GROW! Awards - Association for Corporate Growth

SEVENTH ANNUAL 

GROW! 

AWARDS 

MAY 5, 2011

SEVENTH ANNUAL 

MAY 5, 2011 

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PLATINUM UNDERWRITING SPONSORS 

2011–2012 

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ACG Silicon Valley provides an exclusive venue where CEOs and senior corporate 

executives form valuable business relationships and learn and link to the future of 

Silicon Valley. Our 27-year-old chapter strives to provide an environment where 

members, over seventy percent of whom are senior executives, gain access to key 

insight, knowledge, and connections. 

GROW! 

AWARDS 

Every year many individual chapters of the Association for Corporate Growth 

recognize the Outstanding Growth Company and the Emerging Growth Company 

in their geographical area. 

The Silicon Valley Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth selected the 

winning 2010 companies in each category via an exhaustive review of the historical 

financial performance of public and private companies headquartered in Silicon 

Valley. This screening process produced a short list of nominees in each award 

category that the selection committee then researched, considered, and debated 

before voting on final candidates. 

About ACG 

The Association for Corporate Growth (www.acg.org) is a global learning and 

networking organization specifically for executives driving their company’s growth 

strategy. Active global membership exceeds 13,000 executives from corporations, 

private equity, finance, and professional service firms representing Fortune 500, 

Fortune 1000, FTSE 100, and mid-market companies in 56 chapters in North 

America, Europe and Asia. 

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Master of Ceremonies 

James C. Chapman 

Partner, Foley & Lardner, LLP; ACG Silicon Valley Chairman 2010–2012 

Computer History Museum Welcome 

John C. Hollar 

President and CEO 

Emerging Growth Company 

Presented by Gunjeet Baweja 

Needham & Company, Managing Director, Investment Banking 

Cavium 

Accepting: Syed Ali 

President & CEO 

Outstanding Growth Company 

Presented by Glenn Daniel 

Houlihan Lokey, Managing Director 

Salesforce.com 

Accepting: Scott Holden 

Senior Director of Product Marketing 

Keynote Speaker Introduction 

Eric Hall 

Partner, FLG Partners 

Keynote Speaker 

Ron Conway 

Founder, SV Angel 

ACG Outstanding Membership Award 

Sheryl Chamberlain 

EMC Corporation, Senior Director Technology Alliances 

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A NEW EXHIBITION 

AT THE COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM 

The Computer History Museum just opened a new exhibition to 

tell the story of computing from the abacus to the smartphone. 

It’s called Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing. It 

transforms the way you think about these miraculous machines, 

the software that runs them, and the people who set the revolution 

in motion. 

Experience the Revolution 

Revolution is a 25,000 square-foot wonder. More than 1,100 objects 

from the Museum’s vast collection are on display in 19 galleries. 

Each gallery describes the impact of an important chapter 

in computing. When you tour Revolution, you’ll experience a close 

up look at one-of-a-kind objects, devices, and software. You’ll see 

and hear first-hand accounts from many of the innovators, watching 

history unfold in a vivid and engaging way. 

Silicon Valley’s answer to 

the Smithsonian. 

—-USA Today 

A rich and fascinating fasinating 

account of of the evolution of of computing. 

—-San Francisco Chronicle 

A monument to the past 

in a region that forgets it has one. 

—-Bloomberg Businessweek 

Furturistic... 

Futuristic… 

—-National GeographicIntelligent Traveler 

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The Computer History Museum is the world’s leading institution 

exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society. 

It is home to the largest international collection of computing 

artifacts in the world, including computer hardware, software, 

documentation, ephemera, photographs, and moving images. The 

Museum brings computer history to life through an acclaimed 

speaker series, dynamic website, on-site tours, and physical exhibitions. 

MORE EXHIBITS 

Babbage Difference Engine No. 2 

Babbage Difference Engine now lives at the Computer History 

Museum. It has 8,000 parts, weighs five tons, measures 11 feet 

in length, and works flawlessly. Demonstrations of its numbercrunching 

power enthrall Museum visitors from around the world, 

as does the heartbreaking story of Charles Babbage himself, 

who died in 1871 embittered by failure, without seeing his genius 

fulfilled. 

Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess 

It took 50 years for a computer to get good enough to beat the 

world champion at chess. And therein, as they say, lies a tale. Our 

Mastering The Game exhibit pulls visitors into this surprisingly 

dramatic “man versus machine” story with video, documents, 

photos, hardware, software, and oral histories. 

Exhibit/Museum Store and Cafe Hours 

Wed–Sun, 10am–5pm 

Admission 

Revolution: $15 per ticket (packages are available) 

Children (12 or under): Free 

Senior / Student / Active Military: $12 

Babbage Difference Engine: Free 

Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess: Free 

Contact Us 

computerhistory.org 

650.810.1010 

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Keynote Speaker 

Ron Conway 

Founder, SV Angel 

Ronald Conway has been an active angel investor for over 

15 years, and during which time, has worked closely with 

hundreds of start-ups including Google, AskJeeves, Facebook, 

Zappos, AdMob, Mint, Zynga, and Twitter. 

He was recently included in The Vanity Fair 100 most influential people 

in the Information Age. He was awarded Best Angel at The 2009 

TechCrunch Crunchies Awards. He was named #6 in Forbes Magazine 

Midas list of top “deal-makers” in 2009 and is actively involved in numerous 

philanthropic endeavors. 

Ron was with National Semiconductor Corporation in marketing 

positions (1973–1979); Altos Computer Systems as a Co-Founder, 

President and CEO (1979–1990); took Altos public on Nasdaq in 1982; 

and, served as CEO of Personal Training Systems (PTS) (1991–1995). 

PTS was acquired by SmartForce/SkillSoft (Nasdaq SKIL). 

Philanthropically, Ron is a member of the UCSF Medical Center 

Chancellor’s Advisory Board in SF, Board Member of The Tiger Woods 

Foundation, and SF Homeless Connect, UCSF Benioff Children’s 

Hospital, College Track, and the Black Eyed Peas Peapod Foundation. 

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Emerging Growth Award 

The Emerging Growth Award recognizes companies with revenues of less than 

$500 million per year, which have demonstrated outstanding progress for at least 

three years. 

Cavium Networks (NSDQ: CAVM) is a leading provider of semiconductor products 

that enable intelligent processing in networking, communications, and the digital 

home. Cavium Networks was founded in 2001 by Syed Ali and Muhammad Raghib 

Hussain. The company quickly grew from a security coprocessor company with its 

industry-leading NITROX processors to a dominant multi-core processor vendor 

with its market-leading OCTEON processor family. Cavium Networks went public 

in May 2007 on NASDAQ with the ticker CAVM. 

Today the company has expanded into five different processor product lines 

namely NITROX ® , OCTEON ® , PureVu, ECONA and Celestial. This growth 

strategy has enabled the company to quickly address some of the fastest growing 

industry sectors such as enterprise, data-center and cloud networking, wireless data 

communications, intelligent storage systems, in-home wireless video distribution, 

all-in-one digital settop boxes, and fiber to the home broadband gateways. Beyond 

just providing processors Cavium offers its customers a complete hardware and 

software solution through its acquisition of MontaVista Software, a pioneer in the 

field of embedded Linux commercialization and turn-key embedded application 

software services. Cavium Networks has recorded 8 quarters of consecutive growth 

and was recently ranked fifth in Forbes magazine’s list of the 25 fastest growing tech 

companies in the U.S. 

www.caviumnetworks.com 

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Outstanding Growth Award 

The Outstanding Growth Award recognizes companies with revenues in excess 

of $500 million per year, which have demonstrated outstanding performance for 

at least five years. 

Since its founding in 1999, San Francisco-based salesforce.com has been the leader in 

enterprise cloud computing. A focus on innovation and growth has kept salesforce. 

com at the forefront of the cloud movement, and has transformed the way that 

companies collaborate and communicate. Salesforce.com is also leading the effort 

to bring Cloud 2, the next paradigm for cloud computing, to the enterprise by 

offering customers the social, mobile and open technologies that are hallmarks of 

this new world. 

Salesforce.com’s app and platform services include: Salesforce Chatter, a private social 

network for your company; the Sales Cloud, for sales force automation and contact 

management; the Service Cloud, for customer service and support solutions; the 

Force.com platform, for custom app development; and Heroku, for building social 

and mobile apps in Ruby on Rails in the cloud. 

Over the last 12 years salesforce.com has thrived under the leadership of Chairman 

and CEO Marc Benioff, growing to more than 4,750 employees worldwide. Trusted 

by more than 92,300 customers worldwide, salesforce.com was the first enterprise 

cloud computing company to surpass $1 billion in revenue in February 2009. 

Less than a year after founding the company, Benioff started the Salesforce.com 

Foundation in order to build community giving into the corporate culture. Creating 

the innovative 1/1/1 Model, which sets aside 1% of employees’ time, 1% of equity, 

and 1% of product for nonprofits. Now more than 11,000 nonprofits around the 

world run on Salesforce and the company has awarded more than $23 million in 

grants and donated more than 253,000 volunteer hours. 

www.salesforce.com 

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OUTSTANDING GROWTH AWARDS 

2010 Salesforce.com 

2009 VMware 

2008 Hewlett Packard 

2007 Adobe 

2006 NetApp* 

2005 Symantec 

2004 eBay 

2003 SanDisk 

2002 UTStarcom 

2001 NVIDIA 

2000 Oracle 

1998 Cisco* 

1997 Intel 

EMERGING GROWTH AWARDS 

2010 Cavium 

2009 ArcvSight 

2008 ZillionTV 

2007 Atheros 

2006 Tessera 

2005 SunPower 

2004 OmniVision* 

2003 At Road 

2002 NetScreen 

2001 Mercury Interactive 

2000 SDL 

1999 Yahoo! 

1998 Aspect Telecommunications 

1997 McAfee* 

1996 Stratacom 

1995 Linear* 

1994 Adaptec 

1993 Cisco* 

* Winner of the ACG International Award 

as the most qualified nominee from all 

the ACG Chapters in North America 

and Europe. 

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ACG Silicon Valley Board of Directors 

Officers 

James C. Chapman, ACG Silicon Valley, Chairman of the Board 2010-2012; 

Foley & Lardner, Partner 

Sally Pera, ACG Silicon Valley, CEO; Pera Connect, CEO 

Robert LoPresto, Program Chair, Duran HCP, Managing Partner, High 

Technology Practice 

Robert Lanz, Treasurer, Membership Retention; Ramp Partners, Managing Partner 

Patrick Quinn, Secretary, National Semiconductor, GM, Medical Division 

Glenn Daniel, GROW! Awards, Houlihan Lokey, Managing Director 

Gunjeet Baweja, GROW! Awards, Needham & Company, Managing Director, 

Investment Banking 

Andrew Gersh, GROW! Awards, KPMG, Managing Director, Transactional Services 

Steve Brown, Membership, Cadence Design Systems, Product Management 

Director, Systems Realization 

John Stringer, Past President, 2008-2010, VENTURES, Principal 

Cathryn S. Gawne, Esq., President, 2004-2006, Hopkins & Carley, Of Counsel 

Directors 

Donna J. Astramecki, Insperity, Senior Mid Market Consultant 

Andres “Drew” Brugal, Vision Systems International, LLC, President 

Sheryl Chamberlain, EMC, Senior Director Technology Alliances 

Winston Copeland, WWC Consulting 

George de Urioste, Bridgelux, Inc., Board of Directors 

Joe Flynn, Lavante, Inc., President & CEO 

Eric J. Hall, FLG Partners, Partner 

Diane Holt Frankle, Kay Scholer LLP, Partner 

Aftab Jamil, BDO, Assurance Partner 

Tom Kendra, RightNow Technologies, Board of Directors 

Al Kenrick, Wells Fargo, SVP, Manager Growth Technology & Life Science Group 

CJ Koomen, Ph.D., Member, Band of Angels; 

Philips Semiconductors North America, Former President 

James MacGregor, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, Publisher 

Jim Marshall, Selby Venture Partners, Managing Director 

Christie Simons, Deloitte & Touche, Partner 

Jim Stameson, Plasma Ruggedized Solutions, President & CEO 

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Letter from the Chairman 

Dear ACG Friends and Colleagues, 

The current economic and political upheavals have certainly 

impacted business owners and those that serve them. Some are 

still paralyzed by the uncertainty. Others are hunkered down 

waiting. However, others have taken this opportunity for transforming this negativity 

into opportunities for growth, progress and achievement. ACG Silicon Valley has 

been a thought leader in helping companies find success in these tumultuous times. 

Through the content of its programs and my interaction with ACGSV’s members, 

speakers and sponsors I have learned a tremendous amount. This brief letter is a 

summary of what I have learned over the past few years being involved with ACGSV. 

Relationships are the core of any business. This has never been more true than in the 

current environment. Each of us should look to deepening the power and possibility 

of all of our key relationships. These relationships are usually the key to personal 

and business success. Moreover, in good times people do not like to be “sold” 

something. In difficult times they just stop listening. However, customers and clients 

are still struggling with difficult problems and challenges. One of the best ways your 

company can add value is to work to eliminate your customers’ fears and anxieties. 

Your ability to help your customers or clients solve problems by eliminating dangers, 

capturing opportunities and reinforcing their strengths will lead to sales. So long as 

there are problems to solve and pain points to be overcome, customers will pay to 

have these problems solved and pain disappear. The “new normal” does not matter. 

Focus on today’s opportunities and not the “turn-around” yet to come. However, 

in looking to solve customer problems and pain points, we need to be mindful that 

products and services that were in great demand yesterday, may be obsolete in the 

current environment. Some people keep trying to sell the same stuff and use the 

same strategies. A better strategy is to begin using new ideas, new energies, new 

tools and new resources. Above all, in uncertain times, we can either complain or be 

grateful. Complaining is toxic. Gratitude is empowering. Every day, bring to mind all 

that you are grateful for, your employees, customers, vendors and everyone else that 

gives to you on a daily basis. I am grateful to the great people involved with ACGSV 

that have taught me so much and given me the opportunity to share these insights. 


ACG Silicon Valley Chairman 

2010–2012 

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Letter from the CEO 

Dear ACG Friends and Colleagues, 

Silicon Valley looks forward to the GROW! Awards. Folks are 

invited months in advance and seats are reserved sometimes a 

year in advance. It is sold out… What is the buzz The level of 

attendees is pretty much unmatched anywhere in the Valley. Traditionally out of 

256 seats we have at least 60–70 CEO titles represented and last year there were 

174 companies represented among the guests. 

People come to network, to see others they know and to meet new people. People 

come to have a good time and see a bit of a surprise. Is it the keynote Is it the 

companies being awarded the Outstanding Growth Award or the Emerging Growth 

Company Award Is it the unexpected inserted here and there in the program Is it 

the socialization at each of the tables Is it the books given to each attendee when 

leaving, books by local authors in the ACG Book Bag program 

A big Harvard Business study a few years ago found that the key to success 

after people completed the MBA was not IQ, grades, nor personal 

wealth, but rather the ability to maintain long term relationships. 

The entire organization has been built on little more than a handshake with folks moving 

forward for the betterment of all. ACG is not a day job for anyone, yet it continues 

to achieve impressive milestones with its membership, programming and sponsorship 

endorsement. Special break-out opportunities, including the CEO Circle, the Public 

Board of Directors Circle, the M&A Circle, the Sponsorship Circle, and the Media 

Circle are adding value to membership and sponsorship investment. 

ACG Silicon Valley works for serious business folks, knowing that their contribution 

to the entire organization will be of benefit not only to themselves, but also to 

other members. 

It works for serious sponsors, intent on providing top-flight services to the very Valley 

that sustains them. Hire these sponsors and know you are in good hands! 

It works for high profile keynotes who are mentors and who take the time to inspire 

and meet and share their success. Thank them! 

And importantly, ACG Silicon Valley works for our members! Please join them by 

becoming one yourself. 

Sally Pera 

ACG Silicon Valley CEO 

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Valley Legends and Lights 

September 2011-June 2012 

September 8, 2011 

Dick Kramlich, NEA, General Partner and Co-Founder 

October 13, 2011 

Dean Drake, Barracuda, President and CEO 

November 10, 2011 

Don Valentine, “Present at the Creation of Silicon Valley Venture Capital” 

December 8, 2011 

“The Wine Business – Uncorking the Reality” 

January 12, 2012 

Thomas A. Schrek, SinuSys, CEO; and AcelRX Pharmaceuticals, Chairman 

February 9, 2012 

The Tandem Story: Bob Marshall, Tom Perkins, Jimmy Treybig 

March 8, 2012 

Steve Kirsch, Abaca, CEO; Infoseek, Frame, Propel, and Mouse Systems, Founder 

April 12, 2012 

Jon B. Fisher, CrowdOptic, Chairman & CEO 

May 10, 2012 

Doreen Lorenzo, Frog Design, President 

June 14, 2012 

Steve Luczo, Seagate (asked) 

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Valley CEOs Speak 

September 2010 - June 2011 

September 9, 2010 

Maynard Webb, LiveOps, CEO 

October 14, 2010 

Bill Haywood, LS9, CEO 

November 11, 2010 

Jerry Rawls, Finisar, Chairman 

December 9, 2010 

Geoff Puckett, EffectDesign, CEO 

January 13, 2011 

TJ Rogers, Cypress Semiconductor, CEO 

February 10, 2011 

Pehong Chen, BroadVision, CEO 

March 10, 2011 

Tom Waechter, JDS Uniphase, CEO 

April 14, 2011 

Nancy Duarte, Duarte Design, CEO 

May 12, 2011 

Tim Guertin, Varian Medical, CEO 

June 9, 2011 

Andrew Thompson, Proteus Biomedical, CEO 

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Beyond the Horizon 

Contemplate. Initiate. Illuminate. 

This vibrant group shines light on upcoming technology trends and their impact 

to you, your career and the shape of global business. Join industry experts as 

they share forthcoming visions along with tangible real world scenarios. Panelists 

and participants alike bring unique talents and observations to convert the 

past into the future through diverse perspectives, processes, and possibilities. 

October 27, 2011 – Big Data: Path to Profit 

An exponentially increasing information wave towers above human and many 

machine’s capacity to process and understand. Big Data surpasses terabytes 

– venturing deep into the murky abyss of exabytes and zettabytes. Discover 

what your organization has been missing as fresh tools reveal hidden profits 

from buried data treasures. 

IN THE AUDIENCE 

January 26, 2012 – What Do You Media 

Communication is more alive than ever as new media reinvents how the global 

community shares news and learns about itself 24 hours a day. Learn where the 

ever-morphing media industry is headed as video, audio, copy, entertainment, 

gaming, shopping, advertising, social and search networks dance, merge and 

reemerge. 

Karen M. Rogge 

Chief Financial Officer, 

Board Member 

“The Silicon Valley 

is a unique and 

vibrant community 

of people across 

business, academic 

and government 

disciplines, with the 

courage to act on new 

ideas and dreams.” 

March 22, 2012 – Global Advances in the Technology of Health 

Medicine, technology and the quest for cures have long been family. As science 

diversely advances, intriguing solutions continually enter the healthcare 

system – improving the world’s quality of life. Explore new research, recent 

breakthroughs and future trends while raising your awareness of the integral 

business relationship between technology and healthcare. 

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ACG Silicon Valley Hosts Nearly 50 

Events and Meetings a Year !!! 

In addition to its signature evening programming, “Valley CEO’s Speak” 

2010-2011 and “Legends and Lights” 2011–2012, ACG Silicon Valley hosts 

three special events annually. Branded “Beyond the Horizon,” these 

high level panel discussions showcase technology trends. 

ACG Silicon Valley also provides over 30 additional topic and role 

focused breakout and support opportunities during the course of the 

programming year. 

Four professional and sector interest “Circles” are described on the following 

pages and include the CEO Circle, the Public Board of Directors 

Circle, the M&A Circle, and the Sponsor Circle. The fifth and newest 

Media Circle is beginning to attract national press for ACGSV members. 

ACG Silicon Valley also hosts an important Sponsors Thank You Party 

annually and a separate recognition event for the organization’s Board 

of Governors. 

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Beyond the Horizon Circle 

ACG Silicon Valley is center stage in a community that thrives on innovation. 

Understanding the value we bring to our community we developed a series of 

special programs formerly Technology Circles, rebranded as ACG Silicon Valley 

Edge and Innovation Program Panels. These programs bring our community 

from the outside in to deliver compelling discussion on the latest technology 

waves. Past programs included, “Silver Lining in the Clouds,” “Nanotechnology, 

the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” “Social Media and Gaming = Customer 

Acquisition and Retention,” and “Cloud the Next Wave for Application 

Delivery.” The excitement around the next technology wave thrives here in 

Silicon Valley and through the Voice of ACG, our customers and our partners. 


Senior Director 

EMC Corporation 

Louis Lehot 

Partner 

Sheppard Mullin 

Geoff Puckett 

Founder/CEO 

EffectDesign, Inc. 

“With organizations becoming more global in their reach for new 

markets and customers, and the competitive landscape forever 

changing, businesses are looking to go beyond what their competitors 

are doing. Many are open to what others are exploring and how 

technologies can be utilized for sustained competitive advantage. 

The information age and related technological advancements is one 

example that has left no industry unaffected; I find these events to 

be on-point, informative and thought provoking.” 

Bill Wright 

VP Business Development 

California MedTech 

“ACG special events are great opportunities to learn from cutting 

edge experts in the Valley on today’s hottest topics. In addition 

to the opportunity to network with C level executives and topnotch 

service providers, the speakers are excellent and the Q&A 

has been especially lively. A great addition to the monthly CEO 

speaker series.” 

Paula Beroza 

Co-Founder and Advisor 

Sierra Asia Inc. 

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CEO Circle 

ACG CEO Circle – It is often said that being a CEO is the loneliest job in the 

world. ACG Silicon Valley has stepped forward to address this challenge by 

initiating its CEO Circle in November 2009. The CEO Circle is a group 

open only to CEO’s who meet regularly to discuss important 

business issues, share experiences and strategies and improve 

business performance. The group led off the year on January 20th with 

a discussion of “Planning for 2011; The Economic Outlook for the Next 12 

Months.” This was followed by a session on “Marketing in an Ever-Changing 

World” on March 17th. On May 19th, the CEO Circle will discuss “Selling into 

the Enterprise – The Advanced Course” for which we have invited two experts 

to present on sales strategies and techniques for selling to large customers in 

the current environment. The ACG Silicon Valley CEO Circle meets bi-monthly 

and is open by invitation only to operating CEO’s who are members of ACG 

or interested in becoming members. 


Partner 

Foley & Lardner, LLP 

“I have been a member of the ACGSV CEO Circle since its inception 

and I look forward to each meeting. It is especially beneficial 

to hear how CEO’s from other industries are tackling the same 

challenges that I face in my company. These perspectives are new 

and refreshing and help me avoid getting trapped in my industry’s 

mindset. In addition, I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to help 

other CEO’s find solutions to the difficult issues we all are facing.” 

Joe Flynn 


Lavante 

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CEO Circle 

“During the past ten years it’s been my privilege to be involved with 

ACG in its Orange County, Los Angeles and Silicon Valley chapters 

respectively. In the past three years I have been involved almost 

exclusively with the ACG Silicon Valley chapter as it features the 

largest and most dynamic number of C-level executives in one 

venue on a consistent (monthly) basis. 


Damilola Agboola 

Lofty Inc Allied Partners Ltd 

Partner 

“Silicon Valley is all 

about innovation and 

collaboration, taking 

risk together and 

adding value while 

doing so. Innovation 

powers growth 

and job creation: a 

necessary ingredient in 

overcoming poverty in 

our current shpere and 

around the globe. At 

loftyinc we are utilizing 

Silicon Valley’s secret 

sauce and lessons 

learnt to revolutionize 

technology application 

and job creation 

in West Africa.” 

“Within this three-year period I have been fortunate to be a 

member of the ACGSV CEO Circle (since its inception) and that 

experience has augmented and afforded me an extraordinary 

networking opportunity. On a personal level I am interfacing and 

hearing broad, evocative and progressive CEO perspectives from a 

spectrum of industries regarding the markets and how they impact 

their respective businesses. 

“These perspectives provide a forward looking platform for clearer 

definition of the challenges today’s CEO’s face and possible 

responses and solutions. I thoroughly enjoy these meetings as they 

provide me a venue that keeps me sharp to industry and market 

challenges outside my business while providing me the opportunity 

to be a part of a team that helps and supports fellow CEO’s find 

possible solutions. At the least the ACGSV CEO Circle is that rare 

and invaluable gathering where a CEO can feel comfortable and 

secure about discussing their unique business odyssey.” 

Jim Stameson 


Plasma Ruggedized Solutions 

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Public Board Circle 

ACG Board Circle – Public company directors convene quarterly to 

network and learn from each other regarding “best practices” in governance. 

Each dinner focuses on a current topic for board governance, with a brief 

keynote by a recognized expert, and a dinner discussion with other public 

company directors facing similar issues. Experienced board advisors convene the 

table discussions. Recent topics have included risk management and executive 

compensation in the world of “say on pay” and Dodd Frank. 

Cathryn S. Gawne 

Of Counsel 

Hopkins & Carley 

Diane Holt Frankle 

Partner 

Kaye Scholer LLP 

Jeffrey S. Kuhn 

Managing Partner 

FLG Partners 

Christie Simons 

Partner 

Deloitte & Touche LLP 

“I find the Board Circle quite valuable and well worth my time. It 

gives me an opportunity to participate in discussions with fellow 

board directors and their advisors about a variety of topics which 

are ‘top of mind’ for corporate board directors.” 

Dennis Schmal 

Board Director 

Varian/MCF Corp/Pacific Metrics 

“The Board Circle is an easy way to network and stay up to speed 

on key topics.” 

Mike Linton 

Director 

Support.com 

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M&A Circle 

ACG M&A Circle – ACG Silicon Valley M&A Circle’s mission is to foster 

corporate and fiscal growth in our region by promoting the benefits 

of M&A activity to all prospective clients and facilitating the process 

when opportunities present themselves. The M&A group is made up of 

more than 20 experts – most of them C-level – in a variety of disciplines such 

as corporate law and investment banking. Each member is a service provider 

who focuses almost exclusively on M&A activity. The purpose of the group 

is to provide enhanced value to each member’s customers by sharing ideas 

for bringing companies together, providing updates and insights on recent 

developments and practice trends, providing input on transactions from the 

vantage point of each participant’s experience in the deal process, and seeking 

profitable opportunities for mutually beneficial business interactions. 

Erik Sandie 

Regional Director 

Merrill DataSite 


Partner 

Kaye Scholer LLP 


Michael Robledo 

ACG Silicon Valley 

Intern 

“I enjoy the high professionalism of our members and the profound 

knowledge exchanges in our ACG M&A Circle meetings. It is very 

refreshing to hear so many different perspectives on all M&A 

aspects across all professions. It helps me to stay up to date on 

new developments and market trends. I find it very beneficial to 

have such a wealth of personal knowledge and connections right at 

my fingertips. In addition, I welcome the opportunity to share my 

international experience and help to connect the dots.” 

Elmar Jakoby 

Robert Half CFO Services 

“As a 15-year old now 

straight A student and 

the ACG Silicon Valley 

intern I am more and 

more grateful for all 

the many ‘mentors’ 

in this organization 

who are and continue 

to inspire me!” 

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Sponsor Circle 

ACG Sponsor Circle – The ACG Sponsor Circle provides great exposure and 

branding for its sponsor companies. It also provides exposure and branding for 

the individuals representing these companies as experts in their field. 

The Sponsor’s Circle provides a forum where the sponsors can get together 

to discuss their respective industries. At our monthly meetings, we discuss 

current business issues and share opportunities to help us grow our respective 

businesses. Our main focus for 2011 is to host a series of informal educational 

sessions for all sponsors on personal business development strategies: 

Topics currently on the calendar are: 

• Venture Debt Markets – Current Trends 

• Insurance needs of a start up 

• Preparing your company for an M&A transaction 

• Effective use of the Business Journal 

All speakers are ACGSV sponsors and experts in their respective fields. 

Robert F. Zimmerman 

Senior Vice President 

Heffernan Insurance Brokers 

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Meet people to grow 

your business 

and help your career 

The networking organization where business happens … 

getting the right people together in one place 

Repeated Success – Propelling Growth – Sharing Knowledge 

Thought 

Leader 

Speakers 

+ 

Premier 

Sponsors 


CEO 

Circle 

73% C Level 

Executive 

Beyond 

the 

Horizon 

William F. Wiles 

Scent Sciences 

Corporation 

President & CEO 

“The catalyst to the US 

economy’s recovery and 

growth is and always 

will be the Silicon 

Valley entrepreneurs 

and their undying 

passion to innovate 

and make a difference.” 

Sponsors 

Circle 

Public 

Board 

Circle 

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GROW! Awards Selection Committee 

Glenn Daniel 

Houlihan Lokey, Managing Director 

Gunjeet Baweja 

Needham & Company, Managing Director, Investment Banking 


Kay Scholer LLP, Partner 

Al Kenrick 

Wells Fargo, Senior Vice President Manager Growth Technology & 

Life Science Group 

Jeffrey S. Kuhn 

FLG Partners, Managing Partner 

Garrett Herbert 

Deloitte, Partner, M&A Transaction Services 

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Behind the Scenes 

The GROW! Awards Team 

Micky Robledo – ACG Silicon Valley Executive Administrator 

Tony Aguila – TLC Graphics and Printing 

Vicki Vaughn – Perfect Taste Catering 

Shev Rush – Shev Rush PR / SHPR 

Melissa Stacey – Feeling Organized 

Geoff Puckett – Effect Design 

Jennifer Alexander – Computer History Museum 

Michael Robledo – ACGSV Intern 

ACG Silicon Valley Acknowledgements and an ever 

GROWING thank you to our Honorary Board of Directors 

and to our ACG Board of Directors Emeritus 


Cameron Schaeffer 

Stanford University 

Student 

“The culture of 

entrepreneurship 

driven by the 

technological 

innovation of nearby 

universities such 

as Stanford and 

Berkeley has made 

Silicon Valley a fertile 

ground for success.” 

Honorary Board Members 

Rich Beyer, Freescale Semiconductor, Chairman and CEO; 

Intersil, former CEO 

Pehong Chen, Broadvision, CEO 

David Dutton, Mattson Technology, CEO 

Chuck Kissner, Aviat Networks, Chairman and CEO 

T.J. Rodgers, Cypress Semiconductor, Founder, President & CEO 

Dan Warmenhoven, NetApp, Chairman, Board of Directors 

Board of Directors – Emeritus 

Michael Bateman, Dennis Charlebois, Diane Duerr-Levine, 

Kenneth Frederick, G. Brent Gammon, Robin Graham, Charles 

Hart, Rodrick Hoagland, Don Lee, James P. Lynch, Peter Redford, 

Paul Roberts, Larry Roberts, Denny Roja, Stephen Rowe, 

Stephen Smith, Dominique Trempont, David Wohlwend 

28

is proud to showcase its Sponsors 


Tom Hart 

Executive Chairman of the Board 

QuickLogic Corporation 

“Many people believe that the Valley exists because of the confluence of our 

fine universities, smart people and readily available venture capital. I would 

suggest there are many places in the world that can lay legitimate claim 

to those three elements, which are certainly necessary but not sufficient to 

explain why the ‘Valley’ exists in this geography we know as the Silicon Valley. 

“Actually, if you go back in time, it can be argued that Silicon Valley should 

have started on the East Coast, since it was the seat of electronics innovation 

prior to the 1960’s. So why is Silicon Valley here Just as the explorers 

and adventurers came West in their wagon trains, their entrepreneurial spirit 

drove the early semiconductor technologists to go West. 

“The willingness to take risk and persevere in the face of failure was clearly 

an important element but I submit the key element was the eagerness to 

challenge the entrenched vacuum tube bureaucracy of the giant electronics 

companies of their day that drove the early semiconductor pioneers to settle 

in this fertile area and establish what has now become a ubiquitous $300B+ 

industry producing products that touch virtually every man, woman and child 

on this planet.” 

29

30 

PLATINUM SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSOR 

Congratulations 

to the Winners of the 

Silicon Valley GROW! Awards. 

www.netapp.com 

31

GOLD SPONSOR 

People who know, 

SM 

know BDO. 

BDO is proud to be a Gold Sponsor 

for the GrOW! awards. 

For 100 years, BDO has provided quality 

service through the active involvement of 

experienced and committed professionals. The 

firm serves clients through 40 offices and more 

than 400 independent alliance firm locations 

nationwide. As an independent Member Firm 

of BDO International Limited, BDO serves 

multinational clients through a global network 

of 1,082 offices in 119 countries. 

BDO 

50 West San Fernando Street, Suite 200 

San Jose, CA 95113 

408-278-0220 Phone / 408-278-0230 Fax 

One Market, Spear Tower, Suite 1100 

San Francisco, CA 94105 

415-397-7900 Phone / 415-397-2161 Fax 

www.bdo.com 

CONTACT: 

Tracy Burr 

Tax Partner 

408-352-1940 

tburr@bdo.com 

afTaB Jamil 

Assurance Partner 

408-352-1999 

ajamil@bdo.com 

© 2011 BDO USA, LLP. All rights reserved. www.bdo.com 

32

GOLD SPONSOR 

33

GOLD SPONSOR 

ACCELERATE 

THE JOURNEY TO YOUR 

CLOUD 

EMC 2 , EMC, and the EMC logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation 

in the United States and other countries. © Copyright 2011 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. 2430 


Senior Director, EMC Corporation 

2831 Mission College Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95052 

Cell 408 201 2414 • sheryl.chamberlain@emc.com 

34

GOLD SPONSOR 

MidMarket 

Solutions TM 

Insperity Salutes Entrepreneurs 

A proud sponsor of the ACG Silicon Valley, Insperity salutes the entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm of tonight’s 

GROW! Award winners. The important role you play in leading business and enriching our community is what inspires 

us to do business ourselves. 

As a trusted advisor to America's best business owners for more than 25 years, Insperity’s mission is to help businesses 

succeed so communities prosper. Insperity MidMarket Solutions offers a unique set of multi-layered resources designed 

to enhance everyday productivity, promote alignment within your organization, and help your team proactively set and 

accomplish goals. 

We understand your struggles as a business owner and the decisions you face when choosing the right path for your 

business. By providing sound advice and highly advanced services, our Business Performance Consultants are committed 

to helping you maximize your company’s opportunity for success. 

Learn more about what Insperity MidMarket Solutions can do for your business by calling 877-273-6961 or visiting 

Insperity.com/midmarket. 

Workforce Workforce Optimization Optimization | MidMarket | MidMarket Solutions Solutions | | Performance Management | Expense 

Management Expense Management | Time and Attendance | Time and Attendance | Organizational | Organizational Planning Planning | Employment | Recruiting Screening Services 

Recruiting Employment Services Screening | Retirement | Retirement Services Services | Business | Business Insurance Insurance | Technology | Technology Services Services 

insperity.com | 800-465-3800 

35

GOLD SPONSOR 

THRIVE IN ANY ENVIRONMENT 

Kaye Scholer LLP congratulates 

the 2011 GROW! Awards winners, flourishing through 

innovation and exceptional management. 

We are proud to support the 

Association for Corporate Growth Silicon Valley 

and wish tonight’s winners 

continued success. 


Two Palo Alto Square, Suite 400, 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306 

www.kayescholer.com 

diane.frankle@kayescholer.com 

Kaye Scholer refers to Kaye Scholer LLP and its affiliates operating in various jurisdictions. Attorney advertising. 

36

GOLD SPONSOR 

ATTORNEYS AT LAW 

SHEPPARD MULLIN 

SHEPPARD MULLIN RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP 

Sheppard Mullin 

is proud to support 

ACG Silicon Valley 

and we congratulate the 2011 GROW! Awards winners 

With offices in both Palo Alto and San Francisco, Sheppard Mullin 

serves technology companies and their investors, financial sponsors 

and advisors with cutting edge legal advice in our core practice 

areas of corporate, intellectual property and litigation. 

Riaz Karamali 

rkaramali@sheppardmullin.com 

(650) 815-2603 

Louis Lehot 

llehot@sheppardmullin.com 

(650) 815-2640 

Shaalu Mehra 

smehra@sheppardmullin.com 

(650) 815-2661 

Kevin Rooney 

krooney@sheppardmullin.com 

(650) 815-2625 

Palo Alto | San Francisco | Los Angeles/Century City | Los Angeles/Downtown | New York 

Orange County | San Diego/Del Mar | San Diego/Downtown | Santa Barbara | Shanghai | Washington, D.C. 

sheppardmullin.com 

37

GOLD SPONSOR 

38

GOLD SPONSOR 

Specialized services for technology 

and venture capital companies 

The right financial services team can help you discover ways to build your 

business—no matter where you are in the business cycle. 

That’s why many technology companies turn to the Wells Fargo Technology 

and Venture Banking Group. Our industry expertise and broad spectrum of 

services allow us to support your day-to-day operations while helping you 

pursue your larger goals . 

If you would like to do more with your business, call Al Kenrick, Senior Vice 

President, at (650) 855-7684. 

Wells Fargo Technology and Venture Banking Group 

Serving technology, clean technology, software, mobile, life sciences and 

venture capital companies nationwide. 

wellsfargo.com/com 

© 2010 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 

All rights reserved. Member FDIC. 

tech_venture_ad_v4.indd 1 

2/25/2010 2:05:04 PM 

39

SILVER SPONSORS 

BroadVision. Celebrating 17 years of customer success, BroadVision is an innovator 

and pioneer in e-business and social media solutions. BroadVision solutions—including 

Clearvale, the world’s first network of networks for the socially driven enterprise— 

enable mission-critical e-business for next-generation organizations around the globe. 

Hundreds of organizations, serving over 50 million registered users and generating 

billions of dollars in business value, rely on BroadVision as their platform of choice. 

Ralph Lentz 

GM Americas, BroadVision 

www.clearvale.com 


Yuwei Shi, Ph.D. 

Dean and Professor of 

Strategic Management, 

Graduate School of Internal 

Policy and Management, 

Monterey Institute 

of International Studies, 

Frontier Market Scouts 

Program, Chief Scout 

“Combining 

Silicon Valley’s 

entrepreneurial spirit 

with social mission is 

the key to the success 

of our scouts.” 

Comerica Bank has a long track record of providing financing to technology 

companies. We have expertise in banking start-up technology companies and in 

continuing to meet their financial needs as they mature into public companies. 

Comerica offers everything growing businesses need from a bank—the services, 

the products, the expertise, the technology—along with the commitment to build 

strong enduring relationships. 

The Technology & Life Sciences Division provides emerging companies with the 

resources they need to realize their vision. The US Banking Division focuses on later 

stage public companies, assisting them with their growing domestic and international 

needs. Comerica’s bankers are already familiar with the technology industry’s trends 

and business models to better provide you with the comprehensive financing, treasury, 

trade, and investment services necessary in today’s competitive environment. 

Alan Jepsen 

SVP - Managing Director, 

Technology & Life Sciences Division 

www.comerica.com 

40


FLG Partners is the leading CFO consulting and board advisory firm in Silicon 

Valley. Since our founding in 2004, the firm has become known as best-in-class, and 

the most trusted name in CFO leadership for companies across all technology and 

life science sectors, ranging in size from Seed/A-round up to multibillion-dollar public 

companies. While most of FLG’s practice is in Silicon Valley, FLG regularly engages 

clients elsewhere in the U.S., Asia and Europe. Our depth of experience is extensive, 

with over 400 years of collective experience at the CFO level. More information, 

including a long client list searchable by sector, can be found at www.flgpartners.com. 

Jeffrey Kuhn 

Managing Partner 

www.flgpartners.com 

Hopkins & Carley is a regional business law firm headquartered in the heart of 

Silicon Valley. For more than 40 years, leading businesses, individuals and institutions 

in the Bay Area and beyond have sought our help with complex financings and other 

transactions, challenging regulatory issues and must-win litigation. Our primarily 

middle-market clients benefit from solutions scaled precisely to their expectations 

and resources, while enjoying attentive service, an understanding of their specific 

needs and a direct and rapid response to their questions and concerns. 

We help our clients maximize the potential benefits to be realized from their business 

success. 

Catheryn S. Gawne, Esq. 

Of Counsel 

www.hopkinscarley.com 

41


Houlihan Lokey is an international investment bank with expertise in mergers 

and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and valuation. The firm is 

ranked globally as the No. 1 restructuring advisor, the No. 1 M&A fairness opinion 

advisor over the past 10 years, and the No. 1 M&A advisor for U.S. transactions 

under $3 billion, according to Thomson Reuters. Houlihan Lokey has 14 offices and 

more than 800 employees in the United States, Europe and Asia. The firm serves 

more than 1,000 clients each year, ranging from closely held companies to Global 

500 corporations. For more information, visit www.HL.com. 

Glenn Daniel 

Managing Director 

www.HL.com 


KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory 

services. We have 140,000 outstanding professionals working together to deliver 

value in 146 countries worldwide. 

Tom Gay 

Sigma Designs 

CFO 

“It has been both 

exciting and reassuring 

to see how Silicon 

Valley continues 

to innovate and 

experience growth 

regardless of global 

economic conditions.” 

Andrew Gersh 

Managing Director, Transactional Services 

www.kpmg.com 

42


Needham & Company, LLC is a full service investment banking firm focused 

primarily on serving emerging growth industries and their investors. Founded in 1985, 

the firm is headquartered in New York City and has offices in Boston, Massachusetts, 

and Menlo Park and San Francisco, California. Needham & Company’s principal activities 

are public and private financings; corporate finance advisory services, including 

mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; equity research and sales and trading primarily 

for institutional investors. 

Gunjeet Baweja 

Managing Director, Investment Banking 

www.needhamco.com 

Silicon Valley Research Group is the premier global market research and strategy 

development firm for technology products and services. Through our offices in 

San Jose, Seattle and New York, we serve a wide array of technology clients through 

innovative programs including our OpinionBridge customer insights dashboards, 

our proprietary e361 ® enterprise market intelligence engine and our B2B Revenue 

Acceleration Lab. 

Sectors serviced include Enterprise Computing, Mobile Devices, Internet & Social 

Media, Digital Entertainment and Alternative Energy/Green IT. Silicon Valley Research 

Group celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. 

Al Nazarelli 

President & CEO, Opinion Bridge 

Powered by Silicon Valley Research Group Inc. 

www.siliconvalleyrg.com 

43


Robert Half International is a global leader in professional staffing and consulting 

services, with a network of more than 400 offices worldwide. As the world’s first and 

largest specialized staffing firm, with seven divisions in the Bay Area: Accountemps, 

Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for 

temporary, full-time and project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting 

and finance; OfficeTeam, for highly skilled temporary administrative support; Robert 

Half Technology, for information technology professionals; Robert Half Legal, for 

temporary, project and full-time staffing of attorneys, paralegals and legal support 

personnel, and The Creative Group for marketing and advertising professionals, only 

Robert Half offers you this complete staffing solution in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

For more information, please visit our website at www.rhi.com. 

Sharon Black 

Senior District President, Northern California 

www.rhi.com 


Stuart McKechnie 

Zoran Corporation 

Director Strategic 

Marketing 

“Silicon Valley leads 

in the business of 

technology by acting 

as a global catalyst— 

harnessing global talent 

to make products 

for the planet.” 

Silicon Valley Bank is the premier commercial bank for companies in the 

technology, life science, venture capital/private equity and premium wine industries. 

SVB provides a comprehensive suite of financing solutions, treasury management, 

corporate investment and international banking services to its clients worldwide. 

Through its focus on specialized markets and extensive knowledge of the people 

and business issues driving them, Silicon Valley Bank provides a level of service 

and partnership that measurably impacts its clients’ success. Founded in 1983 and 

headquartered in Santa Clara, California, the company serves clients around the 

world through 27 U.S. offices and international operations in China, India, Israel and 

the United Kingdom. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of global financial services firm 

SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB), with SVB Analytics, SVB Capital, SVB Global 

and SVB Private Client Services. More information on the company can be found 

at www.svb.com. 

Frank Pisciuneri 

Managing Director 

www.svb.com 

44

BRONZE SPONSORS 

The Aspire Company is a creative boutique that delivers 

integrated marketing campaigns that can be translated 

across media platforms—from web to print to live events. 

From fresh branding ideas that redefine your business to 

website design that positions you ahead of your competition, 

we find solutions to meet your marketing challenges. 

Our targeted research, communications and events ignite discussion, inspire 

ideas—and persuade. From strategy to design to execution, we deliver a nimble, 

cost-effective package focused on valuable and measurable results. Simply put, The 

Aspire Company is redefining boutique marketing services. 

Isaac La Buguen 

Founder, Director of Marketing & Events 

www.theaspirecompany.com 

BNY Mellon. At BNY Mellon, wealth management is 

a practice: a specialized profession where our experts 

combine their efforts to meet the wealth planning, investment, 

and financial management needs of individuals, families, 

family offices, charitable gift programs, endowments, 

foundations, entrepreneurs, and professionals. 

Mark J. Delucia 

Vice President, Director 

www.bnymellon.com 

45


Cadence Design Systems, Inc. is a global leader in 

software, hardware, methodologies, and services that play 

essential roles in accelerating innovation in today’s highly complex 

integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, and electronics systems. 

Companies use Cadence ® electronic design automation (EDA) 

technologies and engineering services to design, verify, and prepare advanced 

semiconductors and systems for manufacturing. These products, in turn, form the 

foundation of consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications equipment, 

and computer systems. With locations throughout the world—including China, India, 

Europe, Russia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and North America—Cadence serves 

a global customer base. 

Steve Brown 

Product Management Director, System Realization 

www.cadence.com 

Mayer 

Hoffman 

McCann P.C. 

An Independent CPA Firm 

CBIZ provides a full range of professional 

services to growing public and private 

companies. Our financial services include 

Accounting, Tax, Audit* and Business 

Consulting. Together with Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. (MHM), we are one of the 

Top Ten accounting providers in the U.S. Our employee services include Benefits, 

Human Resources, Payroll and Risk Management. CBIZ is one of the nation’s leading 

Employee Benefits Specialists, Property & Casualty agencies, Valuation firms 

and Retirement Plan service providers. For over 25 years, Silicon Valley companies 

have relied on CBIZ to provide national caliber expertise combined with a highly 

personalized level of service delivered at the local level. 

* Audit and attest services provided by Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., 

an independent CPA firm 

Tom Crotty 

Senior Managing Director 

www.cbiz.com 

www.mhm-pc.com 

46


Cypress Semiconductor Corporation – 

which The Wall Street Journal has characterized 

as “a quintessential entrepreneurial company” – is 

in its 30th year of providing high-performance, 

programmable solutions to the world’s leading 

manufacturers of smart phones, PCs and peripherals, automobiles, white goods, 

communications equipment, industrial control systems and medical instrumentation. 

Cypress’s products include its flagship PSoC ® programmable system-on-chip solution 

and PSoC derivatives such as TrueTouch touchscreen controllers. In the six-year 

period ended January 3, 2011, Cypress rewarded its shareholders with a 900% share 

price gain. Cypress trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker 

symbol CY. Visit Cypress online at www.cypress.com. 

T.J. Rodgers 

Founder, President & CEO 

www.cypress.com 

EffectDesign Founder/CEO Geoff Puckett produces 

emotionally engaging interactive, media and 

physical exhibition experiences for corporate, education, 

hospitality, marketing and theatrical entertainment 

clients. A former Disney Imagineer, Geoff has 

envisioned unique storytelling projects for Seagate, 

Microsoft’s Paul Allen, Intel, Washington DC’s Smithsonian Museum, MSNBC and San 

Francisco’s Walt Disney Family Museum—conceiving, orchestrating and implementing 

ideas which memorably communicate stories in compelling new ways. 

Geoff Puckett 

Founder / CEO 

www.effectsf.com 

47


Heffernan Insurance Brokers, formed in 

1988, is the 9th largest independent insurance 

brokerage firm in the U.S. Headquartered in the 

Bay Area, Heffernan provides comprehensive 

insurance and financial services to a wide range 

of businesses and individuals. Our Silicon Valley office (Palo Alto) houses our 

TechCHOICE practice. TechCHOICE’s areas of focus include hardware, software, 

ecommerce, biotech, lifescience and CleanTech. In addition to TechCHOICE, 

Heffernan provides comprehensive insurance products to all industry groups, most 

notably NonProfits, Contractors, PropertyOwners, Wineries, Assisted Living/ 

Nursing Home Facilities, Hospitality and Transportation. Heffernan has been named 

one of the top three best places to work in the Bay Area by the SF Business Times and 

Silicon Valley Journal for four years running (2006 – 2009). We are also one of the top 

50 philanthropic organizations in the Bay Area, according to the SF Business Times. 

Robert F. Zimmerman 

Senior Vice President 

www.Heffins.com 


Max Swisher 

Good Morning Geek 

Founder 

“Silicon Valley is 

populated with 

tech, which allows 

for events to make 

connections face-toface, 

which has been 

the most powerful 

experience for me.” 

Lunder Real Estate Services. Dennis has more than 25 

years of experience as a former sales and marketing executive 

with two Fortune 500 companies where he developed a 

strong work ethic and built a committed client base by focusing 

on results. Throughout his tenure in corporate sales, he 

was committed to quality and excellence for his customers. 

Dennis was also an educator and honored as California Teacher of the Year. He holds 

three degrees including a Ph.D. in mathematic. You will find that Dennis’ outstanding 

work ethic in addition to his focus on what the customer needs will deliver superior 

results. Since his entry into real estate 8 years ago, Dennis has consistently been a 

top producer in the top 1% of Bay Area Realtors (Chairman’s Club). 

Lunder Real Estate Services 

Company focus: Dennis specializes in targeted marketing and uses high tech tools to 

find buyers for his listings. His understanding of the internet and capturing buyers sets 

him apart from other realtors. Combined with his strong work ethic, he produces 

results for his clients. 

Dennis Lunder 

Broker / Owner 

www.dennislunder.com 

48


McGladrey focuses on providing customized 

audit, tax and business consulting solutions to 

middle-market businesses, because when your 

business is understood you’ll have greater confidence that your decisions are the 

right ones. Our California practice offers full-service capabilities to over 2,000 corporate 

and individual clients in a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, 

distribution, technology & life sciences, construction, real estate, food & beverage, 

and financial services. We serve our clients’ global business needs through our 

membership in RSM International—an affiliation of well-established accounting and 

consulting firms in 72 countries worldwide. 

Angie Boelter 

Partner, Assurance Services 

www.rsmmcgladrey.com 

Merrill DataSite ® is a secure virtual data room (VDR) 

solution optimizing the due diligence process by providing 

an efficient and secure method for sharing key business 

information between multiple parties. Merrill DataSite 

provides unlimited access for users worldwide, as well as real-time activity reports, 

site-wide search at the document level, enhanced communications through the Q&A 

feature and superior project management service—all of which reduce transaction 

time and expense. Merrill DataSite’s multilingual support staff is available around 

the world, 24/7, and can have your VDR up and running with thousands of pages 

loaded within 24 hours or less. 

Erik Sandie 

Regional Director 

www.datasite.com 

49


SingerLewak is a leading regional accounting 

and consulting services firm headquartered 

in Los Angeles with offices in Silicon Valley, 

Orange County, Woodland Hills, Monterey Park and San Diego. The firm 

works in many sectors of the business world, from emerging startups to 

public companies. SingerLewak’s services include audit, accounting, tax advisory 

and compliance, SEC filings and transactions, SOX compliance, internal audit, M&A 

transactions, and a number of other accounting services. 

Harmeet Singh, CPA 

Partner 

www.singerlewak.com 


Mina Farahmand 

Xeralux 

VP Finance /CFO 

“The Association 

for Corporate 

Growth supports a 

more sustainable 

environment and 

provides a valuable 

platform to connect 

member businesses in 

the Silicon Valley. As 

a growing Company, 

at Xeralux, we feel 

fortunate to be part 

of this platform 

and join this effort 

to work towards a 

more energy efficient 

business community.” 

SRPR | Shev Rush Public Relations 

is recognized as one of the top 5 small PR 

firms in the country, and Shev himself was 

recently named one of the top 25 tech PR professionals in the industry. Specializing 

in business and technology, SRPR applies its unique and proven approach to repeatedly 

placing its clients in the media outlets that matter the most to key audiences, 

including current and potential clients. 

Shev Rush 

Founder & Principal 

www.shevrushpr.com 

50


Vision Systems International, LLC., is an international 

joint venture between two leading aerospace competitors, 

Rockwell Collins Inc. and Elbit Systems, Ltd. VSI is the world’s 

leader in development and production of Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems for fighter 

aircraft including the F/A-18, F-15, F-16 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. 

Military and over 20 International Air Forces. 

Andrés “Drew” Brugal 

President 

www.vsi-hmcs.com 


Dotty Hayes 

Computer History 

Museum 

Trustee 

“Welcome to the 

Computer History 

Museum; please return 

often to enjoy our new 

exhibit, R|evolution! 

Our mission, to 

preserve and present 

for posterity the 

artifacts and stories 

of the information 

age, fits wonderfully 

with tonight’s 

celebration of the 

spirit of Silicon Valley.” 

51

BOOK BAG 

The GROW! Awards tradition of a book bag and the distribution 

of the work of local authors continues. 

The program is underwritten by Platinum Sponsor Foley & 

Lardner LLP. 


Eric Raff, LEED AP 

XL Construction 

Corporation 

President 

“Silicon Valley’s 

innovative culture 

makes it a remarkable 

place to be in business. 

It’s exciting and 

rewarding to build 

the facilities that 

entrepreneurs and 

growing companies 

need to advance 

technology throughout 

the world.” 

The books for 2011 are highlighted on the following pages. 

Previous contributions include: 

ESOP Questions and Answers - Brandt Brereton 

Money, Love & Legacy - Helga Hayse 

Bust the Silos - Hunter Hastings, Jeff Saperstein 

The Market Has Changed: Have You - Paul De’Souza 

Blueprint to a Billion - David G. Thomson 

Nuts, Bolts & Jolts - Richard A. Moran 

Beyond Code - Rajesh Setty 

The Feel of the Deal: How I built a Company Through Acquisitions - Robert Sher 

Scrappy Project Management: The 12 Predictable and Avoidable 

Pitfalls Every Project Faces - Kimberly Wiefling 

Great People Decisions - Claudio Fernández-Aráoz 

Uniting the Virtual Workforce: Transforming Leadership and 

Innovation in the Globally Integrated Enterprise - Karen 

Sobel Lojeski, Ph.D., Richard R. Reilly, Ph.D 

Blogtastic! - Rajesh Setty 

It’s Your Job - Take Charge Of It - Chuck Harwood 

Strategic Entrepreneurism - Jon B. Fisher 

Rules for Renegades: How to Make More Money, Rock Your Career, 

and Revel in Your Individuality - Christine Comaford-Lynch 

The Executive Guide to Boosting Cash Flow and Shareholder Value - V. Rory Jones 

Upbeat: Cultivating the Right Attitude to Thrive in Tough Times - Rajesh Setty 

52

BOOK BAG 

That Resonates with Me! 

Nancy Duarte 

CEO, Duarte Design 

http://www.duarte.com 

If you say “I have an idea for something,” what you really mean is “I want to change 

the world in some way.” You might not be able to change the entire world, but what 

is “the world” anyway It is simply all of the ideas of all our ancestors. Look around 

you. Your clothes, language, furniture, house, city, and nation all began as visions in 

other minds. 

Presentations are the currency of business communications and those who master 

communicating with them rise faster than their peers, reach more customers than 

their competitors, and turn causes into a groundswell. 

Persuasion expert Nancy Duarte, CEO of Duarte Design, will demonstrate how 

to apply the methods in her book Resonate: Presenting Visual Stories That Transform 

Audiences, to build meaningful connections with audiences that compel them to 

action. Her groundbreaking work details a new way of structuring a presentation 

and connecting with an audience. 

Changing the world starts with transforming an audience and an audience will only 

change if you resonate with them. 

In this session, you will learn: 

• Leverage the hidden story structures inherent in great communication 

• Connect with your audience empathetically 

• Create captivating content 

• Craft ideas that get repeated 

• Inspire enthusiasm and support for your vision 

This session is for leaders who are tasked with communicating clearly and persuading 

through verbal communications. 

53

BOOK BAG 

Scrappy General Management 

Michael Horton 

Vice President, Australian Chemical, Energy, and Natural Resources 

division of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) 

Michael Horton is Vice President for the Australian Chemical, Energy, and Natural 

Resources division of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), with responsibility for 

annual revenues of $400 million and a matrix responsibility for 2,000 people. Michael 

has 29 years experience in the Information Technology Industry, 21 years of that in 

a management capacity and has been employed at CSC since 1994. During his time 

at CSC, he has held senior management positions in Western Australia, Victoria 

and New South Wales, Australia. Since 2000 he has also completed challenging 

assignments based in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Maidstone in the UK and 

San Diego, USA. 

Michael holds an Associate Diploma in Applied Science from Edith Cowan University 

in Western Australia, a Master of IT Management from Charles Sturt University in 

New South Wales and is Project Management Institute (PMI) certified. He is married, 

with two teenage children and enjoys surfing, sailing and holidaying at every 

opportunity. 

About the Book: 

Scrappy General Management is aimed to provide an easy to follow road map that 

will give some comfort and order amid the chaos of information and expectations… 

Helping with the ‘what do I do next’ question that no-one wants to ask for the fear 

of appearing that they’re not up to it. The intended reader is someone moving up 

from middle management—or running their own business. For more information, 

please visit: 

http://happyabout.com/scrappyabout/scrappy-general-management.php 

54

BOOK BAG 

Competing for Global Dominance 

Survival in a Changing World 

Jack S. Katz 

CEO, Novusglobe, LLC 

Jack S. Katz, is identified as one of the ten top people to know by Technology 

Decisions Magazine, Jack is noted for his knowledge and delivery of accurate high 

technology and business solutions that have had a dramatic impact on the bottom 

line of global companies. 

With over three decades of Information Systems Management, Marketing and 

Business Development experience in such diverse industries as Retail, Healthcare, 

Financial Services, and Information Technology, Jack is an internationally recognized 

author, speaker and business technology expert. 

Jack founded Novusglobe, LLC a premier market-entry company which works with 

emerging companies to define, develop and expand their products and services 

worldwide. He has previously held senior level management positions with Red Hill 

Partners International, Cisco Systems, Sun Microsystems, Providian Financial Services, 

Blue Shield of California, and Safeway, Inc. 


Competing for Global Dominance sets the stage for a new paradigm required for 

growth of the globalized market in the 21st century and outlines the issues that entrepreneurs 

and businesses will face as they compete for survival in a world marketplace 

no longer hindered by time and distance. This book shows the thought leadership 

from a practitioners viewpoint who works with entrepreneurs and companies from 

around the world to position them for survival and expansion in the new world of 

globalization. For more information, please visit: 

http://happyabout.com/global-dominance.php 

55

BOOK BAG 

Climbing the Ladder of Business Intelligence 

Happy About Creating Excellence Through Enabled Intuition 

James E. Cates 

CEO and Founder, LOBI Group, LLC 

James E. Cates, CEO and Founder, LOBI Group, LLC, believes that if corporate 

management does not learn how to more efficiently manage and utilize the data 

coming into their corporations, they will fail. He states that as of May 2009, the size 

of the world’s total digital content has been roughly estimated to be 500 exabytes 

and is growing between 30–50% per year. Obviously, all of this data cannot be 

transformed to useful information for any specific corporation but the challenge 

is how to select the valuable data from this constantly expanding ocean of mostly 

data noise to your corporate decision processes. Jim has developed a repeatable 

framework for selecting the valuable data from this data deluge. His LOBI BI consulting 

services trains management on how to recognize true information vs. data. He and 

his BI partners can help you achieve your valuable information extraction process 

which supports your key company decisions. 

Jim draws on more than 30 years of executive leadership in software development, 

IT deployment and corporate management in leading companies including Altera, 

Brocade, Information Technology Solutions (Became Keane Corp), Synopsys and 

IBM. He also holds an MS in Computer and Information Science from the Ohio 

State University Engineering College. He is a recipient of Ohio State’s Distinguished 

Alumnus Award from the college of Engineering. Contact email address: Jim.Cates@ 

LOBI.INFO. 


The goal of Climbing the Ladder of Business Intelligence is to introduce an intelligence 

framework that builds a foundation for success. The Ladder is really a Ladder of 

Business Intelligence (LOBI) that aims to create intelligent organizations in which 

technology systems are designed to support success. The book introduces a 

frame work that builds a foundation for success. It will demonstrate how to use this 

framework to enable skillful use of technology and better use of human intelligence. 

Each step up the Ladder creates a more intelligent organization, one that is able to 

operate smarter and faster. For more information, please visit: 

http://happyabout.com/climbing-ladder.php 

56

BOOK BAG 

42 Rules for Creating WE 

A Hands-On, Practical Approach to Organizational 

Development, Change and Leadership Best Practices 

Judith E. Glaser 

CEO, Benchmark Communications, Inc. 

www.benchmarkcommunicationsinc.com 

Judith E. Glaser is Founder and CEO of Benchmark Communications, Inc. www. 

benchmarkcommunicationsinc.com; a pioneering culture, leadership and brand 

firm that works with Fortune 100, 500 and private companies. In 2007 Benchmark 

launched the Creating WE Institute, a research and consulting partnership that offers 

clients opportunities to expand WE-centric thinking in their organizations. Ms. 

Glaser, who calls herself an Organizational Anthropologist, is a sought after keynote 

speaker, and a renowned executive coach and innovation specialist helping leaders 

rethink strategies, new products and services, leverage mergers and acquisitions and 

create new business models that drive profitability and growth. 

Creating WE won an AXION Leadership Award in 2008. Ms. Glaser is contributing 

editor of Executive Excellence magazine and appears in the media, including the NBC 

Today Show, ABC World News, Fox News, and has been quoted in The New York 

Times, Wall Street Journal, Crain’s, and the Harvard Management Review, among 

many publications. She served as an adjunct professor at Wharton and guest speaker 

at Temple, Kellogg, Harvard, Loyola, University of Chicago, NYU, IIT and others, and 

is on the board of We Are Family Foundation. She was awarded Woman of the Year 

2004 in NYC and Inducted into the Temple Gallery of Success in 2007. 


42 Rules for Creating WE offers new insights from thought leaders in neuroscience, 

organizational development, and brand strategy, introducing groundbreaking 

practices for bringing the spirit of WE to any organization, team or cause. For more 

information, please visit: 

http://happyabout.com/42rules/creatingwe.php 

57

is promoted by generous contributions from: 

Clos de la Tech 

EffectDesign 

The Corporate Presence 

TLC Graphics 

Clos de la Tech (Klō deh lah Tĕk), based in the Santa 

Cruz mountains, borrows its name from the great 

Burgundy vineyards, which often use the word “Clos” 

(translation: enclosed area) in their names. Examples 

include Clos de Vougeot, Clos de Tart and Clos de 

Lambrays. The reference relates to the rocks that were removed from the vineyards 

to form stone walls enclosing the vineyards. The “Tech” part of the name stems from 

the silicon chip on the neck of every Clos de la Tech bottle. The goal of proprietors 

T.J. and Valeta Rodgers is to make the best Pinot Noir in the New World and to 

challenge Burgundies that have dominated Pinot Noir wines since the 13th century. 

The wine donated by Clos de la Tech for this evening’s event is the acclaimed 2006 

Domaine du Docteur Rodgers, a Burgundian-style Pinot Noir that is perfumey and 

fruity with sweet tannins. Visit Clos de la Tech online at www.closdelatech.com. 

58

EffectDesign, Inc. produces corporate storytelling experiences; environments that 

communicate—places that speak. The firm is directed by creative producer and 

former Disney Imagineer Geoff Puckett. Since 1998 EffectDesign has produced 

uniquely immersive learning and marketing experiences for Seagate, Intel, Microsoft, 

Intercontinental Hotels, the Smithsonian Institute, Seattle Science Fiction Museum, 

along with San Francisco’s Academy of Sciences and Walt Disney Family Museums. 

Today EffectDesign provides digital 3D stereoscopic (3DS) solutions for business 

communications—applied to concept evaluation, training and promotional marketing. 

3DS enables viewers to retain up to 35% more information than traditional 2D media 

since the experience immerses participants within a natural, fully dimensional realm. 

Real experiences produce real results. 

Geoff and his EffectDesign team produced the opening sequence for this year’s 

GROW! Awards. 

Geoff Puckett 

Founder / CEO 

www.EffectSF.com 

60

type and design… 

Helping you look your best. 

Congratulations to ACG Silicon Valley 

and the Seventh Annual GROW! Awards. 

TLC Graphics takes pride in doing the 

graphic design and printing for 

ACG Silicon Valley. 

R 

TLC Graphics 

1350 Pear Avenue, Suite K, Mountain View, CA 

(650) 965-8524 • www.tlc-graphics.com 

62

For years, I’ve searched for a group where a long-term CEO like myself could 

meet with like minds and feel comfortable. The ACG is that group. 

Val Swisher 

Founder & CEO 

Content Rules, Inc. 

As an ACG member for a number of years, I continue to be impressed with the types of 

people I meet. ACG members have such a wealth of experience and connections and they 

are willing to help each other out. The speakers at the monthly meetings give you insights 

to their success, and challenge you to think about different ways of conducting business. 

My experiences at ACG give me great ideas about how to grow my day to day business. 

Ralph Lentz 

GM Americas 

BroadVision 

ACG Silicon Valley has continually enabled me to network 

with today’s industry leaders in the Valley. 

Rear Admiral (Ret) Winston Copeland 

USN 

When I first joined Disney it was said the newbies had “pixie dust” 

in their hair. I guess being an ACG/SV newbie translates to having 

my head in the “cloud”! The experience feels great and I look 

forward to upcoming events—plus getting further involved to 

invent + apply fresh, imaginative ideas to ACG/SV offerings. 

Geoff Puckett 

Founder/CEO 

EffectDesign, Inc. 

Building and leading businesses can be a lonely space. My timing 

to learn about and join ACG could not have been better. As 

I’m in the middle of a complex three-way merger and all of the 

challenges of integration; it has been a wonderful opportunity to 

learn from peers, get perspectives from Private Equity members, M&A 

attorneys, and others. ACG has provided an opportunity to share 

information in the networking forum and to learn from the best in the 

Valley through the speaking engagements … all of which makes the 

building and leading a little less lonely, and a lot more productive. 

Brett Flinchum 

Megapath 

Chief Operating Officer

GROW! Awards - Association for Corporate Growth

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