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Theme: Financing New Ventures
Pre-seminar assignments:
Friday, February 5, 2010
6-8pm Family, Fools, and Friends: Your first source
of capital – Bjorn Nabozney
Saturday, February 6, 2010
8-10am Bank and Specialized Loan Products for
Entrepreneurs - Tom Swenson
10-Noon Your banker and your business: Establishing a
long term relationship -
Don Bennett
Noon-1pm Lunch Break
1-3pm Angel Investments: Working with an Angel
Group – Liz Marchi
3-5pm Early stage venture capital – Jon Marchi,
Clyde Neu
5-6pm Financing New Ventures Panel: Tom Swenson,
Jon Marchi, Liz Marchi, Don
Bennett, and Ed Wetherbee
Sunday, February 7, 2010
8-9am Middle to late stage Venture Capital – Ed
Wetherbee
9-11:30am
Ed Wetherbee, Capitalization Tables
Exercise
11:30-Noon Michael Braun, Course wrap-up and project
discussion
Post-seminar assignments:
Seminar III:
Speaker Profiles
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Name:
Donald J. Bennett
Education: University of Montana (BA)
Current Business: Founder and President of Freedom
Bank
Business Notes
Don Bennett spent most of his career with First Citizens
Bank (1984-2004) and served as Chairman of the Board
from 1991 to 2004. In 2005 he started Freedom Bank in
Columbia Falls. He is a well-respected member of the
banking and insurance industries in the state of
Montana, serving as the Chairman, Board Member, and
Treasurer of the Montana Bankers Association and
President of the Flathead Association of Independent
Insurance Agents. He is also Chairman of the Board for
an Internet banking software company, e-Financial
Systems, Inc. Mr. Bennett is also very active in the
community, serving as a Board Member for Jobs Now, North
Valley Hospital Foundation, Flathead Economic
Development Authority, and as Chairman for Montana West
Economic Development. Mr. Bennett also served on the
University of Montana's School of Business
Administration Advisory Council. |
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Name:
Jon Marchi
Education:
University of Montana (MS, BS)
Current Business:
Chairman, Glacier Venture Fund
Business Notes
Jon Marchi spent most of his professional career with
D.A. Davidson, holding several senior level executive
positions before moving on in 1985 to pursue
entrepreneurial interests. Since that time Jon started
Marchi Angus Ranches, Development Corporation of
Montana, and Glacier Venture Fund. He was also
responsible for developing the Montana Private Capital
Network, an organization that brings together angel
investors from across the state. Glacier Venture Fund
has invested in several Montana businesses and Jon
serves as a board member and mentor for many of these
organizations. In 2004, Jon received the Outstanding
Alumni Award from the School of Business Administration
at the University of Montana – Missoula. Jon also
assisted Dr. Shay as a judge for business plans at the
London School of Economics. |
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Name:
Elizabeth C. Marchi (Liz)
Education:
Hollins University (BA)
Current Business:
Frontier Angel Fund
Business Notes
Mrs. Marchi is a member of the Montana Academy of
Distinguished Entrepreneurs (MADE), a group that
teaches, supports and recognized distinguished
entrepreneurship in association with the University Of
Montana School Of Business. Mrs. Marchi serves on the
Boards of the Glacier Region of the Montana Community
Foundation, the Montana Women’s Fund, the PPL Community
Advisory Fund and the Montana Economic Developers
Association. She is immediate past President of the
Montana Ambassadors, a statewide group appointed by and
serving at the pleasure of the Governor that supports
business development and education in Montana and was
appointed by Governor Schweitzer to the Governor’s
Economic Development Advisory Board. Ms. Marchi was the
recipient of the Desiree Taggart Workforce Development
Award presented by Governor Schweitzer in 2006 for
individual achievement in workforce development. Prior
to moving to Montana, Mrs. Marchi was the Executive
Director of Communications and Public Policy for the
Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce in North Carolina. She
is a graduate of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia
where she majored in Politics and has served as a
trustee and President of the Alumnae Association. |
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Name:
Bjorn Nabozney
Education: University
of Montana (BS in Business Administration)
Current Business:
Co-founder, Big Sky Brewing Company
Business Notes
Bjorn is one of the founders of Big Sky Brewing Company
(BSBC). He wrote the business plan for BSBC while
earning his degree at the University of Montana's School
of Business Administration. Bjorn's responsibilities at
BSBC include marketing and new product development.
However, Bjorn has been known to wear many hats for BSBC,
having plumbed the entire facility in which the company
now resides. Bjorn is also a frequent guest speaker at
the Business School and a generous supporter of many
campus and community activities. |
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Name:
Tom Swenson
Education: University of Montana (MBA, BS)
Current Business: Founder of the Bank of Montana and
Montana Business Capital
Business Notes
In addition to his degrees from the University of
Montana, Thomas R. Swenson holds degrees from the
University of Oklahoma's National Commercial Lending
School and the prestigious Pacific Coast Banking School
at the University of Washington. Tom has held
senior-level management positions at private
corporations and financial institutions for the past
thirteen years and was a professor of Small Business
Management, Statistics and Accounting at the University
of Montana. He has been a featured speaker at SBA,
Bureau of Business and Economic Research, and Department
of Commerce community events and seminars. The
combination of his education and professional experience
as the Chief Executive Officer, President, and a
Director of the Bank of Montana, Montana Business
Capital, and the Bancorp of Montana Holding Company and
community development lender provides Tom with
exceptional insight into commercial lending. Tom has
judged several business plan competitions in the past
and is a member of MADE’s special task force assigned to
the John Ruffatto Business Plan Competition. |
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Name:
Ed Wetherbee
Education:
University
of Denver (MBA), University of Colorado (BS)
Current Business:
Principal, Colorado Venture Management
Business Notes
Ed Wetherbee
is a principal of Colorado Venture Management (CVM), an
investment and business development company. It has
managed approximately $20 million of high risk
investment capital; supporting over 50 companies grow
and develop over 20 years, primarily in Colorado, New
Mexico and Montana. CVM formed two companies, a
developer of environmentally friendly natural gas fired
electrical generation projects, and an agribusiness
company growing premium produce in greenhouses. Ed was
CEO of these companies, together funded with over $200
million of investment capital, growing to over $75
million of annual revenue, and employing over 350
FTE’s. He was a partner in a real estate acquisition
and development company which managed over $500 million
of assets. He is/has served on the board of directors
of several companies, including Big Sky Airlines and
Nutritional Laboratories in Montana, Colorado
Independent Energy Association, CV Technologies in
Edmonton, the Boulder Children’s Museum, Voices for
Children (a CASA program), and has assisted in
University of Denver and University of Montana business
school programs.
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