HRTC (Hampton Roads Technology Council)

Tech Nite 09

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 02:18:07 GMT

Tech Nite 09
Start Date: 7-May-09 5:30 PM
End Time: 7-May-09 9:30 PM
Speaker:

December Holiday Critical Mass High Tech Happy Hour

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:11:18 GMT

December Holiday Critical Mass High Tech Happy Hour
Start Date: 18-Dec-08 5:30 PM
End Time: 18-Dec-08 7:30 PM
Location: Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Speaker:

Event Details:

Join HRTC's Holiday Critical Mass networking event at Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro. HRTC's monthly happy hour event that draws the best of the technology crowd. Join us for drinks, networking and great conversation! The cost for this event is $10.00.

Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro

189 Central Park Ave

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

HRTC Executive Committee Meeting

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:04:00 GMT

HRTC Executive Committee Meeting
Start Date: 18-Dec-08 2:00 PM
End Time: 18-Dec-08 4:30 PM
Location: Williams Mullen, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Speaker:

Event Details:

Please join us at Sonoma's Wine Bar & Bistro for our Annual Holiday Critical Mass and High Tech Happy Hour.

Williams Mullen

222 Central Park Ave

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Critical Mass High Tech Happy Hour - Annual Membership Meeting

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:58:15 GMT

Critical Mass High Tech Happy Hour - Annual Membership Meeting
Start Date: 20-Nov-08 5:30 PM
End Time: 20-Nov-08 7:30 PM
Location: Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Speaker:

Event Details:

Join HRTC's Critical Mass networking event at Sonoma's Wine Bar & Bistro. HRTC's monthly happy hour event that draws the best of the technology crowd. Join us for drinks, networking and great conversation! The cost for this event is $10.00.

Sonoma Wine Bar & Bistro

144 Research Drive

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

HRTC Full Board Meeting

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:54:06 GMT

HRTC Full Board Meeting
Start Date: 20-Nov-08 2:00 PM
End Time: 20-Nov-08 4:30 PM
Location: Troutman Sanders, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
Speaker:

Troutman Sanders

222 Central Park Ave

Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Research Symposium on Corporate Governance in China and India

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 17:57:17 GMT

Research Symposium on Corporate Governance in China and India
Start Date: 24-Oct-08 8:00 AM
End Time: 25-Oct-08 5:30 PM
Location: Sheraton Hotel, Virginia Beach, VA
Speaker: Minxin Pei, Anil K. Gupta

Event Details:

China and India are rapidly ascending as economic powers and are playing important roles in international trade and investment. Increasingly, international investors are entering these markets, and Chinese and India firms are raising capital globally. As these countries’ interactions with the global economy increase, knowledge of corporate governance in China and India is becoming more critical for business executives, policy makers, and academic researchers. Wiley-Blackwell and Old Dominion University are organizing this symposium to encourage research on corporate governance issues relating to mainland China and India.

Selected papers from the symposium will be published in a special issue of Corporate Governance: An International Review.

For the full call for proposals/papers and submission guidelines, visit http://cgirconf.com

Proposals are invited for papers on corporate governance for firms operating in China and India, comparative governance studies of the two countries, or governance for firms based in one or both of these two countries that focus on various aspects of :

❙ Governance Environment:
❙ Ownership Structure
❙ Role of Stakeholders in Corporate Governance
❙ Disclosure and Transparency
❙ Responsibilities of the Board
❙ CEO and top management team

Proposals for papers must be submitted via email by March 30, 2008. Proposals should be a maximum of 500 words and should follow the structured abstract guidelines for Corporate Governance: An International Review (see www.blackwellpublishing.com/corg)

Proposals should be emailed to both Professor Shaomin Li, Associate Editor (sli@odu.edu) and Dr Anil Nair (anair@odu.edu)

Submission of a proposal acknowledges that if it is accepted, at least one of the authors for the manuscript will attend the symposium. The guest editors will invite authors of accepted proposals to submit complete papers by May 30, 2008.

Sheraton Hotel

HRTC Oyster Roast

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:07:08 GMT

HRTC Oyster Roast
Start Date: 19-Oct-08 1:00 PM
End Time: 19-Oct-08 6:00 PM
Location: Holiday Travel Park Pavilion, Virginia Beach, VA
Speaker:

Event Details:

Oysters, burgers, BBQ, and hotdogs with all the fixings, soft drinks, “adult beverages” and a live band all included in the admission price of $40pp.

Playground adjacent to the covered party pavilion.

Plan now for a fun afternoon with friends, family and colleagues from the Hampton Roads Tech Council.

For a Family Friendly HRTC Oyster Roast
(Kids 12 and under free)

Holiday Travel Park Pavilion

1075 General Booth Boulevard

Virginia Beach, VA

Critical Mass High Tech Happy Hour

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:42:59 GMT

Critical Mass High Tech Happy Hour
Start Date: 16-Oct-08 5:30 PM
End Time: 16-Oct-08 7:30 PM
Location: Firkin & Frigate Pub, Newport News, VA 23606
Speaker:

Event Details:

Join HRTC's Critical Mass networking event at Firkin & Frigate Pub. HRTC's monthly happy hour event that draws the best of the technology crowd. Join us for drinks, networking and great conversation! The cost for this event is $10.00.

Firkin & Frigate Pub

711 Thimble Shoals Blvd.

Newport News, VA 23606

Technology Tee Off Fall Golf Tournament

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:29:11 GMT

Technology Tee Off Fall Golf Tournament
Start Date: 26-Sep-08 11:00 AM
End Time: 26-Sep-08 7:30 PM
Location: Cypress Point Golf Course, Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Speaker:

Event Details:

Schedule of Events:

11:00 am - Check-in Begins & Driving Range Opens
11:45 am - Putting Contest Begins
12:30 pm - Announcements & Starters Briefing
1:00 pm - Shotgun Start
5:30 pm - Dinner & Awards Banquet, Raffle & Live Auction

Cypress Point Golf Course

5340 Club Head Road

Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Critical Mass High Tech Happy Hour

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:29:36 GMT

Only at the Federal Government Contracting Seminar 2008 can you learn from top executives what it takes to succeed, across all functional disciplines of the Company, in the emerging Homeland Security and Defense Industries.

Weekly, two-hour sessions run from September 9 through November 11, 2008, 7:00 to 9:15 p.m. (Tuesdays)

At the Seminars you’ll learn Strategic Planning, Marketing, Proposal Development, Contract Performance, Contract Administration and Accounting, Government Customer Expectations, Subcontracting with Prime Contractors, Profitability and Administration, Employee Relations and Small Business Resources.

Please click on the link above for complete information.

Peninsula Council for Workforce Development

Phone: (757) 826.3327
Email: ctarrant@pcfwd.org or rbond@pcfwd.org

Certificate of completion :
Participants will receive an official certificate of completion from Thomas Nelson Community College and 1.8 Continuing Education Units.

Cost :
$300 per attendee for the entire series.

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6-Aug-08 1:10 PM

New Federal Law Encourages Private-Sector Disaster Preparedness

noemail@hrtc.org — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

By: Timothy J. Lockhart, Willcox & Savage P.C.

There’s a relatively new disaster-related federal law with which few people are familiar. Over the next several years, however, this law, which deals with preparedness for natural and manmade disasters, could affect virtually every business in the country. Signed by President Bush in August 2007, the law is entitled "Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007" ("Act") and is also referred to as "H.R. 1" and "Public Law 110-53."

The Act requires the federal Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") to develop a voluntary program ("Program") for certifying that private-sector entities, both businesses and not-for-profit organizations, are prepared for disasters. The Program will create a financial incentive for preparedness, as the proposed certification will provide a way to confirm that an entity is adequately prepared and allow the market to reward it accordingly. Moreover, not being prepared pursuant to the Act could well subject an organization to liability to shareholders and customers. Thus, businesses and not-for-profits should carefully monitor the development and implementation of the Program and any related regulations.

To be developed in consultation with key stakeholders, the Program will reflect existing best practices and standards for disaster preparedness. The Program’s goal is to establish a consistent method of, and procedures for, certifying the preparedness of private-sector organizations for all disaster threats, not just terrorism.

The federal government will not run the Program. Rather, the Program will be administered by third-party organizations with expertise in managing and implementing voluntary accreditation and certification programs. One or more existing preparedness standards can be designated and integrated into the Program. Examples include the National Fire Protection Association Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs (ANSI/NFPA 1600).

In addition, the Act calls for standards to address the unique nature of various subsectors. For instance, special consideration will be made for small businesses. The standards will also ensure the protection of confidential and other proprietary information.

DHS has four basic implementing tasks to complete. First, DHS will designate one or more organizations to act as an accrediting body. Second, DHS will separately designate one or more standards for assessing private-sector preparedness.

Third, DHS will provide relevant information and promote the business case for voluntary compliance with preparedness standards. Fourth, DHS will monitor the effectiveness of the Program on an ongoing basis.

The portion of the Act that deals with private-sector preparedness and certification is Title IX. Section 901 of the Act is codified at 6 U.S.C.A. § 321m (West Supp. 2008), and Section 902 is codified at 6 U.S.C.A. § 112 (West 2007 & Supp. 2008).

The Act is now the most comprehensive federal law dealing with private-sector preparedness. However, several other federal laws also deal with the subject, either directly or implicitly, by requiring entities to keep certain records and be able to produce them–even after disasters occur.

Laws applicable to publicly traded companies such as the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act impose reporting requirements that dictate disaster preparedness. IRS regulations do so as well, as do the laws of some states such as California.

However, the common law has long imposed a duty on businesses to be prepared for disasters. The seminal case In re The T.J. Hooper, 60 F.2d 737 (2d Cir. 1932), in which a tugboat company was held liable for failing to have weather-warning radios on its vessels, established the principle that there are "precautions so imperative that even their universal disregard does not excuse their omission."

The implication of the "Hooper Doctrine" is that a company cannot avoid liability simply because there is no statutory requirement to be prepared for disasters. Despite that fact, however, many companies do not have a disaster-preparedness plan. The Act, with its evolving financial incentive for preparedness, seems likely to prod them to develop and implement such plans.

1-Aug-08 9:00 AM

What's In A Name?

noemail@hrtc.org — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

by: Brian C. Purcell, Willcox & Savage P.C.

When forming a business entity, an important and seemingly simple step is choosing an official and sometimes an unofficial name. Beyond the implications for brand awareness, goodwill, and other business concerns, there are often-overlooked legal issues that should be addressed before choosing the entity name. Failure to resolve these issues in advance can result in unnecessary delay, expense, and legal problems.

For instance, there is the issue of similar names. In Virginia an entity name must be distinguishable on the records of the State Corporation Commission ("SCC") from the names of other Virginia entities, reserved names, and the names of foreign entities registered to conduct business in Virginia. In addition, since 2003, Virginia law has not allowed two entities to have the same name even if they are of a different "species" (e.g., one is a corporation and the other a limited liability company).

Before filing formation documents with the SCC, you can determine whether the name is available by conducting an online search or simply calling the SCC. Another consideration is whether the proposed name is similar, even if distinguishable, to an existing or dissolved entity. Not only may a similar name confuse your suppliers, customers, and other parties, any negative connotations associated with the similarly named entity could also reflect poorly on your entity.

For example, I once had a client with a name similar to that of an entity in financial distress, and my client’s bank account was mistakenly liened for taxes owed by the other entity. The mistake was ultimately corrected, but only after legal expenses and bank fees for a few bounced checks.

Are you having trouble deciding what name to use or have you narrowed the choices but are not yet ready to "pull the trigger?" If so, you can reserve a name by filing a reservation application with the SCC. For a $10 filing fee plus any applicable legal fees the reservation application gives you the right to a name for 120 days, and the reservation can be renewed indefinitely. Even if you don’t plan to use the name, this procedure may be worthwhile to prevent others from using it.

Another nuance to the name game that must be considered is derivations of the principal name or acronyms that will be used in commerce. Improper use of fictitious names or "doing business as" ("d/b/a") names can cause problems. In fact, if you conduct business other than under the legal business name, Virginia law requires you to file a fictitious or assumed name certificate with the clerk of the circuit court in every Virginia city or county where you conduct business. (Whether you "conduct business" in a given location is a facts-and-circumstances inquiry.)

In addition, a limited partnership, limited liability company, or corporation using a fictitious name must file a copy of its fictitious name certificate, attested by the clerk of the circuit court where the original was filed, with the clerk of the SCC and pay a $10 filing fee. Failure to comply with these requirements can prevent an entity from bringing a lawsuit in Virginia courts and more importantly is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,500 or confinement in jail for up to 12 months or both.

Although it is not a legal requirement, most people forming a new entity will also want to check on the availability of internet domain names with derivations of the intended entity name. Availability is easily determined by a search on an internet registration service such as Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com).

Perhaps the last piece of the legal puzzle in choosing a name is to check whether the name is available as a federal trademark or service mark. Even if you don’t currently plan to undertake the expense of registering the name as a mark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a quick search to see if the name is being used by someone else in your business sector could avoid considerable legal headaches down the road and can be accomplished at minimal cost.

1-Aug-08 9:00 AM

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Broadens Mark-Description Requirements

noemail@hrtc.org — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

By: Kevin W. Grierson, Willcox & Savage P.C.

On March 14, 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") issued a final rule requiring a description of marks in all applications where the mark is not in standard characters. The new rule went into effect May 13, 2008.

Previously, the PTO permitted descriptions of marks to be filed with applications, and the PTO examining attorney assigned to an application could require such a description pursuant to Trademark Rule 2.37. The PTO amended Rule 2.37 to require descriptions for all applications that are not in standard characters. The PTO says the change will "facilitate greater accuracy and efficiency in design coding and pseudo-mark [homophone] data determinations," which in turn will "promote better searchability of marks within the [PTO’s] trademark database."

The PTO declined to permit applicants to suggest design codes on the relevant Trademark Electronic Application System forms. The PTO explained that because requesting or requiring submissions for design codes on the application forms "would likely prove unnecessarily confusing to many applicants," the PTO prefers to provide such codes to the applicant and then let the applicant respond.

In response to several requests for clarification of the effect of the new rules, the PTO explained that (1) no identification of the name of a stylized font will be required; (2) applications lacking a description will not be denied a filing date; and (3) the PTO will issue an examination guide on the new rule, which will be incorporated into the next edition of the PTO’s Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure ("TMEP").

Finally, in response to concerns that the description requirement might unintentionally limit or restrict marks, the PTO reiterated its position, set forth in TMEP § 808.02, that a "mark’s meaning is based on the impression actually created by the mark in the minds of consumers, not on the impression that the applicant states that the mark is intended to convey."

1-Aug-08 9:00 AM

PTO Proposes Eliminating "Snail Mail" Trademark Filing Options

noemail@hrtc.org — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:00:00 GMT

By: Kevin W. Grierson, Willcox & Savage P.C.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") has proposed eliminating the Express Mail certificate and certificate of mailing/transmission for all filings that can be made online through the PTO’s Trademark Electronic Application System ("TEAS"). The certificates currently permit a trademark owner to obtain a filing date as of the date a document is mailed or transmitted rather than the date the PTO receives it. The PTO says that "the purpose of the rule change is to promote electronic filing, increase efficiency, and improve the quality and integrity of critical data in the [PTO’s] automated systems."

The proposed rules build upon changes the PTO made in 2002 to the Express Mail certificate rules. Those changes eliminated the use of Express Mail certificates to establish the date of filing for documents that could be filed online at the time. However, the 2002 changes did not affect certificates of mailing or certificates of transmission.

The proposed rules would go even further and would eliminate the use of all such certificates for any documents that can be filed online via TEAS. Documents for which an Express Mail certificate or certificate of mailing/transmission would not be effective include:

Applications;
Statements of use and amendments to allege use;
Requests for extensions of time to file statements of use;
Preliminary amendments;
Responses to office actions;
Requests for reconsideration after final office actions;
Responses to suspension inquiries;
Petitions to revive abandoned applications;
Requests for express abandonment;
Sections 8, 9, and 15 declarations;
Requests for amendment of registrations;
Requests for correction of applicant’s mistakes;
Correspondence related to applications made pursuant to the Madrid Protocol;
Appointments and revocations of an attorney or domestic representative;
Notices of withdrawal; and
Requests to change or correct addresses.

For filings for which no form is available on TEAS, such as a request to divide an application, applicants would still be able to use a certificate. If TEAS is not available due to technical problems, applicants would be permitted to show that a filing was attempted but could not be completed. The PTO accepted comments on the proposed rules changes through April and is expected shortly to announce its decision on the proposed rules.

1-Aug-08 9:00 AM

Free Computer Networking Camp for Teens!

noemail@hrtc.org — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:59:08 GMT

Hello [firstname],

Purpose: Tidewater Community College, Department of Work Force Development is committed to the development of our local youth, and to the technological future of our workforce. In cooperation with Opportunity, Inc., we bring the two together in our Computer Networking Camp. This five-day camp has been created for high school-aged youths who are interested in either exploring careers in or taking high school or college courses in the computer industry. Campers will be utilizing algebra, geometry, basic computer science skills, Microsoft operating software (including Excel), internet technology and team building skills in ways that apply these skills in real world problem solving situations.

TCC will award Certificates of Participation at the end of the camp week. Additionally, each camper will receive a TCC Technology Camp T-shirt, and a light lunch will be provided 30 minutes before class starts.

Audience: High School students ages 16-18 – 18 participants.

Dates: August 4-8, 2008

Times: 1:00 PM (12:30 for lunch)-5:00 PM

Instructor: Willette Hackney Davis has been an Information Technology Instructor for TCC since 2006, and has worked independently as a Computer Support Specialist since 2001. She has programming experience in C++ and HTML. She is also experienced in CISCO routers/switches, Servers 2000, and UNIX/Linux and Novell. She holds a Master’s Degree in Information Technology Systems, a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology/Internetworking Technology, and an Associate’s Degree in Information Technology/Network Engineering.

Assistant: (Name here)

Location: Tri-Cities Higher Education Center , Portsmouth , VA

Please contact Faith McArdle (fmcardle@oihr.org) at 314 - 2370 to register.

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31-Jul-08 9:59 AM