FirstLink

Allen manages the daily operations of FirstLink’s consulting practice, as well as working on particular technology and client projects. He is responsible for improving and institutionalizing the processes that support best practices for FirstLink’s accomplishments.

Prior to joining FirstLink in 2005, in FirstLink’s previous contract with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE), Allen was an Executive Vice President of an information technology consulting firm, MCCS, Inc. He led the design of a new management and forecasting tool for pharmaceuticals and medical/surgical equipment intended to address worldwide crises.

He also provided subject matter expertise to Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency (DARPA) and its Advanced Logistics Program, an $80 million research effort aimed at developing the next generation of logistics systems. The powerful ALP information systems would manipulate massive, distributed, logistics databases, and enabled logisticians to perform a variety of functions such as materials tracking and planning to support multiple echelons of command and control for the missions at hand. Allen was also the Program Manager for a Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) initiative for a hazardous materials identification and tracking program.

Before joining the private sector, Allen was a Lead Project Officer for the Department of Defense, developing and implementing worldwide IT systems for asset tracking. While deployed at a European field office, he led a team that collected data and verified U.S. Forces’ asset information. Other prior assignments included Systems Analyst supporting worldwide inventory, and Supervisory Systems Analyst leading a team that supported all operations departments at Letterkenny Army depot.

Allen holds a B.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA.

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Susan is responsible for managing the marketing and promotion of the FirstLink program, and the development of new, strategic relationships. She has worked with the FirstLink team beginning as Sr. Consulting Manager in June 2004, during FirstLink’s previous contract with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE). Since FirstLink’s inception, Susan has contributed significantly to the establishment and improvement of FirstLink consulting work processes, developed a marketing program, and has directly facilitated connections and technology transfer contracts between several entrepreneurial businesses and the Department of Defense.

Prior to joining the FirstLink team, Susan worked at Bayer Corporation where she was Manager of Strategic Planning, leading the development and implementation of major strategic initiatives for Bayer’s North Americas region. She spent more than a dozen years before that at Bayer, and previously at Air Products and Chemicals, leading the launch and marketing of various innovative products and services in the U.S. Susan also was the Managing Director for a ground-breaking dot.com eCommerce portal start-up, founded by leaders in the industrial and specialty rubber market to address sales transactions, logistics and reporting online.

Susan holds an M.B.A. in Marketing from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

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Reeg’s primary responsibility at FirstLink is acting as a lead Laboratory Consultant. He performs this role by working with the federal laboratories to discover technology that may meet the needs of first responders, and facilitating their marketing and transfer via pathways that will help them advance towards commercial use in both military and civilian markets.

Reeg has a strong background in sales and marketing, and is an entrepreneur who has been involved in commercial product development, as well as both product and market research. His expertise in federal technology transfer has benefited the FirstLink program since its inception in 2004, when he began supporting FirstLink during the program’s previous contract with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE) as a Heinz Fellow.

Reeg holds an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, Joseph M. Katz School of Business, Pittsburgh, PA and a B.A. in Biology from Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA.

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Dr. Bies (Bill) is responsible for the technical analysis of FirstLink’s projects and works with the other consultants to identify promising new technologies. His work involves interviewing the inventors and validating the commercial potential of their patents. His first experience with the FirstLink team was as an intern in 2006 during the program’s previous contract with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE).

Before beginning his business studies, Bill spent three years as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, where he performed research on quantum chaos theory with Eric J. Heller and on thermoelectric effects in anisotropic semiconductor materials with Henry Ehrenreich. The research was relevant for applications involving refrigeration and infrared night-vision devices.

Bill holds a B.A. in Physics from Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

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Paul Schneider is responsible for the research and assessment of new technologies considered for transfer, addressing products and services from their early development phase through to the fulfillment of market needs. Having recently earned his M.B.A. from Penn State University, his prior experience includes business consulting, marketing and operations. Paul has numerous publishing credits and public speaking experiences. Most recently, he has contributed a chapter on marketing to the national publication, Battlegrounds: Business, which is part of a Penn State curriculum. Further honors include winning The Real Deal Business Plan Competition.

Throughout his professional and scholastic experience, Paul has maintained many affiliations, including membership in the Human Resources Management Association, former VP of Programming for the Penn State Graduated Student Association, and editor of the Penn State Collegian. Before joining the FirstLink team, Paul provided consultative services that aided in the growth and development of a Swedish software company seeking to gain acceptance in the U.S. market.

Paul holds a B.A. in Corporate Communications and an M.B.A. from Penn State University.

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Bob is responsible for developing and managing all program activity at Pittsburgh Gateways Corp. He first founded Gateways in 1998 with over 31 years of experience in institutional administration and economic development, including substantial fund raising, strategic planning and partnering experience. He has developed and managed business incubation programs and university-based Centers of Technology for research, training and commercial development initiatives in the U.S. and internationally, including Japan, Australia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Hungary and Canada.

Through the course of his activities, Bob has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for university and community targeted economic development and research commercialization programs. He has authored and contributed more than a dozen books and manuals on business incubation, new venture development, and cluster-based strategies for economic development. Bob holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, a M.A. from Duquesne University, and a B.A. from Westminster College.

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Bill is the primary liaison within Pittsburgh Gateways Corp. for FirstLink’s consulting activities. Bill is also responsible at Gateways for providing Centers of Technology and regional businesses with manufacturing-related assistance, project management and staff oversight. Bill joined Gateways in 1999 with over 24 years of experience as an entrepreneur, founding and managing private companies (MMS, Business Concepts, Vesta Designs and Prism Fiber Optics) within the Pittsburgh region; previously had eight years of experience serving as a field supervisor and coordinator of the technical training facility for Dravo Corporation’s Engineering Works Division.

While at Gateways, Bill has assisted with business incubator facility assessments, commercial development, installation and management of the Gateways program at various Centers of Technology; management of technology exchange and business matching activities with the Japanese government, serving as interim president and general manager for start-up companies; and managing Gateways’ Advanced Manufacturing Initiative activity.

Bill holds a degree in Business Management from Robert Morris University.

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John is responsible for developing Gateways’ Advanced Manufacturing Initiative, assisting with new venture start-up initiatives, and maintaining relationships with Gateways’ external mentoring and advisory partners. John joined Gateways in 1998 with over 30 years of business and management experience, and focused primarily in financial and human resources endeavors within a wide variety of industries. Prior to joining Gateways, he worked for 20 years with Ernst & Young, an international professional services firm; has worked for Mellon Bank and a regional financial management recruiting firm.

Along the way, John has assisted a variety of start-up and development-stage entrepreneurial ventures with all aspects of business growth and development, including corporate formation and capital structuring, business plan development, comprehensive pro-forma projections, marketing and pricing strategies, capital raises, facilities acquisition and personnel recruiting.

John holds a B.S. degree from Penn State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

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David is a technology and licensing consultant working out of the Portland, Oregon area. He has a strong background in licensing, gained through 15 years of experience with industry, government and academic institutions. David assists FirstLink by marketing federal technologies and laboratory capabilities to companies, Universities and other interested collaborators.

Prior to forming his firm, Intellectual Assets, David worked in licensing, technology commercialization and marketing for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the NASA Mid-Atlantic Technology Applications Center and Intel Corporation. In addition, he has provided intellectual property and licensing consulting for the Sharp Technology Ventures, Tektronix, Deloitte, National Technology Transfer Center, Oregon Health & Science University, as well as to many developing firms.

David is a member of the Licensing Executives Society (and membership chair of the Portland Chapter); a contributing author for the Association of University Technology Managers’ (AUTM) Technology Transfer Practice Manual, and often presents on intellectual property business issues. David serves on the advisory board of Innovation Assets Group.

David holds a degree in Physics from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

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Jerry’s primary responsibility at FirstLink is acting as a lead Laboratory Consultant. Jerry facilitates collaborations between federal labs and companies, and markets technologies that result from federal laboratory R&D to companies that can commercialize innovative solutions for first responders. He began facilitating successful transfers of first responder technology for FirstLink in 2005, during FirstLink’s previous contract with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE).

Jerry has directed the Technology Transfer Office at the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster, PA, and worked closely with law enforcement and other public safety agencies in Pennsylvania. He was one of the co-founders of the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC). On an Intergovernmental Personnel Assignment from the Navy to the U.S. Department of Commerce, he worked for the Deputy Secretary of Commerce for Science and Technology where he focused on technology transfer issues between federal R&D Laboratories, industry and Congressional initiatives.

Following five years as Director of Operations at the National Technology Transfer Center (NTTC), Jerry joined OLETC (Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization, a program of the National Institute of Justice) where he first was Acting Director, then a Project Manager. He is a part-time employee at TRsG, Inc., contract operator of the Army’s Business Development Office at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and a consultant to other companies and organizations. Jerry’s work routinely involves working closely with state, regional and local industry organizations such as the Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center and the Pittsburgh Technology Council.

Jerry holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively.

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Robert provides the FirstLink team with many years of experience working with federal government organizations and commercializing new technologies. As a member of the team, Robert is responsible for networking with the first responder community, and providing overall assistance in the implementation of the technology transfer process from the DoD to commercial entities.

Throughout Robert’s professional career, he has served in executive positions with several organizations and has operated his own consulting firm in technology transfer and business development for many years.

In 1995, Robert became a Business Development Specialist with the Mid-Atlantic Technology Applications Center, one of NASA’s six Regional Technology Transfer Centers, formerly located at the University of Pittsburgh. As of March 2001, Robert became the Coordinator of the Fire Fighting Task Force sponsored and funded by the Federal Laboratory Consortium, the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization, and the Center for Technology Commercialization.

Robert is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a Masters degree in Civil Engineering/Building Engineering and Construction. In addition, Robert was awarded the Federal Laboratory Consortium 2000 Outstanding Service Award for Technology Transfer.

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Kathleen Conlogue is FirstLink’s bookkeeper, office administrator and administrative assistant to Jim Rooney and the consulting staff. Kathleen worked with the FirstLink program for several years in its previous contract with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE). While there, she also supported other IEE programs including several of which provided counseling services to small businesses and entrepreneurs in the region of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Prior to that, Kathleen worked for over 20 years with Raphael House, a shelter for homeless families in San Francisco, CA. She held administrative positions there, as well as worked with the agency’s children’s program. Kathleen holds an Associate’s Degree from the University of Maine.

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