Breaking the Performance Barrier
Conference
Marks Regent Pacific's 30th Anniversary
On February 10, 2004, Regent Pacific and Alternative Investor: VentureOne jointly sponsored a landmark, invitation-only event, "Breaking the Performance Barrier," in Palo Alto, California, that brought together many top leaders in the business, investment and venture communities. The conference provided participants a full briefing on the latest investment trends and a one-of-a-kind presentation by "the fastest man alive," Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, USAF (Ret), the first man to break the sound barrier.
This conference marked Regent Pacific's 30th anniversary and was presented as a demonstration of appreciation to the business community for placing its confidence in the Firm over the years. As underwriting sponsor, Regent Pacific assembled session leaders and panelists who are well-known and respected in the investment, banking and legal industries, including:
Stephen C. Neal
Chairman and CEO
Cooley Godward, LLP
Mark A. Bertelsen
Partner
Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati
Gary J. Sbona
Chairman and CEO
Regent Pacific
Steven M. Krausz
Managing Member
U.S. Venture Partners
Russ Silvestri
Managing Director
SKIRITAI Capital LLC
Dr. Rick LeFaivre
Executive Director
von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism at UCSD
Founding Partner, The Zazi Forum
J. Michael Kelly
Partner
Cooley Godward, LLP
Peter J. Blatman
Senior Vice President and
Managing Partner
CSC Consulting
Scott D. Karchmer
Partner
Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP
John Gabbert
Vice President of Worldwide Research
Alternative Investor: VentureOne
Robert E. Gooding
Partner and Chair, Securities
Litigation Practice
Howrey Simon Arnold & White
Jerome S. Engel
Adjunct Professor
Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Haas School of Business, U.C.
Berkeley
J. Mark Hattendorf
President
Signature Board Consultants
International, LLC
Amity Wall
Manager of Research Operations
Alternative Investor: VentureOne
Varied Topics Discussed
The half-day event provided insight and prompted discussion on a wide range of topics relating to business operations and investment decisions, including:
General Yeager's remarks focused on the similarities and common lessons of running a business in today's corporate and regulatory environment, with the inherent dangers of his quest to break the sound barrier. General Yeager's remarks showed that like business leaders today, he had to have a keen understanding that there are time-critical junctures for making key choices, and that delay can mean disaster. He explained his first hand experience of why you have to have a backup plan for your backup plan, and he explained that he had to be able to know when it's time to turn around and land, or when to push the envelope.
On February 10, 2004, Regent Pacific and Alternative Investor: VentureOne jointly sponsored a landmark, invitation-only event, "Breaking the Performance Barrier," in Palo Alto, California, that brought together many top leaders in the business, investment and venture communities. The conference provided participants a full briefing on the latest investment trends and a one-of-a-kind presentation by "the fastest man alive," Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, USAF (Ret), the first man to break the sound barrier.
 |
USAF Retired General Charles "Chuck" Yeager is widely revered as an unparalleled aviation pioneer in every respect. He is known throughout the world for his many accomplishments - perhaps most historically for being the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. His ability to fly with extraordinary precision and remain cool under extreme pressure made Yeager the test pilot of choice among engineers. In addition, he is a decorated combat pilot and pioneering creator of the training school for pilots in the early U.S. space program. |
This conference marked Regent Pacific's 30th anniversary and was presented as a demonstration of appreciation to the business community for placing its confidence in the Firm over the years. As underwriting sponsor, Regent Pacific assembled session leaders and panelists who are well-known and respected in the investment, banking and legal industries, including:
Stephen C. Neal
Chairman and CEO
Cooley Godward, LLP
Mark A. Bertelsen
Partner
Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati
Gary J. Sbona
Chairman and CEO
Regent Pacific
Steven M. Krausz
Managing Member
U.S. Venture Partners
Russ Silvestri
Managing Director
SKIRITAI Capital LLC
Dr. Rick LeFaivre
Executive Director
von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism at UCSD
Founding Partner, The Zazi Forum
J. Michael Kelly
Partner
Cooley Godward, LLP
Peter J. Blatman
Senior Vice President and
Managing Partner
CSC Consulting
Scott D. Karchmer
Partner
Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP
John Gabbert
Vice President of Worldwide Research
Alternative Investor: VentureOne
Robert E. Gooding
Partner and Chair, Securities
Litigation Practice
Howrey Simon Arnold & White
Jerome S. Engel
Adjunct Professor
Lester Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Haas School of Business, U.C.
Berkeley
J. Mark Hattendorf
President
Signature Board Consultants
International, LLC
Amity Wall
Manager of Research Operations
Alternative Investor: VentureOne
Varied Topics Discussed
The half-day event provided insight and prompted discussion on a wide range of topics relating to business operations and investment decisions, including:
- Warning signs of impending business disaster
- Doing more with less through innovative tactics
- Avoiding corporate governance pitfalls
- Real-world corporate turnaround case studies
General Yeager's remarks focused on the similarities and common lessons of running a business in today's corporate and regulatory environment, with the inherent dangers of his quest to break the sound barrier. General Yeager's remarks showed that like business leaders today, he had to have a keen understanding that there are time-critical junctures for making key choices, and that delay can mean disaster. He explained his first hand experience of why you have to have a backup plan for your backup plan, and he explained that he had to be able to know when it's time to turn around and land, or when to push the envelope.