Sunday, March 27, 2011

BizNet Agenda for Tuesday, 3/29/11

1. AGENDA FOR TUESDAY, 3/29/11:

0700-0730: INTRODUCTIONS

We'll begin with roundtable introductions. Simply give your name, academy/class, and where you're currently working (or seeking work). You're welcome to also talk about what's new in your world either personally or professionally. Particular attention will be given to anyone with networking needs such as those seeking job search assistance, referrals, advice, or the opportunity to disseminate business information.

0730-0800: SPEAKER/PROGRAM

Our speaker this week is Matt Glass, account representative with TekSystems (www.teksystems.com). His talk will focus on opportunities in technology contracting. The target audience encompasses both job seekers and hiring managers seeking contract help with their technology projects. Typical roles filled by TekSystems include IT project and program managers, IT technical development managers, production support managers, and other key roles in technology management.
Academy grads conducting a job search should be particularly interested, since our engineering background and management skills tend to make us a great fit for these roles. Staring out with a company as a contractor can be a great way to get a foot in the door toward eventual hire by that company as a regular employee.
Contracting companies such as TekSystems have seen a recent boom in business during the current economic conditions. That's because many of their client companies are beginning to need more staff but are perhaps not quite ready to make the commitment to regular employee hiring. Bringing on contractors allows them to add staff while retaining flexibiilty until the recovery achieves firmer footing. It also give them (and you) the benefits of a try-before-you-buy type of relationship.

2. UPCOMING TUESDAY PROGRAMS:

4/5/11: Jason Clark (USMA '92) will speak on a topic he has titled "The DNA of Investing". Jason is a registered investment advisor who runs his own independent advisory firm. He will discuss investment scams and why a lot of very smart people seem to fall for them.


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Have a great week.

Joe Paniccia
USMA '84
panicciaj@aol.com

Service Academy BizNet of Denver meets weekly on Tuesdays at 0700 in the Marriott Hotel at the Denver Tech Center. From I-25, exit Belleview east, then north on Syracuse Street. While the Marriott lots are paid parking (approx $2-4), you can park for FREE across the street at Garcia's Restaurant (we have their permission). Look for us in the seating area inside the Marriott's coffee shop. RSVP is not required. Dress is casual. Attendance is open to graduates of the federal service academies (USAFA, USCGA, USMA, USMMA, USNA). Our schedule, roster and other information are posted on the web site at www.academybiznet.org

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Veterans Career Expo 2011

We are "Mobilizing" Service Academy Grads to seek their company's support for the BE A HERO, HIRE A HERO Veterans Career Expo 2011 being conducted in New York City by Hire Disability Solutions, Academy Recruiters LLC, Veterans Across America, the New York Times and several Wounded Warrior support organizations in May and November. Each Expo is open to all Veterans and Active Duty personnel with specific attention given to our Wounded Warriors. Conducted a few years ago, this program was attended by 7,000 Veterans and 122 Companies and resulted in the placement of over 500 veterans. Attached is our ad for the Veteran Expo.
Veterans attending the Expos will include the following:

+  West Point, Annapolis and Air Force Academy Graduates
+  Active Duty Junior / Senior Officers and Non-Commissioned officers
+  Technical &Non-Technical Enlisted Personnel
+  Wounded Warriors
+  Military Veterans
A Resume Database of all Veterans attending the Expo will be available to companies both during and after the program.



The dates for the two Expos:
Tuesday, May 24 - New Yorker Hoteland Monday, November 7th - Intrepid Sea &Space Museum



To Register:
Companies &Vendors: Email / call Ken Williams, USMA '69 at KenWilliams@Academy-Associates.com / (203) 798-6029
Candidates:  Log on to www.hireds.com and click on the Expo icon to register and upload your resume.



The Problem We Need to Solve


Today's soldier has great difficulty in finding civilian employment, especially those that have been wounded in combat and are physically challenged. Unfortunately, the government has been of little assistance in helping our combat veterans to find career opportunities. Additionally, many of today's company Executives, Managers and Human Resources professionals have little, if any, experience hiring military personnel and will routinely exclude military personnel from employment consideration.


The Objective of these Expos is not only to bring together companies and military service members, but also to provide companies the opportunity to better understand the true value of these individuals as future employees. As part of this program, a percentage of the proceeds will be given to Veteran / Wounded Warrior support organizations. It's now our turn to give back!

     *                *                *                *                *                *                *               

Next Steps: Please forward this email to anyone that may be interested in reviewing this information. If your company is interested in supporting and/or participating in these events, I would appreciate a contact person who we can call once our plans have been finalized.


A
"Kick-Off" Breakfast is scheduled for April 6 at the New York Time Building for Companies interested in participating in our Expo programs.  The address is 620 - 8th Avenue, 15th floor, NYC from 8:00-10:00 AM.


Please email / call me at KenWilliams@Academy-Associates.com  / (203) 798-6029 for additional information.


Thank you for any assistance you can provide.


Ken Williams, LT. Colonel, USA, Ret
West Point Class of 1969
President
Email: KenWilliams@Academy-Associates.com
Phone: (203) 798-6029

Web Site: www.AcademyRecruiters.com


About Academy Recruiters LLC
      
Established by West Point Graduates in 1977 to assist Vietnam Veterans leaving the military, our firm today provides Program / Project Management Staffing and Executive Search services. We specialize in finding C-Level Executives, Managers and Technical Engineering “Leaders” (Grads &Non-Grads) for our corporate clients.

Our industry focus currently includes Defense, Consulting, Manufacturing, Construction, Energy, Medical, Financial and High-Tech. We have 10 professional Recruiters on staff and a network of over 100 specialty recruiting firms.


Our typical searches are listed below;

+    Presidents / Vice Presidents / Directors / Board Members & Executive Coaches
+  Partners / Principals / Senior Consultants
+    Business Developers / Capture Managers / Technical Sales
+    Program / Project Managers
+    Acquisitions / Purchasing / Contract Specialists
+    Financial Professionals
+    Contract Project Managers (Short-Term)
+    Technical / System Engineers (EE, ME, IE, Civil, Nuke, Aero)
+    Operation Managers
+    Junior / Senior Military Officers / Non-Commissioned Officers
+    Wounded Warriors (Combat Veterans)

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Weekly News and Agenda for Tuesday 3/22/11

1. AGENDA FOR TUESDAY, 3/22/11:

0700-0800: OPEN FORUM

The open forum is a prime opportunity to get to know your fellow grads, exchange networking information, disseminate business leads, enhance your job search, and enjoy the camaraderie of in-person discussion on topics of interest.

With no speaker scheduled this week, we'll expand the roundtable introductions to provide plenty of time to talk about what's happening in your world, with particular focus on any of your networking needs.

We hope you'll join us this coming Tuesday morning, or any Tuesday when you have the chance to stop by. Grab some coffee (we meet inside the hotel's coffee shop) and enjoy some great discussion and valuable networking.

2. UPCOMING TUESDAY PROGRAMS:

3/29/11: We have a speaker tentatively scheduled for this date, pending confirmation. He's a recruiter with a major IT/Business contracting company, looking for candidates to place with their client companies.

As for April and beyond, our speaker schedule is currently open. If you have a speaker in mind, or would like to lead a discussion yourself, just let me know and we'll be glad to put you on the calendar for whichever Tuesday works best for you.

3. UPDATE ON GRAD IN NEED:

As mentioned in last week's note, Biznet member Terence Andre (USAFA '87) has had a relapse of leukemia and will be undergoing a marrow transplant soon. Fortunately his sister is a 100% match, so we hope for the best. Last week Terence was looking for short-term housing options in Aurora near the Fitzsimmons campus during his treatment. Many of you responded, and now Terrence and family have the short-term housing pretty well settled. Thank you so much - another example of grads helping grads. The network works!

There's an additional way you can help though. Rod Ford (Terence's colleague) writes as follows:

Many of you have already been coming forward with great ideas for how to help Terence and his family. Based on a lot of input from folks around TiER1, I have put together a donate site at GiveForward.com. If you’d like to make a donation to help Terence and his family cover some of their costs you can make a donation at http://www.giveforward.com/terenceandre.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask me.

Best Regards,

Rod

Rodney L. Ford
Principal Consultant
TiER1 Performance Solutions
6 East 5th St - Suite 400
Covington, KY 41011

o. 859.957-0460
f. 859.431.1514
w. http://www.tier1performance.com
b. http://tier1.wordpress.com

4. CU VETERANS ALUMNI HAPPY HOUR:

Justin Pless writes as follows:

Please join the CU Veterans Alumni Association and the CU Student Veterans Association for a happy hour event on Tuesday, March 29, 2011, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Randolph's Restaurant/Bar in the Warwick Hotel, at 1776 Grant St in downtown Denver. This is a great opportunity get to catch up with fellow CU veteran alumni, and get to know some of the student veterans currently attending CU.

There is no cost to register for this event, but everyone is on their own for drinks. Please RSVP to me at jpless@plesslaw.com if you can make it, so we know about how many people to expect. I hope to see you all there.

Also, please check out our linkedin.com group http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2858729 as an additional way to keep in touch with fellow veterans from CU.

If any of you have any questions about this event, please feel free to give me call or send me an email.

Best,

Justin

Justin D. Pless
PLESS LAW FIRM, LLC
600 Seventeenth Street
Suite 2800 South
Denver, Colorado 80202

Office: 303.454.3712
Fax: 303.416.4231
jpless@plesslaw.com

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Have a great week.

Joe Paniccia
USMA '84
panicciaj@aol.com

Service Academy BizNet of Denver meets weekly on Tuesdays at 0700 in the Marriott Hotel at the Denver Tech Center. From I-25, exit Belleview east, then north on Syracuse Street. The Marriott lots are paid parking (approx $2-4), but you can park for FREE across the street at Garcia's Restaurant (we have their permission). Look for us in the seating area inside the Marriott's coffee shop. RSVP is not required. Dress is casual. Attendance is open to graduates of the federal service academies (USAFA, USCGA, USMA, USMMA, USNA). Our schedule, roster and other information are posted on the web site at www.academybiznet.org

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Job Opportunities: Product Mgr Position and Inside Sales Position

The following message comes from Biznet member Chris DeMarche (USNA '78). If interested in either of these opportunities, please contact Chris directly at cdemarche@vistard.com, or Sean Varah (CEO of MotionDSP) at varah@motiondsp.com.

Chris writes as follows:

I would like to introduce you to Sean Varah, founder & CEO of MotionDSP . Headquartered in San Mateo, CA, MotionDSP is a leading innovator in advanced video processing software. MotionDSP's "Ikena" products improve the quality of video captured by a wide range of sources -- from surveillance cameras to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in law enforcement, homeland security, and military applications. MotionDSP's technology supports operational deployments within the DOD and National Intelligence communities, and its customers include some of the world's leading video forensic labs, such as the London Metropolitan Police and the US Secret Service. Results from Ikena have been used successfully in court cases in both the US and UK. For more information, visit http://www.motiondsp.com

MotionDSP is a small company with great products and solid revenue from both military & commercial customers. To support a number of opportunities Sean is in the process of hiring several key positions. Believe the Product Manager position would be ideal for a candidate recently released from Active Duty and with UAV or other video experience. The descriptions below are brief as the company is just launching the search. I would be happy to field any initial questions as I am on MotionDSP's board and live in Denver.

Product Manager, Ikena.

MotionDSP is actively seeking candidates for a product manager for its “Ikena” product line. (http://www.motiondsp.com/products/isr/). We are especially interested in candidates with Active Duty experience with Full Motion Video” applications. You will work hands-on with MotionDSP's customers to understand their requirements, plot the roadmap for Ikena, and execute that roadmap with our development team. You will design and implement training programs, and support our customers and resellers. Job Location: San Mateo, California.

Inside Sales

MotionDSP is seeking candidates to lead its Inside Sales efforts for its Ikena product line. MotionDSP's customers include both law enforcement, and US Federal customers. We receive a large amount of inbound leads, and you will will manage and close in-bound leads, and coordinate with our marketing partners on out-bound campaigns. You will also respond to State/Federal RFIs/RFQs, and seek new sales opportunities. Federal/State inside sales experience required. Location: San Mateo, California preferred, but will consider a remote candidate.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Grad in Need, and Weekly Tuesday Agenda

1. AGENDA FOR TUESDAY, 3/15/11:

0700-0800: OPEN FORUM

The open forum is a prime opportunity to get to know your fellow grads, exchange networking information, disseminate business leads, enhance your job search, and enjoy the camaraderie of in-person discussion on topics of interest.

With no speaker scheduled this week, we'll expand the roundtable introductions to provide plenty of time to talk about what's happening in your world, with particular focus on any of your networking needs.

We hope you'll join us this coming Tuesday morning, or any Tuesday when you have the chance to stop by. Grab some coffee (we meet inside the hotel's coffee shop) and enjoy some great discussion and valuable networking.

2. UPCOMING TUESDAY PROGRAMS:
3/22/11: Open Forum/TBD.

3. GRAD IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE (Housing for Medical Support):

Biznet member Terence Andre (USAFA '87) writes as follows below. If you can offer assistance or advice, please respond directly to Terence at t.andre@tier1performance.com

Terence writes: I have had a re-lapse of leukemia. It was detected very early, but does mean that I now must do a bone marrow transplant to wipe this from my body. We have already received some very good news that my sister in California is a perfect 10/10 match for me. That is amazing since a sibling only has a 25% chance of being a match. And a perfect 10/10 match is even harder to come by.

What does this all mean? Well, it looks like I will be up at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora for the transplant in early April (about 3 weeks from now). I will have to be in the hospital for approximately a month and then on a short leash living in the area for up to 90 days after getting out of the hospital. We plan to “deploy” some of our family up there for the four months. Obviously Brian (Class of 2014) will be pretty busy up at the Academy and will come up on some weekends to visit. Jennifer (21) lives with us and will be finishing out this semester as an 8th grade English teacher. Then she will spend the remaining time with us in Aurora. Debbie and Zachary (4-year old) will deploy with me along with Debbie’s parents who live here in town. So we have a great support network that will be with us.

Our biggest need is housing in Aurora for the 4-month stay. We are looking for a 3-bedroom apartment or house that we can rent for up to 4 months. It needs to be pretty clean and close to the UCH facility near I-225 and Colfax. They would like me to be at most 10-15 minutes away during the recovery phase. Furnished would be great, although we have some resources through our church that could probably furnish it for us. It is hard to find such a short-term rental through the normal channels. Maybe someone in the Denver Service Academy network might be able to help.

Sending out to you to start the networking process. We also have a web site where we update our network with what is going on.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/terenceandre

Thanks for your help,

Terence

Terence S. Andre, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Denver/Colorado Springs

Principal Consultant

TiER1 Performance Solutions
o. 859.652.7229
t.andre@tier1performance.com

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Have a great week.

Joe Paniccia
USMA '84
panicciaj@aol.com

Service Academy BizNet of Denver meets weekly on Tuesdays at 0700 in the Marriott Hotel at the Denver Tech Center. From I-25, exit Belleview east, then north on Syracuse Street. The Marriott lots are paid parking (approx $2-4), but you can park for FREE across the street at Garcia's Restaurant (we have their permission). Look for us in the seating area inside the Marriott's coffee shop. RSVP is not required. Dress is casual. Attendance is open to graduates of the federal service academies (USAFA, USCGA, USMA, USMMA, USNA). Our schedule, roster and other information are posted on the web site at www.academybiznet.org

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Welcome Home Wounded Marine at DIA

From Member Ron Meier: 


Hello everyone,
Ground combat soldiers interviewed recently said that there are two things they would like the citizens back home to do as a way to feel less detached from the troops serving in combat zones - serve others and sacrifice something. Ever since WWII, American citizens have been detached from their military serving in combat; we've been able to enjoy a normal life while our troops serve their country in harsh, hostile conditions, sacrifice the good life back home for the misery of the battlefield, and sacrifice their lives and limbs for their buddies on the left and right. They grieve alone for the remainder of their lives for their buddies who never came home. We'd like to encourage everyone to sacrifice a few hours this Saturday, March 12, to honor a Golden, Colorado Marine that none of us know who was severely wounded in Afghanistan in December by an Improvised Explosive Device. Let's show him and his family that Colorado families appreciate his service and sacrifice by honoring him with a large turnout.
Lance Corporal Daniel C. W. Riley lost both legs and several fingers on his left hand, among other external and internal injuries. He has been in military hospitals since then, just got fitted for his "Stubbies," and took his first steps last week. He has been granted two weeks of recuperation leave at home, after which he will return to San Diego for about six months of additional rehabilitation and therapy. To follow him on his family's blog see http://danielcwriley.blogspot.com/2011/03/walking.html
Daniel's flight (United 0342) is scheduled to arrive at DIA at 2:50 PM Saturday (you can track it on United's website before you leave home to be sure it's on time). Family, friends, the Patriot Guard Riders, and others will welcome him home at the usual spot for greeting visitors on Level 5 at the top of the escalator leading up from the train platform. Bring an American flag and/or a Marine Corps flag, your kids and grandkids, and tissue.
And, please remember to pray for Daniel and his family, who will need much prayerful support for the indefinite future.
See you on Saturday.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Agenda for Weekly Meeting on Tuesday, 3/8/11

1. AGENDA FOR TUESDAY, 3/8/11:

0700-0800: OPEN FORUM
We'll cover some routine business first, then go to roundtable introductions and discussion on items of interest, with particular focus on any networking needs. Since we're devoting the entire hour to open discussion, please feel free to elaborate in more depth than usual on any personal or professional updates, or any specific networking needs that we might be able to help you with.

2. UPCOMING TUESDAY PROGRAMS:

3/15/11: Open Forum/TBD.

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Have a great week.

Joe Paniccia
USMA '84
panicciaj@aol.com

Service Academy BizNet of Denver meets weekly on Tuesdays at 0700 in the Marriott Hotel at the Denver Tech Center. From I-25, exit Belleview east, then north on Syracuse Street. The Marriott lots are paid parking (approx $2-4), but you can park for FREE across the street at Garcia's Restaurant (we have their permission). Look for us in the seating area inside the Marriott's coffee shop. RSVP is not required. Dress is casual. Attendance is open to graduates of the federal service academies (USAFA, USCGA, USMA, USMMA, USNA). Our schedule, roster and other information are posted on the web site at www.academybiznet.org