The May Report: 6/17/2011: Locke Lord sees light: loses Len before the plague of locusts hits; Chris Pesch bolts Locke Lord for Polsinelli Shughart at 161 N. Clark and the BNC VC Group follows him; kudos to Locke Lord for getting that their own reputation would be besmirched by association with the Len-man since there’s a halo effect — a dark halo effect; Jack McInerney and Greg Evans speak their minds on Len, Dave and the BNC; 200 S. Wacker Drive’s New Owners to make, “Tenant Improvements,” Is the ITA at risk?, by Melanie Adcock; Hats off to Bruce Dumont who stuck with his dream for a Museum of Broadcast Communications and the inaugural bash was Thursday night with 500 luminaries in attendance

Editor and publisher: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com, www.themayreport.com , 773-525-3944.

Assistant editor: Melanie Adcock, iPHONE: 312-259-0610, melanie_adcock@msn.com

If you missed an article, go here: www.tmronline.com/A55951/tmrarticles.nsf/vwFullNewsletter
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Scoop section:

– The Save Abandoned Babies Texas Hold-em Charity is tomorrow, Saturday, June 18th, 2011
– Jeff Carter: Check Out This Video on Noblivity – Hyde Park Angels
– A combination of Briefly noted and a warning to prospective presenters at the BNC Venture Capital Group, by Ron May
– 200 S. Wacker Drive’s New Owners to make, “Tenant Improvements,” Is the ITA at risk?, by Melanie Adcock
– SmallBusinessChicago : New state-funded technology account could mean $150 million-plus in venture capital
– Bill Clinton bringing Clinton Global Initiative meeting to Chicago – June 29-30, 2011
– Cards Ron collected at the Funding Feeding Frenzy Elevation Presentation on 4/4/2011
– Cards Ron collected at midVentures on 1/20/2011
– Cards Ron collected at BNC Venture Capital Group on 1/4/2011
– Cards Ron collected at the ACG Smart Grid conference on 1/18/2011
– Cards Ron collected at the BNC Tech Pitch on 2/16/2011
– Cards Ron collected at Heartland Angels meeting on 2/7/11
____________________________
The Scoop section:
_________________
The Save Abandoned Babies Texas Hold-em Charity is tomorrow, Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Saturday, June 18th: Texas Hold-em Charity tournament for the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation

Subject: Ron does this work for you? Hope so!
Date: 5/18/2011 5:15:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: Dawn@SaveAbandonedBabies.org
To: ronaldmay@aol.com

And hope that you attend with all your friends!
Dawn Geras
President
www.SaveAbandonedBabies.org
www.facebook.com/SaveAbandonedBabies
Phone: 312-440-0229 Fax: 312-440-0805
55 E. Erie St., #2905
Chicago, IL 60611-2255

Rock-A-Bye Poker Benefit for

Save Abandoned Babies Foundation

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

6:00 Texas Hold’em Tournament Registration

7:00 Starting Time, SHARP!

3564 Vantage Lane, Glenview, IL 60025

$100 buy-in, $50 rebuys.

$50 spectators. Includes food and drink!

~ Poker ~ ~ Prizes ~ ~ Palm Reader ~ ~ Silent Auction ~ ~ Games ~

Food ~ ~ Drinks ~

~ “Cash Dash” from the State Treasurer’s Office ~

Come enjoy a fun night under the stars and support a great cause!

Make your reservations NOW! Limited seating.

Spectators will also have a great time whether coming to watch or learn how to play or to mingle with the other guests. They will enjoy the other fun activities! “Cash Dash” from IL Treasurer’s office reunites owners with their property! Maybe you forgot to close a checking account or lost track of stocks purchased 20 or 30 years ago. Or sometimes they forget about a safe deposit box, and that’s where this fun comes into play. There will be Palm Readings, Games, a wonderful selection of raffle items, great food, drink, networking and camaraderie with other wonderful people.

RSVP’s and questions: Contact Dawn Geras, Dawn@SaveAbandonedBabies.org or call 312-440-0229

Reserve your seat by mailing check payable to”

Save Abandoned Babies Foundation

55 E. Erie Street, Suite 2905

Chicago, IL 60611

Save Abandoned Babies Foundation is a non-profit, all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to raising public awareness of the Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act, or “baby safe haven” law.
______________________________
Jeff Carter: Check Out This Video on Noblivity – Hyde Park Angels

Subject: Fwd: Check Out This Video on Noblivity – Hyde Park Angels
Date: 6/16/2011 6:03:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: jrcarter@me.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com

blog.hydeparkangels.com/check-out-this-video-on-noblivity

__________________________
A combination of Briefly noted and a warning to prospective presenters at the BNC Venture Capital Group, by Ron May

First of all, I need a ride to the Save Abandoned Babies Poker Charity tomorrow, Saturday. Is anyone from the city going? If you can give me a ride and my wheelchair, call me at 773-525-3944.

Second, don’t take my word for it.

Call Greg Evans of www.thepartyplate.com, 708-284-0659. He presented in January at the BNC Venture Capital Group. He’s put in $215K of his own money, and he just invested $14K of that money for packaging which they needed to get the Walgreen’s deal. Now they have the packaging and are working with Walgreen’s for the PO, and they may be able to get factoring from a bank to fill orders for 2,000 stores nationwide. Is Greg’s business a good deal or not? I don’t know, but what I do know from talking to Greg this morning, Friday, June 17th, is that David Carman and Len Bland told him they would follow-up and Greg never heard from them. “Carman and Bland turned out to be worthless,” Greg told me. He said that they told him that they had investors they would put him in touch with and he never heard back.

Greg just called me at 4:52pm today, Friday, and he wanted to know if there is anyone he should be talking to. I suggested Heartland and HPA and he said that they sent extensive paperwork about a month ago to Sam Guren at HPA and have not heard back yet. He added that at first HPA told him that they only do tech deals, but after hearing more, they said that his firm is something they should consider.

This is not a comprehensive survey by any means, and it was not intended to be, but so far today, Len and Dave are zero for two when it comes to the satisfaction of presenters. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Lanny Feder and Terry Flanagan.

I have enjoyed attending the BNC Venture Capital Group meetings run by Len Bland because I enjoy hearing companies pitch their business plans and get critiqued.

I can say that from an attendee point of view, it has been worthwhile.

But this morning, since Julia has been typing cards, I called a few of the folks who attended the January 4, 2011 meeting where Jack McInerney and Greg Evans presented. The reason I was looking through the cards is that I wanted to reach Chris Pesch who, it turns out, has recently left Locke Lord. I still don’t know where he went, but a good guess might be Polsinelli Shughart. It turns out I was correct. Keep reading.

My reason for wanting to reach Chris is that Locke Lord has withdrawn its sponsorship support for the BNC Venture Capital Group, or so it appeared.

Now, I spoke to Jack McInerney of www.intimetv.com who did return my call and he minced no words. To sum up what he said, “Given what I know now, I would not have gone through the hassle of presenting.” Jack made it clear. He had been lead to believe that investors would be in the room. None could be found. And Jack said that he went person to person and asked them when they did a deal last, if they actually do angel investing, etc.

Of the 25 or more folks he talked to, he found one who seemed to be real. And he also found pensioners whom he said would not have been appropriate for investing in his start-up firm.

Jack said that he found everything “to be thin.”

Thin investment history from the attendees, thin credentials, thin follow-through and follow-up, Jack says. Don’t take my word for it. Call Jack at 312-965-5225. There were a few calls after the event and then silence.

Jack said that Ron Kirschner of Heartland Angels and the folks at Hyde Park Angels are the real deal and his dealings with them have been positive. With respect to the BNC Venture Capital Group, Jack said that “they did not venture much and had no venture capital.”

Len and David whom he calls “the organizers” told him that they do one deal a year. I added right away that the deal is not their own money, it is brokered. Jack said that they do 36 presentations a year to do one deal.

“One guy at the meeting seemed to be real,” Jack said. “Everyone else was a broker of a broker.”

“It was a thin possibility group,” Jack said and added that “it would be a miracle to get funding from this group.”

The point I am getting is that Len and Dave have become a walking embarrassment and it is only a matter of time before they drag their sponsors down. Now it is true that most of the time, when a law firm sponsors a group, it is through one or two lawyers who champion it. But if Locke Lord saw value, they would have fought to keep Len and Dave.

They obviously did not. That is what I wrote before I talked to Chris Pesch this afternoon.

I got in touch with Chris Pesch at 312-873-2968 (his former assistant Meg gave me the number) and Chris did not bs me. Chris seems like a straight shooter to me. I wish he could convince Len to be the same. He said that Locke Lord had terminated its support of Len Blend before he left the firm and the two things had nothing to do with each other. I don’t know if I entirely believe that. Chris said that he had a billing rate that was confining at Locke Lord, namely $560 an hour and he wanted to have the flexibility to have a lower rate that would allow him to work with more start-ups. Well, that lower rate is still around $500 an hour, but Chris said that most start-ups circle around until they are about to get funding and then on the eve of funding, they come in to work with his firm. At that point, they can pay for the lawyers. Meg, Chris Pesch’s former assistant at LL, told me that business is a bit limited these days for lawyers working with start-ups and finance. Pesch also told me that as a national firm, PS can offload work to St. Louis and other cities. The person who made the decision to get rid of Len at LL was Lauren Smith, the marketing person who regularly attended the meetings, Chris told me. He told me that LL did not see the value but he denied any tie between that decision and his departure. Meg also told mat Chris gave a one week notice and he left on Friday, the 10th and started with the new firm on the 13th. But she did say that when partners quit, the firm wastes no time in getting them out of there.

Chris told me as I read this ditty to him that he was thinking of inviting me and I told him that Len and David had banned me. He said that they don’t control everything. I also told him that being invited would not stop me from writing this or from continuing to print it even if I do end up going. I cannot and will not be bought, and he told me that he knows that.

If Len and Ray take their cards and put them in the middle of the room and start a bonfire and stop saying they are raising or have a fund and if Len says to the group that he is just a broker and has no track record funding firms with his own money or money he controls and if they remove all that crap from LinkedIn, and if Len starts telling the truth that he is mostly about selling consulting services like coaching and business plan writing for $15,000 over three months, then I will write that. It would be a good start.

We’ll see how long Polsinelli Shughart sticks with Len and David.

And Len, stop telling the attendees to talk to the presenter when they have voted with an 8 or higher in their evaluation of the firm. A 10 is grab grandma’s pension money and put it into the firm, Len says. Len is implying that the attendees have any money or propensity to invest based on what Greg Evans and Jack McInerney, a small sample of two today, have told me.

BTW, Jack McInerney attended a star studded gala last night at 360 N. State Street for the new Museum of Broadcast Communications. All the big whigs were there and then there was Jack.

Quinn, Rahm, Cullerton and his wife who had a lot to do with it, Judy Barr Topinka, and many others. 500 people in total. Rod Blago had promised $7MM to Bruce Dumont and then reneged on that promise, surprise, surprise.

Jack said and I agree, “Hats off to Bruce Dumont who did not give up and who has given twenty years of his life to make this happen.”

Bruce did raise $15MM after Rod stiffed him and the shell of the building is done but they still have work to do on the interior of the building which continues to have concrete floors. Jack said that about $1MM more is needed.

Let me get this out. I am preparing a special report on the M2M conference I attended, called Connected World, on Wednesday, and that 18 hour day completely wiped me out. Guess who was up there too? David Carman which is why he canceled (with one “l”) the Tech Pitch on Wednesday.

Other topics coming up: Phil Tadros’ admissions to me on Tuesday afternoon and a pending war with same; Groupon of course and the Briefly noted section I had to rewrite; Connolly, assault, Craig Nelson, and much more. Viagra at $2 a pill and the coming third sexual revolution; Adam and Christy Coppola’s www.giveabike.com. I met them on the train on the way to Ravinia on Wednesday where Avery Cohen picked me up to go to the conference. They have ridden their bikes for more than 6,800 miles in 34 states and will end after they have finished with the Lower 48 with a ferry to Alaska and a plane to Hawaii. Adam’s 29 and Christy is 28. Their bikes are not racing bikes, but good solid touring bikes. The bikes they get are going to young women in Zambia and Kenya and Sri Lanka (I think Adam said) so that they can get to school. Their target market is 12 and 13 year old girls.

The pending war with Phil precipitated this email from him:
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: Interviews of DOEJO employees Shot in January of 2011
Date: 6/15/2011 8:38:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: phil@doejo.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com

–

Philip Tadros
708.655.6753

philcoextra.com

Doejo / we fuel ideas that grow

doejo.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May again. BTW, Jack will give you a 20% discount on your show if you mention “Ron May sent me.” 312-965-5225.

Note that one PR firm was fired for threatening reviewers:

www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/06/duke-nukems-pr-threatens/

BTW, when I told Julian Pretto about the sale of the 200 S. Wacker building and said that the new owners will change things, he quipped, “Like what, they’ll expect rent to be paid now?” Pretto is planning a big bash in Arlington Heights at night during the week of Tech Week.
__________________________________
200 S. Wacker Drive’s New Owners to make, “Tenant Improvements,” Is the ITA at risk?, by Melanie Adcock

Subject: 200 S. Wacker Drive’s New Owners to make, “Tenant Improvements,” Is the ITA at risk?
Date: 6/15/2011 10:57:22 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: melanie_adcock@msn.com
To: ron@themayreport.com, ronaldmay@aol.com

200 S. Wacker Drive’s New Owners to make, “Tenant Improvements,” Is the ITA at risk?
-By Melanie Adcock

If the new owners of 200 S. Wacker Drive Tower, the location of the Illinois Technology Association, read The May Report they might have a few more ideas for the, “tenant improvements,” mentioned in their article below. Here are some positives and negatives:

Positive: If this building has so much extra space, there are plenty of Chicago based start-up companies looking for office space. Otherwise a place like The Sync Tech Center, now closed, would not have so quickly gained momentum. The ITA has a chance to be kind to the many who felt more at home in places like the Sync Tech Center and reel them back in for a profit. Question is, are they capable of doing so?

Negative: If the ITA is having trouble paying their rent or any financial difficulties they may not get a free pass as the new building owners restructure and make, “tenant improvements.” If any member company is getting special treatment and are not paying for space at TechNexus or membership, they might have to start coughing up some cash. Personally, I think this would be a big plus. If there are any hocus-pocus business practices going on behind the scenes at ITA it’s not likely to make them look very good in the eyes of the new building owners. It’s hard not to see that as a plus. The negative side to this is the potential negative impact on the tech community.

-Melanie Adcock

Zell buys stake in Wacker Drive tower
Crain’s Chicago Business

bit.ly/l6vYaJ

By: Alby Gallun June 15, 2011

(Crain’s) – Billionaire financier Sam Zell has bought a stake in a Wacker Drive office tower, his first major local office investment since he sold his company Equity Office Properties Trust in 2007.

Mr. Zell’s investment firm, Equity Group Investments LLC, and another Chicago-based investor, Transwestern Investment Co., have formed a joint venture with the owner of the high-rise at 200 S. Wacker Drive to recapitalize the 40-story office tower. The original owner, Behringer Harvard REIT I Inc., will retain a 10% stake in the 754,750-square-foot building, according to a news release Wednesday morning from the Dallas-based real estate investment trust. Other terms were not disclosed; spokeswomen for Equity Group and Behringer Harvard decline to comment.

“We’re beginning to see an increase in investment opportunities as more lenders and owners bring assets for recapitalization into the market. The 200 S. Wacker Drive transaction enabled us to acquire an interest in a great asset in a terrific location at below replacement cost, and we did it with strong partners that are also focused on improving the asset and positioning it for leasing success,” Mr. Zell, chairman of Equity Group Investments, said in the release.

Equity Group invested in the building through the Zell Credit Opportunities Fund, which focuses primarily on debt investments and capital restructurings. Transwestern, led by a Zell protege, Stephen Quazzo, invests primarily in office, industrial and apartment properties. Chicago-based brokerage J. F. McKinney & Associates has been hired to lease the building.

The transaction fits with the distressed investing style for which Mr. Zell is known. With a $95.5-million loan maturing in February 2011, Behringer Harvard had been trying to recapitalize the building since last year, a challenge given the tough lending climate. Last fall, the company said it believed the property was worth less than the loan, making it necessary for Behringer Harvard to find new partners to inject equity into the property.

Related story: Wacker Drive tower worth less than loan, owner says

“As a result of this joint venture, 200 S. Wacker Drive will benefit from enhanced access to capital and a stronger capacity to fund broker commissions and tenant improvements,” Mr. Quazzo, Transwestern’s CEO, said in the release.

(Crain’s) – Billionaire financier Sam Zell has bought a stake in a Wacker Drive office tower, his first major local office investment since he sold his company Equity Office Properties Trust in 2007.

Mr. Zell’s investment firm, Equity Group Investments LLC, and another Chicago-based investor, Transwestern Investment Co., have formed a joint venture with the owner of the high-rise at 200 S. Wacker Drive to recapitalize the 40-story office tower. The original owner, Behringer Harvard REIT I Inc., will retain a 10% stake in the 754,750-square-foot building, according to a news release Wednesday morning from the Dallas-based real estate investment trust. Other terms were not disclosed; spokeswomen for Equity Group and Behringer Harvard decline to comment.

“We’re beginning to see an increase in investment opportunities as more lenders and owners bring assets for recapitalization into the market. The 200 S. Wacker Drive transaction enabled us to acquire an interest in a great asset in a terrific location at below replacement cost, and we did it with strong partners that are also focused on improving the asset and positioning it for leasing success,” Mr. Zell, chairman of Equity Group Investments, said in the release.

Equity Group invested in the building through the Zell Credit Opportunities Fund, which focuses primarily on debt investments and capital restructurings. Transwestern, led by a Zell protege, Stephen Quazzo, invests primarily in office, industrial and apartment properties. Chicago-based brokerage J. F. McKinney & Associates has been hired to lease the building.

The transaction fits with the distressed investing style for which Mr. Zell is known. With a $95.5-million loan maturing in February 2011, Behringer Harvard had been trying to recapitalize the building since last year, a challenge given the tough lending climate. Last fall, the company said it believed the property was worth less than the loan, making it necessary for Behringer Harvard to find new partners to inject equity into the property.

Related story: Wacker Drive tower worth less than loan, owner says

“As a result of this joint venture, 200 S. Wacker Drive will benefit from enhanced access to capital and a stronger capacity to fund broker commissions and tenant improvements,” Mr. Quazzo, Transwestern’s CEO, said in the release.

Wacker Drive tower worth less than loan, owner says
Crain’s Chicago Business

bit.ly/iyc1jP

By: Thomas A. Corfman November 17, 2010

(Crain’s) – The owner of 200 S. Wacker Drive says the 40-story tower isn’t worth its $95.5-million loan.
That would mean the value of the nearly 759,000-square-foot office building has plunged at least 28% from its appraisal of $133 million in January 2006, when the loan was issued. The steep decline is a sharp reminder of how office properties have fallen in value since the peak of the market, particularly those with high vacancy rates, like 200 S. Wacker.
Even as Behringer Harvard REIT I Inc. tries to restructure the loan on the Wacker Drive property, it has hired real estate firm Holliday Fenoglio Fowler L.P. to refinance $413.6 million in loans on two other downtown office properties that come due in less than a year.
Behringer Harvard has confirmed it is in negotiations over the loan on 200 S. Wacker, which comes due in February, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission by the suburban Dallas-based real estate investment trust.
Among the options under discussion are changing the terms of the existing loan or paying it off at a discount, the filing says. Sources familiar with the negotiations say the company also has raised the possibility of handing back the property to the lender.
The REIT “believes the value of 200 S. Wacker is less than the property’s debt,” a company spokeswoman says in an e-mail.
Loan restructuring negotiations often result in role reversals, with normally optimistic developers offering grim views of their properties. The gloomy outlook is sometimes part of a gambit to convince a lender that taking back the property would be worse than working out a deal.
While that may be the case here, 200 S. Wacker has suffered financially this year, largely because of the defection earlier this year of a key tenant, Boston Consulting Group, which had almost 12% of the building.
Related story: Big loan looms over West Loop
200 S. Wacker continues to have trouble covering its mortgage payments, with almost $891,000 advanced from a reserve fund, according to a loan report from Bloomberg L.P.
The Behringer Harvard spokeswoman disputes the report, saying mortgage payments have been made on time and the loan is not in default.
As part of a loan restructuring, the REIT “is fully prepared to allocate new capital to stabilize the property,” the spokeswoman says.
Holliday Fenoglio Fowler also has been hired to find a joint venture partner and another lender, the spokeswoman confirms.
The 200 S. Wacker loan is part of a pool of loans that were sold to investors in a commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) offering. A spokesman for a unit of Miami Beach, Fla.-based LNR Property Corp., which is handling the loan for the CMBS investors, declines to comment.
Behringer Harvard bought the Wacker Drive tower in 2007 as part of a portfolio that included One Financial Place at 440 S. LaSalle St. and the 10 & 120 S. Riverside Plaza complex.
Those two properties have $413.6 million in loans due next Nov. 1. Holliday Fenoglio is also working to refinance those properties, the spokeswoman says.
Behringer Harvard expects to use some of its cash to pay down the debt on those buildings, according to the SEC filing. They are performing better financially than 200 S. Wacker Drive, according to a loan report.
The REIT’s unrestricted cash fell about 29%, to nearly $128.3 million, as of Sept. 30, compared to about $179.6 million as of Dec. 31, according to Behringer Harvard’s third-quarter report.

Melanie Adcock
Assistant Editor of The May Report
312-259-0610 melanie_adcock@msn.com
LinkedIn: linkd.in/MelanieAdcock
The May Report Facebook Page: on.fb.me/TheMayReport
Visit The May Report Archives: bit.ly/TheMayReportArchives
Subscribe to The May Report: bit.ly/TheMayReportSubscribe
________________________________
SmallBusinessChicago : New state-funded technology account could mean $150 million-plus in venture capital

Subject: SmallBusinessChicago : New state-funded technology account could mean $150 million-plus in venture capital
Date: 6/15/2011 11:25:56 A.M. Central Daylight Time
From: ed.longanecker@techamerica.org
To: ronaldmay@aol.com, melanie_adcock@msn.com

here is a link to a site I really like. www.smallbizchicago.com/2011/06/new-state-funded-technology-account-could-mean-150-million-plus-in-venture-capital/
_______________________________
Bill Clinton bringing Clinton Global Initiative meeting to Chicago – June 29-30, 2011

Subject: FYI: Bill Clinton bringing Clinton Global Initiative meeting to Chicago – June 29-30, 2011
Date: 6/16/2011 11:08:52 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: tatvshow@yahoo.com
To: RONALDMAY@aol.com
CC: ron@themayreport.com

Bill Clinton bringing Clinton Global Initiative meeting to Chicago.

PRESS RELEASE
Secretary Geithner to Join President Clinton at CGI America
June 16, 2011

The First Clinton Global Initiative Meeting Focused Solely on the U.S. Will Highlight Innovative Ideas for Spurring Job Creation and Economic Growth

More Than 600 Leaders From Business, Government, and Civil Society To Attend, Including Haley Barbour, Stephanie Burns, Mitch Daniels, Rahm Emanuel, Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., Jennifer Granholm, John Hickenlooper, Tony Hsieh, Judith Rodin, James E. Rogers, and Tom Vilsack

NEW YORK — Today, President Bill Clinton announced the program and featured participants for CGI America, which will bring together more than 600 leaders from businesses, nonprofits, and all levels of government to develop and highlight ideas for spurring economic growth and creating jobs in the United States. The event, the first Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) meeting to focus exclusively on the U.S., will take place in Chicago on June 29-30.

“I am looking forward to taking the Clinton Global Initiative model — which has already improved the lives of 300 million people worldwide — and applying it to challenges within the U.S.,” President Clinton said. “Innovative job creation initiatives are being implemented across the country, and CGI America will bring together leaders from all sectors to share their ideas so we can replicate and expand the most successful strategies.”

At CGI America, participants will focus on strengthening American industries, unlocking capital for innovation and entrepreneurship, advancing energy efficiency and smart infrastructure, and educating the next generation for the workforce. The CGI America program will include panel discussions on:

Education in America: Regaining Our Edge, which will explore how to revitalize the U.S. educational system and train American workers for the 21st century economy;
American Success Stories, which will highlight leaders who have spurred job growth by developing creative responses to unique local challenges; and
Energy Innovation and the Built Environment, which will explore how cities can create jobs and reduce emissions by making buildings more sustainable.
The meeting will also include working groups on green buildings, the healthcare workforce, infrastructure, manufacturing, the rural economy, service corps, startups, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, veteran employment, and workforce development. During the working group sessions, participants will develop Commitments to Action – new, specific, and measurable plans to spur job creation and improve the economy.

At the closing session of CGI America, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will join President Clinton for a special one-on-one conversation about the state of the economy and the Obama Administration’s plans to help spur private sector job creation and improve America’s competitiveness.

Featured participants also include Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi, Stephanie Burns, chairman of Dow Corning, Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana, Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago, Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., president and CEO of TIAA-CREF, Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado, Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, Bob McCann, CEO of UBS Wealth Management Americas, Pete Peterson, founder of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Michael Porter, professor at Harvard Business School, J.B. Pritzker, managing partner, the Pritzker Group, Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, James E. Rogers, chairman, president, and CEO of Duke Energy, Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Other corporations and organizations participating in CGI America include Aetna, AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers, APCO Worldwide, Applied Materials, AstraZeneca, Bank of America, Bayer, Becton, Dickinson & Co. (BD), Best Buy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Booz Allen Hamilton, the Brookings Institution, BT Group, CareerBuilder.com, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Center for American Progress, Cisco, City Year, the Coca-Cola Company, Covanta Energy, Darden Restaurants, Deutsche Bank Americas, the Dow Chemical Company, the Economist, Edelman, Eli Lilly & Company, Ernst & Young, ExxonMobil, Facebook, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, the Ford Foundation, the Goldman Sachs Group, Habitat for Humanity International, Hertz, Hess, Intel, the J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, Johnson Controls, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kiva.org, LinkedIn, Lockheed Martin, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, the Newsweek Daily Beast Company, NRG Energy, Pat Tillman Foundation, Paychex, Procter & Gamble, Prudential Financial, Rotary International, Teach for America, the Travelers Companies, United Auto Workers, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Labor, United Nations Foundation, USAID, Verizon Wireless, Visa, Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, and Zynga.

For more information please visit www.CGIAmerica.org and follow @ClintonGlobal (twitter.com/clintonglobal ) for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #CGIAmerica. Detailed press logistical information is below.

CGI is grateful to the sponsors of CGI America: the J.B. & M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation, Tom Golisano, the Dow Chemical Company, the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, and ExxonMobil.

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings, which take place in New York each September, have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, along with heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made nearly 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place September 19-22 in New York City.

CGI America is the first CGI meeting focused solely on the U.S. The CGI community also includes CGI University, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

What: CGI America (www.cgiamerica.org)

Where: Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 East North Water Street Chicago, IL 60611

When: June 29-30, 2011

Applying for Credentials: All media must apply for credentials and must be approved by CGI in order to attend. The deadline to apply is 6 p.m. ET on Monday, June 27. Journalists may apply for credentials on site but pre-registered media will be given priority. To apply for media credentials, fill out the form at forms.clintonglobalinitiative.org/press/public/view.php?id=32.

Picking Up Credentials: Approved press may pick up their credentials at CGI’s press registration desk on the first floor of the Sheraton on Tuesday, June 28, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday, June 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursday, June 30, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Valid government-issued ID is required. If applying on site, please bring press ID as well. For additional information contact Meb Byrne at meb.byrne@clintonglobalinitiative.org.

Access: All plenary sessions are open press. Working group sessions are closed press.

CGI Media Center and Workspace: The media center is located on the first floor of the Sheraton. Wired and wireless Internet access will be provided. Phones will not be provided.

Wireless Microphones: Please do NOT bring or use wireless microphones on site, as they will interfere with the wireless PA systems.

Mult Box: Output specifics are: XLR for audio and BNC connection for video.

Sat Truck Parking: There are a limited amount of satellite and microwave truck parking spaces available. Please contact Seth Bellaff at seth@tuckerproduction.com.

Twitter: Follow @ClintonGlobal (twitter.com/clintonglobal) for meeting news and highlights. The event hashtag is #CGIAmerica.

Live Webcast: All CGI America plenary sessions will be webcast at live.cgiamerica.org.

Photos: Photos from the meeting will be available on CGI’s Flickr account at www.cgiamerica.org/flickr

Facebook: Highlights, news, and photos from CGI America will be shared on the CGI Facebook page: www.facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

Bruce Eric Montgomery
Executive Producer & Host
Technology Access Television
200 S. Wacker Drive, 15th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606-5865
(312) 725-8601
tatvshow@yahoo.com
www.tatv.org
www.twitter.com/techaccesstv
www.facebook.com/brucemontgomery
____________________________
Cards Ron collected at the Funding Feeding Frenzy Elevation Presentation on 4/4/2011

Phil Vickman
Fat Tone Guitars
www.fattoneguitars.com
phil@fattoneguitars.com

William Holdeman
President
My Drink On
www.mydrinkon.com
william@mydrinkon.com

Nick Constantine
Director of IT
Mega Pools
www.mega-pools.com
nick@mega-pools.com

Bradnon Stith, CISP
Vice President/ General Manager
Entrust IRA
www.entrustcompany.com
brandon@entrustcompany.com

John C. Sedej
Mortgage Loan Originator
McGlone
www.johnsedej.com
jsedej@mcglonemortgage.com

Araceli Corona, MBA, MA
Insurance Specialist
C.C. & Associates
aracelery@gmail.com

Joshua Ginsberg
Founder
Chicago Art Leasing
www.chicagoartleasing.com
josh@chicagoartleasing.com

Justin Baker
Founder & CEO
My Personal Shopper
www.mypersonalshopper.com
justin@mypersonalshopper.com

Tom Denison
Director of Business Development
Game Slam
www.gameslam.com
tom@gameslam.com

Nancy Munro
CEO
Knowledge Shift
www.knowledgeshift.net
nancy@knowledgeshift.net

Robert A. Cornog, Jr.
racornog@comcast.net

Jay R. Dainas
SVP of Marketing/ Principal
Adalyze Technologies
www.adalyze.com
jdainas@adalyze.com

Scott Starbuck
Niche
City Soles
www.citysoles.com
scott@citysoles.com

Daniel Hanlon
Business Development
Entrust IRA
www.entrustcompany.com
dhanlon@entrustcompany.com

John Hochbaum
President/ CEO
Contracting Trust
john@contractingtrust.com

Jason Jacobsohn
AEGIS
www.aegisps.com
jjacobsohn@aegisps.com

David Culver
Director of Marketing
Forward Momentum
www.forwardmomentumllc.com
david@forwardmomentumllc.com

Ray Markman
General Partner
Midwest Renaissance Fund
www.midwestrenaissance.com
rmarkman@mwrvcf.com

Kilton Hopkins
CTO
The App House
kilton@theapphouse.com

Michael Waltzman
www.keeperhub.com
mjw@keeperhub.com
_______________________________
Cards Ron collected at midVentures on 1/20/2011

Uki D. Lucas
Lead Android Architect
Sears Holdings
ulucas@searshc.com

Chirag Patel

chirag.name

Charles E. Johnson
B.A. in Architecture
www.cjarch.net
johnosoce18@yahoo.com

Linda Frothingham
President
Frothingham Communications
www.frothideas.com
linda@frothideas.com

Lena Kadyroff
Manager of Client Services
Sphere Consulting
www.sphereinc.com
lenak@sphereinc.com

Dale R. Kurth
Of Counsel
Partridge IP Law
www.partridgeiplaw.com
dkurth@partridgeiplaw.com

Nathan Linebarger
Junior Developer
Mid Ventures
nathan@midventures.com

Nancy Munro
CEO
Knowledge Shift
www.knowledgeshift.net
nancy@knowledgeshift.net

Jim Costopulos
President
Matrix Management
jcostopulos@matrix-mgt.com

Jonathan Pasky
SVP
Mid Ventures
jon@midventures.com

Oudaya Carounanidy
Senior Architect
Comnet
www.comneti.com
ouday@comneti.com
___________________________________
Cards Ron collected at BNC Venture Capital Group on 1/4/2011

Jack J. McInerney, MSIS
Director
In Time TV
www.intimetv.com
jmcinerney@intimetv.com

John Jonelis
Project 304
www.content.johnjonelis.com
john@johnjonelis.com

Gregory A. Evans
The Party Plate
www.thepartyplate.com
thepartyplate@sbcglobal.net

Ophelia G. Smith
The Party Plate
www.thepartyplate.com
thepartyplate@sbcglobal.net

Robert C. McKenzie
Chief Executive Officer
Tattoo Technologies
www.tattootechnologies.com
robert.mckenzie@tattootechnologies.com

Chuck Corush
Colonial Funding

Jeffrey Pelock
Revco Vetures
www.revcoventures.com
jpelock@revcoventures.com

Christopher A. Pesch
Attorney
Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell
cpesch@lockelord.com

Sarah Doherty
sdoherty@telehealth-now.com

Bill Burnett
Technologies
Tailwind Discovery Group
www.tailwinddiscoverygroup.com
bill@twdgrp.com

Scott A. Fiedler
Senior General Management
scottafiedler@gmail.com

Gregg J. Fuesel
Chief Financial Officer/ Controller
fueselg@gmail.com

Jay Kelly
Consultant
Administaff
www.administaff.com
jay_kelly@administaff.com
___________________________________
Cards Ron collected at the ACG Smart Grid conference on 1/18/2011

Ryan Vaile
Managing Director
Marathon Financial Group
www.marathonfgi.com
ryan@marathonfgi.com

Michael Gruber
Partner
Independence Equity
mgruber@independence-equity.com

Norman W. Fishman
Partner
Concept Equity Fund
nfishman@conceptequityfund.com

Wanda Reder
Vice President
S&C Electric Company
www.sandc.com
wreder@sandc.com

John F. Kelly
Deputy Director
Galvin Electricity Initiative
www.galvinpower.org
jkelly@galvinpower.org

Daniel A. Nordloh
Vice President
ZBB
www.zbbenergy.com
dnordloh@zbbenergy.com

Hugo van Nispen
Managing Director
KEMA
www.kema.com
hugo.vannispen@kema.com

Robert H. Schulte
Principal
Schulte Associates
rhs@schulteassociates.com

Robert Schulte
Executive Director and Project Manager
Iowa Stored Energy Plant Agency
www.isepa.com
rhs@schulteassociates.com

Piotr Biezychudek
Associate
The Edgewater Funds
piotr@edgewaterfunds.com

Mark W. Russell
MJ Technology
mark.russell@comcast.net

Shyam Sharma, Ph. D.
Managing Director
Sim Capital
www.simcapital.com
ssharma@simcapital.com

David M. Schwartz
Jacquard Associates
www.jacquard.com
dmschwartz@jacquard.com

Charles V. Loucks
Blue Canyon
www.bluecanyonpartners.com
cvl@bluecanyonpartners.com

John Lux
Director of Business Development
Agentis Energy
www.agentisenergy.com
jlux@agentisenergy.com

Steve Trybus
Newry
www.newrycorp.com
strybus@newrycorp.com

Tom Hulsebosch
West Monroe Partners
www.westmonroepartners.com
thulsebosch@westmonroepartners.com

Joshua C. Milberg
First Deputy Commissioner
City of Chicago
joshua.milberg@cityofchicago.org

Craig Miller
Chief Executive Officer
ACG Chicago
www.acgchicago.com
cmiller@acgchicago.com

Ira Holtzman
CPA
Lower Electric
www.lowerelectric.com
ira@lowerelectric.com

Joe Spease
CEO
Wind Solar Hydrogen Project Development
www.windsohy.com
jspease@windsohy.com

Charles Orlowek
Business Development Manager
Quebec Government Office
www.quebecusa.org
charles.orlowek@mri.gouv.qc.ca

Milton J. Sumption
SSR Financial
mjsumption@ssrfinancial.com

Thomas M. Turmell
Managing Director
TMT Capital Partners
tturmell@tmtcapital.com

Andrew Wolkstein
Vice President/ Search Consultant
The Laramie Group
www.laramiegrouponline.com
awolstein@laramiegrouponline.com

Daniel M. Roberts
Principal
Agility
www.agilityresources.net
droberts@agilityresources.net

Frank P. Drukas
President-Executive Consultant
Agility
www.agilityresources.com
fdrukas@agilityresources.net

Charles W. Newton
President
Newton-Evans Research Company
www.newton-evans.com
cnewton@newton-evans.com

James J. Greenberger
Executive Director
NAAT Batt
www.naatbatt.org
jgreenberger@naatbatt.org

Denise McKinney
Director
Boeing
denise.mckinney@boeing.com

Ken Harris
Principal
4Thought Energy
www.4thoughtenergy.com
ken.harris@4thoughtenergy.com

Wayne Boulais
General Partner
Apex
www.apexvc.com
wboulais@apexvc.com

Terry Cobb
Vice President
ACG Chicago
www.acgchicago.com
tcobb@acgchicacgo.com

Mark Barry
SVP Business Development
CePort
www.ceportbsp.com
mbarry@ceportbsp.com

Mike Coop
heyCoop
www.heycoop.com
mcoop@heycoop.com
__________________________________
Cards Ron collected at the BNC Tech Pitch on 2/16/2011

George M. Deeb
Founder & Managing Partner
Red Rocket
www.redrocketvc.com
george@redrocketvc.com

Jeff Garbaciak
Intern
ACM Partners
jeff@acm-partners.com

Eric Kalseth
Managed Solutions Specialist
B2B Computer Products
www.b2bcomp.com
ekalseth@b2bcomp.com

Joe van den Heuvel
President
Cloakworks
www.cloak-works.com
joevdh@cloak-works.com

Andrew Nadler
Director of Operations
Forward Momentum
www.forwardmomentumllc.com
andrew@forwardmomentumllc.com

Lito Santiano
Director of Operations
Mega Pools
www.mega-pools.com
lito@mega-pools.com

Lynn Tsan
www.lynntsan.com
lynn.tsan@gmail.com

Rod Loren
President
Mega Pools
www.mega-pools.com
rod@mega-pools.com

Nick Constantine
Director of IT
www.mega-pools.com
nick@mega-pools.com

Michael McConachie
COO, Co-Founder
Like List
www.likelist.com
michael@likelist.com

Carl Jost
Business Network Chicago
www.bnchicago.org
cjost@bnchicago.org

Brandon Johnson
Microsoft Store
Teacher
www.microsoftstore.com
brjonhson@microsoft.com

Steven Wright
President
Wright Innovations
www.frontbrakelight.com
steven@frontbrakelight.com

James Parker
Senior Account Executive
Chicago Woman Entrepreneur
jparker@chicagowe.com

Mark Michuda
CEO/ Co-Founder
Text Hub Corp.
www.texthub.com
mark@texthub.com
_______________________________________
Cards Ron collected at Heartland Angels meeting on 2/7/11

Scott Pemberton
Productive Strategies
www.productivestrategies.com
spemberton@productivestrategies.com

Linda Frothingham
President
Frothingham Communications
www.frothideas.com
linda@frothideas.com

Patricia Joseph
Managing Director
Prospex Information
pjoseph@prospexinc.com

James S. Weber, Ph. D.
Statistics and Operations Research
james@weberstats.com

Thomas P. McNeely, CFA
Director
BDO
www.bdovaluation.us.com
tmcneely@bdovaluation.us.com

Jill Zylke
www.coroflot.com/jillzylke/
jazs27@aol.com

Timothy M. McCarthy
Attorney
Clark Hill
tmmcarthy@clarkhill.com

Alexis Crawford

alexisinc.info

alexis.m.crawford@gmail.com

Edward Lee
Professor of Law
Chicago-Kent College of Law
www.kentlaw.edu
elee@kentlaw.edu

Linda Frothingham
Creative Promotion
www.chicagohollywood.com
linda@chicagohollywood.com

Natalie Bennett
Attorney
McDermont Will & Emery
www.mwe.com
nbennett@mwe.com

H. Edwards
Cook County Sheriff
hedwards@iit.edu

Fletcher Hayes
Fletcher Hayes Visual Arts
fh@fletcherhayes.com
____________________________________
END OF REPORT