Unique Paths to Success
Thursday, April 30, 2009
6 to 8 pm; reception to follow
Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences
185 Meeting Street
Providence, RI  02912
Get map of location

Cost
$15 BFE Members
$25 Non-Members
Students/Sponsors Free
(however online registration
is still required)
Online registration is closed, however
seating is still available. Register onsite with
cash or check only; no credit cards please.

In today's new economy, the company with a competitive advantage is one that can innovate outside the proverbial box.  The modern business makes high art of collaboration, uses new organizational forms and leverages information technology to deliver value to its customers.  This Forum will showcase four examples of companies that are doing just that, proving that the paths to success are as unique as the individuals and ideas behind them.

BatchBlue was created with one goal in mind: to create useful, user-friendly software for small businesses.  Its founders share a passion for technology and come from a variety of programming, project management and web usability backgrounds.  Listen as BatchBlue President Pamela O'Hara recounts how her years as a consultant to small businesses deepened her understanding of their technology needs and gave birth to her company.

GyPSii connects people, places and communities across networks and devices, enabling members to share their real life experiences in the virtual world using mobile devices, the web and Internet connected applications.  GyPSii Senior Vice President Jack Early will describe how online social networking and GPS converge to connect you to people and places anytime, anywhere.

Schwadesign is a consortium of trusted vendor-partners created in the space between smaller boutique studios and larger agencies.  These vendor-partners or ministers form teams of specialists scaled to the size of the job and are able to provide special attention to clients.  Josh Silverman founded Schwa in 1997.  Find out how this Minister of Perspective considers the big picture while minding the details.

The Sassy Ladies was formed to mentor and connect female entrepreneurs to businesses and each other.  This web-based company uses everything from Facebook to podcasts to webinars and blogs to make the dream of owning one's own business a reality.  Sassy Michelle Girasole will tell you the story of how Sassy Ladies is giving women the resources that can get their businesses up and running while soaking up a little attitude and having a lot of fun.

Host
Mark Tetreault, Barlow Josephs & Holmes

Moderator
Ann-Marie Harrington, Embolden Design