BLC Seminar Series

BLC  hosts industry-specific seminars featuring business leaders from the community. Small, focused group settings provide opportunities for BLC members to learn, network and connect with other Jewish professionals. Seminars are selected from a broad range of topics. From venture capital to board best practices to clean technology, there’s something for everyone. If you are interested, contact us.

Have you ever wished BLC Speaker Seminars and Networking Events were held in locations closer to you?

If your company has conference space, let us know if your company would consider making an in-kind donation by hosting an event in your offices.

Recent Seminars:

2009 Investment Market Dialogue, 10/21/09

Attendees at this panel walked away with an understanding of economic expectations and practical advice for personal portfolios. Industry experts Matt Berler from Osterweis Capital Management, Bob Fields from PIMCO, and Hal Schornstein from Wells Fargo made the current market easy to understand for the over 60 guests assembled. Moderated by BLC programming co-chair Scott Harrison, who served as co-chair with Jeff Zlot and Jim Codik.

Silicon Valley Meets Hollywood, 9/22/09

The technology and entertainment convergence is here. Senior executives from leading entertainment and technology companies gathered at Fenwick and West in Mountain View to share insights on how technological advances and emerging technologies are changing our entertainment. Daniel Scheinman from Cisco Media Solutions Group, Richard Hollander from Pixar Animation Studios and Doug Barry from Selby Ventures had a lively discussion with the sell-out crowd of 75 about how our entertainment and information is produced and delivered.  Moderated by Joshua Quittner from Time Magazine and chaired by BLC’s Neil Fink and Robin Berman.

Wise Ideas for Growing your Business in a Tough Economy, 5/26/2009

BLC hosted 50 guests in the JCF Boardroom for this informative, lively discussion and demonstration of how to leverage emerging social media tools such as Facebook, blogs and Twitter for smart marketing. The event, chaired by Neil Fink and Rebecca Litwin, featured panelists were David Burk, Founder & CEO, Clear Ink; Mark Friedler, Internet Advertising, Media, Entertainment, Games Entrepreneur; and David Spark, Founder, Spark Media Solutions.

Business Ethics and Investing in a Post Madoff Environment, 4/21/2009

BLC hosted a fascinating panel where 60 guests heard experts discuss the new guideposts to circumspect investing in a world where famous names and connections are clearly no longer an assurance of quality. The event, chaired by Michael A. Mitgang and Laura Roden, featured panelists: Ben Berk, Director, Howard Rice; Justin Hibbard, Licensed Private Investigator with Quidnunc Group; James Knight, Chief Investment Officer, Vista Wealth Management, LLC; Leon Kuan, Managing Director, Fisher Lynch Capital.

Real Estate: Opportunities in Turbulent Times, 3/16/2009

BLC hosted 60 guests at our second real estate panel at Farella, Braun & Martel. Our expert speakers provided a thorough and informative assessment of the current market. The event, chaired and moderated by Frank Fudem, Senior Vice President and Partner with NAIBT Commercial Real Estate, featured panelists Bob Edelstein, Co-Chair, Fisher Center for Real Estate & Urban Economics; Lynn M. Sedway, Executive Managing Director, CBRE Consulting, Inc.; Greg Shean, Partner, Farella, Braun & Martel LLP; and Eric Starr, Partner, Starr Finley LLP.

The Green Movement: Success Stories from Business, 10/29/2008

BLC held our largest speaker series event ever with 90 attendees in the JCF Boardroom. Guests heard an insightful discussion on one business trend that is transforming our economy. The event, chaired by Mike Dovbish, Scott Harrison and Peter Yolles, featured the following panelists: Alex Bernstein, Jeff Mendelsohn CEO New Leaf Paper; Judah Schiller, Co-Founder & Executive Vice-President, Saatchi & Saatchi S; with moderator: Jonathan Axelrad, Attorney, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

Successful Leaders Share How They Lead Productive Teams & Navigate Tough Situations, 9/11/2008

BLC and Dr. Marcia Ruben 'hosted' an engaging talk show on effective leadership during uncertain economic times. 70 guests heard excellent insight on communicating from our esteemed business leader panelists including: James G. Beldock, President & CEO, Shotspotter; Robert I. Blum, President & CEO, Cytokinetics; and Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann, EVP & Head of the Small Business Segment, Wells Fargo.

Real Estate Outlook: Trends and Opportunities in Turbulent Times, 3/13/2008

In March, BLC hosted nearly 80 guests in the JCF Boardroom, where we listened to provocative real estate forecasts from our esteemed and very engaging panelists: Steven Blitz, Principal at RRES responsible for fixed-income and related derivative strategies; Lynn M. Sedway, Executive Managing Director of CBRE Consulting, Inc.; Eric Starr, Partner Starr Finley LLP and moderator, Frank Fudem, Senior Vice President and Partner with NAI BT Commercial Real Estate.

Cross Border Investing, 12/3/2007

In December, Lior Nuchi of Pillsbury Winthrop hosted a very engaging BLC Speaker Series event on Cross Border Investing Business Models between the United States and Israel. The evening’s program was planned by BLC committee member Hildy Shandell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Genesis Microchip, who also served as one of the speakers on our esteemed panel. Other speakers included: Levy Gerzberg, Chairman and CEO, Zoran Corporation, Daniel Cohen, General Partner, and Jacques Benkoski, Ph. D., Venture Executive, US Venture Partners.

Lessons of Institutional Investors (or “why can't I get the same return that Stanford and Harvard get?”), 10/30/2007

On October 30 BLC held the investment returns of major educational endowments, private foundations, and other institutional investors have dwarfed those of the vast majority of individual investors. How do they do it? And more importantly, what can individuals learn from their success? Hosted by Jeff Zlot.