Jim Rudolph Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Rita’s Water Ice

Chairman and CEO Jim Rudolph acquired Rita’s Water Ice in 2005 after recognizing the company’s enormous potential. An experienced franchisee turned franchisor, Rudolph took the helm of the largest player in the industry. Under his leadership, Rita’s has seen unprecedented growth: the number of franchise agreements doubled from 2005 to 2006, and new store openings dramatically increased from 33 stores in 2005 to 68 stores in 2006. Today, Rita’s Water Ice has over 470 locations in 15 states.

Jim Rudolph and the Rudolph family founded and built Wendy’s of Greater Pittsburgh in 1976 and developed and operated 47 stores in the Pittsburgh area. Together with his brother, Bill, Jim formed McKnight Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in Pittsburgh, where he has served as chairman of the board since 1976. Active in the community, as well, Rudolph holds leadership in a number of organizations in western Pennsylvania.

Dr. Giorgio Coraluppi Founder, President and CEO, Compunetics

Dr. Giorgio Coraluppi founded Compunetics, Inc. in 1968.  Today Compunetics stands as a leading manufacturer of printed circuit boards for the defense, aerospace, communications, high-speed computing, medical and semiconductor markets with two spin-off sister companies, Compunetix, Inc. and Chorus Call, Inc. 

 The company has reached great milestones – 40 years in business and the spin-off of two successful sister companies that are each leaders in the teleconferencing industry.  Gain insight form the industry leader as he shares his struggles and successes from being new to the United States to becoming the leader of a successful company with 10 offices worldwide. 

 On the early years: “When I decided to start Compunetics, I had never seen a financial statement or a business plan; I didn’t even know what one was.  And I was in a new country.  But I knew there was an opportunity to do something great.”

 On selling:  “One of our standards in selling is that we never sell to an organization.  We sell to Fred, Joe, Nancy.  It is the people who have the objectives, goals and needs, and we have to understand those needs.”

Andy Litinsky President of Trump Productions

Born and raised in south Florida, Andy Litinsky was the youngest of four brothers. He got his start in business at a young age, creating a business at the age of thirteen - a company called JHL Ventures, Inc., co-founded with just $500. The company provided both corporate and individual clients with concert packages. In just two years time the company had grown to over 30 part-time employees and was generating six-figure revenues.

Andy took part of the profits from JHL Ventures, Inc. and put them toward his tuition at Harvard University. Once there, Andy started a Not for Profit Organization, The Harvard AIDS Coalition, during his freshman year. The idea was to raise awareness of AIDS in Africa, and the coalition has now grown to over 100 members at Harvard, as well as spreading to over 10 universities across the country. Among his other accolades, Andy Litinsky won the United States National Debate Championships in Commentary Speaking. Most interestingly, Andy Litinsky was the first person in the history of "The Apprentice" to be re-hired by Donald Trump to work at The Trump Organization. Mr. Trump personally selected Andy to work as a Project Manager on his business development team.

After working directly for Mr. Trump for a year and a half in New York, Andy was subsequently promoted to head up the day-to-day business operations of Trump Productions in Los Angeles, CA. Andy is responsible for developing more television properties on top of Mr. Trump's existing portfolio (The Apprentice, Miss USA, Miss Universe, etc.) using the resources and assets of The Trump Organization. Andy Litinsky currently works at Trump Productions headquarters in Los Angeles, CA.

Andy Masich President and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center

Andy Masich is President and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. Andy is involved in Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary celebration and is working with regional planners on joint awareness initiatives and developing a timeless exhibit about Pittsburgh’s innovations in 2008 at the History Center.

As the President and CEO of the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, Pennsylvania's largest history museum and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, I have a constant eye on our region's rich past. And the great thing about our history is what it means for our present and our future. It makes Pennsylvania a fascinating place to live, work, and visit—a place rich with character and culture, and with a tradition of innovation fueling our 21st century identity.

Brenda Vester, Vice President of Business Development
Lee Hecht Harrison

Brenda Vester is Vice President of Business Development of the Pittsburgh office of Lee Hecht Harrison, a talent solutions company focused on delivering career management, leadership consulting and workforce solutions for organizations committed to developing their best talent and becoming employers of choice.

Brenda plays a major leadership role and is responsible for both the business development and account management in the Pittsburgh area. She has extensive experience in Human Resources, including recruiting, training, M&A, and outplacement.

Raul Valdes-Perez is CEO and Co-Founder of Vivisimo, one of Pittsburgh's hottest tech companies that is being touted as the next Google by industry insiders.  The company has developed an award-winning clustering technology that organizes search results into titled folders to allow users to learn at a glance the type of information available and ultimately find information faster. 

Raul co-founded this rising superstar tech company in June, 2000. During his tenure, he has been recognized as a top ten reader favorite for entrepreneur of the year by Inc. magazine, a CEO of the year finalist by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, and three times as one of the fifty most important hispanics in business and technology by Hispanic Engineer magazine. Before Vivísimo, Raul was on the Carnegie Mellon computer science department faculty since 1991; he is now an Adjunct Associate Professor there. His research on new methods and applications of knowledge discovery led to publishing nearly 50 journal articles in natural, social, and computer science. He was a principal investigator on six grants from the National Science Foundation, served on its advisory committee for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, and was an action editor of the journal Machine Learning.

Blaine McCormick is Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs at Baylor University's School of Business and author of the critically acclaimed new book, Ben Franklin: America's First Entrepreneur. 

Recently featured on ABC World News Tonight and various radio outlets, Blaine McCormick's take on Ben Franklin's autobiography is recommended reading for anyone aspiring to success in the business world, whether as an individual entrepreneur or as a member of a corporate team.  Mr. McCormick has adapted and edited the original autobiography to showcase one of the best business stories ever told.  Ben Franklin was a superb entrepreneur, inventor, and writer who influenced not only the political, but also the business climates of his day.  Written in modern-day English, the book provides readers with insights and illustrations as applicable as business models today as they were more than two hundred years ago.