Gary Katz received his law degree from Rutgers University– Newark and his geology degree from Rutgers University-New Brunswick.  Prior to his current role as Managing Partner, Katz Law Group, LLP,he was a Partner at FisherBroyles, he worked as a patent attorney for Matthews, Lawson, McCutcheon & Joseph, PLLC and served as in-house patent counsel at ExxonMobil.

Presentation:  Intellectual Property for Startups and Small Businesses:  An effective intellectual property (IP) strategy is necessary for most new ventures to succeed in today’s economy.  Startups and small businesses should understand the benefits of registering intellectual property (including patents, copyrights and trademarks), publishing information and preserving information as a trade secret.  Learn the basics of IP to help you create an IP strategy for your business including the ability to perform cost benefit analysis regarding both domestic and foreign IP filings.  The presentation includes a case study of the application of petroleum exploration & production technology into other industries to create dual use technology.

Chrystal Broussard received her BA degree from MVSU, her Masters in Org. Dev.  from University of Phoenix and Masters in Liberal Arts from Houston Baptist University.  As a staff member of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board for the Houston-Galveston Area Council, she provides outplacement services available through Workforce Solutions to businesses and their displaced workers.

Presentation:  Texas Workforce Commission and Workforce Solutions Resources: The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and Workforce Solutions offers a wide variety of resources for those in career transition, including unemployment information, seminars covering topics such as writing resumes, interviewing and rebranding your skills. Many services are offered virtually via the Internet to help make your work search more productive.

Kim Sawyer has over twenty years of diverse business experience, starting businesses, leading companies, and being involved in almost every aspect of a business enterprise. He owns and manages theWealthSource®, a firm that provides coaching programs for individuals, teams and enterprises. He holds an Entrepreneurship BBA from UH and an MS in Organizational Development from UT.

Presentation:  The Business of Your Career: Managing Your Career as a Business Enterprise:  In this seminar, we will explore an integrated, strategic, lifelong Career Management System. This system will enable you to build, operate, and navigate the Business of Your Career to achieve your Maximum Authentic Professional Success.