Join us for a Special GMU Business Roundtable Speaker Series event.

Come out and listen to successful business owners (and Mason Alums) talk about growing their business. You'll hear firsthand the do's and dont's, high's and lows, and even what it's like to grow from an organizational perspective -- from our panel of expert Mason Entrepreneurs, hosted by George Mason University's Entrepreneur in Residence, Jim Wolfe.

Speakers:

* Dan Sims - Principal; World Wide Speakers Group (Website)
* Judy Curry - VP Marketing; ZoomSafer (Website)
* Brandon Labman - Co-Founder; ROCS (Website)

The discussion will be moderated by Jim Wolfe CEO + Co-Founder; J Street Consulting (Website) .

***Dan Sims: An esteemed industry veteran, Mr. Sims’ achievements and accolades are many. His career highlights include:

* A former founder and president of THE AGENCY Speakers, LLC which managed speaker engagements on four continents for clients such as Barclays, Merrill Lynch, Marriott, Novartis, MTV and ESPN
* A past managing director at one of the country’s leading speaker bureaus
* Handled the exclusive lecture management of nearly 20 star athletes, Hall-of-Fame speakers, distinguished authors and leading politicians
* Founded the Sims Management Group where he provided exclusive management for a stellar group of U.S. speakers including the first American woman to summit Mt. Everest, Stacy Allison
* Co-founded The All Star Agency, a staffing-recruiting company for convention and meeting professionals

Mr. Sims earned a B.S. in Marketing from Pennsylvania State University. His M.B.A. is from George Mason University, where he guest lectures on leadership & entrepreneurship. He was awarded the Most Outstanding Entering Student by GMU’s School of Management Alumni Association. Mr. Sims is married to his college sweetheart, Michelle; they reside outside of Washington, D.C. with their three children.

*** Judy Curry: Vice President of Marketing and Advertising and has a Business Management degree from George Mason University. When she and Matt Howard (CEO + Co-Founder of ZoomerSafer) opened up the first shop in Chantilly in 1998, Judy was initially responsible for maintaining the books, paperwork, payroll, and a variety of other vital administrative functions needed to keep the business going. Once the company grew, she took on all the responsibility for the Marketing and Advertising, a job she thoroughly enjoys. She is instrumental in creating a safe and comfortable repair shop environment for her female colleagues and friends. This effort, along with several Car Care and Driving clinics she conducts every year got her recognized in 2009 by the Washington Business Journal as one of their “Women Who Mean Business” Awards. She currently services as an Expert Advisor on the AskPatty Board of Advisors and writes newsletters and other car related articles for publications, including I AM Modern. Judy enjoys all winter sports and is an avid runner and devoted wife and mom to her two children.

***Brandon Labman: Brandon is a co-founder of ROCS (Responsible Outgoing College Students), a company which helps college students and recent grads find internships and entry-level jobs. Brandon founded ROCS with business partner, Tom Moore during their freshman year at George Mason University at the age of 19.

Along with Tom, Brandon was the recipient of the 2005 Global Student Entrepreneur Award-East Coast Regional and College Entrepreneur Organization's Global Student Entrepreneur Finalist. In 2008 he received Startup Nation’s Dorm-Based 20 Award, ranking America's top 20 college-based businesses and young entrepreneurs. Brandon is also coauthor of the 2007 book Student Entrepreneurs: Graduating with a Profit.

In his spare time, he also serves as a guest lecturer at Universities and keynote speaker on various panels regarding young entrepreneurship.

***Jim Wolfe: Co-founder & CEO Jim Wolfe is a consultant, attorney and management executive with more than 25 years experience helping emerging growth firms. He has been a founder, director or consultant to more than 50 early stage firms in a wide range of industries both in the U.S. and abroad. Previously Jim served as an international consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tomatsu, and KPMG. One of the first Americans called to Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall, he participated in the privatization of more than 3,000 industries throughout the region, and has consulted to the World Bank, USAID, the German government, and the U.S. government on foreign direct investments. He is a past director of the National Entrepreneurship Foundation, the National Business Incubation Association, and is a former Trustee of Indiana University. He began his career as an aide in the U.S. Senate. Currently Jim serves as Entrepreneur in Residence and Assistant Professor at George Mason University, where he teaches courses on entrepreneurship and innovation. He holds the J.D., M.B.A. and B.S. degrees, all from Indiana University.

The GMU Business Roundtable is composed of Mason Alumni who seek to further enhance business relationships and share ideas among members in monthly roundtable discussions.

*We meet on the fourth Tuesday of every month*