Veteran Investors Join University of Maryland Entrepreneurship Center Board

College Park, Md. - April 17, 2008 The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business today announced three new additions have been named to the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurships advisory board. Paul Bowen, Stephen M. Fredrick and Richard Wagreich will add their expertise to the centers extensive system of support for student and regional entrepreneurs.

"Paul, Stephen and Richard all have exceptionally successfully careers and each bring valuable skills and knowledge that add to the Smith Schools support of entrepreneurship regionally, nationally and internationally," said Asher Epstein, managing director of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. "Their insights as accomplished entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors will be a huge asset to the center."

Bowen is president of Bowen Advisors, a mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory firm for communications technology companies, which he founded in 2002. During his 10-year finance career, he has completed more than 75 deals including mergers and acquisitions, public equity and private equity transactions. Bowen previously served as a principal in the investment banking division of Robertson Stephens and held positions at Dain Rauscher Wessels. He began his career in the U.S. Navy. He received his MBA from the Smith School.

Fredrick is a principal with Grotech Capital Group. He focuses on investment opportunities in the software, communications and IT services sectors. Fredrick was previously a partner with Novak Biddle Venture Partners. Prior to that, he co-founded a software development firm and worked for a venture-funded software startup until it was acquired. He served for several years as an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the Smith School.

Wagreich has been part of the investment banking division of Goldman, Sachs & Co., working as a quantitative strategist since 2005. He provides guidance on and develops capital market products for corporate financial risk mitigation. He previously worked at Corvis Corp., a startup telecommunications company now a part of Level(3) Communications. Before that he started his own venture, Big Light Technology Inc., which worked to extend the limits of capability in military/civilian sensor applications. Wagreich received and MBA with a concentration in finance from the Smith School.

"We welcome these new board members and look forward to working with them," said John LaPides, chairman of the Dingman Center Board of Advisors and an entrepreneur-in-residence at the center. "With their previous ties to the Smith School, they will be invaluable as we continue to steer the Dingman Center to success in forming a strong network, building resources and bolstering reputation."

The Dingman Center provides MBA and undergraduate students with practical experiences with entrepreneurial opportunities through weekly opportunities to pitch their business ideas, feedback from experienced entrepreneurs-in-residence, and mentoring. The center has been a hub of entrepreneurial activity for alumni and regional startups for more than 20 years, specializing in growing companies from the first idea to the first million dollars in profits. The Smith School is rated among the top in the nation for its entrepreneurship offerings, according to rankings by U.S. News & World Report, Entrepreneurmagazine, The Princeton Review, and Fortune Small Business. 

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.