YESummit@JMU Speaker Bios

Mr. Daniel Beam graduated from James Madison University in 1981 with a BBA in Accounting/Data. He has since founded two companies: Computer Cabling & Telephone Services, Inc in 1992, and NTC Communications, LLC in 1997. He has received the 1996 Harrisonburg/Rockingham Chamber of Commerce ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award and the 2001 Shenandoah Valley Technology Council ‘High Tech Entrepreneur’ award.

Mr. Jeff Pompeo graduated from JMU in 1998 with a BBA in Computer Information Systems and a minor in Economics. His titles have included CEO, CIO, CTO, VP Business Development, VP Sales, and Co-Founder of companies like Broadslate Networks, GE Cisco Industrial Networks, GE Fanuc Automation, and EQ Services, Inc. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Netifice Communications, an IP-VPN service provider. He has grown a startup telecom firm from $0 to $10M in 1 year and acquired and integrated a $30 million west Coast ISP into an east coast VPN company.

Mr. Peter Denbigh is the President and Co-founder of WildWires, LLC, in Harrisonburg. He is a 2002 JMU graduate and was nominated for the High Tech Entrepreneur Award by the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council in 2004. He employs 15 people and serves the entire JMU community and several local businesses.

Dr. Bruce Clemens has studied Civil & Environmental Engineering at Cornell, Economics & Public Policy at Harvard, and received his PhD in Strategic Management at the University of Tennessee. He has been involved in environmental activism, founding a non-profit organization, Agua del Pueblo, which created potable water systems for 45,000 people in Central America. He currently is a professor at James Madison University, teaching courses in management and environmental strategy.

Beth Bedard & Kristie Hale Beth Bedard graduated from JMU with a degree in Fine Arts and Graphic Design. Kristie Hale graduated from Old Dominion University with a degree in Communications and a minor in Dance. Beth and Kristie are Co-Founders and Partners of Impulse Design Group, Inc. Located in the DC Metropolitan area, this Advertising and Graphic Design Agency thrives on creating professional identities for New Businesses and helping Established Companies take their image to the next level.
Impulse Design Group, Inc. has enjoyed being guest speakers at many events, including the Women's Business Expo and in NxLvl classes to help educate the New Business Community about the importance of Company Image. Founded in 2003, the company has assisted such organizations as The JMU Alumni Professional Network, The Women's Business Center of Northern VA, and White Flint Mall in Maryland.

Carol W. Hamilton, M.B.A. is a full-time lecturer in the College of Business at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She has taught management, organizational behavior, strategic management and interpersonal skills in higher education for the last seven years. Carol was also co-founder and business coach of Valley Microenterprise Alliance, Inc.—a microenterprise training and lending program—and has coached over 200 small business owners since 1999. A 1980 graduate of Clemson University, Carol began her career with IBM in Greenville, South Carolina. While she has gained experience in administration, human resources, retail sales, and technical writing, her most challenging role continues to be parenting three teenagers. She and her husband, Dave, reside in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Curt Hartman graduated from JMU in 1978 with a BBA in Management and Marketing and an MBA in 1992.  During his career he has organized several businesses including:  Teco Lease Corp, a truck leasing company; Hartman's Express, a trucking company; Blue Ridge Air, a flight school, aircraft rental and charter company; and Hartman Motor Sales, a Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge dealership.  He was named the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce 2004 Business Person of the Year.

Professor Richard DiGiallonardo Early on, Rick DiGiallonardo arranged and performed music with the top groups on the West Coast working as a session player for Universal Studios and K-Tel records. These, and other associations led to his being signed as a recording artist with Geffen Records and later with Polygram Records. His career in music is vast, and he has performed, arranged and composed with such notables as Elton John, Rick Springfield, Linda Ronstandt, Joe Walsh, QuarterFlash and many other artists. During this time, his studio experience also included writing and performing on movie soundtracks such as Gremlins, Night Shift, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and others. Rick is the recipient of some of the most prestigious awards in the music industry, which include four gold and three platinum albums in the United States, Canada and Japan, and two Grammy nominations. He is in constant demand as a keyboardist and arranger/composer, as well as a consultant and teacher in many of the areas of music industry. He continues to perform for live and studio engagements.

© Young Entrepreneurs Summit 2004