Michael L. Karapetian Entrepreneurship Symposium
Please join the Moravian University Community at the Inaugural
Michael L. Karapetian ’97 Entrepreneurship Symposium
Saturday, November 21, 2015
10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex
1200 Main Street
Bethlehm, PA 18018
Click Here to Register.
The Michael L. Karapetian ’97 Entrepreneurship Symposium at Moravian University will bring together students, alumni, and community members in a forum to explore and discuss the entrepreneurial spirit. The symposium will have public sessions about do’s and don’ts when starting a business and will feature a student- centered business case competition highlighting proposed business plans created by Moravian University students. The students who present the top three proposals will win cash prizes to use as seed money for their business ventures.
Moravian University's entrepreneurial community is strong and dynamic. Participants will benefit from one on one interaction with nationally renowned innovative entrepreneurs and gain a greater perspective on how to develop better businesses with tips from the pros.
Schedule of Events
9:00 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast in Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex
10:00 a.m. - Keynote Address, Michael L. Karapetian ’97, Founder, President and CIO of Lazari Asset Management, Inc.
10:30 a.m. - Dan Petrozzo ’91, Co-Founder of Verilume, and AJ Leahy, President and CEO of POM-CO, “How to Start Your Start-Up: Lessons Learned”
11:15 a.m. - Steve Boerner, Founder and President of Hatch House Ventures, LLC, “Learn to Think Differently: How Our Attitude Influences Our Success”
12:00 p.m. - Robert Kafafian ’77, President and CEO of The Kafafian Group, Inc., "Lifes Decisions at the Crossroads"
12:45 p.m. - Lunch and “An Inside Look at the Best Local College: Moravian University” with Dr. Cynthia Kosso, Provost
2:00 p.m. – Final Round of student presentations
3:00 p.m. – Closing Presentation, Jane Wells Schooley , Internationally Certified Business Coach, Northstar Team Development, "Want to be a Super Hero? Be an Entrepreneur!"
3:20 p.m. - Presentation of Michael L. Karapetian Awards in Entrepreneurship and Closing Remarks, Gary Kaskowitz, Chair of Moravian University Department of Economics and Business
*All student presentations will occur simultaneously and will be streamed live throughout the day for participants to view on television screens in Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex*
Click Here to Register.
Session Speaker's Biographies:
Michael Lazari Karapetian ’97
Michael Lazari Karapetian ’97 is the Founder, President, and CIO of Lazari Capital Management, Inc. and Lazari Asset Management, Inc. Mr. Karapetian has over 18 years of investment management experience as a value contrarian money manager, with a large emphasis on conservative dividend and interest income. Mr. Karapetian achieves this defensive strategy through stocks, bonds, mutual funds, exchange traded funds, options, reverse convertible notes, and alternative investments. His primary focus is on undervalued companies that have strong fundamentals, low price-to-earnings, and above market dividends. As a result, Mr. Karapetian is proactive in sheltering the portfolios of his clients during bear markets and proactive in empowering them during bull markets.
Mr. Karapetian and his team of associates currently manage $418 million in assets, which comprises of domestic, international, individual, and corporate clients. All assets under management are housed and cleared through Fidelity. Prior to founding his firms in 2003, Mr. I(arapetian was a high-end money manager for Bank of America. His duties included establishing model portfolios for high net worth clients with a minimum investment of $1 million. In 1998, Mr. Karapetian was a money manager and co-advisor for Summit Bank and its proprietary owned mutual fund, the Pillar Value Fund.
Additionally, Mr. Karapetian is the Founder and Managing Director of Calibos Sports Management, LLC. As a registered sports agent, Mr. Karapetian primarily represents NBA and NFL talent. Mr. Karapetian holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management/Finance from Moravian University in Bethlehem, P A.
In his personal time, Mr. Karapetian champions philanthropic causes by serving the communities that he has lived and worked in. His efforts include both monetary donations and the volunteering of his time. In the past, he has served onthe committee boards for the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton Pennsylvania, the Bat Conservation International (BCI) in Austin Texas, and the Bog Turtle Acopian Preserve in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Robert Kafafian ’77
Mr. Kafafian is President & C.E.O. of The Kafafian Group, a finance, strategy, and operations consulting firm that specializes in performance measurement, profitability outsourcing, strategic and capital planning, regulatory assistance, process/profit improvement, and investment banking advisory services for the financial industry.
Over the past thirty-five years he has consulted with and advised over 400 financial institutions in over forty states. He is a frequent speaker and writer on a variety of banking subjects and often quoted in banking periodicals. He also teaches at numerous banking schools.
Mr. Kafafian received his B.A. degree in Business/Economics from Moravian University, and his M.B.A. in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is an active Board member of a number of other corporations, professional, community, and academic organizations. He has written a book, published by AMIfs titled, KEYS TO COMMUNTIY BANK SUCCESS/”Utilizing Management Information to Make Informed Decisions”.
Daniel Petrozzo ’91
Dan Petrozzo is co-founder of Verilume, a cloud computing company. Previously, he was a Partner and the Global Head of Technology for Investment Management at Goldman Sachs. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Dan held the position of Chief Information Officer with Fidelity Investments where he was responsible for all aspects of Fidelity's technology portfolio including the award winning Fidelity.com website.
Before joining Fidelity, Dan was Co-Chief Information Officer at Morgan Stanley. Previously, he was the CIO of the Wealth Management business for a number of years. Dan was also Global Head of Equity Prime Services Technology for Deutsche Bank AG. Earlier, Dan was President and Board Member of venture backed, StorageApps, the breakthrough company in storage virtualization which was sold to Hewlett Packard.
Dan serves as Chairman of NPower, a New York based Non-Profit focusing on mobilizing the tech community and provides individuals, nonprofits and schools access and opportunity to build tech skills and achieve their potential. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Luke’s University Health Network. He also is a Director of Exoprise Systems. Previously he served as a Board Member of Sendmail which was sold to Proofpoint (PFPT).
Dan has a JD from Seton Hall University Law School and a B.A from Moravian University.
AJ Leahy
AJ Leahy is co-founder of the Peace of Mind Company (POMCO), a next generation mobile safety system for college students and faculty members. The POM safety device is the fastest, easiest most reliable way of contacting emergency help on campus. With the push of a button, the student is connected directly with campus police, signaling their GPS location and enabling two-way back and forth communication.
AJ started POMCO in 2013 after a good friend of his was killed. A JD/MBA student at the time at Albany Law School and Union Graduate College, AJ and his co-founder teamed up to build a better, smarter emergency communications solution. Before POMCO, AJ worked for The Ayco Company, a Goldman Sachs company, as a financial analyst. He also worked for Merrill Lynch in Global Wealth Management.
AJ earned his BA in Finance from the University of Delaware, and his MBA from Union Graduate College.
Jane Wells Schooley
Internationally certified business coach, facilitator, certified Master Behavioral Analyst and co-owner/founder.
Jane Wells Schooley is committed to and enthusiastic about helping transform business leaders and their teams through the experiential model of team development and professional coaching.Jane has a Master’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University in Speech Communication with an emphasis in group and organizational communication.
She holds an international certification in business coaching from The International Coach Academy in Australia. She is a certified Olweus antibullying trainer who helps keep educational institutions safe and also trains companies in dealing with bullies at work. Jane is a Master Behavioral Analyst, Jane uses behavioral assessment tools to help her clients and their teams function at the highest level possible maximizing productivity and retention. Wells Schooley is a professional speaker and seminar leader.
Wells Schooley has been on the fulltime faculty of Penn State, served as the nationally elected Vice President of a large nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., is an owner and has been CEO of a 175 agent market center of Keller Williams Real Estate. During her more than 30 years as an entrepreneur, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce has recognized her with the prestigious international Athena Leadership Award for excellence in business and for helping other women reach their leadership potential. She brings her talents in leadership and team development to the “for profit” and “notforprofit” worlds as well as serving Northstar as its professional Coach, Seminar Leader and Facilitator
Steve Boerner
Founder and President of Hatch House Ventures, LLC.
Steve Boerner is the Founder and President of Hatch House Ventures, LLC, a growing network of livework startup incubators for young entrepreneurs. Hatch House partners with higher education colleges and universities to promote entrepreneurship on campuses and surrounding communities by integrating physical and digital resources for students, staff, and local startups.
Beyond entrepreneurship, Steve serves as a Board Member for the Keystone Innovation Zone, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation's Entrepreneurship Council, and the Da Vinci Science Center. He is an Adjunct Professor of Practice at University of Delaware's Horn School of Entrepreneurship and an avid public speaker touching on topics that help promote economic development through entrepreneurship.
Moravian University is a private coeducational liberal arts college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its founding to 1742, Moravian is recognized as America’s sixth-oldest college and the first to educate women.
Moravian University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Gary Kaskowitz at 610-861-1406.