TEDCO, Maryland’s lead source for entrepreneurial business assistance and seed funding for the development of startup companies in Maryland’s innovation economy, has appointed a new CEO.  George Davis was announced as CEO yesterday.

Rick Kohr, CEO of Evergreen Advisors has been active with TEDCO over the years. He commented on TEDCO’s new hire: “This is the right time for George to become TEDCO’s CEO.  They’ve selected an incredibly solid leader at a period when TEDCO is in a very strong position. George is a great match, and he will be able to leverage the rich history of TEDCO with his extensive and successful experience as a serial entrepreneur, C-level executive and knowledgeable investor.”

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In this Entrepreneur Spotlight we have put our focus on ELEVI Associates, an Information Technology company supporting customers throughout the US in both Federal as well as Commercial Enterprise markets.  The company is comprised of three business units: IT Professional Services, IT Staffing Solutions, and Technology Systems & Support. ELEVI was founded in 2002 and is based in Columbia, MD.  We took a few moments to interview Phil Puccio, CEO of ELEVI, to ask some questions and learn more about his company.

1. Tell us a little bit about ELEVI and how you first got started? [Read more…]

Evergreen Advisors’, Rick Kohr, will be Startup Grind’s “fireside chat” guest on June 26th. Rick will explore the basics of M&A and will be sharing his experiences, successes, failures, and lessons learned as a founder, CEO and Board Advisor for dozens of early stage growth and middle market companies.  He will focus on the problems, opportunities, and mistakes he sees startups make today and will give recommendations for how to avoid them.

Rick Kohr has over 30 years of experience in advising early stage growth and middle-market companies on finance, recapitalization and exit strategies. These financing alternatives and exit strategies include capital raises, recapitalizations, mergers, sales and ESOPs. Rick was also a co-founder and managing member of the Chesapeake Emerging Opportunities Club, an early stage venture capital fund.

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Evergreen Advisors, a leading Investment Bank and Corporate Advisory Firm, is pleased to announce that it has launched a new Corporate Advisory Practice that combines our CFO Advisory, Business Valuation, Corporate Finance, and Strategy Units.

The combined team will provide a multi-disciplinary approach to servicing clients throughout their financial lifecycle and add a range of consulting services to our portfolio. Services in the group include: Strategic CFO Advisory, Accounting and Controller Services, Business Valuation Services, Strategic Planning, and Corporate Finance. Evergreen Advisors has previously been known to offer three categories of services: Investment Banking Services, CFO Advisory Services, and Business Valuation Services. The new Corporate Advisory Practice will allow us to provide a broad range of specialized services to our clients as their needs change. Joe Bradley will head up the Corporate Advisory Practice.

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In this Entrepreneur Spotlight we have put our focus on Trivalent, a leading provider of next generation data protection based in Annapolis, MD. We love to interview clients and other local entrepreneurs to make others aware of what is going on in the local business community. We took a few moments to interview Trivalent, to ask some questions and learn more about this fast-growing company.

1. Tell us a little bit about Trivalent. How you first got started and how you have grown since inception in 2010.

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Evergreen Advisors is pleased to announce that Rick Kohr, CEO, will be serving on the judging panel for Ernst & Young’s 2017 Maryland Entrepreneur of the Year program.

EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year has been celebrating entrepreneurs for over 30 years and has been recognized as one of the most prestigious business award programs in the world.  Entrepreneur of the Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year program runs from April to June, where the independent judges review participant applications, conduct interviews, select categories and winners, and award those winners on June 28^th, during a gala at the conclusion of the program.

Other 2017 Maryland judges include:

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Rick Kohr had the pleasure of sitting down with both Tom and Gary to discuss the recently formed Momentum Fund, geared towards increasing new company creation and commercialization of research in Maryland. The Fund will concentrate on filling funding gaps and provide opportunities for innovation.

RK: The first thing I always like to ask is “How would you describe the problem that exists today that you are trying to solve?” It will help us to understand why the Momentum Fund was created. 

GA: First of all thanks for the opportunity, and I’m honored to be on this call. When I started working on the Board of Regents about 8 years ago, I sat in on a committee meeting with our tech transfer work group. It was chaired by a young guy named Mike Gill. It was obvious to Mike, who really got this process rolling, and to me, that there was tremendous brain power in the University System…

Interview – Rick Kohr & USM

Evergreen Advisors announces the promotion of both Justin Horsman and Will O’Donnell to Manager in our Business Valuation Practice.

Justin Horsman joined Evergreen in 2013 and brings to Evergreen experience in valuation advisory services for a variety of purposes, including estate and gift tax, IRC 409A, dissenting shareholder and oppression, Subchapter-S elections, buy/sell agreements, and fair value reporting.  He is a CFA Level 3 Candidate, a member of the American Society of Appraisers, and has passed the four principles of valuation prerequisites. Justin holds his Series 63, Uniform Securities Agent State license, and Series 79, Investment Banking Representative license.
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What can March Madness teach us about business, you ask?  As March Madness quickly approaches, we can’t help but think about who are our teams, the concepts of dedication and hard work, and what it means to aim to be great.

Here at Evergreen, we celebrate March Madness with intensity and high spirits. But how does the game of basketball and March Madness itself relate to our everyday business and individual lives?

Do you exemplify the characteristics of a great individual and an even better team player?

• Teamwork: The great thing about a team is that several unique individuals come together to join as ONE – bringing all of their different talents and skills for one common purpose. To win & to succeed. Take a look at your team – is everyone striving towards the same goal? There is no stronger team than a team who is comprised of people who work for the same outcome and who aim for greatness.
• Leadership: The best teams have excellent leaders, and not just in management. A great team can learn from a great coaching staff, but individuals who exemplify leadership can take the team even further in their successes. Who are the members on your team and are you exemplifying leadership qualities to advance your team’s success?
• Commitment: You may have raw talent, but you must be committed to working hard and exercising your skills repetitively to ensure you stay active and perform well. Train to win. Learn new skills, gain new knowledge, apply those talents, and work towards success. Hard work and dedication pay off, not only in basketball, but in everyday business endeavors.
• Attitude: It is important to have a good attitude and to reflect good character in your team. If you have a poor attitude or display unsportsmanlike qualities, you will bring fault to your character. If one team member has poor character, it will affect the image of your business as a whole and the clients you wish to attract.

Most of all have fun!  It’s much better when you love what you do and have fun doing it!

Who’s your team and how are you contributing during this March Madness season?

Evergreen Advisors, LLC Chief Operating Officer and Ellicott City resident one of 52 selected for professional development program

Leadership Maryland announced this week that Shelley Lombardo, MBA ’17, Chief Operating Officer at Evergreen Advisors, LLC, has been chosen to participate in the professional development program dedicated to building a better Maryland by harnessing the strength of its local business and community leaders. Lombardo is one of 52 individuals chosen for Leadership Maryland’s 25^th class – the Class of 2017, who will complete the eight-month hands-on learning program focused on the state’s most vital social, economic and environmental issues.

Following a two-day opening retreat in April, the class will attend five two-day intense sessions traversing the state focusing on Maryland’s economic development, education, health and human services, criminal justice, the environment, and multi-culturalism/diversity. These sessions will be followed by a one-day closing retreat in November and a graduation celebration in December. More than 100 experts representing business, government, education, and the non-profit community will serve as panelists and guest speakers.

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