BABCNC – 2013 "Local, National and International" Discussion Luncheon 

Date: Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Location: Dressler’s Restaurant

Cost: $30.00 per person for BABC Members / $35.00 per person for non BABC Members - Includes Lunch

Seating is limited. Please sign-up as soon as possible.

MODERATOR 

Chris William, Managing Director Private Banking & Investments, Wells Fargo Advisors and Executive Producer of the  

Carolina Business Review  

As Senior Executive Consultant in the Private Client Group of Wachovia Securities, and host of the long running and widely viewed PBS television program Carolina Business Review, Chris William relates to individuals and is a peer of corporate leaders, encouraging smart financial management, best practice dialogue, and corporate consciousness.

PANELISTS  

Dr. John Connaughton, UNC Charlotte   

John Connaughton joined the UNC Charlotte faculty in 1978. He is the director of the Babson Capital/UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast, which is recognized as the leading source of economic information for North Carolina. Dr. Connaughton has authored economic impact studies that have received widespread attention. His work is frequently quoted in both local and national publications, and his study on the Superconducting Super Collider is cataloged in the United States Library of Congress.     

Jean Davis, Director of International Trade, NC Dept. of Commerce      

Jean Davis serves as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for International Trade at the North Carolina Department of Commerce and directs the Division’s efforts to increase exports of North Carolina products and services in all industry sectors to global markets. She oversees two domestic offices as well as 8 international offices staffed with a team of foreign trade consultants.

Prior to joining Commerce, Jean was the co-owner of Serentec Inc, an international pharmaceutical consulting company which was sold to Lloyd’s Register in 2003. Jean’s early career included progressive international positions at IBM, Computer Digest Magazine and McGraw Hill. Jean spent eight years living and working in Europe and has extensive experience in building business operations in Asia, Europe and South America.

Jean is a 2005 Eisenhower Fellow and a 2009 Henry Toll Fellow. She received her undergraduate honors degree in Political Science and Business Administration at New England College, Arundel, England and her Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Boston.

Sven Gerzer, VP, Economic Development for Europe & India, Charlotte Chamber of Commerce       

Sven Gerzer is the Charlotte Chamber’s point person for foreign direct investment from Europe
and India. In his role with the chamber, he is tasked with developing leads and recruiting in
Europe and India as well as attracting U.S. domestic companies. Services include client and project management, business location consulting and site selection, negotiation of financial incentives and transaction agreements, human resource development and recruiting, arranging professional services for investors, and interfacing between the investor and the state and local governments.

Before joining the Charlotte Chamber in 2012, Gerzer held the post of director of the State of West
Virginia European Office in Munich, Germany. He has worked in economic development for West
Virginia for nearly ten years and managed the office for seven years. He also served as vice president of the Council of American States in Europe, representing the interests of all American states in Europe with national, regional and local governments as well as industry associations.
Gerzer is a native of Munich and holds a B.A. and an M.A. in International Studies from the University of South Carolina. He is bilingual in German and English.   

Thank you to our BABC-NC sponsors for 2013-2014:

CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, Fifth Third Bank, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, Elliott Davis PLLC, McGriff, Seibels & Williams, 

To become a member of the BABCNC, or learn about our exciting roster of events scheduled for 2012-2013, please visit us online at www.BABCNC.com

The British American Business Council of North Carolina, Inc. (BABCNC) was founded in September 1992 as a nonprofit business association of companies and individuals undertaking, associated with, or supporting trade and investment between North Carolina and the United Kingdom. The BABCNC is part of a network of organizations in 35 major cities in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, several of which have been in operation for over 20 years -- over 70 years in New York.