Learn from the Leaders
Roll up your sleeves and sharpen your pencil. The Envision’08 workshops are designed to give you ideas and information you can take home and put to work immediately. You will have dozens of highly relevant topics from which to choose. Imagine the energy and innovation that will come from every breakout room filled with business leaders like yourself!
The workshop tracks include:
Insights – Unique points of view about critical topics such as leadership, the economy, building corporate value, the future of technology and the life of a CEO. Numerous sessions are offered by authors, consultants and other noted experts. Just a few of the
workshops planned are:
- Building Value, Not Just a Job,
presented by Paul Barker of
The Afterburner Group
- Investor State of Mind, with
Ray Rothrock of Venrock Capital
- The Texas Economic Outlook,
presented by Jim Glassman of Chase Bank
- Technology Future - Surfing The Tsunami - Catching the Coming Waves of Disruptive Technologies, Jonas Lamis, Director, Scivestor
- It’s Lonely at the Top, led by
Vistage International, the world's leading
chief executive organization
“How I Did It” Stories – Real life stories from entrepreneurs who started small and built wildly successful businesses. Hear about their ups and downs, their experiences and insights as they present their own personal take on starting and growing great companies. Among the luminaries sharing their stories will be:
- Starting a Franchise Business, Mark Carr, CEO of Christian Brothers Automotive
- The Story of a Fast Growing Services Firm, Ellen Wood, CEO and Founder of Virtual CFO
- Creating an International Start-Up, James Donovan, CEO of ADEC Solutions
Funding – Envision’s financial workshops help you navigate through the funding maze, with advice from experts ranging from angel investors and venture capitalists to investment bankers and commercial bankers. You’ll also learn about the effort that goes into raising money from these important sources. Learn from sessions such as:
- Finding Money - What Does It Take?,
with James Lancaster of the Research Valley
Innovation Center and Professor Joe
Coombs of Texas A&M University
- Finding Angels, a panel discussion led by
Kala Marathi from Houston Angel Network,
with panelists from the Central Texas Angel
Network
- Money - The Government Is Here to
Help, featuring Oliver Murphy of LynnTech,
Inc., Texas’ leader in SBIR and funding
- Non-traditional Funding
- Securing Venture Capital, led by
Dan Watkins, Managing Director of
DFJ Mercury
Talent – An issue on every
leader’s mind is talent – how to find, attract, keep
and develop the right talent to make the business
successful. Our workshops give you the opportunity
to learn about generational differences and
their impact on recruiting and retention. You’ll also
learn about building community amongst your
team and creating a culture that will drive innovation.
Example sessions in this track are:
- Workplace Community = High
Performance, led by Brad Hays and Dr. Jim H. Rushing
- Immigration: What you Need to
Know Now, a timely session led by Attorney Harry
Gee
- Creating a Culture of Innovation, J.D. Messinger
- Understanding Generational
Differences, Critical Insights into Building
a Multi-Generational Team, presented by
Chris DeSantis
- Behavioral Interviewing,
Chris DeSantis’ take on an interviewing
technique that gets you “beyond the
resume”
Marketing – How does a growing
company create a buzz? In a digital world?
In a multi-cultural world? In a world of social
networking? Envision’s workshops will help you
tell your story, define your brand and generate
media attention, with sessions such as:
- What's Your Story?, presented by
Brian Lanahan of Align
- Digital Marketing - The Business
Case, with Steve Latham of Spur Digital
- Beyond Translation - Multicultural Marketing, Carlos Lara, LARA Associates
- Digital Friends, Using Social
Networking to Drive Your Business,
led by Eric Standlee of American Prudential
Capital
- Marketing on a Limited Budget, led by Phil Morabito, CEO of Pierpont
- The Insider's Look at the Small to Medium Size Business (SMB) Market - Find out what makes these business owners tick. How successful are they? How do they buy? How tech savvy are they - really? These and other questions answered by “The SMB Business Pulse” presented by John Beddow, Texas Group Publisher for the Texas Business Journals.
Leadership and Sales – Workshop leaders
with real-world business experience will discuss
leadership on both the company and personal
levels. Understanding that most company leaders
wear a sales hat (in addition to many other hats),
Envision will pay particular attention to the
executive leader’s role in driving sales. Just
a few of the sessions are:
- Generating Leads, led by Joe Heller
of Trust Cycle Selling
- Networking is Not an Activity: It is a Mindset!
For some people the thought of networking may come with feelings of drudgery or angst. It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s all about how you approach each situation and create the networking mindset! Karen Love will provide tips from the best of the best as well as a “cheat sheet” with B-4-U-Go Networking tips. Also, you will be given a five question self evaluation to quickly gauge your networking know-how. This B-4-U-Go conversation will be held prior to the Thursday evening cocktail party to assist in building your confidence and prepare you for these types of networking situations.
- The Big Deal - Where do you
Really Stand? presented by Bill Hoffman
of Sales Dynamics
- Time Management for Executives,
with Larry Collis of IBM
Maximizing Productivity – It takes more
than a great idea or product to make a great
company. It’s also important to pay attention
to your productivity and support organizations,
like supply chain, human resources, accounting,
legal, etc. These sessions are full of actionable
advice on how to maximize the productivity
of these areas to turn your company into a
well-oiled machine. Some of the sessions are:
- The Technology Advantage, with Tony Hodgson, Cap 5 Technology Solutions
- The Top 10 Legal Mistakes
Young Companies Make, a panel
discussion moderated by Steve Buxbaum
of Haynes & Boone
- Top Ten Human Resources Mistakes
- Top Ten Accounting Mistakes
- IP, Adding Value to Your Business,
with Mark Tidwell of Jackson Walker
- Risk Management for the
Growing Business, with Mike Arnold
of AJ Gallagher
Thinking Ahead – A common trait of successful
business leaders is that they are always thinking
ahead about business and personal issues. Sample
workshops include:
- Generation-to-Generation,
Passing on the Family Business,
with Lupe Fraga, Chairman of
Tejas Office Supplies
- Thinking International - Be
Prepared, led by Professor Jeffrey Johnson
of St. Mary's University
- Unlocking University Technology,
led by Guy Diedrich, Vice Chancellor of
the Texas A&M University System
- Public One Day? - Prepare now for
the IPO or Sale, led by Tim Golumb of
NASDAQ
- Personal Transitions - Planning
Today for Retirement, a panel with
members from Alliance Bernstein LP and
Morgan Stanley
Rural Business Development - Topics include food, agriculture, energy - everything related to rural real estate and natural resources. Some of the sessions are:
- Rural-Based Alternative Energy Opportunities: Land-based and Wind, a panel discussion moderated by Joe Outlaw, Professor of Extension Economist from Texas A&M and discussion leaders James Fuqua, Cattle Entrepreneur, and Jeff Plowman, Austin Biofuels
- New Faces of Natural Resource-based Rural Entrepreneurship, discussion leaders Carol Davis, Bliss Wood Bed-Breakfast & Spa and Don Pullum, Sandstone Cellars Winery
- Opportunities in Next Generation Foods - Local, Organic, and Natural
Click here for pdf version of Workshops Program Guide 
Click here for pdf version of Envision Workshop Matrix
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