Guice has over three decades of experience in the telecommunications and IT industries. He was director of business performance management with Lucent Technologies in the Information Technology Division. Prior to joining Lucent, he was the western region general manager for AT&T and formerly held several regional and national marketing and sales positions with AT&T and BellSouth. Guice’s education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Jacksonville State University and graduate work toward an MBA at Fairleigh Dickinson University and Florida Atlantic University. While with Lucent, he participated in the executive education program at Babson College with visiting professors from Harvard, MIT, and Dartmouth.
Ravi K. Ghai is a Director and VP, Corporate Development at IntegraClick, Inc. and its subsidiary Clickbooth.com where he is responsible for establishment of the infrastructure and the corporate systems necessary to fuel and sustain the company’s growth. He is a seasoned executive with extensive background in all aspects of running a business - general management, sales, marketing, product planning, technology development and operations. He is an entrepreneur who has founded two companies and held senior management positions at numerous other companies, many of which were venture capital backed start-ups. Most recently, Ravi was the head of Sales & Marketing at ComponentOne LLC, a developer of software components for Microsoft platforms and applications for help authoring and web self-service. Before that, he was Vice President of Marketing at Moai Technologies, a provider of enterprise wide software solutions for eSourcing and eProcurement. Ravi was also the Vice President of eLearning at CareCentric. Prior to that, he was Founder/CEO of Competitive Strategies, a management and marketing consulting company focused on providing strategic consulting services to high tech companies. While at Competitive Strategies, he developed and marketed tools for the development, deployment and administration of eLearning and Electronic Document Management Systems. These technologies were sold to CareCentric (NASDAQ: CURA). He has also held senior management positions at numerous other companies such as Cimflex Teknowledge, Hypres and Gould Inc/Modicon Division. In the 1970's, he was the founder of McEwan Ghai and Associates-a Canadian systems integration company. Ravi holds a B. Tech (HONS) degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, a M.S.E.E. degree from the University of Alberta and an MBA from the University of Calgary.
Douglas A. Cherry is an associate in the litigation and intellectual property practice groups in the Sarasota, Florida office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. He is Board Certified in Intellectual Property Law. His practice focuses on I.P. (patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and unfair competition) consulting, acquisition, licensing and litigation and computer and technology law, including consulting clients and attorneys in electronic discovery issues, domain name disputes, E-commerce agreements, technology implementation transactions and software performance disputes, E-mail privacy, identity theft, consulting and employment agreements, and technology licensing.
Cherry is member and immediate Past-Chair of the Computer & Technology Law Committee of the Florida Bar. Cherry is a member of the Board of Directors of the Sarasota County Bar Association and is a Past-President of the Sarasota County Bar Young Lawyers Division. He is a member and webmaster of The Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court.
Cherry has authored many articles on IP and legal technology. He co-authored the article, "Success in Electronic Discovery," featured in the May 2003 edition of Trial Magazine, and the article, "Litigating the Runaway Software Project," in the October 2006 edition of Trial Magazine. Cherry has conducted seminars on topics such as "E-discovery and Metadata," "Intellectual Property in Business Transactions," and "Ten Fatal Assumptions Made by Technology Companies." He is a graduate of the UF College of Law with a B.S. degree (highest honors) in Decision & Information Sciencesfrom UF.
CSI regularly serves a wide range of small businesses by creating and implementing synergistic ways to control and reduce bottom-line problems impacting technology systems.
In addition to his position with CSI, he is a Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Trustee and serves on the Chamber Development and Power Networking committees as well as the chair of the Chamber Technology Committee.
A Sarasota resident since 1965, except for a two-year stint on the Alaskan pipeline, Joe, with the help of his wife Cindy, manages CSI, which has grown from a home-based repair business into one of the leading technology consulting firms in our area. CSI employs 11 full-time staff members in three divisions – managed IT services, data network support and Web site development, earning more than $1.2 million annually.
Joe has been featured in many local publications, as well as receiving the honor of 2008 Small Business finalist in the Sarasota Chamber’s Small Business Awards. He is no stranger to the world of business promotion.
At CSI Networks, Joe Brachle’s job description can best be described as chief rainmaker, cheerleader and corporate promoter.
Lauren Kratsch is the Business Development Manager for the Economic Development Council, Manatee Chamber of Commerce (EDC). A not-for-profit public/private partnership, the EDC works to improve the economic health of the community through the creation of quality jobs, increased capital investment, and increased flow of new dollars into Manatee County. The EDC's three program areas are industry development, entrepreneur/technology development, and workforce development. A member of the Economic Development Council team since 2003, she currently manages company expansion, relocation and recruitment and entrepreneurial/ technology development.Lauren is a member of the FEDC (Florida Economic Development Council), SAMA (Sarasota/ Manatee Area Manufacturers Association) and the Port Manatee Propeller Club.She also serves on the Florida High Tech Corridor Core Team Council and Marketing Committee, the Tampa Bay Partnership Marketing Committee, the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Green Business Initiatives and Tech Committees and the Suncoast Technology Forum Event Committee.Lauren is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Sociology.
Dan Miller leads investments and business development for Startup Florida, a venture development firm that manages a technology incubator in downtown Sarasota, Florida, and an angel investment fund.Miller has helped scores of entrepreneurs start up, organize, grow, and exit their businesses through his company, BizTank. Previously, he was founder and president of PlanetResume.com, a pioneer of online recruiting. Miller successfully completed the sale of PlanetResume.com to CareerShop.com in 1999 and the sale of CareerShop.com to Personnel Group of America (NYSE:PGA).Prior to starting PlanetResume.com, Miller was a principal and senior vice president of sales and marketing for Software House Inc., a leading provider of facility access control security systems sold worldwide to Fortune 500 and governmental customers. Miller sold Software House in 1994 to Sensormatic Corp. (NYSE:SRM)
Neil Scavelli is the Network & Security Manager for Sarasota County Government. A Florida native, Neil has over 12 years of experience in the Information Technology field.
In 1998, he took a position with Sarasota County Libraries, providing the public with secure workstations and Internet access. He developed the first Sarasota County Libraries website, and as team lead, provided desktop support to the public and library staff workstations.
In 2001, he took a position with the County's newly formed Security & Controls group. While in this group, he spearheaded the development and implementation of the County's current information security program.
In his current position, Neil leads the Data Networks and Security teams, and has been instrumental in reducing operational costs for the County's network while expanding services. He is dedicated to providing efficient, secure, and fiscally responsible information technology solutions.
Neil is certified in Information Security and is currently working on a degree in business administration.