Welcome to Venture Island North State
Venture Island Judges
EVELYN JACOBS
Evelyn Jacobs is Senior Vice President and Region President for U.S. Bank in charge of Community Banking. Her territory includes a nine county region in Northern California where she is responsible for leadership, growth – commercial and retail, and service in 23 U.S. Bank branches. Ms. Jacobs is a 15 year U.S. Bank veteran and was previously district service manager of U.S. Bank in Northern California. She successfully completed the Graduate School of Retail Bank Management hosted at the University of Virginia and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. Presently, she is on the board of directors for the Downtown Redding Business Association, the Shasta County YMCA, chair of the Shasta Regional Community Foundation, Innovations Housing, and Habitat for Humanity Shasta Cascade. Ms. Jacobs serves on the Investors Council for Shasta Economic Development Corporation, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Redding. She is a past board member for the Sacramento Library Foundation and Habitat for Humanity, Sacramento.
CRAIG KRAFFERT, M.D.
Craig Kraffert, M.D. is the founder and was, until recently, the Chief Executive Officer of Shastique, Inc. (DermStore.com/ Glow.com) prior to its sale to Manhattan Beach-based Intelligent Beauty. DermStore and Glow are leading sources for skin care and cosmetic products on the Internet. He is also the founder of Redding Dermatology which currently provides services in Shasta, Siskiyou and Humboldt Counties. Dr. Kraffert is a board certified dermatologist and graduated from the UCLA School of Medicine with honors. He studied dermatology and served as Chief Resident at the University of Miami Department of Dermatology which is recognized as the pre-eminent dermatology institution throughout the world. Dr. Kraffert is a member of several national dermatology organizations. He is politically active at the state level within dermatology and presently serves as both President of the California Society for Dermatology (CalDerm) and immediate Past President of CalDerm’s Political Action Committee. Dr. Kraffert maintains business interests both within and outside dermatology. Since 1998, he has been a member of Redding’s Sunrise Rotary.
JOHN KOEBERER
John is Co-Owner, CEO & President of The California Parks Companies. These business entities are involved in managing recreational enterprises statewide for public agencies, utility districts and non-profit organizations with emphasis on inland lake marinas, corporate event and catering venues, restaurants, RV and mobile home parks, campgrounds, gift and grocery retail operations, gas stations and a guest lodge in Lassen Volcanic National Park. John also serves as Chairman & CEO of The Redwood Parks Lodge Company in Orick California. Mr. Koeberer’s 38-year career in the Hospitality Industry has included ownership, skilled executive management, directorships and visionary, entrepreneurial leadership in privately and publicly owned companies, public agencies and non-profit public organizations. Mr. Koeberer was the winner of the Norman P. Clark California Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2001 and was inducted into the California Tourism Hall of Fame in 1999.
BOB MATHER
Bob Mather is Chief Executive Officer/Founder of the Pre-employ.com, Inc. Founded in 1994, the company is a global leader in the HR service industry, offering full service pre-employment screening for a variety of Fortune 500 clients. Pre-employ. com empowers recruiters with the information needed to quickly make informed hiring decisions and helps prevent theft, embezzlement and workplace violence. Today, Mr. Mather has grown Pre-employ.com into a family of companies that includes Mybackgroundcheck.com, Past-employ.com and I-9Compliance.com which helps employers comply with Homeland Security laws. Pre-employ.com was recognized as 2008’s Best Company to Work For in Shasta County after being nominated by the company’s own employees for offering a great work environment, on-going training or advancement opportunities for employees, and a superior overall experience for customers.
GERALD GITCHELL
Gerald Gitchell is the Chief Financial Officer of the McConnell Foundation, a private charitable foundation located in Redding, California. The McConnell Foundation serves Northern California and supports arts and culture, education, the environment, social services, recreation, health care, and community vitality. Mr. Gitchell joined the Foundation in 2001 after serving as Chief Financial Officer of Pepsi-Cola Bottling of Northern California. At the Foundation, he oversees accounting, finance and operational issues relating to the foundations $400 million in assets and 35 employees. He has also served as Chief Financial Officer for Tradewinds Financial Corporation in Marin, California and worked in public accounting at Harb, Levy and Weiland CPA’s in San Francisco. Mr. Gitchell is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Manager and a Certified Management Accountant. He is a member of the Foundation Financial Officers Group and Rotary International and serves as Board Treasurer for Youth Violence Prevention Council and Teen Challenge.
JEFF COLLINS
Jeff Collins is a certified public accountant and shareholder of Matson and Isom. Currently he is the director in charge of the firm’s Redding office. The firm has offices in Redding, Chico and Colusa. Mr. Collins has over 28 years of experience advising individual and business clients in a variety of industries. He has been active in the Redding community having served 7 years on the board of director of the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce. Presently, he is the past president on the board of United Way of Shasta County, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the United Way of Northern California, treasurer of the Shasta Trinity Fly Fishers and an active member of the Exchange Club of Redding including the Redding Air Show committee. Mr. Collins is also a graduate of Leadership Redding and held several positions on the Leadership Redding steering committee. He earned his bachelor’s of science degree in business administration – accounting from California State University, Chico. He is a long-term member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
RICHARD GREEN
Richard Green is the former Vice President and General Manager of KRCR TV. He has nearly four decades of broadcasting experience in Eureka, Redding, Fort Bragg and Ukiah. Mr. Green was also the Founder and past Director of the Redding Bank of Commerce. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Technology from Oregon State University. Prior, he served in the United States Air Force as a Medical Administrative Specialist. He has an extensive list of community activity including involvement and many positions with the United Way of Klamath County; the United Way of Shasta County; United Way of Northern California; and the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce; Redding Redevelopment Agency, Rotary Club of Redding; Shasta County Economic Development Corporation; Mercy Medical Center Board Of Directors; Mercy Medical Center Advisory Board - Finance, Long Range Planning and Mercy Medical Center Air Ambulance Committee; and Northern Valley Catholic Social Service.
ROD ROBERTS
Rod Roberts was, until recently, the founder and CEO of Newport Biosytems, a healthcare technology company located in Anderson, California. Newport Biosystems was the creator of biobags, sterile plastic containers used for the storage and shipment of sterile medical and biotech fluids. Customers included a long list of major medical ad biotech manufacturers. Originally started in Menlo Park, Mr. Roberts moved the company to the North State for its excellent quality of life, labor force, cost of living and ease of transportation. Newport Biosystems, Inc, was purchased in April of 2005 by Millipore, a major supplier of filtration products to the medical industry. Mr. Roberts continues to live in Redding.
PABLO D’ANNA
Pablo D’Anna recently retired from RF Micro Devices, a company that provides high tech components for wireless communications systems, after this company bought his previous employer, Sirenza in 2007. Before RF Micro, he participated in two start-ups, the latest one: Xemod sold to Sirenza in 2002, and the previous one, Spectrian, which went public in 1994. In the 1980’s Dr. D’Anna founded an international consulting firm that assisted chip fabrication companies with semiconductor technology. He has also held engineering and staff management positions at many high technology companies in Silicon Valley including Lockheed Martin, Varian, Raytheon and Fairchild Semiconductors. Dr. D’Anna has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Masters in International Business from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He hails from Argentina, has been a member of Rotary since 1986, and moved to Redding from the Bay Area with his wife eight years ago.
SCOTT GORDON
Scott Gordon is the Dean of Business, Technology, Family and Consumer Sciences at Shasta College in Redding, California. Shasta Community College District, part of the largest system of higher education in the world, encompasses the counties of Shasta, Tehama and Trinity, and small portions of Lassen, Modoc, and Humboldt – including over 10,000 square miles and serving approximately 210,000residents of beautiful northeastern California. The district operates extended education sites in Anderson, Burney, McArthur, Corning, Hayfork, Los Molinos, Red Bluff, the Redding Rancheria, and Weaverville. Mr. Gordon was an instructor at Shasta College from 1999 to 2005; primary teaching areas were business, accounting, and computer applications. Mr. Gordon holds a MBA at Brigham Young University. Prior to joining Shasta College, he held positions with EXXON Company USA, New York Life, and Cal Farm Insurance. He currently serves on the Board of the North Valley Employer Advisory Council.
JON GREGORY
In the entrepreneurial spirit, Jon Gregory co-founded the Golden Capital Network in September 1999 and has served as President and CEO of the organization since its inception. Companies featured at Golden Capital Network events have gone on to raise over $1 billion in angel or venture capital investments. In 2001 Mr. Gregory co-founded the Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance as an 8-county network of private and public sector leaders focused on fostering technology-based economic development in the region. He continues to serve on the organization’s Executive Committee. In his prior position as Deputy Director of Tri-County Economic Development Corporation from 1989-1999, Mr. Gregory authored or co-authored state and federal grants and loans totaling over $50 million. He attended California State University, Chico completing his major in journalism and his minor in political science.
HIRAM OILAR
Hiram Oilar is involved with ready to eat food products distributed throughout the United States and sells wild rice both internationally and domestically. He was honored in 2003 with a Diamond Award for the most significant innovation in international packaging at the Sixteenth Annual DuPont Awards. Mr. Oilar is also involved in residential real estate development locally. He is the Managing Director of the Five Oaks Development; a General Partner of Fall River Food Products, Managing Partner of Oilar Marketing and Management; Managing Partner of BioNiche Enterprises; and Owner of Oilar Wild Rice Marketing. Mr. Oilar serves as the President of the Smart Business Resource Center Board of Directors and has served on the Board for ten years. He has also served on the Northern Rural Training and Employment Workforce Investment Board for six years. Mr. Oilar is Past President of the Fall River Chamber of Commerce and Past President of the International Wild Rice Association. He was the varsity track coach for Fall River High school for four years, coached youth soccer on and off for almost ten years and is now coaching youth flag football.
JAY D. FARQUHAR
Jay D. Farquhar is the owner of Minuteman Press of Redding and is on his “third” career. He is a graduate of Shimer College with an AB in History and Philosophy and did graduate work in Political Philosophy at Lincoln College, Oxford University. His “first” career was in the ocean container shipping industry for Sea-Land Service. He held sales and general management positions in Chicago, New Orleans, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, Copenhagen, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and corporate headquarters in New Jersey. Technology then became his “second” career as he saw the impact technology would have in the business world. He was recruited to run a division of General Electric in London specializing in internet-based applications for the global transportation industry. He was then recruited to be the Chief Operating Officer and SVP of Marketing for TCSI, a publicly traded telecommunications network management software company in Berkeley. Mr. Farquhar e helped start several software companies such as Operon Partners (sold to CMGI), DataRiver, AllVPN, and Voice Access. He has been on the Boards of AllVPN, Apexion (sold to Lawson Software) and Voice Access. He was one of the charter members of the Keiretsu Forum, the largest group of angel investors in the world. He moved to Redding to slow down in 2002 and bought the franchise for Minuteman Press in 2003. He is an active member in The Rotary Club of Redding and has participated in numerous community volunteer efforts.
STEVEN R. MILLS
Steven R. Mills joined DCA Partners in 2002, and is both a Partner in the Firm’s investment banking business as well as a General Partner of DCA Capital Partners, the Company’s affiliated private equity fund. Prior to joining DCA, he served as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Responsys, Inc., a global provider of on–demand email and life cycle marketing automation software and solutions. Prior to Responsys, he was the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary of AnyTime Access, Inc., a provider of outsourced lending services. Anytime Access was sold to Digital Insight (NASDAQ: DGIN) in 2000 which was subsequently sold to Intuit in 2006. Prior to AnyTime Access, Mr. Mills was a Partner with Ernst & Young, LLP in both the San Jose and Sacramento offices. Mr. Mills is an Attorney, holding a Juris Doctor of Law from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where he also earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Mr. Mills has been admitted to the state bar in Nebraska, and is a Certified Public Accountant in both California and Nebraska. Mr. Mills currently serves as the President of the Crocker Art Museum Foundation and is a member of the boards of the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Association (SARTA) and Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy (SEA).
KELLY BREWER
Kelly Brewer is a lifelong journalist and currently a partner at Food for Thought: A News Cafe, a website offering news, color and commentary for California’s north state and beyond. She has helped create and shape newspapers, websites, books, magazines and assorted other dodgy enterprises. She earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of New Mexico. She travels, consults and speaks on issues of media access and the changing media landscape. She volunteers in various community activities, is a member of Rotary Club of Redding and recently completed a two-year term on its board of directors.
JULIE GARCIA
Julie Garcia is the owner of Sun Oaks Tennis and Fitness, a full-service athletic club operating in Redding for more than 40 years. The Sun Oaks tennis program features a full-time professional, 7 outdoor courts and 3 indoor courts, the only indoor courts in the North State. Sun Oaks is a complete health and fitness facility with a certified fitness staff, Nautilus, Cybex free weights and cardiovascular equipment. Since 2002, Ms. Garcia has hosted the annual USTA Women’s Pro Challenge in Redding.
VICTOR HNYP
During his professional career in the fields of finance and technology Victor Hnyp has founded or co-founded over twenty companies. A few ventures were complete failures. However, many survived and were sold or merged with larger companies. He firmly believes that what he learned from the failed ventures enabled him to shape the success of the prosperous ventures. Mr. Hnyp’s career started in the early eighties with Apple Computer, Inc., where he was a Software Engineer writing robotics control software for Apple’s Macintosh manufacturing assembly line. After leaving Apple he started a software testing and consulting firm, and became co-owner of three U.S. patents for portions of Apple’s Macintosh operating system. His background has honed his financial, leadership and management skills. He has expertise in financial planning and forecasting, market analysis, investment fundraising, startup incubation, staffing, and exit plan strategies. After moving to Redding in 1997, Mr. Hnyp co-hosted the “North State Business Today” radio program on KQMS 1400 AM, and contributed articles to the Shasta Business Journal. Today he is President of California Decor Store - the largest home decor and specialty gift store in Redding. He volunteers time to the Smart Center teaching entrepreneurship classes including seminars on business plan writing.
RAYMOND F. BOYKIN, PH.D
Dr. Boykin is a Professor of Supply Chain Management in the College of Business at California State University, Chico and the SAP Fellow. Prior to joining the faculty at Chico State in 1986, he held positions at PLG, Monsanto, and Rockwell International in the areas of production planning and optimization, quality management, and probabilistic risk assessment. Dr. Boykin’s primary teaching areas are operations management, supply chain management, and enterprise systems. He has received numerous teaching and faculty awards at CSU, Chico; five Outstanding Faculty awards and eight Outstanding Teacher awards, including the Chico Chamber of Commerce Teacher of the Year. Dr. Boykin has published numerous papers in journals including the Journal of Enterprise Information Management, Computers in Industry, the Journal of Computer Information Systems, Knowledge and Process Management, Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory, Computers and Industrial Engineering, Risk Analysis, Interfaces, and Management Science. He has been a speaker at over 20 workshops, co-authored a book entitled Enterprise Integration (Prentice Hall), and has received over 40 research/development grants totaling more than $5 million in cash plus millions more in software and hardware.
KENNETH G. THEOBALD
Kenneth Theobald has lived in Lassen County since 1977 and is the owner of Kenneth G. Theobald, Certified Public Accountants with offices in Susanville and Chester. He is involved in many community activities, currently as a trustee of the Lassen Union High School District, a member of the Lassen County Juvenile Justice Commission, Susanville Rotary and as a board member of NORTEC (Northern Rural Training Employment Consortium) serving eleven northern counties. Mr. Theobald obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and his Master of Science in Taxation from Golden Gate University. In 1993 he received the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Certificate of Educational Achievement in Governmental Accounting and Auditing. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Society of California Accountants, and the California Association of School Business Officials.
PETER STRAUS
Peter Straus is a lecturer at California State University-Chico in the College of Business specializing in Entrepreneurship. He draws on his personal experience as an entrepreneur to provide students with a balanced curriculum that includes exposure to entrepreneurial practitioners and a detailed analysis of business plans. After 23 years in a variety of roles at AVL Looms Inc., a global manufacturer and marketer of looms, software, and weaving accessories, located in Chico, California, Mr. Straus stepped down as CEO and is currently executive vice president of the company. Mr. Straus joined AVL in 1982 and oversaw a sales effort that resulted in placing product in all 50 states as well as over 83 countries. As president and CEO of the company from 1990 to 2005, he was responsible for the establishment of AVL outlets in the UK, Japan, and Taiwan and traveled extensively throughout the world on behalf of the company. Mr. Straus has delivered lectures on the use of technology in the textile industry at a variety of venues, including Fashion Institute of Design in New York City, North Carolina State University, Philadelphia University (formerly Philadelphia College of Textiles), the Royal College of Art in London, England, and the Taiwan Textile Federation in Taipei.
W. TODD DODDS
W. Todd Dodds is currently the Director of the Medical Equipment Division at Owens Healthcare. In addition to his current role, he has served as the Director of the Specialty Pharmacy Division and as a Project Manager at Owens Healthcare. Mr. Dodds has and continues to help with development of new business opportunities at Owens Healthcare. He attended Simpson University where he received his BA in Business in 2000. Currently, he is attending CSU Chico where he studying to attain his MBA in Business. In the past, Mr. Dodds served as Chairman of the Redding American Heart Association Board, and is currently serving as Chairman of the Golden Umbrella Advisory Council.
WILLIAM P. ELLISON
William P. Ellison is Founding President & CEO of newly formed Independent Cornerstone Community Bank located in Red Bluff, California. We are a full service commercial and consumer banking institution. We offer a full range of banking products for businesses, professional firms and individuals residing in Tehama and Shasta Counties and the surrounding areas. We are a full service commercial and consumer banking institution. We offer a full range of banking products for businesses, professional firms and individuals residing in Tehama and Shasta Counties and the surrounding areas. He was responsible for initial Bank formation including Capital acquisition through IPO, Regulatory Approval, staff selection and recruitment, Premises Design and formation of Business Plan and Operating Policies. Prior, Mr. Ellison was the EVP and Chief Administrative Officer for Humboldt Bank in Eureka, California and the President and CEO of Tehama Bank in Red Bluff California. Mr. Ellison is a graduate of Pacific Coast Graduate School of Banking at University of Washington, in Seattle, Washington
JIM JUNGWIRTH
Jim Jungwirth is from Hayfork, California where his family has been in the logging business since 1954. He has been a small business owner and entrepreneur for 30 years with ventures in energy, mining and resources. With the change in federal forest management to eco-system management, he started a small business called Jefferson State Forest Produces and made furniture from small-diameter material and certified wood. The company engaged remarkable wood sourcing and production practices with most of its wood coming from public and private forest restoration projects, and its manufacturing processes designed to minimize and eliminate waste and use of toxic substances. As a result of its success, Jefferson State Forest Products was the first company bought by Upstream 21, a venture capital fund started in Portland in 2004 that grows enterprises seeking to build social, economic and ecological capital for a sustainable future. Currently affiliated with the Watershed Research & Training Center in Hayfork, Mr. Jungwirth is dedicated to strengthening the economies of rural areas through the sensible, sustainable and respectful use of our natural resources in conjunction with the spirit and dedication of our community members. He presently serves as a Planning Commissioner for the County of Trinity.
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