Robins School Momentum

According to the Richmond TimesDispatch, Dr. Jorge Haddock, dean of the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond, is focused on momentum.

Momentum to hold a lofty position among the top 25 undergraduate business schools in the nation, as measured by BusinessWeek magazine.

Momentum to complete a $16.8 million capital campaign -- about $10.5 million has been raised -- so the business school can add a new wing.

Momentum to help new UR President Edward L. Ayers keep his pledge to provide more service to the Richmond community.

The Robins School offers 38 student exchange programs in 29 countries; this summer about a dozen international MBA students from Brazil and Angola attended a five-week session at UR. Newsweek magazine just recognized the University of Richmond as one of the 25 Hottest Schools in America for international studies.

The new wing of the business school, for which fundraising is well underway, will increase the size of the school facilities by a third, including 33,000 square feet for new classrooms, a 225-seat auditorium, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a Wall Street-style trading room.

Current faculty research grants are outlined in the Summer 2007 newsletter.

CC HYPE in Richmond

The Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce HYPE group has two networking meetings coming up: Will Turner, Founder of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group, will present "Network Like Your Life Depends on It (Hint: it does)" on June 27, and the group will gather at the Haunts of Richmond on July 26.

GRTC Award Winners

The winners of the Greater Richmond Technology Council tech awards were announced last night. The following companies and individuals were recognized for technology innovation, leadership and growth in the Richmond area.

Scott McKay, chief information officer and senior vice president, Genworth Financial Inc., won the Leadership Award sponsored by IBM.

SnagAJob was recognized in the Emerging Company category, sponsored by Cherry, Bekaert & Holland

Tec-Access was the winner of the Community Support Award, sponsored by Northrop Grumman

Amentra Inc. won the IT Builders Award, sponsored by Parsons Point IT.

Agility Healthcare Solutions was recognized with the Technology Innovation Award, sponsored by Qimoda.

The Timmons Group won the Technology Skillbuilder Award, sponsored by Strategic Staffing Solutions

Tim Couillard, a physics teacher at James River High, won the Educator Award sponsored by the Computer Resource Team.

The council singled out the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park for its impact on economic development in the region.

More information is available from the Richmond TimesDispatch

Yahoo! Right Media

Michael Walrath, Founder and CEO of Right Media on the recent Yahoo! acquisition:

Yahoo! has been a great partner to us, continually demonstrating its commitment to the Exchange and all that it stands for–openness, fairness, greater efficiency, value and opportunity–as a fundamental vehicle for driving our industry forward. Yahoo!’s acquisition of Right Media further validates all that our company and Exchange members have worked for, and it means a bigger part of the world will understand the value of that work. This is a true milestone for the Exchange community. Snippet from Right Media Blog.

In a move to compete with Google's ever-expanding advertising empire, Yahoo announced a $680 million deal of its own on Monday. The acquisition of Right Media is Yahoo's partial answer to Google's string of recent wins in online advertising. Snippet from Newsfactor.

Walrath, a graduate of the University of Richmond, founded Right Media in 2003 to transform the business of online advertising, leveling what has traditionally been an uneven playing field. He sees the industry moving towards more efficiency, transparency and accountability for every transaction.

The Right Media blog features interviews with web publishers such as Ulrich Tausend of gaming website NeoDelight, and Khayam Iftikhar of FreeOnlineGames.

HYPE in Richmond

A new community networking group launches tonight in Richmond. HYPE (Helping Young Professionals Engage) will hold its first meeting tonight. The next meeting is scheduled for May.
According to Will Turner, president of event sponsor Dancing Elephants Achievement Group, "It's a way to engage them in community events and professional development so that they want to get involved and stay engaged in the community." Snippet from the Richmond TimesDispatch.

Richmond's Top 50 Employers

Three new businesses were included in the recent Richmond TimesDispatch list of the top 50 employers in the Richmond area: MeadWestvaco Corp., Westminster Canterbury, and World Access.

Richard Coughlan, associate dean for graduate and executive programs at the University of Richmond's Robins School of Business, had this to say: "I was immediately struck that this year's top 30 has exactly the same set of firms as last year's top 30. There were no new entrants into the top 10 or the top 20, either. That speaks to a very healthy business climate in the region with a variety of growing sectors providing numerous opportunities for employment."
Snippets from the DailyProgress

Martin Agency Recognition

The Richmond Ad Club recently recognized the best work of 2006 at the Virginia Historical Society. The Martin Agency won Best in Show for Advertising with "Anthem," its television spot for TLC, The Learning Channel, and for its public-service poster for the nonprofit group A More Perfect Union.
More information, and additional winners at The Daily Progress.