Ronald
Blum, O.D., is Founder and Chairman of The Egg Factory, LLC. He
is also the President/CEO and Chairman of PixelOptics. He has had great
success in building diverse management teams needed to develop products
as well as executing business strategies. He is a visionary, innovator
and businessman. Dr. Blum is named as the inventor on over 150 patents
and patent applications. He has been on the editorial advisory boards
of two national vision care industry publications. Dr. Blum has also
had substantial commercial innovation success, including Innotech which,
was sold in 1997 to Johnson and Johnson. Innotech was founded by Dr.
Blum in 1990, and under his direction as Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer was taken public on the NASDAQ exchange in 1996 before being
sold in 1997. Dr. Blum remained with Johnson & Johnson until March
1999 serving as General Manager of Advanced Technologies for the Spectacle
Lens Group of Johnson & Johnson, where he lead and managed the team
that invented and developed the Definity (Progressive Addition Lens).
The Definity Lens was acquired in 2005 by Essilor (the largest lens
manufacturer in the world). Prior to founding Innotech, Inc., Dr. Blum
founded in 1977, Drs. Blum, Newman, Blackstock & Associates, Optometrists,
P.C. By the time of Dr. Blum's departure in 1992, Drs. Blum, Newman,
Blackstock & Associates, Optometrists, P.C., had grown to be one
of the largest multi-location private professional optometric practices
in the Southeastern United States. In 1999 Dr. Blum was presented by
the Mayor of Roanoke, Virginia a Key to the City, as well as, by the
Governor of Virginia honorary shares in the original trading company
of Jamestown, Virginia founded in 1607. Dr. Blum recently served on
the Board of Trustees for Roanoke College. Dr. Blum received his Doctorate
of Optometry degree from the Southern College of Optometry.
Peter
Bennett is a Manager of The Egg Factory, LLC. Mr. Bennett is the
founding Partner and President of Liberty Partners, L.P. and $1.8 billion
equity firm. Since its formation in 1992, Liberty has made investments
in 35 Companies in a wide variety of industries including manufacturing,
healthcare, financial services, consumer products and technology. Prior
to founding Liberty, Peter spent 21 years with Merrill Lynch & Co.
in several capacities including Manager of Private Financing Activities,
Managing Director of Merrill Lynch Capital Markets, Senior Vice President
of Merrill Lynch Interfunding Inc., the middle market principal investing
arm of Merrill Lynch. Peter received a BS degree from Lehigh University
and an MBA from Columbia University. He also served as Commanding Officer
of the 28th Signal Detachment, U.S. Army, Vietnam. Mr. Bennett is a
director of numerous public and private companies and is a member of
the Board of Trustees of Lehigh University.
Ian
Kidson is a Manager of The Egg Factory, LLC. Mr. Kidson is a Managing
Director for TD Capital, Toronto Dominion Bank, where he started and
now manages the mezzanine loan portfolio. Prior to Toronto Dominion
Bank, Mr. Kidson was a Managing Director for CIBC Capital Partners,
CIBC World Markets. While at CIBC, Mr. Kidson was one of five Managing
Directors overseeing a portfolio in excess of $500 million. Mr. Kidson
received his B.S. and M.B.A. from McMaster University and is a Chartered
Accountant.
Jack
Loeb, Jr. is a Manager of The Egg Factory, LLC. Mr. Loeb serves
as president of the following companies: Loeb, Construction Company,
Boone, Boone, Loeb & Petit, Inc., and Boone, Boone, Loeb, Inc. Mr. Loeb
is the founder of Loeb Construction Company. Mr. Loeb served as President,
Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association, Commissioner, Roanoke Redevelopment
and Housing Authority and National Director, National Association of
Home Builders Association. Mr. Loeb serves on the board of managers
of Hearing Enhancement Company, LLC, Virginia Recreational Facilities
Authority, North Cross School, Apple Ridge Farm, and Western Virginia
Land Trust.
Edward
Murphy is a member of the Board of Managers of The Egg Factory.
Dr. Murphy is President and Chief Executive Officer of Carilion Health
System. Prior to joining Carilion Health System and beginning
in 1994, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Seton Health
System in Troy, New York. Dr. Murphy's accomplishments include
negotiation of a single healthcare delivery system from the components
of two separate organizations, development and founding of an integrated
delivery system providing service to six counties in Upstate New York
and was Vice President of Clinical Services at Leonard Hospital from
1989-1991. He also served as President and Chief Executive Officer
at Leonard Hospital from 1991 until the 1994 merger of Leonard Hospital
and St. Mary's Hospital to form Seton Health System. Dr. Murphy's
undergraduate studies were at the University of Albany and he obtained
his medical degree from Harvard University, graduating cum laude.
Dr. Murphy has served as a clinical professor at the University of Albany
School of Public Health, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, School of Management. Dr. Murphy has served
on the Boards of Directors of the Upstate Physician Network, the New
York State Hospital Review and Planning Council and the Troy Redevelopment
Fund. He is presently on the Boards of Directors of HANYS Insurance
Company & Trust, United Way of Roanoke Valley, Make-A-Wish Foundation
of Richmond and Western Virginia, Hollins University, Center in the
Square of Western Virginia Foundation for the Arts and Sciences, Virginia
FREE and the Statewide Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
Mark
Murphy is a Manager of The Egg Factory, LLC. Mr. Murphy served as
President of Supply Chain Services, a division of Johnson and Johnson
Health Care Systems, Inc., which had sales of $4 billion and a staff
of 450. He was also President, Johnson and Johnson Hospital Services,
Inc., which had sales of $2 billion and a staff of 850. He is currently
a business consultant for Johnson and Johnson working with Innotech,
Inc. Mr. Murphy serves on the board of managers of Hearing Enhancement
Company, LLC, and has previously served on the board of directors of
the University of Tampa and Compton Plant Meade Hospital.
Fred
Shaftman is President of Large Business Services for BellSouth Corporation.
In his role as president, Shaftman is responsible for offer development,
packaging, marketing and sales of voice and data services and hardware
to over 20,000 customers. He is charged with delivering over $4.4 billion
is revenue to BellSouth and $1.4 billion in pre-tax income. Shaftman
began his telecommunications career in 1973 as president and general
counsel for Universal Communications Systems, and was instrumental in
helping the entrepreneurial company grow revenues from $3 million in
1973 to over $100 million in 1987 before it was acquired by BellSouth.
Shaftman received the President's Distinguished Service Award from the
North American Telecommunications Association in recognition for his
service to the telecommunications industry and the association. Shaftman
received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration in 1970
and his Juris Doctor degree in 1973, both from The University of Alabama.
W.
Ed Tyler was appointed CEO of Ideapoint Ventures in 2002. Ideapoint
Ventures is an early stage venture fund that focuses on nanotechnologies.
Prior to joining Ideapoint Ventures, Mr. Tyler served as President and
CEO of Moore Corporation Limited for three years, beginning in April
1998. During his tenure at Moore, he led a worldwide repositioning and
restructuring of the company. From 1974 to 1998 he was with R. R. Donnelley
& Sons Company in Chicago, becoming Executive Vice President, Sector
president, and Chief Technology Officer in 1995. From 1995 through 1998,
he also was responsible for 77 Capital, an early stage venture capital
subsidiary of Donnelley. He was directly responsible for investment
decisions and worked closely with the portfolio companies while participating
on many of their boards. Mr. Tyler began his career at Donnelley as
an electronics engineer and progressed through increasingly responsible
management positions throughout the country. Mr. Tyler is immediate
past Chairman of the American Red Cross (Mid-America Chapter); Campaign
Chairman of the United Way of Lake County; and a director of First Industrial
Corporation as well as several small, private companies. In 2002 he
was elected to the Board of Directors of Lake Forest Graduate School
of Management, where he is also an adjunct faculty member. He previously
served as Director of the Western Michigan University Foundation.
Robert E. Willard
is a Manager of The Egg Factory, LLC. Mr. Willard is President, development
entity for Gold Hill Mesa. He is also President of Willard & Compnay,
Inc. a fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm. Mr.
Willard is also Joint Manager of Gold Hill Mesa Township, LLC, as well
as, General Partner of Gold Hill Communities, LLLP. From 1980 through
1983 he was Manufacturing Manager for Texas Instruments Corporation.
From 1969 through 1979 he was an Aviator/U.S. Army Captain for the Corps
of Engineers and served in Vietnam from 1970-1971. Mr. Willard has been
published in Changing Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Services
Week, USA Today, New York Magazine had the cover story for Dow
Jones Investment Advisor and many other distinguished periodicals.
