Press Release
Contact: Robert Albright |
Phone: 919-549-7500 ext.123 |
Master Panel to Showcase Award-Winning Entrepreneurs
Sept. 14 Event Draws N.C. and S.C.-based Business Leaders
September 9, 2004, Research Triangle Park, NC – The Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), UNC Kenan-Flagler Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Ernst & Young are teaming up to host an annual panel of award-winning business leaders from across North and South Carolina. The Master Panel of Entrepreneurs, featuring award recipients of the 2004 Ernst & Young Carolinas Entrepreneur Of The Year Program ®, will be held at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill on Sept. 14 from 5:30-7:15 p.m.
Panelists will share their success stories to an audience of local entrepreneurs, service partners, students and other special guests from academic and innovation communities. The event is free to the public, and online pre-registration is required due to limited space.
Confirmed panelists include:
- Richard Brenner, CEO of Amarr Garage Doors (Winston-Salem, NC), recognized in the Retail and Consumer Products category. Amarr Garage Doors is a leading manufacturer of sectional overhead garage doors for residential and commercial markets.
- John Forlines, Chairman and CEO of Bank of Granite (Granite Falls, NC), recognized in the Financial Services category. Bank of Granite has served small communities in western North Carolina for nearly 100 years, with Forlines at the helm since 1954.
- Chad Odom, President of Innovative Container (Greenville, SC), recognized in the Manufacturing and Distribution category. Innovative Container manufactures and reconditions industrial containers.
- Kay Wagoner, President, CEO and founder of Icagen, Inc. (Durham, NC), recognized in the Life Sciences category. Icagen is a privately held company engaged in pharmaceutical discovery and development, focusing exclusively on ion channels as drug targets.
- Scot Wingo, President, CEO and co-founder of ChannelAdvisor Corp. (Morrisville, NC), recognized in the Technology category. ChannelAdvisor provides auction and marketplace management software and services.
“This year's Master Panel of Entrepreneurs offers another strong cross-section of entrepreneurial leaders, from Kay Wagoner and Scot Wingo, founders of successful Triangle-based biotech and IT companies, to John Forlines of Bank of Granite, one of the oldest and most successful community banks in the United States,” said Monica Doss, CED's president. “This annual program is always a great example of the university and business communities coming together.”
The panel will be held in Kenan-Flagler's Maurice J. Koury Auditorium. A reception will follow the Master Panel in the Kenan Center Dining Room. For more information on the program lineup and to register, visit www.eship.unc.edu/masterpanel.
About CED: The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, located in Research Triangle Park, NC, is a private, non-profit organization formed in 1984 to stimulate the creation and growth of high-impact companies in the greater Research Triangle region. CED provides education, mentoring and capital formation resources to new and existing high-growth entrepreneurs through annual conferences, seminars, workshops and monthly programs on entrepreneurial management and finance. CED, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2004, is the largest entrepreneurial support organization in the nation with more than 3,500 members representing 1,000 entrepreneurial companies, financiers and professional firms. www.cednc.org
About UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School is one of the oldest accredited business schools in the United States. Exceptional research and teaching, interaction with businesses worldwide, and results-oriented graduates with strong interpersonal and team skills distinguish UNC Kenan-Flagler's top-ranked programs. UNC was recognized in 2004 by Entrepreneur Magazine as the nation's “#4 Top College for Entrepreneurs.” The business school provides Executive Education for individuals and companies and programs that include: MBA, Executive MBA, Bachelor of Science, Ph.D. and one-year Master of Accounting programs. The School's Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise works with business, government and academia to foster private enterprise worldwide. www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu
About Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program ®: The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Program ® award honors entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hard work and perseverance have created and sustained successful, growing business ventures. The year-long program culminates in an annual conference each year during the month of November in Palm Springs, California. The EOY program, which originated in 1986 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is now in its 17th and most successful year. www.ey.com
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