Jack W. Plunkett 
Plunkett Research
Michael Goodwin
Continental Airlines
Marco Rimassa
Starlight Capital
Bill Keough
IBM
Tom Rubenak
META Group
Austin Goings
Vignette Corporation
Bill Rollwitz
WTR & Associates
Bryan Emerson
Starlight Capital
Dallas Parker
Thompson Knight Brown Parker and Leahy
Charles Nunu
Forte Group
Jim Keeble
Enron Net Works
Jeff Williams
MyRepairShop
Dennis Murphree
Murphree Venture Partners
Steve Currall
Rice University
Kyle Pope
MSDS Online


Biographies:

Jack W. Plunkett is CEO & Publisher of Plunkett Research, Ltd., www.plunkettresearch.com, a Houston-based provider of business and industry research in printed and multimedia formats that serve leading corporations, institutions and government agencies worldwide. Plunkett's marketing partners include Hoovers, internet.com and barnesandnoble.com. Plunkett Research's www.richb2bcontent.com division provides custom content to b2b web sites. The company's startup venture, bizcontax.com, will provide marketers and business developers with downloadable, in-depth executive contacts by name and function at leading U.S. corporations. Jack Plunkett is the author or editor of more than 20 books, including Plunkett’s E-Commerce & Internet Business Almanac and Plunkett’s On-Line Trading, Finance & Investment Web Sites. He has been recognized as a finalist in the "Entrepreneur of the Year" competition sponsored by Merrill Lynch, Ernst & Young and Inc. Magazine. Plunkett has served as president, director or advisor to several major non-profit institutions, such as the Houston Symphony, Galveston Historical Foundation, United Way of Galveston County, Odyssey House, Strand Theatre and the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston.   return to top  

Michael Goodwin is a Financial Controller for the Maintenance and Purchasing and Material Services division of Continental Airlines, Inc. He is Continental's representative in the airline industry's current Internet initiatives. Previously, he developed the supply chain management solution for Continental's Maintenance and Material Services divisions. Prior to joining Continental, Goodwin worked with telecom and telecom equipment providers developing international customer acquisition and Internet strategies. He also previously operated an incubator in the Republic of South Africa and worked at Andersen Consulting. Goodwin holds an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School and Honors degrees in Economics, History, and French from the University of Texas at Austin.   return to top

Marco Rimassa is an Investment Banker and Business Development Consultant with Starlight Capital, www.starlightcapital.com. Formerly, he was the co-founder and CFO for BidWorx, Inc., www.bidworx.com, a leading-edge, Internet-based procurement platform for purchasing agents in large multi-buyer organizations. He also previously served as a principal for the technology consulting firm Visual Management Resources LLC and as a virtual CFO for many of its clients. He is currently the Board Chairman for the Houston-based non-profit corporation, Stagewright, Inc., www.stagewright.org. Rimassa holds a degree in Economics, History, and Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations from Rice University and is a Registered Investment Advisor in the State of Texas.   return to top

Bill Keough is a Senior e-business Strategy Consultant with IBM Global Services, advising major corporations on how to leverage technology to seize new business opportunities. He has helped companies create, fund and develop complex business-to-business e-commerce applications, including B2B e-marketplaces in a variety of industries. Prior to joining IBM, Bill was an Internet solutions consultant with Schlumberger Omnes, and, prior to that, he managed the political risk consulting division of the AR Group, based in Houston. Bill holds a Bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a Master's from the University of Houston. He is a Founding Director of the Technology Entrepreneurs Exchange and a frequent lecturer at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University. He speaks French, Spanish and Lingala.   return to top

Tom Rubenak has spent the last 11 years in the Information Technology industry and is currently the Regional Director with META Group, a Stamford, CT-based global IT research, advisory and consulting firm. Previously, he was a Business Development Manager for Houston based DA Consulting Group. DACG provides customized on-line help systems and training for Enterprise Resource Planning vendors such as SAP, Oracle and Peoplesoft. Prior to that, Mr. Rubenak spent 8 years with the Dun and Bradstreet Corporation as a Financial Analyst and Relationship Manager. D&B maintains the largest and most complete B2B information database in the world. He received a BA from the University of Texas in San Antonio and is fluent in Spanish.   return to top

Austin Goings has 16 years of technical sales and marketing experience and currently works with Vignette Corporation. Vignette (NASDAQ: VIGN) is a leading provider of B2B infrastructure software applications for powering next-generation e-business sites. Previously, Mr. Goings was a sales executive for Landmark Graphics, the leading supplier of exploration and production information systems and services, which helps petroleum companies worldwide to find, produce and manage oil and gas reservoirs. Prior sales experiences include financial accounting systems and application development tools.   return to top

Bill Rollwitz is the founder and President of WTR & Associates, Inc. and is a Personal Coach, a Business Mentor and an Executive Recruiter.  As such, he is leveraging 25+ years of experience in Corporate America, holding various senior executive positions, including Sr. Vice President and CTO of a $32B Energy Company, President & CEO of two different Computer Software and Services companies, and Consulting Services Regional Managing Partner for the Southwest Region of a Big 5 firm.  Bill also serves on the Advisory Board of NetPac, www.texasnetpac.com.  Bill is in the process of writing a book on finding your Passion in life and how to apply that Passion to your profession.

Bryan Emerson is currently President of Starlight Capital, Inc., an investment bank in Houston. He has extensive marketing and project management experience in a variety of international high-technology environments. His active community involvement includes his participation as Secretary of the Jones School Alumni Association at Rice University, Steering Committee member of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, member of the board of Houston Achievement Place, Secretary of the Consejo Internacional de Jovenes Empresarios and as one of the founding members of Texchange. Mr. Emerson received his B.A. with Honors in Spanish and Economics from Hamilton College in New York and his M.B.A. from the Jones School of Administration at Rice University. More information about him can be obtained at http://www.starlightcapital.com. http://www.starlightcapital.com.   return to top

Dallas Parker is a partner in the law firm of Thompson Knight Brown Parker & Leahy L.L.P. where he practices corporate law, with a practice emphasis on venture capital and public financings. Mr. Parker's experience encompasses domestic and international corporate and securities matters, including mergers, acquisitions, private placements, public offerings and venture financings for a wide range of clients. Mr. Parker graduated with a degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University and received his law degree from the University of Texas. He is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, 1987-2001 eds., and presently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Houston Technology Center.   return to top

Charles Nunu has been affiliated with Forte Group since April, 2000 as a member of the company’s initial management team. Prior to that, he spent 20 years as an international executive, manager and consultant for domestic and international start up companies. Mr. Nunu began his career specializing in purchasing/process management and commodity paradigms with Continental Grain Co, where he led various start-up, logistics, trade financing, acquisitions, divestitures, market entries, and other re-engineering efforts. He was co-founder of SIC Trading in Switzerland, which formed another 4 companies within the Mercosur. Mr. Nunu returned from Swtizerland to Houston in October 1999 and is currently serving as a mentor both at the Houston Technology Center and the Rice Alliance. He has a B.S. in Psychology/Biology and a Master’s Degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management. He is multilingual (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, and some Arabic) and has also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Brazil and as a volunteer for Amigos de las Americas in Honduras and Nicaragua. He was listed on the Consultants Roster of the United Nations Committee of Trade and Development in Geneva from 1994 until 2000.  return to top

James 'Jim' N. Keeble, Jr. is a Manager of eCommerce for Enron Net Works, where he advises Enron on eCommerce initiatives. He has previously worked with Shell Services International as a primary developer for a Supply Chain Management solution and with Arthur Andersen in their Business Consulting group. Mr. Keeble has an MBA from the University of Houston and was an honors graduate from Southwest Texas State University. He is fluent in Spanish and has traveled Mexico and Spain extensively.   return to top

Jeffrey M. Williams is Vice President of Business Development and a Co-founder of MyRepairShop, Inc. As such, he has played a key role in developing the business plan and building the organization since March 2000. He most recently served as vice president of corporate development for Friedkin Companies, Inc., a privately held portfolio of automotive operating companies, including Gulf States Toyota, the largest privately-held/for-profit company in Houston. In his Corporate Development role, Mr. Williams was responsible for strategic planning, M & A and asset development for the operating companies. The Board of Directors frequently asked him to assist business unit leaders in launching new initiatives such as business process re-engineering, project management, performance measurement, capital management, compensation systems and the launch of a retail concept start-up. Immediately prior to launching MRS, Mr. Williams collaborated with the individual business units of the Friedkin Companies on their E-Commerce initiatives. Prior to Friedkin Companies, Mr. Williams was a manager with Kenneth Leventhal & Company, a boutique real estate consulting and accounting firm. Mr. Williams has a B.B.A. from Southwest Texas State University and is a C.P.A. in the state of Texas. He serves on the board of the Texas Institute for the Arts in Education and is a founding member of Texchange.

Dennis E. Murphree is the Managing General Partner of Murphree Venture Partners, a venture capital firm of eight partners with offices in Houston, Austin, Albuquerque and Boulder. Murphree Venture Partners is an early-stage investor in high-tech and life-science start-up companies and is currently raising MVP V, which is a $200 million early-stage fund. Dennis has a BA from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from The Wharton School. He is also on the faculty of the Jones Graduate School of Rice University.   return to top

Steve Currall is Associate Professor of Management and Psychology in the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University and Director and Co-founder of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. He currently serves on the Executive Advisory Council of Interferometrics, Inc. a Houston-based medical device start-up firm and has served on the Executive Advisory Board of Southwest Diagnostic Centers, Ltd., a start-up company in Austin. Currall was listed among the Jones School's "Outstanding Faculty" in Business Week's 1997 Guide to Best Business Schools , he received the Jones School's Halliburton Foundation Award in 1995, and he was a finalist for Rice's Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize in 1995 and 1999. He has been quoted in Time magazine, Boston Herald, Houston Chronicle, Kansas City Star, Houston Business Journal , CIO Magazine, RedHerring.com and other media outlets. Currall's research on corporate governance, negotiation, and joint ventures has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Center for the Educational Quality of the Workforce, and his publications have appeared in numerous academic research journals. He earned a Ph.D. from Cornell University, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and a B.A. (cum laude) from
Baylor University.   return to top

Kyle Pope is co-founder and CEO of MSDS Online, Inc., www.msdsonline.com, an innovative Houston-based provider of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) via the Internet, serving major corporations, institutions and professionals worldwide. His former employment includes stints with Arthur Andersen and CFO resposibilities with several venture-backed and investment companies. With degrees and an MBA from the University of Texas, he is a CPA and a CFA.   return to top


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