University of Maryland Business Students Host Entrepreneurship Conference

Rockville, Md. - April 9, 2008 - Students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland will host an entrepreneurship conference, E*Generation: Entrepreneurship and the Environmental Renaissance, Saturday, April 19, at The Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville. The Smith Schools chapter of Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO) organized the daylong conference, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues until 4 p.m., engaging prospective and future business owners, entrepreneurs and students throughout the Washington D.C., region.

This years event is organized around the themes of technology and green business and addresses basic start-up concerns shared by entrepreneurs. The conference includes sessions offered by experienced entrepreneurs and will cover essential aspects of starting, running and expanding a business; the role of entrepreneurship in the future of the economy; and environmental entrepreneurship.

The keynote speaker is Doug Humphrey, an Internet pioneer who started three companies and helped launch MTV.com and many other commercial applications on the Web. The conference will also include presentations by entrepreneurs from green video-sharing site emPivot.com, beer maker Hook & Ladder Brewing Company, venture investor Zernike USA, sustainability consultant Eco-Coach, video game trading portal Goozex, and executive and management training provider Grow Fast Grow Right Enterprises.

This is the second year for the CEO Conference. It is organized and hosted by the students in theEntrepreneurship Fellows Program at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at Shady Grove. The Entrepreneurship Fellows Program is one of 20 special academic programs offered by the Smith School, which are designed to provide opportunities for experiential learning and community building among students, faculty and the larger community.

The CEO Conference will also feature several events sponsored by the Smith Schools Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, which helps students and entrepreneurs from the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. metro region start and grow their businesses. Dingman-run activities at the conference will include: Pitch Dingman, an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to give a five- to eight-minute overview of their business ideas to the Dingman Center team with a $500 prize for the best pitch; and sessions led by Dingman Center Entrepreneurs-in-Residence. Pitch Dingman Competitions are held monthly and up to $2,500 is awarded. Weekly Pitch Dingman sessions are held every Friday from 11 a.m. to noon at the Robert H. Smith School of Business in College Park.

More information and online registration is available at the conference Web site, phone: 301-738-6395/6068, or via e-mail.

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 14 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, executive MS, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations on three continents - North America, Europe and Asia.

About the Universities at Shady Grove
The Universities at Shady Grove is an innovative model for expanding access to quality higher education in the Montgomery County region. USG is not one university its eight of Maryland's top public universities, all providing full and part-time upper-division undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs at one central location in Rockville, MD. USG links the regions growing and diverse student population with top level programs that match their needs and those of the region. Strong partnerships with the business, government, and civic communities keep USG in touch with workforce demands, from business, nursing and teaching to the rapidly expanding biotechnology and information technology areas.