Management Consultant
Experienced professional executive with demonstrated P&L responsibility, technology, Internet, ecommerce and software development experience, proven financial analysis
capabilities, successful business development skills, and effective people development in high performance growth oriented environments. Independent management consultant to more than 100 businesses including venture capital backed start-up companies and to organizations with more than 37,000 employees and $5 Billion in sales in finance, business development, international sales and marketing, strategic management of technology and Innovation and litigation support.
Seminar trainer for the American Management Association in management
supervision and competitive intelligence for groups of 10-100
participants. Consultant to legal community on matters relating to
software and internet business practices including licensing, bundling,
damages and other business issues. Complete
professional background in PDF.
Specialized areas of experience.
July 1996 to Present: SmartText Corporation.
President, SmartText Corporation. A closely held
privately financed internet based technology company operating a
business to business Internet commerce site. SmartText develops and
markets specialized software applications and products that
enable businesses to improve productivity. The company uses its
unique Internet based commerce site to distribute its own
software and licenses its commerce site to other businesses. The
company has licensed its products to Activision Inc., ClickAction, Inc., Intuit
Corporation and Block Financial
Corporation. The company also markets its software through more than 200
business web sites.
October
1999 to Present: Seminar Leader
Engaged
by the American Management Association to lead seminars in management supervision and
competitive analysis with an emphasis on Internet business
applications. Given approximately 40 one/two day seminars for 10
to100 people including customized seminars for Fortune 1000
companies.
January 1998 to 2001: Instructor Keller Graduate School of Management
Developed syllabus and course materials for the TM583 course in Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation and the TM600 course the business school graduate capstone course in Business Plan Development.
October 1991 to July 1997: The Center for Business
Innovation ( CBI)
President of CBI an organization that provides business services
and capital for early stage entrepreneurial companies. CBI received an equity position in the client company and annual fees
in exchange for business services.
The National Business Incubation Association, composed of more
than 700 member incubators world-wide, named CBI as the 1992-93
Incubator of the Year. CBI was also chosen to be the SBA
Microloan Program intermediary for the State of Missouri in 1993.
In 1994, CBI was made Microloan intermediary for four counties in
the State of Kansas including Johnson, Wyandotte, Leavenworth and
Douglas.
In 1995, Robert J. Sherwood was selected to be a member of the
Entrepreneur of the year Institute as the recipient of the
Kansas/Western Missouri Entrepreneur of the Year Institute Award
for the Supporter of Entrepreneurship category. The Entrepreneur
of the Year Institute is a national organization sponsored by
Ernst & Young, Inc. Magazine, Merrill Lynch, USA Today and
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Center for Entrepreneurial
leadership Inc.
CBI had 50 employees and was a minority shareholder in 53
emerging growth companies including high technology computer,
communications and service businesses, and provided debt
financing in excess of $2 million to over 100 new businesses.
October
1994 to July 1997: Capital for
Entrepreneurs, Inc.
President of a targeted early stage seed
capital venture fund. Reviewed more than 200 business plans and authorized
debt/equity investments in software and health care industries.
September 1993-1996
Adjunct Professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City, taught courses in New Venture Creation & Entrepreneurship, and
Venture Capital.
September 1994-2000
Distinguished Lecturer, University of Kansas, taught multi-campus courses
in Entrepreneurship & Business Plan Development., course was Video Telecast live to University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas
Campus. 1996-1997 Entrepreneurship Immersion Week Speaker for MBA
candidates.
January 1990 to January 1991:
Mass Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMII) Vice President of this $25
million public company engaged in the development, manufacture
and worldwide sales of advanced technology desktop
videoconferencing products. Had worldwide responsibility for
product development, customer service, marketing and sales.
December 1986 to October 1989:
RasterOps Corporation (NASDAQ:ROPS) Founding management team,
investor and Vice President. Company was a venture capital backed
start-up engaged in the development, manufacture and sales of
products for high resolution color personal computer display
systems. Had worldwide responsibility for product development,
customer service, marketing and sales. Company achieved sales of
in excess of $100 million in 4 years. Implemented an IPO in its
third year.
February 1975 to December 1982
EnviroDevelopment Company, Inc. President & Co-Founder of
this venture capital backed start-up company engaged in combining
computer technology with environmental products for air and water
purification. Company reached $10 million in revenues and 125
employees. Company had trophy installations around the world.
Company was sold in 1981 to Hoescht, a German company. Remained
as President for 12 months as a part of the purchase.
February 1967 to May 1974:
Envirotech Corporation A start-up company that grew to $500
million in sales and 5,000 employees in 6 years. Had a variety of
progressively responsible positions including Business
acquisition analysis, national marketing director, and 2 years in
Paris, France as Director of Envirotech Europe with
responsibility for Europe, South Africa and the Middle East.
February 1966 to February 1967:
Dorr Oliver, Inc. A product development marketing position in
Stamford, Connecticut. A $130 million company engaged in the
manufacturing, development and sale of products for air and water
purification.
Education
University of Kansas BS Civil Engineering
1960-1964
University of Kansas MS Environmental Engineering 1964-1966
Graduate Fellowship Research Award Grant
University of Connecticut Business School graduate courses 1967
California State College Hayward MBA 1968-1972
MBA Thesis International Marketing
Berlitz French Immersion School Graduate
Babson College 10th Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators
1993-1994
Center for Creative Leadership Graduate University of North
Carolina 1995
Web Developers Boot Camp-Java Scripting and HTML 1998
Association
of Information Technology Professionals
Publications/Patents/Awards
-
Winner 1995 Kansas/Missouri
Entrepreneur of the Year Award
-
Member Entrepreneur of The Year Institute
-
National Judge Entrepreneur of The Year Institute
Contributing author, Environmental Engineering College Handbook
-
Contributing author, Growing New Ventures, Creating New Jobs,
Entrepreneurship: Principles and Practices, , Quorum
Books, Westport, Connecticut-London 1995
-
Co-Editor Entrepreneurs: You Can’t Afford The School Of
Hard Knocks, CBI Press 1996
-
Fortune Magazine Award Ten Most Innovative Small Businesses In
California
-
Inc. Magazine videotape series on Sales
-
USA Patent #. 3,623,975
Community Activities
1991-1993 Johnson County Incubator Formation Advisory
Board
1992-1994 Phi Kappa Theta Alumni Board of Directors
1995 High School Entrepreneurs Day Committee
1995 21st Century Communities Committee
1992-1996 University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School of Business
Advisory Board
1992-1995 University of Missouri-Kansas City Council for International
Entrepreneurship
1995 Kansas City Chapter of the Planning Forum
1994-1995 UMKC Graduate Dean/Vice Provost Research & Development Search
Committee
1991-1998 Kansas City Rotary Club 13 Camp Enterprise
1993-1996 University of Kansas Center for Drug Delivery Research Industry
Advisory Board
1994-1996 Chair, Business and Industry Committee, Nevada Telecommunity
Project
1991-1996 Founder, Chairman Technology Commercialization Task Force
University of Missouri
Corporate Boards
1996-present Board Member SmartText Corporation
1994-1995 Chairman of the Board, Teneron Corporation
1992-1998 Board of Directors, Infinite Machines Corporation
(NASDAQ:IMCI), member of Compensation and Audit Committees.
1994-1996 Board of Directors, Infinite Engines
1989-1992 Board of Directors, CycleAware, Inc.
Recent Article and Seminar List
August
2002, Attitude is Everything,
Kansas Small Business Monthly.
September
23-26, 2001, Construction Industry Manufacturer’s Association, Annual
Meeting Hilton University Place, Charlotte, NC, “Software Programs and
Tools for Integrating Permission Based Email with Marketing Programs.”
September 23-26, 2001
, Construction Industry Manufacturer’s
Association,
Annual Meeting Hilton University Place
,
Charlotte
,
NC
, “ Data Management Part I: Database
Integrity”
November 21, 2000
, Construction Industry Manufacturer’s
Association,
Chicago
,
IL
, Web Assisted Tele-seminar, “Gaining a
Competitive Edge with the Internet.”
November 15-17, 2000
AFS Marketing Conference and Education
Seminar, “Competitive Intelligence: How to Locate and Use Information to
Increase Market Share”, Hilton Hotel at Walt Disney World,
Lake Buena Vista
,
Florida
.
August 13, 2000
, A Seminar for IBM Credit Union Managers,
Boca Raton
,
FL
, “Competitive Intelligence with the
Internet.”
July
10, 2000, A Seminar for General Foods Corporation Executives, Grand
Rapids, MI, “Competitive Intelligence and Marketing with the
Internet.”
February
14-15, 2000, Institute for International Research Business to Business
Internet Strategies, “Increase Your B-to-B Commerce by Achieving
Efficiencies with Your Partners and Your Sales Force”, Hyatt Regency
Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA
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