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Summit 2010 Speakers
 Michelle ToddSpecial Assistant to the Governor
R. Michelle Todd was appointed Special Assistant to Governor
Charlie Crist in May 2007. In this capacity, Ms. Todd is responsible for staffing
and advancing the Governor and Lt. Governor’s public appearances in West
Central Florida. She also serves as the Governor’s liaison and
representative with citizens, community leaders, and elected officials.
Prior to joining the Crist Administration, Ms. Todd
specialized in political campaigns. Her
political campaign experience includes numerous successful local, state and
federal races. Ms. Todd also has
experience as a paralegal in the areas of commercial real estate, environmental
and land use law.
A native Floridian, Ms. Todd received an Associate of
Arts degree from the Honors College at Hillsborough Community College and a Bachelor’s
degree in Political Science – Pre Law with a focus in American Politics from the
University of Central Florida. Ms. Todd
also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Spring of Tampa Bay and the Honors
Advisory Committee of the Honors Institute at Hillsborough
Community College and was named to the
inaugural class of Hillsborough
Community College’s 40
Outstanding Alumni in 2007.
 Chuck SykesPresident and CEO Sykes Enterprises
Charles (Chuck) Sykes was appointed
President and Chief Executive Officer of Sykes Enterprises,
Incorporated in August 2004. Prior to his recent appointment, Mr. Sykes
served as Chief Operating Officer since July 2003 and President since
May 2004.
As a young man Mr. Sykes began working
within the company from entry level positions onto senior management.
He has worked his way through the ranks, including laying cable and
installation to serving as General Manager of the Americas, resulting
in a comprehensive knowledge of the Company. Mr. Sykes' extensive
experience in operations, accounting, professional services,
recruitment, and sales and marketing enable him to manage SYKES' client
relations and the ongoing success of global operations.
A native of Charlotte, North Carolina,
Mr. Sykes majored in mechanical engineering at North Carolina State
University. He is currently on the board for America's Second Harvest;
the country's largest charitable hunger-relief organization. He is a
member of the Young President's Organization and of the Greater Tampa
Bay Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and Chair of the Strategic
Planning Committee for 2007. Mr. Sykes is also a member of the Tampa
Bay Partnership Council of Governors and of the University of Tampa's
Florida Entrepreneur and Family Business Center Board of Advisors for
2007.
 Richard WainioPort Director and CEO Tampa Bay Port Authority
Richard
A. Wainio was appointed Tampa Port Director and Chief Executive Officer in
January, 2005. Mr. Wainio has in-depth
knowledge about the maritime industry, international trade, and global
transportation gained from over 30 years of high-level public and private
sector experience that includes work in many countries around the world. Prior to coming to Tampa,
he worked 23 years in executive positions with the Panama
Canal. His responsibilities
with the Panama Canal included strategic and
treaty planning, economic research and marketing, and served as the primary
advisor to the Canal’s bi-national Board of Directors. He subsequently held
executive positions with several international ports and shipping companies
located in Panama and the United States. Mr.
Wainio also served as President and Executive Director for the American Chamber
of Commerce and Industry of Panama.
Mr.
Wainio earned a Master of Arts degree in international management from the Thunderbird
School of Global Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Davidson College. He also did post-graduate work in Latin
American demographic studies at the University
of Florida and in economics at the University of Oklahoma. He is active in various international trade
organizations and associations and serves as an advisor to the Federal Reserve
Bank of Atlanta.
 Grant Petersen
Shareholder
Ogletree Deakins
Grant
Petersen is a Shareholder in the Tampa Office of Ogletree Deakins, the
third largest law firm in the U.S. representing and counseling
employers in all areas of labor and employment law. For the past 30
years, Mr. Petersen has helped employers comply with U.S. and
international labor and employment laws, and has represented employers
in employment litigation matters. Since 2007, Mr. Petersen has been
listed in the annual editions of Best Lawyers in America and Florida
Super Lawyers in the areas of labor and employment law and
international law. Recently, Mr. Petersen was selected by Florida
Trend Magazine as a member of the Florida Legal Elite for 2010.
Grant also serves as the President of the International Business Summit and as Chairman of the British American Business Council Tampa.
Rick Gallegos
President and CEO
Rick J. Gallegos & Associates, Inc.
Rick Gallegos
is President and CEO of Rick J. Gallegos & Associates, Inc., presenters of
Dale Carnegie Training. Under his
leadership, after being ranked #1 in growth out of 176 Dale Carnegie offices
worldwide three of the past eight years, Dale Carnegie
Tampa Bay
was given
the first time "Territory of the Year Award." This was the highest
award given at the annual year-end 2007 convention in Acapulco, Mexico.
This award represents overall excellence in the areas of growth, market share
and training quality.
Most recently, Dale
Carnegie Tampa
Bay was selected by the
Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce as Small Business of the Year in September of
2008.
Rick is a
specialist in developing action plans for a wide range of individuals and
organizations committed to growth in a tough, competitive economy. He was
educated at Florida
State University
and is a master trainer in all Dale Carnegie courses. He currently resides in Tampa,
Florida and considers it a privilege to serve
the business community in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties, offering world
class development for his clients. Testimonials include such prestigious business partners such as Kforce, Marine Max, Hillsborough
County School System, Rooms to Go, Bank of America, Checkers, Progressive
Insurance and KPMG.
Rick is the
developer/writer of the most successful one-day seminar that Dale Carnegie
& Associates has released, entitled “How to Cold Call and Build New
Customers.” He also is the author of a
sales management program titled, “Sales Leadership Excellence.” His newest program is called “Building Great
Teams” – a team-building program designed to bring individuals together.
Currently Rick
serves as a board member of Sales
& Marketing Executives
International Tampa
Bay and is actively
involved in the Tampa Chamber of Commerce. He was
elected President of the Dale Carnegie International Franchise Association in
2007, and has done work on three continents representing franchises in Asia, Europe and North America.
Dale Carnegie Tampa Bay's main focus for community development is in the area of youth
programs and youth seminars. This year
DCTB has offered pro-bono workshops for Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Boys and
Girls Clubs of America, The Heart of Tampa, Academy of Finance and donated
instructors to work in Hillsborough County Public School System.
With a 99%
worldwide customer satisfaction rating, Dale Carnegie Training® is recognized
as the world leader in Training and Development. Business icons such as Lee Iacocca, Warren
Buffett, Thomas Monaghan and thousands of other distinguished alumni regard
Dale Carnegie Training® as an integral dimension of their foundation for
success. Some 450 of the Fortune 500
Companies in America
utilize Dale Carnegie Training to supplement their internal and technical
training initiatives to provide documentable, researchable results from their
people.
If you are
searching for ways to grow your business and make bottom-line improvements in
the areas of customer service, communication skills, time management, goal
setting, leadership and selling skills, Dale Carnegie Training® Tampa Bay
can help. For more information or to arrange an appointment, please feel free
to contact Mr. Gallegos at (813) 288-8778 x111.
 Michel Amblard
Managing Partner Executive Solutions
Michel Amblard brings to Executive Solutions an extensive background in
strategic transactions, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence,
divestitures, restructuring, re-financing, large investment programs,
business planning, and taxation. His far-reaching, international
expertise crosses both the North American and European continents.
Before joining Executive Solutions, Amblard served as senior vice
president, corporate controller and, ultimately, as chief financial
officer of European operations for Danka Business Systems plc, a $1.4
billion, worldwide, leading independent provider of office imaging
equipment and related services and supplies. He participated in several
large profile transactions, including the sale of a major division,
bond redemption and re-issue, and large re-financing projects.
This fully decentralized European division of Danka had operations in
17 European countries and revenue of $500 million. Amblard was
responsible for the division's accounting, reporting, tax, local
financing, and European lease financing lines. Under his leadership,
the company developed strong relationships with lease financing
providers, significantly improved cash flow performance, re-established
strong financial controls, and established a European cash pooling
agreement with a major United States bank group that enabled the
company to minimize excess cash balances and reduce transaction costs.
Amblard also served as senior vice president of human resources for
Danka worldwide after its purchase of the office equipment business
from Eastman Kodak. He directed significant restructuring initiatives,
chaired a sales compensation plan for the merged companies, directed
service force reductions, prepared a corporate stock option program
analysis, and reduced the company's financial pension plan exposure in
both Europe and Latin America.
A graduate in business with a finance major from Hautes Etudes
Commerciales in Paris, France, Amblard began his career with Arthur
Andersen in Paris, joining International Paper Company as country
controller before moving to the United States. He ultimately became the
company's director of corporate budgets. Among his other
accomplishments, Amblard served as chief financial officer for Infotec
Europe, leading the company's acquisition due diligence, and served as
international controller for Nashua Corporation's $500 million office
equipment division in New Hampshire.
As past president of the French American Business Council of West
Florida, an associate council member of the French American Chamber of
Commerce network, Amblard is passionate about fostering trade
opportunities between Europe and the Tampa Bay area, where he now
resides. He is an active member of Financial Executives International
(FEI).
Walter
E. Andrusyszyn
Adjunct Professor, International Business University of South Florida
Business
at the College of Business Administration of the University of South Florida,
where he began teaching in spring 2007. From
January to May 2009 he was temporarily assigned as Deputy Permanent
Representative to the U.S. Mission to NATO.
He joined the Plastipak Packaging Company in January 2004 following a
career in the U.S. Government. He retired
from public service at the end of 2003, after serving at the White House as the
Director for Northern and Eastern European Affairs in the National Security
Council (he became Director in November 2001).
Having entered the Foreign Service in 1980, he served in Stockholm (1980-82) and in East Berlin (1982-84) before
returning to Washington to be the Desk Officer
for Grenada and the Windward
and Leeward Islands of the Caribbean
(1985-1987). In 1987-1988 he was Special
Assistant to Assistant Secretary Rozanne Ridgway in the Bureau of European and
Canadian Affairs. He then served in Bonn as the Bonn Group Representative, responsible for Berlin and Four Power rights during Germany's reunification. In 1990, he headed the Political-Military
unit at the American Embassy in Bonn.
Mr.
Andrusyszyn became the Desk Officer for Latvia,
Lithuania, and Estonia
in 1992. In 1994, he returned to Bonn to head the unit reporting on domestic political
events in Germany. In October 1995, he was assigned to the
American Embassy in Sarajevo
where he served during the Dayton Peace Talks and for the first months of IFOR
deployment. For his efforts to gain the
release of an imprisoned American journalist held by Bosnian Serb authorities,
Mr. Andrusyszyn received the Secretary's Award for Heroism. In April 1996, he was assigned to Stockholm as Political
Counselor. In August 1997 he was
appointed Charge d’Affaires at the American Embassy in Tallinn, Estonia and in
July 1999, be became director of the Office of European Security and Political
Affairs, responsible for NATO and the OSCE.
In September 2001 he was named the Director of the Task Force on
Terrorism in response to the September 11 attacks.
Born
in Blackburn, England
in 1951, Mr. Andrusyszyn emigrated to the U.S.
in 1957 and was raised in New York
City. A
graduate of New York
University (1973), he
attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (1973-1975). He continued his studies in Germany and also worked as a local employee for
the Sri Lanka Embassy in Bonn
(1977-78).
He
is married to Sandra Andrusyszyn and has five children: Alexander, Lisa,
Lawrence, Emelie, and Peter Louis.
 Santosh Govindaraju
Chief Executive Officer
Paragon Capital Partners, LLC
Santosh Govindaraju is the portfolio
manager of Convergent Capital Partners LLC, a Tampa based real estate private
equity fund, which specializes in debt and equity capital investments.
Mr.
Govindaraju’s real estate experience includes the origination of over $600
million in residential and commercial loans and over $100 million in the
repositioning and development of commercial real estate. As CEO of
Paragon Capital Partners, LLC, he was responsible for directing the firm’s
strategy, managing the finances, managing the risk in the firm’s investments,
evaluating the firm’s processes and quality control, and overseeing the real
estate investments and portfolio lending operations.
Prior to founding Paragon Capital
Partners, LLC, Mr. Govindaraju worked at Lehman Brothers in New York as a
trader of fixed income derivatives, including various U.S. Dollar interest rate
products such as swaps, caps and floors.
Mr. Govindaraju’s work experience also
includes work as an equity research analyst intern at Raymond James office in
Mumbai, India. He complemented his study abroad in Pune, India (studying
the macroeconomic outlook following India’s economic liberalization in 1990),
with an investment banking internship valuating high growth companies in India.
Mr. Govindaraju was named IndoUS
Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the Year for 2002, and was honored as one of
the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “Top 30 Under 30” (recognizing the top
30 individuals under 30 years of age contributing to the Tampa Bay business
community) and as the Young Minority Business Person of the Year for 2003, also
designated by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
He serves on the Board of Directors of
the IndoUS Chamber of Commerce (where he was past Chairman from 2006 to 2008) and
the Asian American Chamber of Commerce (where he was past President from 2007
to 2009). He is also a member of Leadership Florida.
Mr.
Govindaraju also serves as a mentor in the USF Corporate Mentor program, which
he began serving in 2006.
Mr. Govindaraju obtained a Bachelor of
Science in Finance and Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School of
the University of Pennsylvania, and concurrently earned a B.A.S. in Systems
Engineering from the University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.
He was also was one of the first recipients of the University’s Emerging
Economies Fellowships. He also minored in mathematics, south asia
regional studies, and theater arts.
    Frederic Potvin
Cross Border Segment Advisor
Assistant Vice President RBC Bank
As
Cross Border Segment Advisor, Frederic Potvin is responsible for the
Cross Border Segment (US Banking for Canadians) of RBC Bank (USA) from
the strategy to execution. He is one of two executives responsible for
the business development of this segment. Mr. Potvin is based out of
RBC Bank’s Florida Headquarters in Orlando, FL. The Cross Border
Segment of RBC Bank currently has over 100,000 Canadian clients and
over $1 Billion in total business. Mr. Potvin has over 9 years
of experience as a Financial Services professional providing innovative
technical solutions and managing and implementing complex projects. He
has a proven track record in continuous process improvement and forging
and developing internal and external relationships to drive business
development and achieve organizational goals. Mr. Potvin currently sits
on the Diversity Leadership Council of RBC Bank (USA). Born in
Montreal Canada, Mr. Potvin has lived in Florida since 1996. He
graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelors of
Science in Finance.
 Richard Jacobson
Shareholder/ International Tax Leader Fowler White Boggs
Richard A. Jacobson is a Shareholder in the Tampa Office of
the Fowler White Boggs P.A. statewide law firm. His legal practice
includes representation of foreign clients seeking pre-residency tax planning
assistance; foreign investors in U.S real estate (FIRPTA) and other business
ventures; U.S. companies exporting products or services or conducting business
internationally; foreign manufacturing activities of U.S. clients; U.S.
business executives planning extended tours of duty overseas; IRS Voluntary
Disclosure and FBAR reporting; inquiries from foreign attorneys, trust
companies, and accountants; and international estate planning. Mr.
Jacobson is a Certified Public Accountant and is Board Certified by The Florida
Bar in International Law. Mr. Jacobson has been recognized by The
Best Lawyers in America for the past five years and has been listed in Florida
Super Lawyers since 2007. He is Director of the Tampa Bay Area
Committee on Foreign Relations and Member of the Board of Directors of
TerraLex, a worldwide network of 160 law firms in more than 100
countries. Mr. Jacobson received his LL.M. in Taxation from New York
University, his J.D. With Honors from the University of Florida and his B.B.A.
With Honors from the University of Georgia. He attended high school at
the American International School of Kabul, Afghanistan.
 Glynis Ross-Munro
President Competency and Performance Solutions
Glynis
Ross-Munro is
an experienced training and business consultant with three degrees in
industrial psychology and educational psychology from the University of the
Witwatersrand and the University
of South Africa. She is
qualified in international competency-based instructional design and training
assessment through City and Guilds of London
Glynis was born in South
Africa, and felt international all her life.
She had a Welsh-Indian father who spoke Hindi, Japanese and French, and a
Dutch-Irish mother. She has traveled on six continents, consulted for
national and international companies, and presented at national and
international congresses. South
Africa has a very diverse population and 11
official languages, and Glynis spent many years analyzing training needs, and
designing learning interventions that often included issues around
communication, diversity, culture and international business.
Glynis has lived in Tampa
for 10 years, and spent six of these “doing” rather than “teaching.” She worked
with Sterling Ultra Precision, the Tampa-based world leader in ophthalmic
ultra-precision engineering. She then returned to training and consulting, and
is President of Competency and Performance Solutions, a training, consulting
and instructional design business. She is also VP-Communications of the
Suncoast American Society of Training and Development, and secretary of the
International Business Summit. She and her husband Hilton are advisors to the boards of
the French and Caribbean American Chambers of Commerce.
Jennifer Roeper
Shareholder/ Immigration
Fowler White Boggs
Jennifer G. Roeper is a Shareholder in the Tampa Office of the
Fowler White Boggs P.A. statewide law firm. Ms. Roeper concentrates her
practice in the area of immigration, and handles all aspects of immigration law
including temporary visa processing, applications for permanent residence and
naturalization. She assists corporate clients in maintaining compliance
with U.S. immigration laws, and serves as counsel for clients facing deportation
from the United States. Ms. Roeper is Board Certified in Immigration and
Nationality Law by The Florida Bar. She received her B.A. from Long
Island University, C.W. Post Campus and her J.D. from the American University
Washington College of Law.
Olga Pina Shareholder/International Business Leader
Fowler White Boggs
Olga M. Pina is a Shareholder in the Tampa office of
Fowler White Boggs P.A and serves as Diversity Committee co-chair. Ms. Pina
has more than 20 years’ experience in the areas of corporate, securities,
international business transactions and international trade. She has
extensive experience in corporate transactions and international trade issues
in Central and South America. She is AV peer review rated by
Martindale-Hubbell and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America
and by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite. Ms. Pina received her B.A. from
Holy Cross College and her J.D. from The Georgetown University Law Center.
 Hongling Han-Ralston  Asian Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay President
Ms.
Hongling Han-Ralston
is the managing member of the Law Offices of Han-Ralston, PLLC. She primarily practices in the areas of
international business transactions, estate and tax planning, and general
commercial transactions. Ms.
Han-Ralston has extensive experience in advising clients in in-bound or
out-bound investments and business operations in China and the
United
States .
Ms.
Han-Ralston received Master of Law from Renmin University of China, J.D. with
honor from Indiana University School of Law –
Indianapolis , and LL.M. in Taxation
from New York University School of Law.
She was an Associate Editor for Indiana International &
Comparative Law Review and a Graduate Editor for NYU Journal of
International Law and Politics.
She is admitted to practice law in
Florida ,
California and
New York and also holds the
Chinese Bar Qualification Certificate.
Ms.
Han-Ralston is actively involved in the
Tampa
Bay business community and Asian
Community. She is the current
President of the Asian American Chambers of Commerce of Tampa Bay, and sits on
the Board of Directors of the World
Trade Center
Tampa
Bay . She co-founded the Chinese Chamber of
Commerce of Tampa Bay, and served at the Board of Directors of the Suncoast
Association of Chinese Americans.
Her involvements in the Tampa
Bay community and achievements have
been featured in the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Maddux Business Report, 2007
Tampa Bay Corporate Guide (an annual publication of Tampa Bay Partnership) and
other media. Ms. Han-Ralston was
awarded the 2007 Business Woman of the Year for the International category by
the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
She was honored as winner of the Year 2008 40 under 40 by the Gulf Coast
Business Review.
Anthony Gaeto WebDirectBrands, Inc.
CEO, President, Co-Founder
Anthony
Gaeto has spent his entire business life leading his own companies with
innovative and successful concepts. Gaeto attended the University of North
Carolina and the University of South Florida, and in 1983, he founded What's
Amatta You Pizza. Under his guidance, the company grew to a successful regional
franchise with seven stores delivering fresh pizza throughout the Tampa bay
region. In 1990, Gaeto sold the company. Following that, the forward-thinking
businessman founded Prism Auction, a national auction company that liquidated
assets for such recognized names as Discovery Zone, Denny's, Little Caesar's
Pizza, and Morton's Steakhouse. This auspicious endeavor operates coast to
coast, and Gaeto continues to serve as Chairman.
In 2000,
Gaeto created a novel business model with FreeTilitSells.com. This site serves
as a marketplace for people wishing to sell their products online and promotes
sales through category owners' "Netchises". Understanding that the
best way to demonstrate the usefulness of a product or service is to model it,
Gaeto started three model Netchises, CoffeeNuts.com, BestBuyFitness.com, and
GateCrafters.com, as examples to those customers. However, the businessman's
expert understanding of enterprise proved itself again, as those examples grew
to be prosperous enough that Gaeto decided to organize another company. In
2002, Gaeto co-founded Web Direct Brands, Inc. This company would focus on
brining higher level of quality and service to specialty websites. Today, Web
Direct Brands Inc. owns and manages over 50 specialty websites and is the
largest seller on the web for goods such as autoharps, tomato milling machines,
swimming pool safety fences, and driveway gates and gate openers.
Asian
Experience:
In 2004,
Anthony Gaeto lead his company, Web Direct Brands, Inc, overseas to make its
first purchase of gate automation equipment. Since that time Web Direct Brands
has grown to import products in a vast number of product lines ranging in
diversity from musical instruments to “green living” solar equipment. Anthony
Gaeto spends 2 months a year in China traveling to manufacturers’ facilities
and attending trade shows to find new products or align suppliers for existing
product lines of Web Direct Brands, Inc. During this last half decade Web
Direct Brands, Inc has opened an office for China employment, developed an IT
development / website production team in China that works remotely with its US
based IT Director, employs a full time quality control / sourcing agent in
China, and also coordinates shipments through Shanghai and Guangzhou container consolidation
warehouses. Anthony has also lead projects working directly with Chinese
engineers and production facilities to produce new products based on the needs
of Web Direct Brands, Inc niche markets. Anthony projects a high amount of
future expansion for Web Direct Brands in China in terms of employment, product
development, and logistical coordination.
 Sidd Pagidipati BusinessChamber.com
CEO & Founder
Sidd Pagidipati is a serial
entrepreneur. His current venture, BusinessChamber.com, is an Online
Chamber of Commerce connecting business professionals and businesses in and
between 1000+ local communities worldwide. BusinessChamber.com provides
an online, convenient and free way to:
1) Market your products and services
2) Network quickly and easily in your
local chamber or around the world
3) Access webinars by NY Times
Best-Selling Authors (coming April 1)
Prior to BusinessChamber.com, Sidd
Pagidipati was Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Freedom Health (www.freedomhealth.com). He was responsible
for the day-to-day operations, including sales, marketing and direct oversight
of state and federal regulatory requirements. Sidd wrote the initial business
plan, acquired capital investment, received state and federal health insurance
licenses, and grew Freedom into the 4th largest Medicare Health Plan in Florida.
During his time there, he grew the company from $0 revenue and 3 employees in
2004 to ~$500M and over 400 employees in 2010. Inc. Magazine recognized Freedom
Health as the 7th fastest-growing private company in America in its prestigious
2009 Inc. 500 rankings. In 2008, the Indo-US Chamber of Commerce selected Sidd
as the Business Man of the Year.
Prior
to being an entrepreneur, Sidd worked as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch
and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ), where his expertise included debt
and equity financings. Sidd graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from
Georgetown University with a degree in Economics and International Relations.
He was a Landegger and Krogh Scholar, the highest academic honor at Georgetown.
In addition, he was actively involved on campus and was the student body
president for the School of Foreign Service.
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