event will be a red carpet gala to remember. We are extremely pleased to have Javier & Lucinda Loya, Dan & Allison Parsley, and Steve & Leticia Trauber as co-chairs for the event. Joining them, as honorary co-chairs, are Michael Holthouse, Anne Mendelsohn, John Mendelsohn, Walter E. Johnson, L.E. Simmons and Matthew R. Simmons. The evening will also feature the presentation of 5 outstanding achievement awards.”

PKF Texas was one of the first sponsors of the HTC 10 years ago. Like the FastTech 50, it’s been great to see how the HTC has grown. In the past 10 years the HTC has provided feedback to well over 1,000 companies and coached more than 200 companies, helping them raise in excess of $500 million and create over 3,000 jobs.

They are supported by more than 300 corporations and organizations, Houston's leading academic institutions, Greater Houston Partnership, Texas Medical Center, NASA-Johnson Space Center and the City of Houston, HTC has become Houston’s center of technology entrepreneurship by assisting companies within several key sectors: Energy, Technology, Life Sciences, Nanotechnology, and NASA/Aerospace technologies.

Congratulations HTC!

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You've come to expect me to provide you with information about valuable marketplace events.

On May 22, 2009, the Houston Business Journal will honor the Houston area's outstanding CFOs as corporate financial stewards with the Best CFOs of the Year Awards.

PKF Texas along with co-sponsors Insurance Alliance, Financial Executives International, and the Houston CPA Society, would like to invite you to nominate your CFO or a friend of your firm.

To nominate your own CFO or a friend of your firm, please see the criteria below, then

• Email the nominee's name and their CEO name and contact information to LeeAnn Semmel, lasemmel@bizjournals.com. Or,
• Fill out the nomination form yourself on the Houston Business Journal website.

Nominations are due by Friday, March 12, 2009.

Nomination Criteria:

The nominee must be a chief financial officer or hold equivalent position in the greater Houston area which includes Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller, Austin and San Jacinto counties.

In order to qualify, nominees should effectively show how they act as a corporate financial steward by:

• Successfully implementing a strategic innovation plan
• Achieving profitable growth
• Creating stability in the firm
• Restoring life to an ailing firm
• Identifying and managing risks
• Being a visionary leader
• Being a team player
• Focusing on the company's strengths
• Possessing a strong philanthropic mentality
   

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I attended the standing room only Technology Champions meeting at the Houston Technology Center last week and thought it was an excellent event.

The keynote was Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.  He was as energetic as one would expect from his Gallery Furniture television and radio commercials.  He had a very positive attitude about the economic uncertainty.  He reminded everyone that tough times don’t last, but tough people do.  Even with the state of the economy right now, it’s not as bad as it was in 1983.  One of the most important pieces of advice he gave was that entrepreneurs should try not to use debt to finance growth.  You’ll come out ahead in the long run.

Other items of note from the meeting include an update from Michael Holthouse about Lemonade Day.  The 2008 event saw over 1.2 million glasses of lemonade served, over $1 million raised and about $250,000 was donated back to several Houston charities.

John Beddow gave an update about Celebrate! Enterprise, which this year is being held from May 20-22, 2009.  Look for more information from me in the coming weeks as PKF Texas is very involved.
 

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A couple of weeks ago, PKF Texas hosted a luncheon honoring this year’s FastTech 50 Enterprise Champion finalists.  The discussions we had at that lunch were quite interesting and insightful.  I thank all of those who attended.

There seem to be three different perspectives on the economy in Houston and how their businesses have been and will be affected.

1. Changes are coming
2. Changes may come
3. It’s business as usual

This was somewhat surprising to me, as I would have thought that there wouldn’t be a “business as usual” mindset.  With all the upheaval in our national economy and the price of oil being down, I would have thought most businesses in Houston would fall into the first two categories.

In general our group of honorees seems upbeat and are cautiously optimistic about the next year.  As business owner/operators the key to getting the economy back on track was keeping their employees gainfully employed working on clients/projects/products.

What are your feelings?  Do you have observations about the Houston economy from your perspective?

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This past Tuesday, Russ Capper, whom you’ll know from listing to the BusinessMakers Radio Show, and I switched things up a bit, and I got the chance to interview him for a change.

Russ was the featured speaker at the January TECH (Technology Executive Club of Houston) luncheon and we recorded my interview with him, which will air during tomorrow’s BusinessMakers Radio Show (8:00am on 950AM).

We talked about some of his favorite guests, including Rod Canion, founder of Compaq and Gordon Bethune, former CEO of Continental Airlines.

Also, we discussed how and why he started the BusinessMakers Radio Show.  Russ observed that that there was no group that more positively affected our lives than innovators and entrepreneurs and yet their stories rarely made it to the mainstream media.  He sought to change that, and the BusinessMakers Radio Show was born.

The guests of the luncheon were eager to pick Russ’ brain and provide feedback, which you’ll be able to hear during the show.

Don’t hesitate to let us know your thoughts on the interview.

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I mentioned this back in October, and now PKF Texas has our official ranking from the Best Accounting Firms to Work For survey.  We are ranked #16 out of 40 mid-sized firms. 

We also received our ranking for the Best Companies to Work For in Texas.  This year we are ranked #11 out of 25 companies in the mid-sized category.  We moved up from #16 last year.

The Best Accounting Firms to Work For program was created by the Accountants Media Group, which publishes Accounting Today, Accounting Technology, CPA Wealth Provider, Practical Accountant and is the host of WebCPA.com.

The Best Companies to Work For in Texas program was created by Texas Monthly, the Texas Association of Business and the Texas State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management.  Both surveys were administered by Best Companies Group.

PKF Texas takes this type of recognition very seriously as the survey results provide us valuable feedback about our people and areas in which we are doing well and the areas where we can improve. 

Congratulations to all on both lists.  It is an outstanding accomplishment

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Last Friday’s Houston Business Journal featured a Q&A section by my friend Phil Morabito, CEO of Pierpont Communications.  He answers several questions about advertising and marketing during a down economy. 

Many companies want to cut their advertising and marketing budgets when times are tight.  Phil makes the point that often, your dollars can go further in this type of economic climate and that by keeping a consistent message in the marketplace, your audience (clients, friends of your firm and others) will remember you were there in good times and bad.

Phil has several other pieces of good advice in the article, which you can access by clicking here.

How are your marketing efforts changing?  What ways have you been able to make an impact while being conscious of your bottom line?  Are you going to curtail your marketing and PR efforts, or simply shift focus?
 

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I have good news!  PKF Texas has promoted our firm administrator, Annabella Green, SPHR, to Director, Human Capital and Firm Administration. 

As a fellow director, I see this as important move for our firm.  By having someone at the director level, overseeing our human capital efforts as well as firm administration, we are demonstrating our commitment to our people. 

Annabella joined our firm in 2004 and has been a great addition.  As director of human capital and firm administration she will oversee the Human Capital Support and Administrative teams, work closely with firm practice leaders to set firm wide policies, as well as planning, organizing, directing and controlling the operations of the firm.  She also handles employee benefits, regulatory compliance and all related functions of human resources including employee relations, and risk management.

Annabella has the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification, which requires reaching a certain level in your career as well as passing a written exam.  The exam for the last few years has had an average pass rate of 57%.  There are only 40,000 SPHR professionals across the globe, and we're lucky to have one in our office!   Annabell is also involved with HR Houston.  

Congratulations Annabella!

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PKF Texas has been nominated for Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association for the second year in a row.

PKF Texas is again in the Financial Services, Non-Banking category.  The winners for each category will be announced on March 2 during a ceremony at the Alley Theatre.  There are a number of recognizable companies who are nominees this year, including The Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, Rice University – Jones School, Kirksey, and Porter & Hedges.

We are proud to be associated with all of the nominees.  They represent the best that Houston has to offer.    

Good luck to the nominees!

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With so much unpleasant news surrounding us right now, I want to remind our readers of some of the good things happening in the Houston economy.

The 2008 FastTech 50 companies are collectively responsible for creating nearly 3,270 jobs in Houston.  They also have contributed over $629 million in revenue into the local economy.  Those are impressive figures and that’s only 50 companies.

Several retailers like Sun & Ski Sports and JC Penney are expanding in Houston because there are real estate opportunities to jump on.  I hope this will be a continuing trend that retailers and other business recognize it’s worth taking a risk in Houston.

While the overall mood of the nation and the economy is troubling, there are still bright spots that tell us that the economy will eventually rebound.

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I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and didn’t over indulge too much!  There are many things going on at the Greater Houston Partnership in the coming weeks and months that I would like to make you aware of.  From getting involved in a committee as a member to networking luncheons, there is something for everyone.  The GHP is one of the best organizations in Houston to be involved with as they have touches in all facets of Houston’s economy.  Below is a list of all that is coming up for the GHP.  If you have any questions about any event on the list, visit www.houston.org for more information.

Houston Happenings: Something for Everyone!

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP
 
Choosing the Right Committee For You
Thursday, December 04, 2008
With over 60 active committees at the Partnership, where do you start? Take the next step and learn how to Choose the Right Committee for You. Getting plugged into a committee can greatly improve your networking opportunities and allow you to actively participate in the Partnership’s initiatives.
 
Maximizing Your Membership
Thursday, December 11, 2008
How do you know your company is getting the most out of your Partnership membership? We want to be sure you are benefitting fully.
 
2009 Annual Meeting
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Traditionally known as “Houston’s first business meeting of the year,” the Partnership’s Annual Meeting brings together over 1,600 business professionals to hear about our accomplishments of the previous year and learn of our priorities for the upcoming year. Did you know the 20th anniversary of the Greater Houston Partnership is in 2009? Help the Partnership turn 20!

PUBLIC POLICY
 
State of the Airports
Monday, December 08, 2008
Please join us as the Partnership welcomes Rick Vacar, Director of the Houston Airport System for the Fourth Annual State of the Airports Address. Hear more about the rapid growth of the fourth-largest multi-airport system in the United States!
 
Annual Elected Officials Reception
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Don’t miss this end-of-year reception honoring the Houston region’s local, state and federal elected officials, in recognition of their public service throughout 2008.
 
State of the City Address
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Considered one of the Partnership’s premiere events for networking with key local decision makers, join us for this annual forum with City of Houston mayor, Bill White, as he comments on the year in review in his final State of the City Address.

MIX BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE
 
An Audience with Malcom Gladwell
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996, Malcom Gladwell is best known as the author of the books The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (2000) and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005). Join the Greater Houston Partnership on January 21st and don’t miss this trend-setting speaker as he previews his newest book sensation that looks at how, and why, some people succeed far beyond their talents merit in Outliers: The Story of Success!

 
2008 Houston’s Greatest Awards Dinner
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
“Houston’s Greatest” Award is the premier annual event honoring regional leaders who have advanced the greater Houston region as a business magnet. And now is also the time to cast your vote for this year’s People’s Choice winner in each of the categories!
 

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I know right now is a busy time for many of you with the holidays just around the corner, but I wanted to let you know about a great even the Rice Alliance is hosting, the 6th Annual IT and Web 2.0 Venture Forum.  This year’s theme is “Showcasing the Most Promising IT and Web 2.0 Technology Companies.” They have a great line up of speakers and sessions.

One particular session of note is the afternoon keynote featuring Jaime Casap, Business Development Manager for Google.  Google always has something brewing and I’ll be curious to hear what Casap has to say about the technology community in Houston.  For more information about the event, send an email to alliance@rice.edu or call 713-348-3443.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving tomorrow!

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As you are aware, I am very connected to Texas A&M’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. They have a great program called Aggies in Business (AiB) and I asked Jessica Pullen, member of AiB Consulting to provide a guest blog describing what they do. Below is a little bit more about AiB.

One hallmark of an Aggie education has always been the practical application of academic lessons. In the fall of 2006, the Center for New Ventures & Entrepreneurship launched a dynamic new program to further complement the lessons taught everyday in the classroom. Two years later, AiB Consulting is a thriving business seeking to add value to the education received at Texas A&M by providing students with the chance to manage and operate a real-world business.

Students involved with AiB Consulting manage and perform consulting projects for businesses seeking assistance. Currently, the students are primarily MBA students but also include other graduate students, as well as outstanding undergraduate students.

Throughout the fall semester, consultants have had the opportunity to work on a total of 11 projects including a business plan for a Guatemala-based clothing company seeking U.S. investors, a workforce evaluation survey and analysis for an economic development corporation located in Texas, and market research and analysis for a local home insurance agency interested in expanding operations. AiB Consulting is always open to new ideas and can help you accomplish that project you may not have time to complete.

AiB Consulting is currently lining up projects to begin work in the spring. Projects are billed at $50/hour and typically range from 100-300 hours. Whether you are looking for cost savings in your organization, looking to increase market share, or pursuing new business opportunities, a project with AiB Consulting can help you reach your goal. To talk to someone about your needs, or to get more information about AiB Consulting you can send an email to Jessica Pullen at consulting@txaib.org, or Ryan Urban at bizdev@txaib.org.
 

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Several PKF Texans attended the Gulf Coast Innovation Conference, hosted by the Houston Technology Center, yesterday. This was the first year for this conference, and it was a very well attended event.

Approximately 32 companies, with specialties in life science, energy, nano tech and IT, made individual presentations. In addition, there were two panel presentations and a keynote speech from Leo Linbeck. All of the company presentations were quite impressive. I've said it before and I’ll say it again, the amount of entrepreneurial talent in Houston is astounding. We are lucky to live in a city that supports such a diverse group of innovators.

The panels and Linbeck all had great things to say. The several of our team members commented to me that Linbeck’s speech was the highlight of the conference. He was very candid about the current economic situation and how it will impact entrepreneurs. While the news wasn’t all upbeat, he did say that even in rougher economic times, entrepreneurs should keep going, and that it’s actually not a horrible time to start a business.   There is a lot of opportunity if you seek it out.

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Have you registered for the Gulf Coast Innovation Conference yet? The conference will be held at the Intercontinental Hotel, next Tuesday, November 18^th. This is going to be the innovative conference of the year in Houston.

Hosted by the Houston Technology Center, PKF Texas is proud to be a sponsor. This year’s keynote speaker is Leo Linbeck III, President and CEP of Aquinas Companies, LLC. He will present “Entrepreneurship Life Cycle, Early Stage to Seed Capital and the Implications of Current Economic Trends.” I think that given our current economic climate, this is a must see presentation for any entrepreneur. 

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Sue Moore at 713-658-1750 or smoore@houstontech.org.

If you attend the conference, let me know what you were able to take away that will be useful for your business. 

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Congratulations to all of the FastTech 50 winners! 

This year’s Number 1 ranked Fast Tech 50 honoree is Globalogix .  You will find a profile on this company later inside this special section of the Houston Business Journal.  They grew a remarkable 1,343% during the past year!  Congratulations to James Hamilton and his team.  It’s a great story of entrepreneur collaboration.  The single largest revenue contributor from the Fast Tech 50 to our local economy is The Planet at $122 million.  As we noted earlier, the cutoff this year to make the Fast Tech 50 was approximately 37.4% year over year growth.

Here is the official 2008 FastTech 50 list by Alphabetical Name:

Access Sciences Corporation
Additech, Inc.
Agoric Source, LLC
Alert Logic Inc.
Apollo Sales & Marketing Group
B Resource
BBS Technologies
Bluegate Corporation
CONTENTACTIVE, LLC
Customer Velocity
Eagle Information Mapping
eCardio Diagnostics, LLC
Enaxis Consulting, L.P.
Energy Solutions Inc.
EpiladyUSA, Inc.
ERGOS Technology Partners, Inc.
Fairway Medical Technologies, Inc.
GlobaLogix
HighRadius
HostGator.com
I.T. Works
iKAN Software
Ingenious, Inc.
Institute of Information Technology, Inc.
Kerdock Consulting, LLC
Lensec
LHR Technologies
M3 Technology, Inc.
Medical Metrics, Inc.
Merrick Systems
MicroSeismic, Inc.
ObjectWin Technology, Inc.
omNovia Technologies, Inc.
OpenSpirit Corporation
Paymetric, Inc.
Petris
Pop Labs
PreCash, Inc.
RigNet, Inc.
Search Technology, LLC
Secure Cash Network, Inc.
SolArc, Inc.
Spring Medical Systems, Inc.
Spur Interactive (Formerly Spur Digital LP)
Techcess Group
The Planet
Transtar POS
US LED, Ltd.
Whitefence
X-ISS (eXcellence in IS Solutions, Inc.)

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As we prepare our program for the eighth year of the Fast Tech 50 Awards Luncheon, I am struck with a sense of pride and accomplishment pertaining to the region’s tenacity and desire to take an idea and make it a reality, which quite frankly in other parts of the country would never see the light of day.  It’s been six weeks since we all felt the impact of Hurricane Ike in the Houston region.   And while many parts of our region are still recovering from Ike, the entrepreneurial leaders and emerging companies are still humming along.   Our community came together in ways that are reminiscent of time gone by.  Neighbors came together, offered help and took an interest in the welfare of each other so that all could make it through those tough days after the storm passed.  That same spirit is found within the emerging market community as well. With entrepreneurial leaders from all backgrounds, service providers, and investment communities offering their assistance, the emerging companies of Houston are finally getting the national respect long deserved. 

The Class of 2008 will be one of the youngest we have ever had in our program. In comparing this year’s group of winners, it’s clear that they represent a much younger and still developing group of early stage companies.  They will have an impact on our local and national economy for many years to come, and they will add to the legacy of what makes Houston the top city in the country to start a business.  The youth of many of our new emerging companies is evident with the threshold to make the list rising to the second highest ever at 37.4% for 2008!  The average growth rate for this year’s group is a staggering 133%.  You always know that you have arrived on the scene when several “national entrepreneurial magazines” are now mentioning many of our Fast Tech 50 companies as organizations to invest in, or watch.  Thanks for the publicity guys, but the Houston Business Journal and our Fast Tech 50 program, already scooped you!  We’ve been blowing the horn of these entrepreneurs for over 8 years!

During this past year we had over 360 companies express an interest in becoming a member of this exclusive club.  The Fast Tech 50 class of 2008 continues Houston’s tradition of technology excellence.  And they also bring to the forefront new and different stories of entrepreneurial success.  This year’s list of honorees includes; 21 first-time honorees, 14 two-time honorees, 4 three-time honorees, 5 four-time honorees, 5 five-time honorees and 1 six-time honoree.  Our five time honorees include:  BBS Technologies, Inc., Bluegate Corporation, I.T. Works, Paymetric, Inc., and PreCash Inc. And our only six time honoree this year is Merrick Systems, Inc.  What staying power!

During the past year we saw many successful technology events throughout the city.  The Houston Technology Center and the Rice Alliance (including the highly success Rice Business Plan competition) held many forums for the start up community.   The Houston based Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (RCIC) is doing very well in its third year.  We continue to hear from the State’s oversight group that the plans submitted from the Houston area are some of the most well received.

Qualifications

Let’s review the nomination and listing process.  To qualify for the Fast Tech 50, a company’s headquarters, or a foreign company’s US headquarters must be located in Houston SMSA region.  A minimum of 51% of the company’s consolidated net revenues must be involved in the original manufacture, design or development of technology products or delivery of services.  A nominee must have minimum net revenues of more than $200,000 in both years.  Rankings were determined on the revenue growth percentage from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2007.

The nominees were asked to submit the following information:  nomination form; audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements or tax returns for 2006 and 2007; an overview letter; and background information on the company, its products and/or services.  Representatives from PKF Texas validated the information on the nomination form from the information packet.  The percentage of revenue growth was computed by comparing net revenues from 2006 to 2007.  During the past year we received over 360 nominations for the Fast Tech 50.   The organizations that made the top 50 places were then listed. 

Overview of the 2008 Fast Tech 50

Our Fast Tech 50 represents a wide variety of industries.  The industries represented by our award winners, and the number of entries by their area are as follows: Medical Devices 3, Software 24,  Hardware 5, Technical/Consulting Services 5, eCommerce/Business Portals 6, Energy Technology Products 5, and Communications 2. 

One honoree was started in the 1970s.  Two of our honorees were started in the 1980s.  Fourteen honorees were started in the 1990s.  Finally, thirty three honorees were started since 2000.   This group of honorees is by far, our youngest group of companies ever.  Hang on Houston; we’ve got some growing to do!

The local economic impact made by this year’s Fast Tech 50 is phenomenal!  When reviewing the entire 50 companies, an impressive overview quickly emerges.  These organizations are responsible for creating almost 3,270 jobs and over $629 million in revenues to our local economy.  No one industry dominates the Houston business climate anymore.  Our businesses are as diverse as our people and our cultures.

Nominations will be accepted for next year’s Fast Tech 50 listing by contacting the Houston Business Journal, PKF Texas, or any of the additional sponsors.  Organizations that are nominated will receive additional information and application packets during the spring of 2009. Congratulations to all of our honorees!  We look forward to seeing you in next year’s listing.

I have long known that Houston is the best place to start a business, but the facts speak for themselves.  Houston, we believe in you! And thanks, for being what you are: The Home of Entrepreneurism.

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The numbers have been crunched, the envelope has been sealed and the final preparations for the FastTech 50 luncheon are being taken care of as you read this!

If you are in the tech community here in Houston, then you better be at the InterContinental Hotel in the Galleria on Friday for the 8th Annual Fast Tech 50 Awards.   It’s the can’t miss event of November!
 
This is the eight year of our participation as the presenting sponsor and it will be the best event yet!  This is the second year we will be awarding one company the Paul Frison Accelerator Award. 

If you don't have a seat you will miss out on the premier event for emerging and tech based companies in Houston. To register visit:http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/event/4270 or contact Lee Ann Semmel at lasemmel@bizjournals.com or 713-688-8811.
 
I look forward to seeing many of our friends at the luncheon.  A huge thanks to our sponsor group the Houston Business Journal, FOX 26, Capital One Bank, the Houston Technology Center, Oracle Software, Pierpont Communications,  Griffin Partners, the Rice Alliance, and Phillips & Reiter, PLCC.
 
I also want to shout out a personal thank you to my assistant, John Stephenson for doing such a great job behind the scenes working with me to get the rankings established.

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I’m here at Texas A&M's Zone Club, within the confines of Kyle Field, where the 2008 Aggie 100 were just announced. 

Guest speakers included Richard Scruggs, Executive Director of the CNVE; John White, the Vice Chairman of the Texas A&M University Board of Regents; Dr. Elsa Murano, President of Texas A&M; Dr. Jerry Strawser, the Dean of the Mays School; and yours truly to give the details on the honorees for the Class of 2008.

My speaking role was limited, but the role of PKF Texas in the background and verification process was an enjoyable and tedious process.  I want to thank John Stephenson, my assistant for all his help.

Over 650 people attended the Awards Luncheon today.  The event was sold out several weeks ago without and marketing effort and is now the hottest ticket on campus!

Major sponsors of the event include:  The Texas A&M Foundation, The Association of Former Students, Hollinden Professional Services Marketing, Research Valley Partnership, Infinity Prosports, and PKF Texas.

In addition, Clay Schlinke, CEO of the #1 ranked Aggie business Tesoro Homes and Development, spoke and Herbert Glover, CEO Of last year’s #1 ranked Aggie 100 #1 company challenged the attendees to add to the Aggie 100 Scholars program. The Aggie 100 Scholars program was started last year by the honorees of the Aggie 100 program. Four PhD candidates received proceeds from the scholarship fund.

The singing cadets kicked off the event and followed by lunch.

The highlight of the day was the countdown to the actual honorees. 

Below is the list of Honorees:

Acequia, LP
Achilles Group
Advanced Inspection Technologies
AFS Environmental, Inc.
AgniTEK
AGS Scientific, Inc.
Allstar Recycling
AQWA, Inc
BakerRisk
Barhorst Insurance Group, LTD
BJ's Restaurants, Inc.
Bray International, Inc.
Brazos Technology
Bury+Partners, Inc
Cabinrock Investments, L.L.C.
CAPSHER Technology, Inc.
Capstone Commercial Real Estate Group, Inc.
Catapult Systems Inc.
CENTAURI Technologies, LP
CES Environmental Services, Inc.
Chaparral Energy Inc
Clarus Imaging of Houston
Collins, Basinger & Pullman
Command Commissioning, LLC
Commercial Insurance Solutions Group, LLC
Compliance Strategies & Solutions, Inc.
Computer Innovation Services, Inc.
Cypress Advisory Services Ltd., LLP
D&S Factors LLC
Dailey Electric, Inc.
Desert Industrial X-Ray, LP
DrawWorks, L.P.
DSI - American Manufacturing
Earth Information Technologies, Corp.
eInstruction Corp.
Elements Of Architecture, Inc.
Energy Systems Group, LLC
EnerSys Corporation
Fat Tire Bike Tours / City Segway Tours
FiberOptic Bulbs Incorporated
Frontier Truck Gear
Gas Certification Institute
Gill Services, Inc.
Gladstone Inc.
Green Grass Studios
Heritage Wealth Mgmt
Hill Country Electric Supply, LP
Hollinden | professional services marketing
Hotslings, Inc.
House of Forgings, Inc.
Industrial Solutions de Mexico
Intelligent Logistics
Intercontinental Consultants, LLC
Internet Truckstop LLC
JaCody, Inc.
John Moore Services, Inc.
JWA Financial Group, Inc.
Knowledge Systems
Lake Highlands Financial Services, LP.
Land Design Partners, Inc.
Latshaw Drilling & Exploration
Layne's of College Station
LiquidFrameworks
Mackey & Tanner LLC
MacResource Computers
Margarita Naturalmente, S.A. de C.V.
Marquee Tent Production, Inc.
Mechanical Reps, Inc.
Meridian Constructors, L.L.C.
Miner Fleet Management Group
Miner Houston, Ltd.
Mustang Engineering
New Tech Engineering
Next IT Corporation
Olive Barn Inc.
Omega Atomizers / SDA Engineers, LTD.
Oprex Surgery Center of Houston
OTA Compression, LLC
Premier Placement Media, LTD
Project Solutions International (Thailand) Company Limited
Ranch House Designs, Inc.
RBSI Consulting Inc.
RE/MAX Town & Country
REDE, Inc.
River Place Golf Group L.P.
Routh Development Group
Schipul - The Web Marketing Company
Slay Engineering Co, Inc.
Specialty Appliance, Inc
Speech Privacy Systems
Sterling Structures, LP
TDI-Brooks International, Inc.
Team Housing Solutions
Tesoro Homes and Development, Ltd.
The Liere Agency
Vanguard Fire Systems, L.P.
Workman Commercial Construction Services, Ltd.
Zajonc Corporation
Zerenity Sleep Lab of Houston
ZT Investments, Inc.

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Last night at the Jon L. Hagler Center, home of the Texas A&M Foundation, the Aggie 100 Class of 2008 came together for the first time. Over 250 attended the welcome reception.

Richard Scruggs, Executive Director of the CNVE addressed the crowd and welcomed everyone to the campus. Additional comments came from: Carl Jaedicke, Vice President for Development for the Texas A&M Foundation, Porter Garner, Executive Director of the Association of Former Students and James Lancaster of the Research Valley Partnership.  

Today is the big day! I’ll have more later today after the winners are announced! Come back at 1 PM today and see who won.

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Howdy from the Aggie 100!

It’s an honor and a pleasure for PKF Texas to again serve as the Aggie 100 accountants. PKF Texas strongly supports the Mays School and its Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship here at Texas A&M. 

A big Aggie thank you to Richard Scruggs, Lenae Huebner, Dean Strawser and Dr. Elsa Murano for your unwavering support of a unique one-of-a-kind program at a “Unique American Institution.” We already know that every Aggie is already a winner. But the Aggie 100 stands for the school’s legacy as well as its future. So how did we get this year’s list of the Aggie 100?

Over 175 companies completed the application process this year. Additional information was sent to our offices in Houston, where we verified the financial information, and reviewed the data submitted by the applicants.

In some cases we spoke with some of applicants to gain additional insight about the business. It took about 6 weeks to review all the applications.

Once we had the data, we calculated the two year compound annual growth rate from 2005 to 2007. Then the individual companies were ranked by their compound annual growth rate to get the Aggie 100. For those or you who won't be able to attend the Aggie 100 Awards Ceremony on Friday October 31, we have another way for you to participate. KBTX television in College Station will be filming the event and streaming it live on their website www.KBTX.com . The coverage will begin around 11:15 a.m. (Central Time) and will last until all the honorees have been announced (around 1:00 p.m.).

 Check back at 1:00 PM CST on October 31, 2008 for an update on the winners!

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I’ve just received information about the 2009 Rice Business Plan Competition.  The Rice Business Plan Competition is the largest and richest intercollegiate new venture competition in the world.  Thirty-six of the top MBA and Graduate Schools from around the world will compete for over $675,000 in prizes at Rice University in Houston.  The event is judged by over 170 venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders from the technology entrepreneurship community.   

2009 Rice Business Plan Competition 
Thursday – Saturday, April 16-18, 2009
Rice University, McNair Hall, Jones Graduate School of Management – Houston, Texas

More Information:  www.alliance.rice.edu/rbpc

The competition is open to all graduate level teams from any university.  Both U.S. and international teams can apply to compete.  EVERY team that is accepted to compete is guaranteed to win cash prize money. 

If you know of a graduate team or university that should compete, please encourage them to apply.  

• Intent to Compete Deadline:  Friday, February 13, 2009
• Executive Summary due: Friday. March 6, 2009, 5:00 PM CST

International schools can apply for early acceptance in January:
   - January 5, 2009 – Deadline to submit Intent to Compete
   - January 16, 2009 – Deadline to submit Executive Summary
   - January 19, 2009 – Early acceptance invitations sent to international schools

Competition Prizes - Over $675,000 in total prizes
• $325,000 Grand Prize – including
     $125,000 equity investment from The GOOSE Society of Texas
     $100,000 investment sponsored by: Opportunity Houston and Greater Houston Partnership
     $20,000 cash: Sponsored by: Kenda Capital & Shell
     $80,000 in services
     Ringing the bell at NASDAQ in New York City
• Over $475,000 in total cash prizes, plus over $200,000 in services awarded
• EVERY team accepted into the Rice competition is guaranteed to win at least one cash prize

Special Cash Prize Categories include:
    • $20,000 – Dow Sustainability Award – sustainability & clean technology cash award
    • $20,000 – NASA Earth/Space Life Science Innovation Award
    • Information Technology Cash Award
    • Energy Cash Award
    • Medical Device Cash Award
    • Life Science Cash Award 
    • Intellectual Property Cash Award 
    • Hispanic Business Plan Cash Award
    • International Team Cash Award 

Other Benefits include:
• Multiple opportunities to receive individual feedback & mentoring
 
• Largest, most-experienced judging panel
    • Over 170 VC’s, early-stage investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders
    • More leaders from the entrepreneurship community than any other competition

• Multiple Presentation Opportunities
   • All teams are guaranteed to have at least four presentation opportunities

• Best facilities and hosting of any competition
   • World-class Jones Graduate School of Management building at Rice
   • Over 100 Rice student volunteers will act as hosts and guides

• Low-cost travel, centrally located
   • Houston serves as hubs for Continental & Southwest Airlines with two major airports
   • Discounted hotel rates & all meals provided for competitors 

Who Is Eligible
    • Full- or part-time graduate students: includes MBA, Masters, PhD, and MD candidates from all disciplines
    • Teams with 2-5 team members  (at least one team member must be a graduate student)
    • Ventures must be "for profit" entities seeking outside equity capital
    • Teams must be university-affiliated and have endorsement of a faculty member

Ventures must have no revenues or outside equity capital PRIOR to the start of current academic year
 

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I just received an email from the Greater Houston Partnership about this year’s Houston’s Greatest awards.  You remember that last year PKF Texas was one of the winners and finalists for the People’s Choice award.  

This year I’m pleased to report that our friends at the Rice Alliance are receiving a special award for being “Houston’s Greatest Economic Ally.”  Congratulations!  It’s always great to see good organizations receive the recognition they deserve.

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Have you seen the latest Microsoft commercial?  The “I am a PC” commercial has been running here in Houston for the past couple of weeks.  What you might not have noticed is one of Houston’s own is featured in the commercial!

Dr. Bernard Harris, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Houston Technology Center appears as one of the PCs!  The ad is embedded below or click here see the commercial on Microsoft’s website.  He appears about 40 seconds into the spot.  

Video: Pride

An accomplished physician, Dr. Harris was selected by NASA in January 1990 and became an astronaut in July 1991. A veteran of two space flights, Dr. Harris has logged more than 438 hours in space. He was a mission specialist on STS-55 (April 26 to May 6, 1993), and was the Payload Commander on STS-63 (February 2-11, 1995).  Dr. Harris is truly an American Hero and a native Texan.

Dr. Harris also oversees The Harris Foundation.  The Harris Foundation is powered through two different programs – Dare to Dream and the Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp. Through these initiatives, THF encourages math and science education, motivates youth to stay in school, fosters youth leadership and citizenship, as well as instills the values of responsibility, fairness and respect. To date, more than 3,500 K-12 students have participated and benefited from THF programs.

I am a PC!

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The FastTech 50 is rapidly approaching. Please join the Houston Business Journal, PKF Texas, Capital One Bank, Oracle, Pierpont Communications, Phillips & Reiter PLLC, The Griffin Partners: 1301 Fannin, The Houston Technology Center, Rice Alliance and Fox 26 News at the eighth annual Fast Tech 50 Awards Ceremony. This high-energy event is a must to attend especially if you want to meet the top executives of the hottest technology companies in Houston.

The Fast Tech 50 Awards are presented to the 50 fastest growing Houston area based high-tech businesses ranked by percentage of revenue growth in 2007. These top level CEOs of the Fast Tech 50 will be honored at this exciting luncheon on Friday, November 7, 2008.

The winners are also announced in the Fast Tech 50 Special Section of the Houston Business Journal that will be published on Friday, November 7th and handed out at the event.

Do not miss your chance to network with over 600 businessmen and women as well as congratulate the Fast Tech 50 of 2008. Deadline for reservations is Friday, October 31, 2008.

When? Friday, November 7, 2008 11:30am - 1:00pm
Where? InterContinental Houston Hotel 2222 West Loop South, Houston, TX 77027

Click here to register online

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 Monique A. Hitchings is the Editor in Chief of FUEL Magazine, a Hart Energy publication.  You may recall that PKF Texas partnered with Hart Energy to host the NASDAQ OMX presentation.  Hart Energy is hosting the Energy Solutions Conference in Houston on November 6 and 7, 2008.  Monique may be reached via email at mhitchings@hartenergy.com.

Conventional vs. alternative fuels and energies, refining technology, clean technology, climate change – these are today’s buzzwords to effect tomorrow’s changes.

As we enter a new U.S. Administration, a new year and face financial constraints in all aspects of the global downstream industry from refining to transportation to research and development to fuel management, it’s time to continue much needed dialogue and recognize potential solutions to myriad challenges our industry faces.

The gap between supply and demand continues to grow and a reduction in the heavy dependence on imported crude is paramount.

Companies are noting alternatives to typical ways of conducting business, including implementing alternative fuels and technologies in all arenas of the downstream business.

Industry representatives have been talking about it; government and organizational leaders have been talking about it; operating companies and their vendors/providers have been talking about it. It’s time to bring these entities together to talk about it and learn from one another.

Houston’s Energy Solutions conference featuring the Global Energy & Environmental Excellence Awards Celebration and Biofuels Briefing, Nov. 6 and 7, is the place to interact with leading energy industry strategists and analysts, policymakers, refinery and transportation executives, financiers and technology providers.

These sector leaders will examine national and global progress since the release of the National Petroleum Council’s report and the 2008 World Petroleum Council meeting in Madrid in July.

One notable industry icon, Donald L. Paul, president and managing director, Energy and Technology Strategies, chief technology officer, Chevron (retired), will share innovative ideas for saving energy tomorrow, noting “every molecule counts” on the road to sustainability and clean technology.

Timely and topical information will be discussed, analyzed and in some cases debated in an array of manners by the best in the business. Discussion points include:

• U.S. post-election policy and energy outlook;
• The effect the U.S. election will have on international energy opportunities;
• The degree to which we’ve progressed toward energy security;
• The true nature of worldwide demand;
• Supplies that are available now and in the future;
• Upcoming transportation technologies to change energy use;
• Local and global low-carbon solutions;
• The meaning the weaker dollar has for capital markets; and
• The way in which biofuels fit into the global market.

At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: improve our environment in the most cost-effective, energy efficient manner that results in less dependence on conventional fuels and foreign crude imports. How do we get there? One step at a time – working together, listening, talking and acting to arrive at energy solutions for tomorrow from challenging times today.

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It’s been a little over two weeks since Hurricane Ike decided to pay the Gulf Coast a visit. Things are slowly returning to normal, though there are still individuals and companies who need assistance. I have received several inquiries about how people who are not necessarily in Houston can help.

Mayor Bill White requested the establishment of The Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund to help fill unmet human needs for victims of Hurricane Ike primarily in Galveston, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend and Harris counties.

As stated on the website, the money will be granted to those nonprofit organizations that provide immediate relief in the area — that is, shelter and temporary housing, food and household supplies, transportation and child care. It will also try to make whole some damaged child care and social service organizations that may not be able to operate without an infusion of cash before insurance claims are paid. Greater Houston Community Foundation will administer this fund at no cost, so 100% of all donations will go where it is needed.

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In July, I posted information regarding the Greater Houston Partnership's World Trade Soiree.  I received an email earlier this week informing me that it has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 15th.  The email with all of the details is below.

Launch Your Holiday Season at the “World Trade Soirée”

To bring you the best experience possible, the “World Trade Soirée,” which is sponsored by the Greater Houston Partnership, and was to have taken place September 20, 2008, has been rescheduled.

We apologize for this inconvenience yet are confident that you will benefit from more star power and more entertainment highlighting the cultures of our regional trade partners. Your presence is now requested on Saturday, November 15th!

To launch your 2008 Holiday Season, we invite you to come fly away with us and celebrate a truly world-class tribute to international business and the world marketplace.

When: Saturday, 15 November 2008 • 7 p.m. to Midnight

Where: Hotel ZaZa • 5701 Main, Houston, TX

Cost: $175 per person • Member package: $550

Member package includes 2 tickets to the Soirée, a room for the night of the Soirée at Hotel ZaZa and $2,000 in casino cash.

Attire: Culturally Chic or Cocktail Attire

Elected officials and Consular Corps receive complimentary admission. However, an RSVP is requested and appreciated. Please contact Kristin Smith for details at 713-844-3694 or ksmith@houston.org.

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Our friends at the Galleria Chamber of Commerce sent me an email with some helpful links and phone numbers in relation to recovery from Hurricane Ike. 

• KPRC's Neighbor 2 Neighbor Program: 713-271-1905 (6 a.m.- 6 p.m. through Friday)
• FEMA: 800-621-FEMA (3362), Apply for aid
• Hotels FEMA Will Bill Directly: FEMAEvacHotels.com
• American Red Cross - Greater Houston Area, 800-733-2767 (Shelter Information)
• Animal Disaster Hotline: 713-435-2991
• Farmer's Insurance Help Line: 1-800-HELP-POINT (800-435-7764)
• Galveston Business Owners Information Line: 409-765-3710
• Give Blood
• Harris County Phone Bank: 713-368-2741
• Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management: Hurricane Ike Hotline - 713-368-2741.
• Houston Airport System (IAH and Hobby), 281-230-7000
• NOAA: Hurricane Ike Images
• POD Locations In Harris County: 713-881-3100
• Price Gouging Complaints: Harris County - 713-755-5101, State - Texas A.G. - 800-252-8011
• Report Low Water Pressure: 713-884-3131
• Report Downed Power Line : 713-207-2222 or 800-332-7143
• Social Security Assistance: 800-772-1213
• SPCA (Houston): 713-861-0161
• Texas Attorney General Child Support Hotline: 800-252-8014 (open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday)
• Texas Department of Transportation: 800-452-9292
• Texas Department of Transportation Road Closures: 713-802-5076 or 800-452-9292
• Towed Vehicles: Houston - 713-308-8580; Harris County - 713-755-6042
• Transtar For Road Conditions: 800-452-9292
• Volunteer Within Harris County: 713-853-8802 (Call between 9 a.m.-6 p.m.)

Donations for Hurricane Ike victims can be made online at www.ghcf.org or sent to:

Houston Ike Relief Fund
c/o Greater Houston Community Foundation
4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 100
Suite 100
Houston, TX 77027

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Yesterday the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Texas taxpayers who were adversely affected by Hurricane Ike qualify for IRS tax relief, including the postponement of most tax filing and payment deadlines until Jan. 5, 2009. 

The IRS release (IR-2008-107) has specific information on what the relief postpones and which 29 Texas counties were declared as presidential disaster areas qualifying for individual assistance. Click this link www.pkftexas.com/taxnews for more information.

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PKF Texas is fine and thank you for checking on us!  We are observing more flex hours this week and allowing our team members to reconnect as they are able due to power outages and damage suffered. 

We sincerely hope that your employees and your business are doing as well as possible and recovering from Ike.

The Consulting Solutions practice is presently able to assist our clients with remote support and onsite support when circumstances allow for this.  If you need assistance please do not hesitate to call me at 713-860-1466 or forward your request to gprice@pkftexas.com. We will work with you quickly to address any technical issues you have.

We extend our own wishes to you, your family and your business team for a speedy return to normalcy. 

“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.” - Ben Okri

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In light of Hurricane Ike, I wanted to you let you know my blog posting may be interrupted depending on connectivity.  Although, I'll leave the weather coverage the guys on the news, I received a few tips that I think are worth sharing.  These tips came from my friends at Technology Support: 

Laptops
As is always the case with impending inclement weather, you SHOULD take your laptop with you, beginning today. Also remember that, before the storm makes landfall, you should ensure that your computer and cell phone are fully charged. This will allow you to get at least urgent use out of them in the event of power failure.

Office Make-Ready
You also SHOULD make your office space hurricane-ready (work papers off desks and in cabinets, electronic devices in safe places, etc.). All computer PC’s should be shut down properly and unplugged from the wall. Any computer PC’s that are on the floor should be placed on a desk or chair and a if possible covered with a plastic sheet.

Here are some suggestions your may want to consider:

• Keep phone lists of your key employees and customers with you, and provide copies to key staff members.
• If you have a voice mail system at your office, designate one remote number on which you can record messages for employees. Provide the number to all employees.
• Arrange for programmable call forwarding for your main business line(s). Then, if you can't get to the office, you can call in and reprogram the phones to ring elsewhere.
• If you may not be able to get to your office quickly after an emergency, leave keys and alarm code(s) with a trusted employee or friend who is closer.

Here is a Hurricane Evacuation Check List from the American Red Cross.

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Last night I have the pleasure of meeting Bill Kurtis (A&E Investigative Reports, Cold Case Files, and for the younger set, Mr. Kurtis is the narrator for the movie “The Legend of Ron Burgundy”) at the Rice Alliance Kick Off meeting. PKF Texas was the primary sponsor of the event and as in the past, it was a wonderful evening.

Mr. Kurtis’s background started in Broadcast Journalism with a CBS affiliate in Kansas and he was quickly moved to Chicago where he became the local anchor. After a few years there, he took a job with CBS News and hosted several news broadcasts for several years until he recently moved to the A&E network, History Channel, etc. 

Mr. Kurtis has a current venture with an operation called Tallgrass Beef.  During his presentation he reviewed the history of agribusiness in the US from the Depression era to today and the impact on the cattle industry. Some new and very interesting research is suggesting the impact of grain fed beef to our bodies and how grass fed beef is much better for us. One additional thing I learned is that only the US raises feedlot cattle for consumption. Other nations only raise grass feed beef.

You can check out the website and gain some more information into his company and the impact of tall grass beef versus the alternative options.

Thanks, Mr. Kurtis, for a great evening.

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We welcomed Tim Golomb, Managing Director – New Listings Corporate Client Group, Bill Shaw, Senior Managing Director – Global Capital Markets and Demitrios Skalkotos, Regional Vice President – Global Corporate Client Group from NASDAQ OMX in our office on Monday the 11th. We partnered with Hart Energy to bring them in to speak to a group of Houston executives. They discussed:

• The role and future of stock exchanges
• A review of global exchange markets
• The merger of NASDAQ and OMX
  • Created the world’s largest exchange company
  • Trading, technology and public company service capabilities reach six continents
• NASDAQ lists more IPOs than any other U.S. Exchange
• NASDAQ has 168 listed companies in Texas with a total market cap of $122.8 billion

All very enlightening information. If you'd like to see the presentation, feel free to email me.  Thanks to Hart Energy for co-hosting! 

On a side note, have a great and safe Labor Day weekend. Next week’s blog entry will publish on Tuesday.

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The National Space and Technology Association (NSTA) is hosting the first annual State-of-the-City report featuring Mayor Bill White as the keynote speaker. 

The luncheon will be held on September 15^th at the Houston J.W. Marriott. Mayor White will be speaking about a number of City of Houston IT initiatives implemented during his administration. A brief question and answer session will be held after his presentation.

With the leadership of Houston’s goal to make Houston a destination workplace, I’ll be interested to hear what he has to say and will report back to you in September. The Mayor is an important figure to become involved with the future of technology aligning with Houston’s future.

For more information about the event, visit the NSTA website at www.nstaworld.org.

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As Gold sponsors of the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, PKF Texas is proud to share Rice Alliance events with our friends in the marketplace. Join us as we celebrate the success of the Houston and Texas technology entrepreneurship community and kick off a new program year for the Rice Alliance with keynote speaker, Bill Kurtis.

9th Annual Rice Alliance Kick-Off Celebration
"A Very Special Evening with Bill Kurtis"

Thursday, August 28, 2008
Rice University
McNair Hall, Jesse H Jones Graduate School of Management

• 5:30pm - Registration & Reception
• 6:30pm - Keynote
• 7:30pm - Networking Reception

Keynote Speaker:
Bill Kurtis
Emmy Winning T.V. Journalist & Entrepreneur

An Emmy-winning, acclaimed documentary host and producer, network and major market news anchor, multimedia production company president, and grass-fed cattle rancher, Bill Kurtis is celebrating his 40th anniversary in the field of broadcasting.

In 2005, Bill founded Tallgrass Beef Company to champion the environmental and health benefits of grass-fed cattle ranching and to coordinate the efforts of small grass-fed ranchers across the country. Tallgrass Beef can be found in the finest restaurants, retailers, across the country.

In his home state of Kansas, Bill Kurtis has become a leader in the grass-fed beef industry. Grassfed beef are raised on his 10,000 acre ranch without hormones, are not fed antibiotics, are lower in fat, and are higher in omega-3.

Hear Bill's story of his career from TV journalist to grass-fed cattle entrepreneur.

To register and for more information contact Yanette Jimenez at 713-348-3164 or yanette@rice.edu. We hope to see you there!

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Things are rolling forward with the FastTech 50 nominations. Like the Aggie 100 this year we received a record number of submissions. 

We also had a record number of companies fill out the Enterprise Champion questionnaire. The Enterprise Champion leadership award is given to the business leaders whose exceptional companies demonstrate growth, industry leadership and above average company culture.

Thanks to all those who submitted a nomination packet. We have begun to analyze the data, and I’m impressed with the growth the companies have seen. I’m eager to see the final list. Good luck to everyone!

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I want to give a shout out to Marc Nathan, Director of Entrepreneur Development, Information Technology for the Houston Technology Center, Kelsey Ruger, VP Technology and Operations for Pop Labs and Josh Tabin, founder/President of Mosaic CFO and Startup Houston. They gave a presentation on social media to our firm at our PKF University.

Raissa Evans, Sr. Manager in our Practice Growth department said, “The presentation this morning was particularly effective in that it was tailored specifically to our industry, and gave both the theoretical and then the tactical insights to how accountants can use social media.”

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!

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I’ve asked my colleague and Next Gen “advisor” Jen Lemanski to comment on the Forbes list of Best Cities for Young Professionals. Houston is number three on the list. Jen is the Practice Growth Specialist for PKF Texas and is a member of several young professional initiatives in Houston and the accounting industry.

Forbes was absolutely right when they put us on their list of best cities for young professionals (YPs). Houston is not an obvious choice for YPs that are outside the oil/energy industry. while we don’t have the shiny, sleek reputation of New York City or the laid back, beachy atmosphere of Los Angeles, Houston is one of the country’s best kept secrets. The ratio of cost of living to salary is much better than our counterparts on the East and West coasts. The Houston economy hasn’t seen the downturn that other major cities have seen, business is booming and it’s an exciting time to be here.

The diverse population and international flavor isn’t something that you can copy. Many of us are transplants (I’ve lived all over the country), we may not be native Houstonians, but we’ve made the conscious decision to call Houston our home.

There are YP initiatives around the city that are growing by leaps and bounds. For those who join, it’s an opportunity to get in on the ground level and steer the ship so to speak. We are able to get involved and shape our city. With the Baby Boomers beginning to retire, the city is ready for us to step up and show what we can do.  The Boomers are ready and willing to help us make connections in the marketplace to expand our centers of influence. 

All in all, Houston is a great place to be right now and I can't wait to find out how the YPs (myself included) will shape our city!

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Joel Kotkin, whom you’ll remember from previous posts co-wrote a great article with Michael Shires, that appearing on Inc.com that analyses the best cities to business.

A whole section of the article deals with Texas and how it’s a great place to be right now. “Texas’ boom reflects solid growth in a variety of industries from energy to agriculture to manufacturing and trade,” he said. This definitely describes Houston. 

Jumping up 13 spots from last year, we rank #4 on the list of best large cities to do business in. We fall behind Raleigh, NC, Austin, and Salt Lake City, UT. Not bad!

The Greater Houston Partnership has a comprehensive list of Houston’s rankings right on the homepage. 

Have you seen growth in your business in Houston this year? If you’re looking to expand, is Texas on your list?

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We’ve received a record number of Aggie 100 nominations this year. We’re currently analyzing the date as I write. While I can’t say much, I can tell you that this year’s group is full of great companies. I can’t wait for you to find out who they are at the award banquet this fall.

Speaking of award banquets this fall,  I want to get one last reminder in about the FastTech 50. The nominations are due Thursday, July 31^st. You can log on to the Houston Business Journal site or PKF Texas’ FastTech 50 site to download the nomination form. You don’t want to be left off this year’s list, so don’t delay!

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Last week Houston played host to Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference. According to conservative estimates there was $9.7 million in direct spending into our economy. That is a great figure!

Houston has become more than just an oil town. Successfully hosting an event of this size (third to the Offshore Technology Conference and the International Quilt Festival) and scope in the technology arena will only help cement Houston's place as a leader in the industry. I agree with Greg Ortale, President and CEO of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau who said in last week’s Houston Business Journal that this will definitely attract other tech and business related events to Houston

How do you think this changes the perception of Houston in the tech industry?  Should we as Houstonians try to attract more conferences of this nature?

On another Microsoft front, I’ve got some changes/additions to coming to the blog in the near future regarding Dynamics-NAV. Stay tuned…

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I’ve talked many times in this blog about how Houston is an international city and how the future of business is being a player in the global community. Here’s the perfect opportunity for you and your business to reach out to the international community in Houston, the Greater Houston Partnership’s World Trade Soiree is quickly approaching. This year it will be held on September 20^th at Hotel Zaza. Below is information provided by Kristin Smith, the main contact at the GHP.

Larry Kellner
Honorary Chairman, 2008 World Trade Soirée Committee
Chairman and CEO, Continental Airlines, Inc.

Rosanna Moreno
Chairman, 2008 World Trade Soirée Committee
Chief, International Services, Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center

The annual Soirée showcases the Houston region’s star power as an international business center. The region’s global business leaders, government representatives, economic development allies, and our valued Consular Corps take part in this world-class tribute to international business and the world marketplace. This year’s event, themed Fly Away With Me, will include ethnically diverse dinner stations, dancing, a silent auction, and entertainment highlighting the cultures of our regional trade partners. It’s an evening you will not want to miss!

There are still sponsorship opportunities available as well as tables and individual tickets. Contact Kristin at ksmith@houston.org or 713-844-3694, if you have questions or are interested in attending. For business owners thinking about the future is thinking globally and this will be the premier international event in Houston this year.

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We welcome another new FastTech 50 sponsor, Capital One Bank.  We’re glad to have you on board!

We recently took a photo of all of the sponsors to be incorporated into a FastTech 50 ad that will appear in the Houston Business Journal. I’ll post the picture as soon as we receive it. 

The nomination forms are now available at www.pkftexas.com/FT50. Contact John Stephenson at jstephenson@pkftexas.com or Lee Ann Semmel at lasemmel@bizjournals.com with questions or for more information. 

Don’t forget, this year’s award ceremony will be held on November 7^th at the InterContinental Hotel in the Galleria area. Last year’s event broke attendance records, and I’m anticipating the same this year. 

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Last week I attended the Houston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work luncheon. What a fun event! It’s one of my favorites every year.

Congratulations to all of the winners and a special congratulations to the Burnett Staffing/PKF Texas Summit award winners! To achieve Summit recognition a company must be on the Best Places to Work list five or more consecutive years. To achieve Premier Summit recognition, a company must have been on the list every year since the start of the Best Places to Work Program. 

This year’s Summit winners are:

• CB Richard Ellis
• Memorial Herrmann Hospital System
• SpawGlass Construction
• Wells Fargo Bank

This year’s Premier Summit winners are:

• SpawMaxwell Co.
• Walter P. Moore

PKF Texas is proud to sponsor the Best Places to Work and the Summit awards because these types of programs celebrate workplace excellence in Houston. To view the full list of winners click here.

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FORTUNE Small Business online has posted an extensive recap of the Rice Business Plan Competition. 

There is a synopsis page for each team in the competition. You can watch videos of top elevator pitches, participate in a forum dedicated to the competition, and take a quiz to see if your company has what it takes to enter these types of competitions.

Like I said back in April, the plans are getting better and better each year. The difference between numbers one and seven in the final flight is getting smaller and the difference between numbers one, two and three in each flight is very small as well.

Take a look at the website and let me know what you think was the best concept. Did you like qcue, the winner, the best? Whose pitch did you like best?

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I’ve been talking a lot in recent weeks about how Houston is a great place to live and work. The confirmations just keep rolling in.

Last Friday’s Houston Business Journal featured an article ranking Houston as one of the top ten cities for young adults (18-34).

The study cited looked at the annual rate of employment growth, total population growth, jobless rate, education level and average income of young city dwellers.

David Small, associate vice president for student services at the University of Houston was quoted as saying, "Houston is a well-kept secret." I’d have to agree with him.

There is a lot of interesting data in the article. For instance, young Houstonians make up 24.8 percent of the city's total population -- 17.1 percent of them hold a bachelor's degree and 6.5 percent make more than $75,000 per year. 

If you’re a young pro in Houston, I want to hear from you. How do you like living and working in Houston? Are you able to find a good work/life balance? How does your cost of living compare to friends in other cities?

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I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the newest sponsor of the FastTech 50, Phillips & Reiter. They will be an excellent addition to the FastTech 50 family!

The 2008 nomination forms will be available soon, so watch this space. I’ll let you know when they are posted.

Mark your calendars, this year’s award ceremony will be held on November 7^th at the InterContinental Hotel in the Galleria area. 

Contact John Stephenson at jstephenson@pkftexas.com or Lee Ann Semmel at lasemmel@bizjournals.com with questions or for more information. 

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I hope you have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.

I want to let all of the Aggies and friends of Aggies know that the nomination period for the 2008 Aggie 100 closes on Friday. To submit nominations, visit www.aggie100.com and click on “Nominate.”

To be considered for the Aggie 100 program companies (corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) must meet the following criteria:

• Company Size and Longevity – The Company must meet both of the following criteria:
  • Have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2008, and
  • Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2005.
• Aggie Leadership – The Company must meet one or more of the following three criteria:
  • A Texas A&M University former student or group of former students must have owned 50% or more of the company from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have served as the Company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007.
• Company Character – The Company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M University.

As the accountants for and the sponsors of the Aggie 100, PKF Texas is proud to play a part in the celebration of Aggie entrepreneurship. If you have any questions contact Lenae Huebner at 979-845-4882 or E-mail: lhuebner@mays.tamu.edu.

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Next Tuesday, May 27^th, I am going to the TECH luncheon at the Houston Technology Center (HTC) where Thomas B. Pickens III, CEO and Chairman of the Board of SPACEHAB, will be the keynote speaker. 

SPACEHAB is a pretty cool company, headquartered in Webster, TX, they preview commercial space services.   I’m eager to hear what Pickens has to say. He is a serial entrepreneur and has contributed much to the emerging technology community in Houston. 

TECH (Technology Executive Club of Houston) is the CEO Roundtable luncheon group that meets monthly at the HTC. Limited to 100 individuals, this group provides its members with outstanding programs each month like this one with Mr. Pickens.

If you are a CEO of a technology company in Houston, and would like to join me, I have a couple of extra tickets. Shoot me an email to gregshead@pkftexas.com, and let me know you are interested in attending this meeting or a future one. 

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Last week I attended several of the Houston Business Journal’s Celebrate!Enterprise events.

The Houston Growth Summit, featuring Joel Kotkin, author of The City, and a panel with Mike Inselmann, President of American MetroStudy Corp and Barton Smith, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Regional Forecasting at the University of Houston, was especially informative.

The short synopsis is that Houston is a great place to work and live. This of course is not a surprise to those of us who do live and work here!

Kotkin touched on many interesting points during his presentation. 

Houston has seen a 20.1% growth in professional and business service employment between 2000 and 2007. Compare that to -5.7% in Boston and -1.1% in New York City. The global business community recognizes that Houston is a great place to do business.

Our growth in total employment from 2000-2007 is 13.4%, the second highest in the nation, after Phoenix. With organizations like the Greater Houston Partnership and the Houston Technology Center, companies have the resources to be successful here. 

Another interesting point to note is the ratio of home price growth versus annual average pay growth. Between 2005 and 2005, Houston’s was 1.38. Compared to LA’s 8.27, our housing prices really can’t be beat.

It’s encouraging to hear these figures. We’re not seeing the same type of economic climate that other major U.S. cities are facing right now. Through Opportunity Houston, we’re seeing an investment in Houston as a player in the global marketplace. Right now, Houston’s a good place to be, and I can’t wait to find out where we’re headed.

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I was recently asked, how can Houston continue to attract top tech companies and talent to the city. Interesting question. I see two things that have to happen.

First, we need to continue the branding and awareness of the Houston tech community to those outside of the Houston and Texas regions.  I know it sounds old fashioned, but folks outside of the Texas region still consider Houston a two dimensional city.  Energy and Space Exploration.  While both of those are very important to Houston, the growth in the high tech, health care research and delivery, educational research, telecommunications and manufacturing will continue to outpace our baseline industries. 

We see it every day, but those not as familiar to our community do not.  That’s one of the reasons why PKF Texas created the Fast Tech 50 Awards program and brought that to the Houston Business Journal.  We wanted to start the ball rolling on branding and awareness of the city as a source of great success in the tech sector.  We are fully committed to making this sector a success for our city.  One of the areas that the Houston Technology Center, HBJ, and our firm supports is the Rice Business Plan Competition.  Its success and the information the participants receive during the competition has reached around the world.  We had several plans from outside the U.S. this year.  The Rice event has turned out to be so successful that Fortune Small Business decided to drop their own competition and endorse the Rice event.  Also, working with the Greater Houston Partnership, Walter Ulrich, our President of the HTC was able to get Houston’s visibility changed with some national rankings recently with a national publication as well. 

Second, we have to create jobs and fight for talented tech personnel to relocate to our city.  This is no longer a fight for economic survival on a local, or regional basis.  I recently had the opportunity to review some economic strategic planning from another region and they indicated they were fighting for business from communities their size in the domestic U.S.  They couldn’t be further from the truth to be successful.  In my opinion, we are fighting to secure talent to our community locally, from the global community.  I can assure you Houston through organizations like the Greater Houston Partnership, and the HTC see things on a global basis and we want to compete globally for all kinds of business opportunities.  Given our baseline business in Energy, this gives us a leg up on the acceptance of Houston as a global city and not just a city in Texas.  Our cost of living and the baseline for salaries for tech personnel are very favorable to both companies and individuals alike.  And our existing talent pool is just outstanding, some of the success stories we have in the tech sector would rival any region in the US and beyond. 

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It’s not often you get a chance to hear one of the country’s foremost experts in information technology. Earlier this week we (myself and several colleagues at PKF Texas) were treated to one of the best, “A Conversation with Michael Dell”, founder, Chairman and CEO of Dell – and a native son of Houston.

On April 30^th, Dell was the guest speaker on a panel for the Houston Forum. Also on the panel, Walter Ulrich, CEO of the Houston Technology Center, Leonard Rejcek, President and CEO of Manhattan Construction Co., moderated the session.

Dell took questions from Walter, Leonard, and the audience. 

Some of the most interesting points I took from the presentation include:

• 1 billion people are currently on the internet
• 500,000 new users log on every day
• Use of the internet is expected to double in the next five years creating opportunities for
  • Mobile
  • Online
  • Bandwidth

He also commented on his company, Dell, giving valuable insight into one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs:

• 10 years ago Dell’s revenues were $6 billion and they are currently at $61 billion
• In the past year (before he took over again as CEO) they experienced an annual growth rate of -11% and this year they are currently at a +21% growth rate
• Dell stresses keeping things simple for his people and customers alike
• He encourages conversation with your customers
• Dell (the company) recently launched www.dell.com/earth to address the company’s green initiatives
• Dell’s key target markets are outside the U.S. He refers to them as BRIC +10. BRIC stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China. The +10 is several other countries where the technology sector is booming or has the potential to grow exponentially in the next few years.

A few other thoughts I noted about the technology growth:

• China currently has several of the worlds most visited websites
• Due to the fact that the internet does not have borders, social networks, collaboration are pushing content all over the world.

Great stuff, and I was glad I was able to hear him speak. If you get the chance to see one of his presentations, I would highly recommend it.

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Friday morning’s panel on the Top 10 Accounting Mistakes at Envision 08 went very well. It was one of the best attended workshops this morning. Thanks to Jason Ferguson a Partner at Calvetti, Ferguson & Wagner P.C. and Lee Prillaman a Partner at Ernst & Young, it was a pleasure sitting on the panel with you.

The top ten mistakes we presented are below in no particular order:

• Valuation
• Revenue Recognition
• Infrastructure Governance
• Budgeting
• Internal Controls
• Information Management
• Development of the Plan
• Tax Structures
• Not understanding what an Angel or VC wants
• The Team

To those who attended, thanks for coming to our session. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or the other panelists. We would be happy to respond.

A huge round of applause goes to Richard Scruggs and Lenae Huebner! The conference was great. Thanks for allowing myself and the others at PKF Texas to participate. We’re already looking forward to next year!

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This morning’s presentation by Stephen Covey was outstanding. He spoke about the companies and workers of today versus the “industrial” age, which he put at pre-1980.

He discussed how companies need different things to be successful than they did 30 years ago. Organizations need to be able to change and adapt to today’s information based society. He called the current workforce “information” workers as opposed to our parents and grand parents who were “industrial” workers.

Of course he referenced his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He was able to show how the seven habits tie into today’s work force and made many excellent points throughout the presentation.

If you get the chance to see him speak, I would highly recommend it. He’s a very dynamic speaker and there’s a lot of substance to what he has to say. I’m hoping he’ll return to Envision next year. 

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It’s finally here. This week I’m heading to San Antonio for the Envision08 conference. As of right now I’m planning on updating you during the conference, sort of a modified version of my Rice Business Plan Competition live blogging. I’m not quite sure when I’ll be able to make updates, so keep checking back.

The panel that I’m on, The Top Ten Accounting Mistakes, is scheduled for Friday at 10 AM April 25, 2008.

This is going to be a great conference. I’m looking forward to the attendee interaction between the sessions and at the scheduled networking events. Also, I’m curious to hear what Guy Kawasaki has to say. I'll let you know.

A big thanks goes to Richard Scruggs, Director and Lenae Huebner, Asst. Executive Director at the CNVE for all their hard work putting this conference together. See you in San Antonio!

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Now that it is all said and done, the Rice Business Plan Competition was a resounding success. 36 plans were selected from 234 submissions. Congratulations to all who presented! You should be proud to be selected!

The plans are getting better and better each year. The difference between numbers one and seven in the final flight is getting smaller and the difference between numbers one, two and three in each flight is very small as well. The competition is tough!

Once piece of advice from the judge’s room: be prepared to make your pitch, and have lots of background information to assist in the presentation. This was a common theme amongst the flight winners. 

One of the teams in my flight, DiagNano, wrote and asked me to post the link to their website. I am more than willing to do so, they can be found at www.nanohc.com.

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Final two of the day…..

Traycer Diagnostic Systems

Traycer Diagnostic Systems leverages a unique set of technology to become a leader in microwave and terahertz medical imaging with a strong focus on replacement of x-ray mammography.

In my opinion the best presentation of Flight 3 for the day.  Well done….good use of backup slides to supplement your point…You nailed your IP, had you background material ready to go…Good business case, good metrics…

Excellent outline of your collaboration business partners.

WOW….

Good luck.

IMMUTELL

IMMUTELL’s mission is to develop, produce, and market cell mediated immune response diagnostics to help combat diseases that are difficult to diagnose.

Great story and a very effective message…Good use of slides to emphasize your points….

Some slides seemed a bit busy and it was difficult to see what you were showing us.  A compelling business case….

Last group of the day….I was tired.  But my fellow judges had some good feedback for you…

My next post will outline who has made it to the finals.  I think 1 team from each flight will be selected to go forward…Stay tuned.

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HeartSounds

HeartSounds is a platform medical device company specializing in the emerging field of computer-aided auscultation utilizing patented sound-separation technology to provide non-invasive diagnostic devices.  The company has developed a fetal heart monitor that is more accurate and provides greater ease of use than current devices.

Good use of slides & showing use and market.  Good multi-use of the technology.

Good overview of the IP and status of its.

Good website.

The second speaker had a bit too much motion moving back and forth during the presentation….

Good luck.

GlucoFast

GlucoFast has developed a non-invasive, continuous monitoring device that can provide advance detection of hypoglycemic episodes for diabetics.

Slide transition was not clean.  Someone needs to stay there and drive the show while the others are presenting.

Great potential but not sure if you have thought through the practical application….too much concept right now….No presentation on the IP and you need to study the possible business applications…..The subscription idea was a great suggestion from Ms. Capper.

Good luck!

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Good morning GregsHead fans its Friday and I must be at the 2008 Rice Business Plan Competition. I am in Flight 3 sitting in Room 218 getting educated on all the next great bio-life science ideas. I will try and provide a few brief comments after each presentation. 

I only get 10 minutes between presentations….so I have to work fast.

DiagNano

DiagNano is an early stage technology company focusing on in vitro cancer diagnostics. They offer nanotechnology-based products for tissue biopsy analysis to provide clinicians with a patient-specific cancer fingerprint.

Good start & clarity in presenting the case for your product. Good explanation of the limitation with the current technology. Excellent presentation of what your product can do.

How did you arrive at the $30 billion market and the related slides? Why is there no reference to collaboration with MD Anderson? 

Financial forecasts don’t make sense in light of your requirements. You should have had your updated financial forecasts ready and available for the question that you received….in short you look unprepared.

A better explanation of what and how….the ROI slide should have been part of the presentation as well.

Good luck!

AutoTB

More than 1/3 of the world’s population is infected with TB, a disease that kills over 2 million people annually. Improved diagnostics are desperately needed to combat this epidemic.   AutoTB plans to create a device to automate sputum microscopy, which will decrease analysis time, increase sensitivity, and eliminate the human error present in current procedures, while integrating into the existing infrastructure and remaining inexpensive and accessible to developing countries.

Good explanation of the problem for TB. You presented an excellent overview of the AutoTB performance.   Good multi-use of the timeline slide. I like the source of and your credit as to the size of the market for your numbers. It was nice to see the discussion of the other uses of your product.

It was not clear to me what your IP really is for this product. It seems you need some additional advice. No discussion of competitors, no overview of patents….not sure of the market application going to developing country.

I didn’t see an ROI slide on the per use of the product….

Good luck

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(L to R) AMA Houston Tech SIG coordinator Rob Roberts, Michael Berry, Katie Laird and Greg Price after the blogging for business panel on April 2, 2008.

This morning I was one of three panelists at the AMA Houston Technology SIG’s event, “Blog Forward: The Rapid Evolution of Blogging as a Marketing Tool.” A big thank you to Rob Roberts and the AMA for asking me to present, it was a great crowd.

Katie Laird from Schipul and Michael Berry from Clear Channel Houston joined me on the panel. The links to their blogs are below. Katie contributes to six!

• Katie’s blog – www.happykatie.com
• Michael’s blog on the News Radio 740 site

It was interesting to get their perspectives on blogging, as their blogs have a different focus than fromgregshead.com.

To those who attended, thanks for your questions and thoughts. I enjoyed our interaction. Feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me with any questions you may have about fromgregshead.com or blogging in general.

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It’s finally here! The Rice Business Plan Competition kicks off on Thursday. Like last year I’ll be live blogging from the competition. Thirty-six teams from top MBA programs from across the country and globe have been selected to compete.

This year I’m a judge for flight 3. Below are the teams that will compete in my flight:

HeartSounds, Inc. - University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
AutoTB - University of Cambrdige, UK
DiagNano - Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA
GlucoFast  - Lancaster University, UK
IMMUTEL - University of Aarhus, Denmark
Traycer Diagnostic Sys. - Ohio State University

Good luck to all the teams and stay tuned for my thoughts and observations from inside the judging room!

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Envision08 speaker Guy Kawasaki recently interviewed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the MIX08 conference. MIX is an annual event that brings together professionals in the consumer Web space - Web developers, designers, business and digital marketing professionals - to explore new ways to build next-generation Web experiences using Microsoft technologies, and create digital customer connections that drive business results.

The video of the interview and Q&A session is about an hour long, but you can read the transcript if you don’t want to watch the whole thing.

They discuss a wide variety of topics including social networking, the changes coming after Bill Gates fully transitions to working full-time at his foundation and Microsoft’s potential takeover of Yahoo!. It’s really interesting stuff, especially considering Kawasaki’s history with Apple. Ballmer definitely has set the course for moving forward. It’s going to be fun to watch what Microsoft does in the coming years.

On a related side note, I am going to be on a panel at Envision08. I’ll be one of three panelists talking about the top ten accounting mistakes that businesses make. I'm looking forward to it. 

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As you know PKF Texas is a sponsor of the Best CFO of the Year Awards, which is held in conjunction with Celebrate!Enterprise.

John Beddow, publisher of the Houston Business Journal send out the below email on Friday encouraging participation the 2^nd Annual Celebrate!Enterprise.  It is a four-day multi-event celebration designed especially for C-level executives and business leaders throughout the Houston region to come together to share ideas, gather insight from leaders across the country and celebrate capitalism and the entrepreneurial spirit.

Dear Friend of the Business Journal,

You're invited to join Houston Business Journal, presenting sponsor Sterling Bank and a cadre of some of Houston's best companies to the 2nd Annual Celebrate!Enterprise. It's a one-of-a-kind, four-day business festival with programs and events designed to inspire, educate and entertain executives throughout the Houston metropolitan area.

It all takes place at the Wortham Theater's Grand Foyer and Warehouse live in downtown Houston May 13 through May 16. For more information and registration go to http://www.celebrateenterprise.com.

This year's lineup of events include:

* The Houston Growth Summit - Sponsored by CBRE and the Greater Houston Partnership

* Battle of the Business Bands - Sponsored by The Tasting Room and Max's Wine Dive

* The Houston Idea*Ation Awards - Sponsored by Sterling Bank, Oracle, The Rice Alliance including the Jones School of Management, and The Jones Partners.

There's much more - and it can all be found at http://www.celebrateenterprise.com where you can learn more and register for any of our programs.

John Beddow
Publisher

Last year’s event was very well attended and I’m looking forward to attending again this year. I hope to see you there!

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This week Houston was named the #4 Up-And-Coming Tech City by Forbes Magazine. Here’s what Forbes had to say about Houston:

“Houston hasn't exactly earned a reputation as a city teeming with techies. But that's changing. "Fifteen years ago, we had all the assets, but we weren't really developing them," says Walter Ulrich, chief executive of the Houston Technology Center, the state's largest technology incubator. "So all the leaders of Houston got together and recognized that the city needed to diversify its economy. There's been this tremendous transition."

Houston's strategy: Smash different discoveries together. To wit: Houston's itRobotics, founded in 2002, has developed new cost-cutting robots that inspect a variety of boilers and energy pipelines for structural flaws.

Other Houston start-ups are commercializing technologies originally developed at local research institutions. Nanospectra Biosciences, a local drug delivery company, is working on a nano-scale particle (pioneered at Rice University) that destroys cancerous tumors. The particles are injected in the bloodstream and accumulate inside cancerous tumors. When the tumor is exposed to a laser, the particles absorb the near-infrared light and convert it into thermal energy, destroying the tumor.”

An interesting back story on how the article came together: the reporter, William Pentland, contacted Christina Garza, media relations manager at the Greater Houston Partnership about the story. Christina referred him to Walter Ulrich, president and CEO of the Houston Technology Center [link]. Walter provided the background for the story and as you can see was quoted. It’s great to see the collaboration between the GHP and HTC lead to such a prominent feature. 

One more local connection to note is Rice University. The two companies mentioned, itRobotics and Nanospectra Biosciences were both founded based on innovations at Rice and are licensed through the Rice Office of Technology Transfer.

Kudos to Houston for providing the environment where technology start-ups can flourish. The main reason we created the Fast Tech 50 program was to change the mindset of those outside of Houston about our advancement in tech savvy.

The 2007 Fast Tech 50 companies are responsible for creating almost 3,250 jobs and over $387 million in revenues to the local economy. Houston is about more than just oil and the space program (which are pretty good in their own right!). No one industry dominates the Houston business climate anymore. The city's businesses are as diverse as its people and cultures.

Congratulations to the GHP, HTC and Rice, it’s great to see your efforts in the tech community being recognized on a national level.

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Shortly after I was named the Chairman for the Houston Technology Center Advisory board, I was interviewed by the Houston Business Journal. The article appeared in the February 15^th issue.

During the interview I discussed my thoughts about the future of the HTC which I would also like to share with you.

The change going forward is that the maturity of the organization is coming into play. For the first few years, HTC worked on establishment, credibility and more importantly survivability.

Now we're going beyond that and want to go into the next phase of evolution and that's how to establish a more permanent funding mechanism. It's time to have a more longer term view of what the major initiatives we want to accomplish are and the funding mechanisms we want in place, whether they be donations, investments or contributions.

We're trying to create a process by which a successful client company can financially help the HTC by providing a percentage of ownership in return for the mentoring and counseling provided by the HTC. We've had some preliminary talks and some concepts have been discussed. There's nothing official, but there is general agreement that HTC should try to have some ownership level. More study and discussion is necessary, but we are moving closer.

Houston continues to have a lot of idea generation. We're on top of our game in terms of promotion of new ideas. HTC is very excited about the prospects and what the future will hold in all our fields.

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More news about the Rice Business Plan Competition. FORTUNE Small Business has just signed on as the national media sponsor! Check out the press release below. The collaboration with FORTUNE will be great for the Competition.

FORTUNE Small Business Joins Forces with the Rice Business Plan Competition

FORTUNE to build on “world’s largest” Competition

HOUSTON – March 6, 2008 – FORTUNE Small Business is joining forces with the Rice Business Plan Competition (RBPC) as national media sponsor.

FORTUNE Small Business, who for several years hosted their own business plan competition, announced they are teaming up with the RBPC in 2008 to further enhance the already prestigious $600,000 international competition hosted by the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) and the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University in Houston.  The 2008 Competition will be held on April 3-5, 2008.

“Our goal is to promote small business and a big part of that is helping entrepreneurs realize their dreams. Small businesses are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy and contribute the largest amount of job growth and wealth creation,” said Brian Dumaine, editorial director, FORTUNE Small Business Magazine. “We want entrepreneurs to know that there are exceptional networking and investment opportunities out there for great business ideas and those offered through the RBPC are second to none. We also want to introduce FSB readers to some of the most promising business students and ideas in the country.”

The RBPC is the largest and richest intercollegiate MBA/graduate-level business plan competition in the world. Prize money nearly doubled in 2008 to more than $600,000 and the number of teams applying to enter the competition increased from 75 to more than 230 teams vying for the thirty-six slots.

The 230 teams from around the world were pared down to 36 and invited to compete in the three-day competition, April 3-5. Teams compete for cash and prizes in the elevator pitch and business plan competition that simulates the real-world process of entrepreneurs soliciting start-up funds from early stage investors and venture capital firms. More than 160 judges consisting of successful entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders provide valuable feedback to the presenters.

“FORTUNE Small Business is one of the best known national publications for business and it is a perfect match for the Rice Business Plan Competition, which in only eight years, has grown to become the largest and richest competition in the world.  Over 65 past competitors at Rice have gone on to launch their new ventures, which is perfectly aligned with the mission of FSB,”  said Brad Burke, managing director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. "This partnership with FSB will provide national exposure and opportunities for the teams that compete at Rice."

As a national media sponsor, FORTUNE Small Business will publish an article about the competition and profile top competing teams. The magazine -- a joint venture by the Fortune Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services -- is delivered to one million small-business owners, and because it appears online also, the article will generate even more national and international attention to the Rice competition. 

About the RICE ALLIANCE:

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) is Rice University's flagship initiative devoted to the support the creation of technology-based companies and the commercialization of new technologies.  The Rice Alliance provides entrepreneurs with a collaborative network and forum for support, education, and exchange of ideas.  It offers entrepreneurs access to the human and financial capital needed for success.

Since its inception in late-1999, the Rice Alliance has assisted in the launch of over 210 new technology companies, which have raised more than $350 million in early stage funding.  Of these, approximately twenty companies have been launched based on technology developed by Rice faculty and researchers.

The Rice Alliance was recognized as the #1 university entrepreneurship center in the United States in 2007 for “Enterprise Creation”, the creation of new businesses, by the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers.  Also in 2007, the Princeton Review ranked Rice University among the top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs in the United States.

About FSB:
FORTUNE Small Business is a general interest business magazine published ten times a year as a joint venture by The FORTUNE Group at Time Inc. and American Express Small Business Services. Each issue provides hard-hitting, informative coverage of the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. economy — small business. FSB is delivered to 1 million small business owners. Time Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner.

About the Fortune|Money Group:
The Fortune|Money Group is the leading source for business news and information, reaching 20 million unique individuals through a world-class collection of publications including FORTUNE, Money, FSB: FORTUNE Small Business and the website CNNMoney.com.

###

For more information about the 2008 Rice Business Plan Competition and Team Sponsorship Opportunities, contact:

Mary Lynn Fernau
Marketing Director

Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship

713-348-5374

mlfernau@rice.edu

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I received notice yesterday that the teams and schools have been chosen to compete in the 2008 Rice Business Plan Competition.  Congratulations to the 36 teams/schools!

Teams will compete in:
- Life Sciences (diagnostics, medical devices, therapeutics, biotech, drug development)
- Clean Tech / Energy
- Sustainability
- Information Technology
- Consumer Products
- Nanotechnology
- Other (RFID, coatings, sensors)

Texas Teams:
Rice University
Lab Extensions

Southern Methodist University (SMU)
LAB802

Texas A&M
AiB Pharma

University of Texas at Austin (UT)
qcue

University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)
MicroTransponder

Other U.S. Teams:
University of Arkansas
TruSource Technologies

Brigham Young (BYU)
Klymit

Carnegie Mellon
NeuroBank

University of Chicago
Etoh Pharmaceuticals

Duke
Cerene Biomedics

Univerity of Georgia
Boreas Snowboards

Georgia Tech
DiagNano

Harvard
enexra

University of Illinois at Chicago
BioRegenix

University of Illinois at Chicago
HeartSounds

University of Maryland
Callinex

University of Maryland
Remedium Technologies

University of Michigan
Potentia

MIT
Aura Biotech

MIT
Project Einstein

North Carolina (Chapel Hill)
Nolia Athletic Apparel

Northwestern
Wine with a Passion

Ohio State
Traycer Diagnostic Systems

Oklahoma
Perpetual Pharmaceuticals

UCLA
FiberView

Virginia
Husk Power Systems

Wake Forest
Filigree Nanotech

International Teams:
Aarhus (Denmark)
Immutell

BITS Pilani (India)
Vidyut Shakti

Cambridge (UK)
Auto TB

Hong Kong (HUST, China)
Zeopane Microneedles

IIT Kharagpur (India)
Diamas Coats

Lancaster University (UK)
GlucoFast

Waterloo (Canada)
Everlighting Innovation

Waterloo (Canada)
Throne Technologies

The competition will be held on April 3-5, in the Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, Teams will compete for more than $600,000 in awards. There are several new prizes this year including two new $100,000 cash awards from the Opportunity Houston program of the Greater Houston Partnership, plus a new $20,000 NASA Earth/Space Life Science Award. In addition, The GOOSE Society of Texas has increased their Grand Prize from $100,000 to $125,000 equity investment. The Dow Chemical Company is again offering this year a $20,000 cash prize for the “Dow Sustainability Award,”

All 36 teams are already winners and each is guaranteed to take home a cash prize.

More than 50 past competitors have gone on to successfully launch their companies, and in some cases have raised significant ($1+ million) funding as a result of participating in the competition.

The competition is open to the public. Don't forget, like in previous years I'll be live blogging from the judging room.

Schedule of Events
Thursday, April 3

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: HTC Tech Champs (Note: Tech Champs is moving from Friday to Thursday)
5:30 – 8:30 p.m.:  Kick-off Reception, Company Showcase, Elevator Pitch Competition, & Texas Bar-B-Q

Friday, April 4

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.: Semi-final Round Competition
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Reception and Finalist Announcement

Saturday, April 5
8:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.:  Wildcard Round & Challenge Round
Noon – 4:00 p.m.:  Final Round Competition
6:00 – 10:00 p.m.:  Awards Banquet – Intercontinental Hotel

Winners of the competition will be announced at the Awards Banquet, Sat., April 5, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Houston.

More Information: rbpc@rice.edu or 713-348-3443 or Web site: www.alliance.rice.edu/rbpc

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As you may have heard, PKF Texas is a sponsor of Envision ’08, a conference for businesses with vision.  This conference will be one of the premier business events in Texas this year and is being hosted by Texas A&M University’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship.  It will take place in San Antonio from the evening of April 23 through April 25. 

In recognition of our sponsorship, the Center has made us a special offer that we can pass along to our clients and their employees.  For a limited time, members of our network can attend Envision ’08 for the price of $800 which is 40% off the published price.  To take advantage of this special offer, you need to register before March 15 and enter the promotion code “friends” during the online registration process.  I encourage you to register early because overall registration is limited and hotel rooms at the host hotel will fill quickly.

Envision ‘08 will provide a unique opportunity for business leaders to get first-hand insight into the issues that will affect their businesses from highly respected business leaders and visionaries. Participants will be exposed to tools and techniques for better funding, marketing, sales and recruiting to help drive company performance. Envision ‘08 will enhance the ability of entrepreneurs to realize their goals and strengthen their company’s bottom line. 

Conference attendees will hear from well-known authors and business leaders, including:

• Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of the international bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey was named one of Time magazine's 25 Most Influential Americans and is a recipient of the National Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Marcus Buckingham, author of First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Best Managers Do Differently. Buckingham is considered one of the world’s leading experts on employee productivity and management and leadership practices.
• Guy Kawasaki is an author and managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. He is also a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine.
• Peter Schutz, former CEO of Porsche A.G., where he nearly doubled worldwide sales in his first year. He is the author of The Driving Force, Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People.

Envision ‘08 will also include workshops geared towards financing, marketing, productivity, immigration, multi-generational team building, creating franchise businesses and international business opportunities.  In all there will be about 40 high value workshops.

Envision ‘08, is being held at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel, located on the world famous entertainment destination, the San Antonio River Walk.

Your registration fee includes:

• Access to all general sessions
• Access to the workshops of your choice
• All meals during conference hours
• Entertainment and networking sessions
• Access to business development resources available through the Texas A&M Center for New Ventures & Entrepreneurship

For more information on this unique opportunity please visit, www.Envision08.com.

See you in San Antonio on April 23!

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Calling all Aggies! You’ve read about it, you’ve talked about it with your fellow Aggies, you’ve even thought “Hey, maybe my company could be one of the 100…” Well, now’s your chance to join an elite group of Aggie business owners. Nominations are now open for the 2008 Aggie 100.

Created by Mays Business School's Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, the Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world. The Aggie 100 not only celebrates their success, it also provides a forum to pass lessons to the next generation of Aggie entrepreneurs.  

To be considered for the Aggie 100 program companies (corporations, partnerships, and sole proprietorships) must meet the following criteria:

• Company Size and Longevity – The Company must meet both of the following criteria:
  • Have been in business for 5 years or more as of June 30, 2008, and
  • Have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more for calendar year 2005.
• Aggie Leadership – The Company must meet one or more of the following three criteria:
  • A Texas A&M University former student or group of former students must have owned 50% or more of the company from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have served as the Company’s chief executive (for example chairman, CEO, president or managing partner) from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007, or
  • A Texas A&M University former student must have founded the company and been active as a member of the most senior management team from January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007.
• Company Character – The Company must operate in a manner consistent with the Aggie Code of Honor and in keeping with the values and image of Texas A&M University.

The nomination form can be found here: http://aggie100.com/nominate/

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As you know PKF Texas actively supports Houston and its business community in a variety of capacities. One way we show our support is through the sponsorship of area award programs. Two such programs are currently accepting nominations: The Best Places to Work in Houston and the Best CFOs in Houston.

PKF Texas has been a proud sponsor of the Best Places to Work award program since 2005. The fact that so many Houston companies have dedicated their time and resources to making sure they have the best and happiest employees who love what they do is phenomenal. The Best Places to Work in Houston nomination is due March 28^th. The categories are as follows:

Houston-based companies:

• 10 to 100 employees
• 101 to 500 employees
• 501 + employees

Non-Headquartered companies:

• Companies with a large presence

In its 2^nd year, the Best CFOs honors outstanding performance of Houston area chief financial officers in their roles as corporate financial stewards. The award luncheon is held in conjunction with the Houston Business Journal’s Celebrate Enterprise! event. The Best CFOs nomination is due March 20^th. The entry categories are as follows:

• Emerging Public Company CFO (2007 revenues of less than $150 million)
• Large Public Company CFO (2007 revenues of more than $150 million)
• Emerging Private Company CFO (2007 revenues of less than $75 million)
• Large Private Company CFO (2007 revenues of more than $75 million)
• Large Nonprofit CFO (2007 total gross receipts of more than $5 million)
• Small Nonprofit CFO (2007 total gross receipts of less than $5 million)
• Best Growth Manager: To a CFO who developed the most creative way to diminish debt and achieve profitable growth through both organic and acquisition means.
• Best Turnaround Specialist: To a CFO who led the best effort to transition his/her company from ailing to acceptable.
• Good Samaritan: To a CFO who makes a contribution, not only to their company, but also to the community. (Includes pro bono work)
• (NEW CATEGORY) Best Investor Relations Program:
  • *Large Public Company CFO (12.31.2007 market capitalization of more than $5 billion)
  • *Small Public Company CFO (12.31.2007 market capitalization of less than $5 billion)

Houston is a great place to live and work and with programs like the Best Places to Work and Best CFOs it can only get better. I hope you take the time to submit your company or CFO for these honors. Good luck!

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I had the opportunity to visit with Randy Woelfel, Managing Director of Energy and Maryanne Barker, Associate Director of Development both of the Houston Technology Center and I was very impressed with their report on the upcoming Energy Technology Venture Conference this coming March 6 and 7.  They have several companies presenting the ideas and opportunities that are very exciting.  If you are in the investment space for energy technologies you need to be at this conference. 

The conference will bring together 30 of the most promising emerging energy technology companies with an audience of venture capitalists, private equity, angel and corporate investors and related financial professionals. Energy companies seeking new solutions will have an opportunity to identify technologies of interest and meet the people who developed them. This exciting two-day celebration of innovation offers the best networking and learning opportunities for business, energy and financial professionals. 

John Hofmeister, President of Shell Oil Company will be the keynote speaker. Gary C. Evans, Chairman & CEO of GreenHunter Energy Inc. will present the opening address.

There is also going to be a great VC panel discussing Bringing Technology and Finance Together to Ensure Global Energy Supply. The participants are listed below

• Moderator: Lane Sloan - Director, University of Houston Strategic Energy Alliance - Special Assistant to Provost
• C. Michael Ming - President, Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA)
• Fred Charlton - Managing Director, Simmons Company International
• Cheryl Smith Bryan, Managing Director, Boyden Global Executive Search
• Helge Tveit - Partner and President, Houston Office, Energy Ventures
• Marianne Wu - Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures

If you’re interested in attending this great event, you must register here by Monday, March 3 at 3:00pm. It is $450 per person to attend. If you have any questions, contact Natalie Padilla at (713) 658-1750 or NPadilla@houstontech.org. I hope to see you there!

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Did you hear Brad Burke, Managing Director of the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, on the BusinessMakers Radio Show this past Saturday? 

He was talking to Russ Capper and John Beddow about this year’s Rice University Business Plan Competition. This year 36 teams are competing for $600,000 in cash and prizes. That $600,000 includes:

$225,000 Grand Prize, including
     - $125,000 Cash Investment Prize
     - $20,000 Cash
     - $80,000 In-kind Awards
$100,000 Investment in Life Science Company
     - Includes Medical Devices, Diagnostics, Drugs, Biotech, and Others
$100,000 Investment in Technology Company, includes:
     - Energy and Clean Tech/IT/Nano/Aerospace and Aviation
$20,000 Dow Sustainability Award
$20,000 NASA Earth/Space Life Science Innovation Award

There’s still time for university teams to be considered for the 2008 competition. You have until this Friday, February 22^nd to submit your online intent to compete form and your executive summary of your business plan. All of the details are on the website.

This year’s competition kicks off on Thursday, April 3^rd with the Elevator Pitch Competition, where all 36 teams will have 1 minute to present their elevator pitch. The semi-finals are on Friday and the finals are on Saturday, followed by the awards banquet.

I’ll be a judge again this year and will once again be live-blogging from Rice. Karen Love, one of my fellow Directors at PKF Texas, will be judging the Elevator Pitch Competition.

While there are other university sponsored business plan competitions, none are as large or as rich as the Rice Business Plan Competition. There will be teams competing from universities all over the world. 

Check out the website, http://www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/RBPC.asp if you have any questions. Good luck to all those who enter, I’ll see you on April 3^rd!

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I am deeply honored and humbled to be named as the new Chairman of Houston Technology Center’s Advisory Board. 

I want to thank Walter Ulrich, HTC President, and Dr. Bernard Harris, HTC Board Chair, for this opportunity.  Our previous advisory board chairmen of, Dallas Parker, Bob Gray and Chuck Powell did an outstanding job in leading this extremely important group of advisors to the HTC. Their impact on the Advisory Board and its impact on the HTC have been nothing short of remarkable. 

The Advisory Board’s group of influential entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, angel investors, and service providers to the emerging market and high tech community are one of the attributes of success for the HTC. Walter Ulrich, Paul Frison and the entire team at the HTC have done a wonderful job of promoting innovation, business acceleration and more importantly, the City of Houston and its can do spirit in all things within the technology community. 

I am very excited about serving this outstanding organization in a new way, and working with our outstanding team of senior executives on the Advisory Board. My appointment to this position is a testimony to many of my colleagues at PKF Texas’ for their long standing commitment to this business sector.   Below is the press release that PKF Texas sent out: 

PKF Texas Director Greg Price, CPA, Named Chairman of Houston Technology Center Advisory Board

PKF Texas’ support of the HTC continues with Price’s appointment

HOUSTON – February 6, 2008 – Gregory Price, CPA, Director of Consulting Solutions for Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas, P.C. (PKF Texas), has been named Chairman of the Houston Technology Center (HTC) Advisory Board.

“Price’s vast experience, track record and deep commitment to Houston and its technology business community will be invaluable to HTC’s expansion as it helps Houston’s transformation to a global leader in technology innovation and commercialization” said Walter Ulrich, HTC President and CEO.

As chairman, Price will steer the team of 54 senior executives actively advising and supporting HTC in its efforts to assist emerging technology companies to commercialize their products and services, raising capital and creating thousands of jobs in Houston.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be named as the new Chairman of HTC’s advisory board,” said Price. “Our previous advisory board chairmen of Dallas Parker, Bob Gray and Chuck Powell did an outstanding job in leading this extremely important group of advisors to the HTC.  Their impact on the advisory board and its impact on the HTC have been nothing short of remarkable.”

PKF Texas’ long standing support of the HTC includes joining the Service Provider Network (SPN) in 2000, as well as chairing the SPN in 2006-2007. Other PKF Texas team members have served as Technology Champions and members of the advisory board. As the founder of the FastTech 50, PKF Texas proudly recognizes the HTC as the pulsepoint of technology in Houston. 

About PKF Texas

With leaders who are forward-thinking entrepreneurs and business advisors with Big 4 backgrounds, PKF Texas is a CPA firm that serves emerging and middle market companies across many industries. Service areas include profit enhancement, internal audit, international/domestic tax, accounting, auditing, litigation services, business systems consulting and IT. Visit www.pkftexas.com.

About Houston Technology Center

Houston Technology Center, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, serves as the nexus of new ideas, technological innovation and entrepreneurship in the greater Houston area. HTC accelerates the commercialization of emerging technology companies within key sectors including: energy, information technology, life sciences, nanotechnology and NASA/aerospace by providing in-depth business guidance, access to capital and service providers, and entrepreneurial education. HTC promotes Houston as a leading technology city. Visit www.houstontech.org.

###

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Now that Super Tuesday is behind us and the election picture is a little less hazy, I want to remind everyone that the candidates are coming to Houston on February 28^th for “America’s Energy Future – Houston’s Presidential Summit.” 

The Greater Houston Partnership has put together a high-level energy symposium, summit and exhibition with presenters featuring leading energy suppliers, technologies and innovations.

Speakers include:

• Greg Boyce, President and CEO, Peabody Energy
• Clarence P. Cazalot, Jr., President and CEO, Marathon Oil Corporation
• David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy
• Dana Flanders, President, Chevron Technology Ventures
• Jim Hackett, CEO, Anadarko
• John Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company
• Robert C. Kelly, Founding Partner, DKRW Energy LLC
• Renu Khator, Ph.D, President, University of Houston
• Buddy Kleemeier, Chairman, Independent Petroleum Producers Association
• Jeff Moseley, President and CEO, Greater Houston Partnership
• Ali Moshiri, President, Chevron Africa and Latin America Exploration & Production
• James Oberwetter, Former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
• Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club
• John Richels, President, Devon Energy
• Frank Steininger, Partner, Assurance Energy, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Dan Watkins, Ph.D., Managing Director, DFJ Mercury
• Bill White, Mayor, City of Houston
• Dan Wolterman, President & CEO, Memorial Hermann

The evening debate with the presidential candidates from both parties will be moderated by Tim Russert and will air live on MSNBC. The candidates will discuss their energy policy platforms.

If you’re a GHP member it is $450 for the whole symposium including the live televised debate in the evening. If you’re not a member, it is $750 for the whole event 

This is a great opportunity for Houston to take center stage in this year’s election process.

How do you feel about Houston hosting the candidates debate about energy issues? Are you going to attend? Does this provide the incentive to vote in Texas’ primary on March 4^th?

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Good news for the manufacturing industry in Houston. You outpace the rest of the state and country in job growth. I recently read a report in the Houston Business Journal that details the growth of the industry in Houston.

Several large manufacturers have moved into Houston because of tax abatements, manufacturing sales tax exemptions and tax increment reinvestment zones. Houston as the center of the U.S. energy industry has certainly helped this growth. 

Last Monday, I mentioned that Houston is ranked #1 in job growth by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and given this report, it’s not hard to see why. 

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PKF Texas has been named as a Best Company to Work for in Texas. We ranked #16 in the Mid-Sized company category. We are excited to receive this honor! 

Our sponsorship of the Best Places to Work in Houston award program precludes us from entering, but since the Best Companies to Work for is a completely separate program administered by the Best Companies Group, we were able to enter. 

In all 24 Houston companies made the list. Other Houston companies included on the list are:

Administaff
Barhorst Insurance Group
FKP Architects
Patrick Henry Creative Promotions
Quest Diagnostics

Congratulations to all the Houston based companies!

Here’s a photo of our team members at the banquet last Friday.

Does your company enter Best Places/Companies to Work programs? How does your company gauge employee morale and satisfaction?

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I was at the Greater Houston Partnership’s annual meeting a couple of weeks ago and they had a lot of great information about the goals and initiatives they will focus on in the next year. 

They spoke at great length about the Opportunity Houston initiative. I’ve mentioned it before but for those who don’t know about it, Opportunity Houston is an aggressive five-year marketing program that will generate leads for economic development organizations throughout Houston's 10-county region. So far they’ve raised $31 million out of the $40 million goal. 

Opportunity Houston will help create 600,000 net regional jobs, attract $60 billion in capital investment, and generate $225 billion in foreign trade for the greater Houston area. This is a phenomenal commitment from the Houston business community. 

They also spent time talking about Houston’s recent rankings on various lists. Rankings of note:

Houston ranks # 1

Job Growth
by: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Houston ranks # 1

Lowest Cost of Living and Least-Expensive Housing Among 24 Metropolitan Areas with Populations of More Than 2 Million
by: ACCRA Cost of Living Index

Houston ranks # 2

Texas -- Best Business Climate in the Nation
by: Site Selection

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Back in August, I attended the Annual Rice Alliance Kickoff, which featured Michael Oxley, Vice Chairman the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. as the keynote speaker.  I just received a few pictures from the event that I wanted to share with you.

 Michael Oxley speaking at the Rice Alliance Kickoff.

 Showing his Texan side.

My laughing is saying that he looks good in cowboy hat!

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Reed Wotiz, a reader of the blog and entrepreneur, recently asked me to take a look at his website, www.HoustonTexasRealEstate.com. It has all kinds of information about the Houston real estate market.

There is an interactive Q&A section where local professionals (agents, mortgage brokers, appraisers, etc.) answer your questions. Everything from home inspections to school districts is covered.

Another section details Houston’s neighborhoods. Each description provides general information about the area, average home price and commute time. 

They also have a blog where professionals contribute on a regular basis. Topics range from 10 things you should know when buying a home to where to find a home inspections school if you want to become a home inspector. 

All in all, if you’re looking to move to or within Houston, this site is a good resource to check out when you’re doing your research. 

Thanks for alerting me to your site Reed!

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Below is a message from Byron Hebert, Director of Entrepreneurial Advisory Services for PKF Texas. 

We began the Route to Profits quarterly newsletters as a way to prompt our clients and entrepreneurial friends to take a moment to stop and think about their business as opposed to working their business.  The response was overwhelming.  What we have heard from our clients and friends is "We want more!"

We have been working with Chris Mason at Mindshop for some time and have found his facilitation techniques very accurate and on point for today's business environment.  When you talk to owner operated businesses about how often they meet you usually get one of two responses:

1) “We stopped having meetings because they were either gripe sessions or just a waste of time” or 2) “We meet all the time and have all these great ideas but when we get back to our desk and get caught up in the day to day issues, we loose the momentum.”

The Route to Profits set of tools will help you organize your managers, put a plan in place and break the plan down into small manageable steps. 

We are very excited to introduce the Route to Profits CEO Resource to our clients and friends.  This program will introduce you to all the tools that are available as well as training on how to use the tools and providing a forum for you to discuss with other business owners how these tools are working in your business. 

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This week's guest spotlight is from Walter Ulrich, President and CEO of the Houston Technology Center. 

Houston, Texas, January 7, 2008 – Mark my words, “2008 will be remembered as the inflection point for transforming the Greater Houston Region from the 20^th century leader in oil and gas to a 21^st century globally recognized high technology hub.”

How about “Happy New Year” first???  If you are in this region like me, you had better have gotten over celebrating the New Year by January 2^nd and on your way to making a difference today and every day in 2008.

What is going on here?  Houston faces a great opportunity and a great challenge!

The challenge is that Houston must generate 600,000 new jobs over the next ten years.  If we do nothing, only 450,000 jobs will be created in Houston: The Oil & Gas equivalent of Detroit!

But a lot is being done.  The Greater Houston Partnership is raising $30 million to $40 million to bring in those incremental 150,000 jobs.

So problem solved?  Not so fast!  We attack the symptoms – job counts and wage rates – but that does not solve the underlying problems.

The Opportunity è the right kinds of jobs.  While we need more oil workers, logistics businesses, retailers, manufacturers and call centers, those kinds of jobs alone will not provide long-term, sustainable economic growth.  High technology employment is the flywheel that builds robust, growing economies.  The entrepreneurial spirit, which Houston has in its very DNA, will favor those who seize the opportunity and meet the challenges head on.

This cannot be accomplished using traditional economic development methods.  And competition, nationally and globally, is fierce, so we must create high technology jobs now.  THIS YEAR!

The stakes are HIGH!  Failure is not an option.  Did I say opportunity???  Under these circumstances, this is NOT an opportunity!  It is an outright OBLIGATION to transform this community and we must do it now.  THIS YEAR!

Houston: one of the richest troves of innovation in the world – thousands of entrepreneurs, tens of thousands of researchers and scientists, great institutions, lots of intellectual property and a regional economic base that rivals some of the largest countries in the world… oil and gas capitol… mega medical centers… $4 billion IT economy…  pioneers in Nanotechnology at Rice University… and NASA’s largest R&D facility.

And yet, “we don’t get no respect.”  If you believe the pundits, Houston is seen as one or two dimensional only with the real innovation elsewhere.

So why is that?  We have not demonstrated long-term sustainable high tech results.   We have the economic capacity; we have built the infrastructure in the last ten years.  We have to deliver the goods.  Now.  THIS YEAR!

The Houston Technology Center is ready to lead.  It is the largest non-profit community-based organization in the region focused exclusively on fostering innovation and driving emerging technology success:  Emerging energy and clean energy technologies, bio/life sciences, IT and web 2.0, 3.0 and beyond, nanotechnology and NASA-related aerospace.

Our full time technology development managers work side-by-side with over 70 emerging technology companies helping them to identify gaps, find customers, raise money, grow and prosper and thrive.  We partner with over a dozen other organizations and work closely with major Universities, economic development organizations, municipalities and the State of Texas.

Our objective is simple: Houston will be a globally recognized technology hub on a par with the most highly lauded technology centers of the last decade.

AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Go to our website, www.houstontech.org.  Attend the free orientation if you don’t know us.  If you do know us, then join us.  The HTC could not accomplish its mission without the support of the community and we need your help.

If you are a technologist or an entrepreneur, you share with us the challenge, the opportunity and the obligation.  Get engaged, give us your support and actively participate (and financial contributions are always welcome).  Greg, his shiny head and PKF Texas get it è they are actively involved and set a great example.  Make a difference!  Get involved!  RIGHT NOW!

www.HoustonTech.org

_____

About our guest contributor – Walter Ulrich is President and CEO of the Houston Technology Center, Chairman of the Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization and active in many community organizations.  Appointed by Governor Perry, he recently completed a two year term as one of the founding members of the Texas Emerging Technology Fund Committee.  He has been CEO of several technology companies, a management consultant to major corporations, an expert witness on technology issues, and was responsible for the first commercially successful email service in the 1970’s.  A former Marine and graduate with a bachelors and master degree from Stevens Institute of Technology, he lives with his wife in Pearland.

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More news about the Envision08 conference.

There is now a friends and family discount that the readers of the blog can take advantage of. 

The regular price of the conference is $1,195, but with the discount the price will be $1,095. It’s a great deal!

When registering, use the code champion to receive the promotional price. You will then be asked who referred you, type PKF Texas. That’s all you have to do!

Click here [link http://www.envision08.com/registration.html] to register.

This discount is only good until January 31^st, so make sure you don’t wait until the last minute! To find out the latest information about the conference visit www.envision08.com.

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The dates for the Rice Alliance Business Plan Competition have been announced! As many of you know I am one of the judges for the competition and have live blogged from the event the past two years. Below is the email I received providing all the details for the 2008 competition. Note the intent to compete deadline is Friday February 1, 2008.

2008 Rice Business Plan Competition  
Thursday – Saturday, April 3-5, 2008
Rice University, McNair Hall, Jones Graduate School of Management – Houston, Texas

The Rice Business Plan Competition is one of the largest and richest intercollegiate new venture competitions in the world.  Thirty-six of the top MBA and Graduate Schools from around the world will compete for over $345,000 in prizes at Rice University in Houston.  The event is judged by over 150 venture capitalists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders from the technology entrepreneurship community.    

The competition is open to all graduate level teams from any university.  Both U.S. and international teams can apply to compete.  EVERY team that is accepted is guaranteed to win a cash prize.  All applicants will receive a copy of Business Plan Pro - Premier Edition software.

If you know of a graduate team or university that should compete, please encourage them to apply.  ALL university teams that submit an intent to compete will receive a free copy of Business Plan Pro - Premier Edition software from Palo Alto Software.  More information click here.

    - Intent to Compete Deadline:  Friday, February 1, 2008
    - Executive Summary is Friday, February 22, 2008, 5:00 PM (Houston Time)

Competition Prizes -Over $345,000 in total prizes

• $175,00 Grand Prize – including $100,000 equity investment + $20,000 cash + $55,000 in services
• Over $240,000 in total cash prizes, plus over $100,000 in services awarded
• EVERY team accepted into the Rice competition is guaranteed to win at least e cash prize

Special Cash Prize Categories include:

• $20,000 – Dow Sustainability Award – sustainability & clean technology cash award
• Life Sciences Cash Award
• Energy Cash Award
• Information Technology Cash Award
• Intellectual Property Cash Award
• Hispanic Business Plan Cash Award

Other Benefits include:

• Multiple opportunities to receive individual feedback & mentoring
• Largest, most-experienced judging panel
• Over 150 VC’s, early-stage investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders
  • More leaders from the entrepreneurship community than any other competition
• Multiple Presentation Opportunities
  • All teams are guaranteed to have at least four presentation opportunities
• Best facilities and hosting of any competition
  • World-class Jones Graduate School of Management building at Rice
  • Over 100 Rice student volunteers will act as hosts and guides
• Low-cost travel, centrally located
  • Houston is serves as hubs for Continental & Southwest Airlines with 2 major airports
  • Discounted hotel rates & all meals provided for competitors  

Who Is Eligible

• Full- or part-time graduate students: includes MBA, Masters, PhD, and MD candidates from all disciplines
• Teams with 2-5 team members  (at least 1 team member must be a graduate student)
• Ventures must be "for profit" entities seeking outside equity capital
• Teams must be university-affiliated and have endorsement of a faculty member
• Ventures must have no revenues or outside equity capital PRIOR to the start of current academic year

We received 100+ testimonials from Competitors at the 2007 RBPC, including:

“Based on our experience and that of other teams from our school at other competitions, Rice is clearly positioning itself as the premium competition.”

“We will strongly encourage our school to send teams in the future. We had an outstanding experience.”

“It is the most complete and well organized competition I have attended.”

“It was by far the best competition we had been to.”

“It was just a wonderful experience! Very well organized, the materials were professionally done,” 

“The exposure to contacts was AMAZING, the feedback was very valuable, and the facilities are beautiful.”

“One of the highest caliber competitions within the country!”

“Overall organization was superb, best I have experienced.”

“Really an amazing event at all levels. Congratulations!!”

We believe the RBPC provides an unparalleled experience for participants by providing a diverse program over three days, with significant time allotted for feedback and interaction with the judging panel. 

For information about the Competition, sponsorship opportunities, or awards banquet information, please contact Philana Diaz, the Competition Director, at: rbpc@rice.edu or 713-348-3190.
  
Online information: www.alliance.rice.edu/rbpc

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Last month I promised you more details about Envision 08. It’s shaping up to be one of the hottest conferences of the year. 

It’s being hosted by Texas A&M University’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, of which I’m on the member advisory committee. This conference isn’t just for Aggies! It’s for all entrepreneurial business owners with vision.

There is a stellar line up of speakers which will continue to grow as we get closer to the event in April. Here’s who has been confirmed so far:

Marcus Buckingham helped lead research into the world’s best leaders, managers, and workplaces. He drew on this research and used it as the basis for two bestselling books: First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Best Managers Do Differently (coauthored with Curt Coffman) and Now, Discover Your Strengths (coauthored with Donald O. Clifton). His new book, The One Thing You Need to Know (The Free Press) was released in March 2005.

Guy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, and is a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. He is also ranked as one of the top 100 bloggers in the world. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. where he was one of the individuals responsible for the success of the Macintosh computer. Mr. Kawasaki’s eight books include The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way.

Brian Lanahan is the President of Align, a Portland OR-based company that connects story and strategy for new brands. Prior to starting Align in 2007, Brian was Managing Director and a founding partner of Character LLC, a firm that creates story frameworks for brands at companies such as Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Pepperidge Farms, and Unilever. Brian has been featured in major publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Brandweek, and Fortune Small Business.

Peter W. Schutz and Sheila Harris-Schutz operate their own company, Harris and Schutz Inc. Peter has lectured on leadership and business management techniques in the U.S.A., Europe, Australia and Asia. This includes over 800 presentations to Vistage (a worldwide organization of CEOs), as well as sales meetings for a number of corporations, convention keynotes, business conferences, strategic planning meetings to varied organizations on various topics. Schutz is the author of a book, The Driving Force, Extraordinary Results with Ordinary People, published by Leadership Publishing Company and available in bookstores or on Amazon.com.

Check out the website, www.envision08.com for more complete bios on each of the speakers. The website is chock full of new information and you can even sign up for email updates so you don’t miss out on any breaking news about the conference. 

The conference will be held April 23 -25, 2008 at the Marriott River Center in San Antonio, Texas. 

Make sure you register early, you don’t want to be left out of the conference of the year!

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Another big event is coming to Houston. America’s Energy Future: Houston’s Presidential Summit will take place Thursday February 28, 2008 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. NBC and MSNBC will be broadcasting portions of the summit live.

12 candidates from both the Democratic and Republican parties have been invited to participate. Check out the website for the most up to date list.  

By hosting the Houston Presidential Summit, Houston is further establishing itself as an Opportunity City. The spotlight will be on Houston and our role in the energy industry in the U.S. and around the globe.

It will be interesting to see what topics will be discussed and what information emerges. 

Do you see Houston as an Opportunity City? What do you think about Houston hosting events like the Presidential Summit? What other speakers/events would you like to see Houston host?

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I’ve got several newsy items for you today.

Voting for Houston’s Greatest People’s Choice Award closes on Monday November 26^th. If you haven’t done so visit the website, www.houstonsgreatest.net and vote!  The award ceremony is on November 28^th. I’ll let you know who the People’s Choice winners when we find out.

The blog was mentions in an article on Microsoft’s People Ready website. The article has a lot of great ideas about how professional service firms can use the web to their advantage.

My team and I attended the Microsoft Directions 2007 Conference November 8-11^th. I’ll have news and thoughts for you next week.

The FastTech 50 event was a great success! Thanks to all who attended.

Finally, have a happy Thanksgiving!

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Congratulations to all of the FastTech 50 winners!  Here is the official 2007 FastTech 50 list:

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As we prepare our program for the seventh year of the Fast Tech 50 Awards Luncheon, I again have a chance to reflect and comment on an outstanding group of entrepreneurs and business leaders that make the Houston Metropolitan area one of the best places to live and work in the country. The Class of 2007 will be known as “The Youngsters”. In comparing this year’s group of winners, it’s clear that they represent a much younger and still developing group of early stage companies. They will have an impact on our local and national economy for many years to come, and they will add to the legacy of what makes Houston the top city in the country to start a business. The youth of many of our new emerging companies is evident with the threshold to make the list holding steady at 29% for 2007! The average growth rate for this year’s group is a staggering 149%. You always know that you have arrived on the scene when several “national entrepreneurial magazines” are now mentioning many of our Fast Tech 50 companies as organizations to invest in, or watch. Thanks for the publicity guys, but the Houston Business Journal and our Fast Tech 50 program, already scooped you! We’ve been blowing the horn of these entrepreneurs for over 7 years!

During this past year we had 354 companies express an interest in becoming a member of this exclusive club. The Fast Tech 50 class of 2007 continues Houston’s tradition of technology excellence. And they also bring to the forefront new and different stories of entrepreneurial success. This year’s list of honorees includes; 19 first-time honorees, 15 two-time honorees, 6 three-time honorees, 6 four-time, and 4 five-time honoree. Our five time honorees include: Knowledge Systems, Merrick Systems, Salvage Sale, and Triad Resources. What staying power!

During the past year we saw many successful technology events throughout the city. The Houston Technology Center, the Rice Alliance (including the highly success Rice Business Plan competition), held many forums for the start up community.   The Houston based Gulf Coast Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (RCIC) is doing very well in its second year. We continue to hear from the State’s oversight group is that the plans submitted from the Houston area are some of the most well received.

Qualifications

Let’s review the nomination and listing process. To qualify for the Fast Tech 50, a company’s headquarters, or a foreign company’s US headquarters must be located in Houston SMSA region. A minimum of 51% of the company’s consolidated net revenues must be involved in the original manufacture, design or development of technology products or delivery of services. A nominee must have minimum net revenues of more than $200,000 in both years. Rankings were determined on the revenue growth percentage from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006.

The nominees were asked to submit the following information: nomination form; audited, reviewed or compiled financial statements or tax returns for 2005 and 2006; an overview letter; and background information on the company, its products and/or services. Representatives from PKF Texas validated the information on the nomination form from the information packet. The percentage of revenue growth was computed by comparing net revenues from 2005 to 2006. During the past year we received 354 nominations for the Fast Tech 50.   The organizations that made the top 50 places were then listed. 

Overview of the 2007 Fast Tech 50

Our Fast Tech 50 represents a wide variety of industries. The industries represented by our award winners, and the number of entries by their area are as follows: Medical Devices 3, Software 25, Hardware 1, Technical/Consulting Services 8, eCommerce/Business Portals 8, Technology Products 3, and Communications 2. 

One honoree was started in the 1970s. Six of our honorees were started in the 1980s. Fourteen honorees were started in the 1990s. Finally, twenty nine honorees were started since 2000.   This group of honorees is by far, our youngest group of companies ever. Hang on Houston; we’ve got some growing to do!

This year’s Number 1 ranked Fast Tech 50 honoree is Vuico, LLC. You will find a profile on this company later inside this special section of the Houston Business Journal. They grew a remarkable 267% during the past year! Congratulations to Vui Lee and his team. It’s a great story of entrepreneur collaboration. In addition, three companies started in 2004 made the Fast Tech 50 2007 Top 10. They are: eCardio Diagnostics, Quantum Solutions for Business, and Techcess Group. Talk about fast starts! The single largest revenue contributor from the Fast Tech 50 to our local economy is PreCash at $30.1 million. As we noted earlier, the cutoff this year to make the Fast Tech 50 was approximately 29% year over year growth.  

The local economic impact made by this year’s Fast Tech 50 is phenomenal! When reviewing the entire 50 companies, an impressive overview quickly emerges. These organizations are responsible for creating almost 3,250 jobs and over $387 million in revenues to our local economy. No one industry dominates the Houston business climate anymore. Our businesses are as diverse as our people and our cultures.

Nominations will be accepted for next year’s Fast Tech 50 listing by contacting the Houston Business Journal, PKF Texas, or any of the additional sponsors. Organizations that are nominated will receive additional information and application packets during the spring of 2008. Congratulations to all of our honorees! We look forward to seeing you in next year’s listing.

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The numbers have been crunched, the envelope has been sealed and the final preparations for the FastTech 50 luncheon are being taken care of as you read this!

If you are in the tech community here in Houston, then you better be at the Hilton Americas Hotel downtown on Friday for the 7^th Annual FastTech 50 Awards.  It’s the can’t miss event of November!

This is the seventh year of our participation as the presenting sponsor and it will be the best event yet!  This is the first year we will be awarding one company the Paul Frison Accelerator Award. 

If you don't have a seat you will miss out on the premier event for emerging and tech based companies in Houston. To register visit http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/event/3613 or contact Lee Ann Semmel at lasemmel@bizjournals.com or 713-688-8811.

I look forward to seeing many of our friends at the luncheon.  A huge thanks to our sponsor group the Houston Business Journal, FOX 26, Frost Bank, the Houston Technology Center, Oracle Software, Pierpont Communications, the Rice Alliance, and Winstead.

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The annual Aggie 100 Winners Nuggets of Wisdom has been posted to the Aggie 100 website. The advice these entrepreneurs have chosen to share is invaluable both on a professional and a personal level. Here are a few highlights:

Find something you love to do. Develop a positive attitude and respect others. Uphold your ethical standards. Learn from difficult situations and never ever ever give up. Most importantly keep your family and your faith at the forefront. -Catherine Landeck Sliva –

Never underestimate the value of hard work. -Bill E. Carter

If you are going to dream, dream big! Be passionate, remain focused, surround yourself with talented individuals, look out for mentors and you will find success.
-Juan Manuel Lamparero

Treat people right! Your co-workers, your employees, your vendors, your customers, everyone you come in contact with. Be fair, be honest and treat people with respect. That strategy never fails and it's what being an Aggie is all about. -David Lipscomb

How will you take the wisdom offered by our 2007 honorees and apply it to your business? Or your personal life for that matter? 

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I just found out about a conference for entrepreneurs that will be held in San Antonio, April 23-25, 2008.

Called Envision08, the conference will feature the following speakers:

• Marcus Buckingham
• Guy Kawasaki
• Ray Rothrock
• Peter Schultz
• Stephen Covey

What a great line up! This will be an excellent learning and networking experience for entrepreneurs with businesses of all sizes.

The break out sessions are scheduled to be:

• Hiring/Selection
• Funding
• Culture
• Marketing
• Sales
• Innovation

There are still a few sponsorship opportunities available. For more information contact Don Newell at 832-746-7650 or d.newell@adec-solutions.com.

Right now pre-registration is availible on the website, www.envision08.com. More details to come soon!

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I sat next to a very interesting couple, David and Kelly Mebane, at the Aggie 100 luncheon 2 weeks ago. They are Aggie 100 winners (#11 on the list) and own Fat Tire Bike Tours and City Segway Tours. It seems like a really great company.

The company runs bike and Segway tours in several cities across Europe including Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, Budapest, and Vienna. The run tours in the U.S. as well, in cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans and Washington D.C.

If you’re ever in any of these cities and have the time, be sure to check them out. If you want more information about the company or the tours here are the websites:

www.FatTireBikeToursParis.com

http://www.citysegwaytours.com/

www.ClassicWalksParis.com

David and Kelly, when are you going to expand to Houston?

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PKF Texas needs your vote! 

We have been named a 2007 Houston’s Greatest Company by the Greater Houston Partnership and we are vying for the People’s Choice Award. The honorees are companies who have made a positive impact on the community and have advanced the greater Houston region as a business magnet.

You can vote by visiting www.houstonsgreatest.net or AT&T, Verizon Wireless & Dobson users can text the word “Vote” to 63513. The voting is open until November 26^th.  

So spread the word and tell your family and friends! To find out why we were honored as a Houston’s Greatest Company click here. PKF Texas and I thank you in advance for voting. 

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I’m here at Texas A&M's Zone Club, within the confines of Kyle Field, where the 2007 Aggie 100 were just announced. 

Guest speakers included Richard Scruggs, Executive Director of the CNVE; Bill Jones, the Chairman of the Texas A&M University Board of Regents; Dr. Eddie J. Davis, President of Texas A&M; Dr. Ricky Griffin, the Interim Dean of the Mays School; and yours truly to give the details on the honorees for the Class of 2007.

My speaking role was limited, but the role of PKF Texas in the background and verification process was an enjoyable and tedious process.  I want to thank John Stephenson, my assistant for all his help.

Over 650 people attended the Awards Luncheon today.  The event was sold out several weeks ago without and marketing effort and is now the hottest ticket on campus!

Major sponsors of the event include:  Texas Business Journals (there will be a special section in each of the 4 major cities in Texas); The Association of Former Students, Bill Miller B-B-Q, Hollinden Professional Services Marketing, Research Valley Partnership, Infinity Pro Sports, and PKF Texas.

In addition, the CEO of the #1 ranked Aggie business (REDE), spoke and Christine Hollinden announced the creation of the Aggie 100 Scholars program a new student scholarship funded by the honorees of the Aggie 100 program.

The singing cadets kicked off the event and followed by lunch.

The highlight of the day was the countdown to the actual honorees. 

Below is the list of Honorees and their growth from 2004-2006:

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Last night at the Association of Former Students, the Aggie 100 Class of 2007 came together for the first time. Over 250 attended the welcome reception.

Richard Scruggs, Executive Director of the CNVE addressed the crowd and welcomed everyone to the campus. Additional comments came from representatives of the Association of Former Students and the Research Valley Partnership.  

John Beddow, publisher of the Houston Business Journal spoke on behalf of the Texas Business Journals and the publishers from Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio Business Journals were also in attendance.

Today is the big day! I’ll have more later today after the winners are announced! Come back at 1 PM today and see who won.

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Howdy from the Aggie 100!

It’s an honor and a pleasure for PKF Texas to again serve as the Aggie 100 accountants. PKF Texas strongly supports the Mays School and its Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship here at Texas A&M. 

A big Aggie thank you to Richard Scruggs, Lenae Huebner, Dean Griffin and Dr. Davis for your unwavering support of a unique one-of-a-kind program at a “Unique American Institution.”

Every Aggie is already a winner. But the Aggie 100 stands for the school’s legacy as well as its future. So how did we get this year’s list of the Aggie 100?

Over 200 companies completed the application process this year. Additional information was sent to our offices in Houston, where we verified the financial information, and reviewed the data submitted by the applicants.

In some cases we spoke with some of applicants to gain additional insight about the business. It took about 6 weeks to review all the applications.

Once we had the data, we calculated the two year compound annual growth rate from 2004 to 2006. Then the individual companies were ranked by their growth rate to get the Aggie 100.

For those or you who won't be able to attend the Aggie 100 Awards Ceremony on Friday October 26, we have another way for you to participate. KBTX television in College Station will be filming the event and streaming it live on their website www.KBTX.com . The coverage will begin around 11:15 a.m. (Central Time) and will last until all the honorees have been announced (around 1:00 p.m.).

Check back at 1:00 PM CST for an update on the winners!

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Last week the Rice Alliance was recognized as the leading university entrepreneurship center in the United States for the creation of successful new enterprises by the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (NCEC).

You can read the rest of the press release here. 

Rice University was also named as one of the top 25 U.S. graduate schools by Entrepreneur Magazine. 

This is exciting news for the Rice Alliance and Rice University! 

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As I announced back in August  the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) is coming to Houston. Microsoft has finally announced the dates, July 7-10, 2008.

This is what Microsoft has to say about Houston:

“The fourth-largest city in the United States, Houston has emerged as the Gulf Coast’s cultural capital. A major U.S. hub for international business and trade, Houston boasts industry leadership in energy, information technology, medicine, and even space exploration. The city is hip. Diverse. And offers a world-class art scene and the kind of cuisine foodies crave.”

I whole-heartedly agree with the above. By choosing Houston for such an important conference, Microsoft is demonstrating exactly what Joel Kotkin was talking about in his Opportunity Urbanism report. 

Houston is an opportunity city and it’s great that large corporations are recognizing they can find business success here.

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With all of the exciting things going on in Houston, I haven’t let you know about the article in which we were featured quite prominently. It ran in the Oct. 5^th issue of the Houston Business Journal. The article was about accounting firms and how they are reaching out to the next generation with “hip” marketing. 

Greg Barr, the reporter, mentions the blog as one of the tools we use to speak to the next generation. Looking at our Webtrends, we’ve had quite a few visitors referred from that article. Welcome to fromgregshead.com!

If you haven’t had the chance, take a look at our new career site, www.pkftexas.com/careers. I’ve learned quite a bit about team members who I don’t have the opportunity to work with on a daily basis. 

What are your firms doing to reach out to the next generation? How much are you promoting your firm and city’s culture rather than just the job role?

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In conjunction with the Greater Houston Partnership Joel Kotkin recently published Opportunity Urbanism: An Emerging Paradigm for the 21^st Century .

Using Houston as a model, Kotkin explores “the fundamental economic and demographic dynamics of …an opportunity city.”

The section that really caught my eye was “Can Opportunity Cities Become World Cities?” Before reading the section (the short answer is yes by the way) I immediately thought “Houston is a world city!”

One only needs to look as far as our partnership with the GHP for the International Connections speaker series to see that. For example, our next luncheon on October 17^th features Hungary. The Hungarian Ambassador to the US, the US Ambassador to Hungary and the Hungarian Minister of Finance are all scheduled to speak. 

If Houston wasn’t a world city, would these distinguished individuals jump at the chance to speak to members of the Houston business community? Probably not. From the energy industry to the Port of Houston, our role in the global community is a big one and I’m glad we’re being recognized! 

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A very exciting event is coming to Houston! The Greater Houston Partnership and the UK Trade & Investment at the British Consulate General are bringing in Dr. Ari Patrinos, president of Synthetic Genomics, Inc., to speak at the Next Generation BioFuels conference on October 15^th. 

Dr. Patrinos was the director of the US Department of Energy’s component of the Human Genome Project. He will be speaking on a panel with several other key individuals discussing the industrial biotechnology trends and new research developments. 

Another session at the one day conference will discuss Texas’ role in the biofuels market. The discussion will be chaired by Paul Dickerson, COO for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. 

Here is the official blurb about the conference from the GHP and the UK Trade & Investment office:

“Please join UK Trade & Investment at the British Consulate-General, Houston and the Greater Houston Partnership for a one day conference on Next Generation biofuels on October 15, 2007 at the Intercontinental Hotel. This conference will look at current and next generation industrial biotechnology methods and techniques and how they are meeting the global energy challenge. New approaches are being developed and deployed in the US and the UK by major oil companies, agribusiness, venture- backed start-ups and research groups.

With strong ties to the energy, agricultural and biotechnology sectors, Houston is uniquely positioned to become a hub for biofuels activity. Likewise the UK is on the forefront of biofuels research and development. This conference therefore will align US and UK strengths in the biofuels market.”

Date & Time: Monday, Oct. 15, 2007 · 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Location: InterContinental Houston · 2222 West Loop South · Houston, TX 77027
Cost: Members and nonmembers: $125

For more information, contact Leah Mayo: leah.mayo@fco.gov.uk, 713-659-6270 ext. 2136, or Blake Harvey: bharvey@houston.org, 713-844-3639.

This is going to be a great event, I hope I see you there!

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The Rice Alliance always has great events and this one came through my inbox yesterday morning. I thought you'd like to be aware.

Elevator Pitch Opportunity at the 5^th Annual Information Technology & Web 2.0 Venture Forum

Event Date: Thursday, November 8, 2007

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship has a limited number of opportunities available for companies to present their elevator pitch at the upcoming 5^th Annual Information Technology & Web 2.0 Venture Forum to be held on Thursday, November 8, 2007.  Interested companies can submit their executive summary.

Deadline: Executive Summaries due Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 5:00 pm

Send your executive summary to: tvforum@rice.edu

The Elevator Pitch Presentations represent tremendous opportunities to showcase your company to a large group of industry participants, investors, service providers, mentors, and entrepreneurs.

Companies can be involved in any aspect of the life science industry, including but not limited to:

• Hardware
• Software
• Web 2.0 Companies
• Energy-related IT
• Video/imaging for security
• Wireless sensor platforms

To apply to present your Elevator Pitch at this event, please send an electronic version of your 2-page Executive Summary to tvforum@rice.edu, no later than Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 5:00 pm CDT.  There is no fee to apply and no affiliation with Rice University is required.

We look forward to seeing you on November 8, 2007 at the Information Technology & Web 2.0 Venture Forum, regardless of whether your company applies to present.

For more information: tvforum@rice.edu or 713-348-3443.

Let me know if you choose to participate. I’d love to get an insiders perspective of the event!

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The Aggie 100 is fast approaching! The awards luncheon will be held October 26^th at Texas A&M. 

As the accountants for the Aggie 100, I can’t reveal who is on this year’s list yet, but suffice it to say, the companies all truly represent what it means to be an Aggie. There is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from the winners. I hope you take the time to visit the Aggie 100 website and see what each CEO has to say after the awards luncheon.

If you have any questions about the event itself, contact Lenae Hubner at aggie100@tamu.edu. See you there!

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Speaking of Human Capital, check out PKF Texas' brand new career section!  www.pkftexas.com/careers

To help overcome the talent shortage in our industry we needed a fresh look. The new section has a more people-focused look and feel. Right from the start, we want you to meet our next generation of PKF Texans.   You can read why they chose PKF Texas and get to know them on a more personal level.

All new copy on every page of the section gives our potential recruits and clients a better picture of who we are as a firm. Another cool feature is the virtual office tour on our flickr site. You can see where Greg’s Head resides!

The site looks great and I want to congratulate the Human Capital and Practice Growth departments for all their hard work!  !

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Quick update for those who were nominated or submitted themselves for the FastTech 50. Yesterday we signed all of the notification letters and we will be mailing them later this week.

In addition to the making the list of 50 and our Enterprise Champion Award winners, we have a new category. This year we are introducing the Paul Frison Accelerator Award. This award will be given to the company who is the youngest, and highest ranked company on the Fast Tech 50 list. Paul has a long history of success and commitment to the emerging market space here in Houston. And he was a part of the initial group of supporters when we created the FastTech 50 program. We are pleased to honor his contributions by creating this award in his name. 

This year’s group of nominees was outstanding and I’m looking forward to the award luncheon on November 16^th at the Hilton Americas. If you are interested in getting a table for that event registration will begin soon. I’ll keep you updated and see you there!

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This week's Guest Spotlight is from Ann Lents, President & CEO of the Center For Houston’s Future. Their website is www.centerforhoustonsfuture.org. Ann can be reached at alents@centerforhoustonsfuture.org.

There has been talk recently about Houston's future and particularly the direction that land development should take.  Should it be denser or more spread out; more roads or more trains; more walkability or more cars; should Houston be left alone and allowed to develop without public intervention or do we need to plan to have cost effective infrastructure and a clean environment?   What does the "future" of Houston mean anyway?  Do we concentrate on future business opportunities, future environmental issues, future health concerns, future housing markets, potential future disasters, cultural & population trends or changes in education?  How do futuristic trends and growth affect Houston's quality of life -- issues such as water quality, parks & green space, retail and residential development, employment and health care?  And how can we all be involved in these issues in the midst of busy lives?

The Center for Houston's Future ponders and tries to answer these emerging issues everyday.  In conjunction with various governmental, business and civic organizations, including the Greater Houston Partnership, it surveys, researches, watches, predicts and philosophizes on what constitutes Houston's future and why it's important to know.   Potential "answers" to these questions can be found on the Center's website at http://www.centerforhoustonsfuture.org/.    Please check out the future of Houston! 

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Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of attending my Eighth Rice Alliance Kick off Celebration over at the Jones School at Rice University. Each year Brad Burke and the staff of Rice Alliance do a wonderful job with these emerging business community collaboration events. Brad, you and your staff deserve a well round of thanks for such a fantastic evening! Over 450 people attended this event including several of my colleagues from PKF Texas.

The keynote speaker for the evening was the Honorable Michael G. Oxley (the former congressman from Ohio) who co-authored the Sarbanes-Oxley Act while he was Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.   It’s not often we get the opportunity to meet and ask questions of such an important person that has influence on the capital markets and the confidence of public investing. When you do, you want to take advantage of them to gain their perspective on the US and World Economy.

Mr. Oxley is currently the Vice Chair of The NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. In this capacity he serves as an advisor to the Executive Management Team and Board.  Thanks to the Rice Alliance and the NASDAQ for co-hosting the event. I also want to say thanks to Locke Liddell & Sapp for being the co-event sponsor with PKF Texas.

Mr. Oxley opened his remarks with several kudos and recognition of the Rice Alliance and its impact on emerging business, start-up companies, and the Rice Business Plan Competition. A strong proponent of seeing emerging businesses grow into successful companies, Mr. Oxley gave due recognition to the Rice University and the Houston business community.

Some facts that he shared with the audience:

• Texas is the 5^th largest state of with companies on the NASDAQ. (OK that’s something we need to work on for sure! Texas should be 1, 2, or 3)
• The 161 Texas companies on the NASDAQ have a $144 billion market capitalization.
• A little over a 1/3 of the Texas companies are Houston based.

As he continued his remarks he made mention of some interesting points or his keys to success for public companies in today’s world.   Those included companies that are have attributes towards:

• Public Awareness working out in the open, and seeking public support.
• Transparency in the business, their model
• Competatitive in the nature of the business
• Global in their thinking

Some US companies today compete against foreign entities that are supported wholly or in some partial way by their own governments. Even though many global entities outside the US are attractive investment opportunities, Mr. Oxley commented that the US still has the largest pool of private equity capital in the world. Mr. Oxley presented his views on the local economy, the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation in the US capital markets, and what he sees coming in the future with more globalized business opportunities. After his prepared remarks, he took questions from the audience for about 25 minutes.    Some of the questions where pretty direct on the impact of government regulation and he did a good job of expressing his thoughts on these areas.

Thanks again to the Rice Alliance and thank you Mr. Oxley for sharing your evening with us! By the way you look great it that Cowboy Hat. I hope you wear it often and think of us here in Houston at the Rice Alliance.

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My good friend and business associate Richard Scruggs, the Executive Director for the CNVE at Texas A&M recently wrote an outstanding article showing the comparison between Biggio’s successful career and a successful business career.  You won’t want to miss this one.  Thanks Richard for your sage and wise thoughts!

Biggio and Business

On June 28, 2007, Houston Astro Craig Biggio joined an elite group of ball players becoming just the 27th person ever with 3000 hits in a major league career. As an Astros season ticket holder for years and a fan since I can remember, I’ve had the pleasure of watching Biggio play over the years. While I wasn’t always happy with the Astros’ performance, I have always been impressed with the way Biggio plays the game.

As the media coverage began to build in the days leading up to his 3000th hit and afterwards, a lot was said about how Biggio approaches the game. Reporters talked about how he “respects the game” and conducts himself with poise and character. As a fan, I have seen the same thing. Sitting in the stands one recent evening I reflected on what I have seen and the parallels that apply to business. For example:

Loyalty

• Biggio: He has worn only one major league uniform. Publicly he supports his teammates, management and owners.
• Business: The days of one company careers are long gone but respect and company loyalty are not. Loyalty means adopting your company’s goals as your own and giving 100% towards their attainment. It means supporting your company, management and co-workers publicly. Sometimes it means standing up for your organization to make sure it gets a fair shake.

Prepare, Do the Hard Work

• Biggio: At 41 years old, he is competing with players half his age in a demanding game with a grueling schedule. He is known for showing up to spring training ready to go and arriving early on game day. He puts in the time exercising, practicing and preparing for opponents. He never goes into a season or game unprepared.
• Business: The parallels in business might be education and research. We can’t write the best proposal if we haven’t been educated on sales and researched our target customer. We can’t provide the best coaching and mentoring to young employees without a training and preparation. Business people are always “doing” and little time is given to “practicing”. The better performers figure out how to work in a little practice time and do their homework before acting.

Run Out Every Hit

• Biggio: Long fly ball or sharp infield grounder, he is running full bore towards first base – even when all 42,000 fans know he’ll be thrown out at first.
• Business: If you decide to go after a new business pitch, make a run at a new employee or radically revamp your business…run it out. Carefully decide where you’ll spend your time and resources and then go for it…give it your all…run it out, don’t jog.

Poise, Calm, Character

• Biggio: He has been in bigger pressure cookers than most business people ever experience yet rarely loses his cool. When he does lose it, you get the idea that it was a calculated move to make a point. He always conducts himself with integrity. In this time when there are many questions about people in sports, nobody questions Biggio’s character.
• Business: Rarely does losing your cool in business pay off. Same thing with trying to take shortcuts or relaxing your values to attain a goal. In the end, you only have your reputation and your company’s reputation. Don’t blow it.

Whatever it Takes

• Biggio: Has played three different positions and has no problem being the guy at the plate with the game on the line. He has been hit by more pitches than anyone has in the modern era of baseball, showing that he’ll “take one for the team”.
• Business: We all need players on our team that will do whatever it takes – people that will play multiple roles, who will pitch-in in a crisis, go the extra mile for a customer, rework a proposal one more time, make one more phone call or listen to one more employee. We don’t need people that say, “it’s not my job”, “its five o’clock” or “I don’t travel”.

I could go on and talk about Biggio’s high standards, quiet leadership style, willingness to take responsibility, putting team wins ahead of personal accomplishment or legendary community involvement. I could also tell you that he is famous, yet approachable – on Halloween last year he sat in the front yard passing out candy and taking pictures with kids (just ask my daughter!). You get the idea. All of these attributes make a great ball player. They also make a great entrepreneur, business leader and employee.

Think about how you approach the game of business…do you set an example for others, prepare like there is no tomorrow, run out every play, maintain your poise, conduct yourself with integrity?

What about your company? Does the culture encourage people to “respect the game” as well? Do people come in prepared and give 100%?

If not, chances are you or your company are not as successful as you would like. The good news is that most of these attributes are the result of attitude and hard work – both of which are in your control. No special training or investment is required!

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Exciting news! Houston has been selected at the host city for Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in 2008!

The Houston Chronicle alluded to it in an article on August 3^rd and I received confirmation yesterday from our Microsoft Partner Account Manager, that WPC will be here in early July 2008.

This is a huge event, the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau is expecting 50,000 rooms to be booked during the conference. This is a great opportunity for Houston to show off what a great city it is. Looks like we’re moving up in the world!

Stay tuned for updates as they become available!

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Last Monday I posted PKF Texas’ invitation to the Rice Alliance Kick-Off event featuring Michael Oxley on August 23^rd.

I’ll be attending and will post my thoughts on the 24^th. The impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation has been huge in our industry and is still a hot topic, especially in light of the current December 15, 2007 deadline for non-accelerated filers (small public companies for my non-accounting readers) to start complying with Section 404 of the legislation.

This will definitely be an interesting speech and I’m curious to see what he has to say about it 4 years removed from the signing of the legislation. If you will also be attending, let me know your thoughts, so those who can’t attend will get the benefit of multiple perspectives. 

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Attention Houston Tech companies! We’ve received so much interest in the FastTech 50 this year that we’ve extended the deadline to Wednesday, August 15^th. This means you have two extra weeks to get your nomination in. 

Click here for more nomination details:

http://consult.pkftexas.com/fasttech50/

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As Gold sponsors of the Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship, PKF Texas is proud to share Rice Alliance events with our friends in the marketplace.  Join us as we celebrate the success of the Houston and Texas technology entrepreneurship community and kick off a new program year for the Rice Alliance with keynote speaker, Michael Oxley.

8th Annual Rice Alliance Kick-Off Celebration
"An Evening with Michael Oxley: Co-author of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act"
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Rice University
McNair Hall, Jesse H Jones Graduate School of Management

5:30pm - Registration & Reception
6:30pm - Keynote
7:30pm - Networking Reception

Keynote Speaker:Michael Oxley
Vice Chairman, NASDAQ

The Honorable Michael G. Oxley was appointed Vice Chairman of The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. in March 2007.  In this capacity, Mr. Oxley serves the NASDAQ executive management team and Board with his expertise in public policy, corporate counseling, financial services and capital markets.  He also interfaces with NASDAQ listed companies to increase visibility of the exchange's market excellence, business, and policy issues. 

Prior to joining NASDAQ, Michael Oxley:
· Served in Congress for 25 years 
· Co-authored the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
· Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee: 2001 to 2006
· Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee: 1983 to 2001

To Register and More Information: click here

Early Registration Deadline: August 21. We recommend you register BEFORE this deadline, as the event may be sold out.

Hosted by: Rice Alliance for Technology & Entrepreneurship
Co-Hosted by:  NASDAQ
Sponsors:  PKF Texas and Locke Liddell and Sapp, LLP
Roundtrip Airline Ticket Sponsor: Continental Airlines

If you have any questions, contact the Rice Alliance at alliance@rice.edu, 713-348-3443 or www.alliance.rice.edu.  We hope to see you there! 

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Just a reminder, the nominations for FastTech 50 are due tomorrow!  Visit the FastTech 50 website, http://consult.pkftexas.com/fasttech50/ if you have any questions. 

I'm looking forward to seeing the nominees and good luck! 

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In May, PKF Texas became a sponsor of the Greater Houston Partnership’s International Connections speaker series. 

The International Connections events provide an opportunity to better understand Houston's top international trade partners and interact with key officials who can help your business expand into those markets. Consuls general, bilateral chambers of commerce and government trade officers present business opportunities and available resources.

The first two events, Australia and Poland, were a great success. This month’s highlighted country is Mexico.

His Excellency Carlos González Magallón, Consul General of Mexico, Houston will discuss the business opportunities in Mexico for Houston companies and update on the recent political and economic issues in Mexico. George Gonzalez, partner, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP will present on certain practical legal considerations of U.S. companies entering into the Mexican market. Pete Garcia, vice president, Latin America with Continental Airlines will discuss their operations and business practices as the nation's largest airline servicing Mexico.

The Mexico International Connections will be held on July 31^st at the Greater Houston Partnership.  Contact Niaya Harper at nharper@houston.org, to if you have any questions or would like to register. More information about future events can be found on our website, www.pkftexas.com/intlconnections.  Hope to see you there!

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