Charles Heller is Among Most Influential People in Southern Technology

College Park, MD - December 9, 1998 - The magazine digitalsouth has named Charles O. Heller, of Arnold, Maryland, one of "The 50 Most Influential People in Southern Technology." Heller is director of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park.

The magazine covers technology business and venture capital in the 13-state region from Maryland to Florida. In compiling its top-50 list, digitalsouth "scoured the region and accepted nominations to find out who moves and who shakes this industry." Others who made the list include: Steve Case, CEO of America Online; Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Computers; Vint Cerf, senior vice president of Internet architecture and technology, MCI WorldCom; and Mario Morino, founder of Legent and head of the Morino Institute.

It was Heller's successful building of the Dingman Center that caught digitalsouth's attention. Many consider the Dingman Center as the focal point of the entrepreneurial community in the Maryland-Washington-Northern Virginia region. The center assists emerging growth companies through its extensive mentor program and various educational and training activities. It also helps the companies find capital through its Baltimore-Washington Venture Group. In addition, the center coordinates the Smith School of Business' MBA entrepreneurship program. SUCCESS magazine in August ranked the program's curriculum 13th in the country.

Before joining the Dingman Center, Heller spent 18 years as a high-tech entrepreneur in Annapolis and is active in several companies and in venture capital. He is president and chairman of the Baltimore-Washington Venture Group, president of the Bahamas Venture Capital Fund, and president of the Annapolis Consulting Group. He serves on several corporate boards of directors, including those of ESPS, Inc., and Klein Technologies, as well as the boards of nonprofit organizations, including the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association and the Greater Baltimore Committee Technology Council.

Prior to his appointment as director of the Dingman Center in 1990, he was president, CEO, and co-founder of CADCOM, Inc., a pioneer technology company headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. After the sale of CADCOM, he co-founded and became president and CEO of InterCAD Corporation, an Annapolis-based software company.

About the Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research for the digital economy. The school offers cross-functional study options in its six academic departments, which include accounting and information assurance; decision and information technologies; finance; logistics, business, and public policy; management and organization; and marketing. More information about the Robert H. Smith School of Business can be found at http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu.