ETSU Entrepreneurs’ Club to host John Campbell and Woody Boyd

Original article located at etsu.edu

           

          The East Tennessee State University student Entrepreneurs’ Club will welcome John Campbell and Woody Boyd as its speakers on Monday, Feb. 13, at 5 p.m. in room 322 of Sam Wilson Hall.

          Campbell and ETSU alumnus Boyd will speak on “Improving the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Northeast Tennessee.”   

          Campbell has years of experience as city manager of Johnson City and Kingsport and has served on numerous regional boards. He is currently executive director of AccelNow, a business accelerator supporting technical entrepreneurs and start-up companies across the eight counties of Northeast Tennessee and beyond.

          Boyd, an accomplished entrepreneur and business executive, grew up in Bristol, graduated from Tennessee High and earned a degree from ETSU.

          During his nearly 40-year business career, Boyd has held the position of Chief Executive Officer or Chief Technology Officer for seven companies, most of them startups. His experience covers a wide range of industries including telecommunications, online retail, medical records, wireless Internet, smart highways and building automation.

           The public is invited to this free program. Directions to Sam Wilson Hall can be found by visiting www.etsu.edu/maps/. For additional information, contact Mitzi Brookshear at  or 423-439-7444. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346. 

HDBC Welcomes New Mentor

HDBC is pleased to welcome a 40 year seasoned entrepreneur and business executive to its team of mentors. Woody Boyd grew up in Bristol, graduated from Tennessee High and then from East Tennessee State University.

Mr. Boyd is an accomplished entrepreneur and business executive. Over his nearly 40 year business career Mr. Boyd has held the position of Chief Executive Officer or Chief Technology Officer for 7 companies, most of them start ups. He is a US and International patent holder. He also served as an Expert Witness in a billion dollar telecommunications patent dispute. He is also a member of Mensa, the society of people with genius IQ.

In 1980, Mr. Boyd founded Precision Software which was a pioneer in the field of Interactive Voice Response. In 1987, his company created the world’s largest call processing / order taking system for the Home Shopping Network for which he received US and international patents. Home Shopping then acquired his company and made him president over its technology subsidiary.

His experience covers a wide range of industries including telecommunications, online retail, medical records, wireless Internet, smart highways and building automation. He is about to launch his latest venture and has chosen HBDC as the launch headquarters.

AccelNow to Host Fifth Lunch and Learn at the Holston Business Development Center

The Holston Business Development Center will be working with AccelNow, Northeast Tennessee’s entrepreneurial accelerator, to host a Lunch and Learn on January 31 from noon to 1:00 pm. The event will take place at the HBDC, a local business incubator located at 2005 Venture Park in Kingsport. This month’s speaker will be CJ Hallock of the Small Biz Academy.

The Small Biz Academy is an online small business marketing and success training platform for the entrepreneur in everyone. Owner and founder, CJ Hallock, specializes in using social media, web, and mobile technologies to help businesses, organizations, and individuals build relationships with their customers. For the presentation, CJ will be presenting “Blogging for Business”, which helps businesses learn how to create, maintain, and monitor a blog.

“We are fortunate to have this presentation, because blogging can be a common struggle for many entrepreneurs,” said HBDC Director, Keith Nakoff.

Feel free to bring a lunch, and come out to listen to this information for entrepreneurs and small businesses. To RSVP for this free event, email leah@accelnow.com or call the Holston Business Development Center at (423) 578-6235.

Holston Business Development Center Welcomes New Tenant

The Holston Business Development Center, a local business incubator that serves Kingsport and Hawkins County, announces their newest tenant, Flow MedTech, an early-stage company developing an implantable medical device to prevent strokes in people with irregular heart rhythms.

Georgia Tech biomedical engineering alumni, Arnab Chakraborty and Christine Hang, were first introduced to the problem in November 2013 and began testing prototypes using heart models by May 2014. Flow MedTech’s technology is focused on preventing strokes in patients with the most common irregular heart rhythm, known as atrial fibrillation. The patent-pending technology, prevents clot formation by blocking blood flow and thus reducing the risk of strokes.

“We are excited to have a new and growing business in the incubator,” said HBDC Director, Keith Nakoff. “Flow MedTech has a lot of potential and we look forward to seeing what’s in store for them.”

Flow MedTech is not only expanding their office space, but their team as well. They recently announced the appointment of Senthil Thambidorai, MD, FHRS, as Vice President of Medical Affairs. Dr. Thambidorai completed a Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic and a Cardiology Fellowship at the Creighton University-Department of Medicine in Nebraska. He received his Doctor of Medicine, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Kilpauk Medical College in India. He plans to lead Flow MedTech’s efforts by providing clinical input and vision during the research and development phase. He will also facilitate strategic partnerships to strengthen and further Flow MedTech’s position in the market.

“With Dr. Thambidorai’s extensive training and experience, he is an incredible addition as well as a strong asset for our team,” said Arnab Chakraborty, Chief Product Officer and Chairman, Flow MedTech.

The teams plans to continue growing this year with the help of the Holston Business Development Center (located at 2005 Venture Park in Kingsport), and the local entrepreneurial accelerator, AccelNow, to expand their business. For more information, visit HBDC.org and Accelnow.com.

To learn more about Flow MedTech, visit www.flow-medtech.com.