ANN ARBOR – New Enterprise Forum and will host a panel discussion on how entrepreneurs can take the next step to grow their ventures beyond their initial sales and known reference customers on October 16 at the Holiday Inn North Campus in Ann Arbor.

The participants for this event include:

Noura Bashshur – President & COO, TMJ Pain Solutions, and Project Manager & Research Associate, University of Michigan Health System: Noura has a 20-year portfolio of success in developing innovative marketing solutions to significantly boost bottom lines within the high-tech and health care industries. Her past includes marketing posts at HealthMedia, Healtheon WebMD, and SmartPatents, Inc.

Brenda Moore – CEO & President, Perk & Brew Corporation: Beginning her career as a Detroit Police officer, Brenda developed a taste for coffee? lots of it! In 1980, she purchased Perk & Brew, a small retail outlet, and installed an in-store roaster to serve the local market. By 1995, she was implementing a national marketing strategy. She has received numerous Michigan business awards, and has recently been awarded a scholarship to Dartmouth-Tuck Business School.

Don Walker – Managing Director, Arbor Partners: Don is a private investor in several start-up companies and serves on a number of boards for emerging technology companies. He is an advisor to the University of Michigan?s Wolverine Venture Fund. Previously, he was VP of Sales and Marketing at Comshare from 1974 to 1996, during which he was instrumental in developing corporate strategy transitions and in the successful integration of two acquisitions.

Our moderator for the discussion will be sales expert, Joe Marr. Joe is President of Sandler Sales and has over 20 years of experience in organizing, training, coaching, and managing sales professionals worldwide.

Showcase Presentation: Each month, NEF highlights an emerging company and provides them a Showcase Presentation. This month, our Showcase Presenter will be Eran Bashan of Hygieia, which has developed an innovative glucose meter that provides superior glycemic control for diabetic patients.

Open Forum: The evening?s presentations are followed by Open Forum, during which attendees have the opportunity to make a 30-second pitch for their company, product/service, or need.

Registration and networking begin at 5:00 p.m. with the program starting at 5:45 p.m. Free to NEF members and journalists, the cost is $20 for non-members, $5 for students. The event is sponsored by NEF stakeholder sponsor, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce.

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