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Instructors

Michael Balsam
Vice President of Products and Services, Onvia.com

Balsam, vice president of products and services, leads Onvia's product strategy and development effort. Balsam came to Onvia as part of the ProjectGuides acquisition in 2001 with over 10 years of experience in bringing products to both the commercial and government marketplace. At ProjectGuides, Balsam was responsible for the design of supplier tools, and he actively participated in business development. Prior to his role at ProjectGuides, Balsam was general manager of catalog sales at Foss Environmental where he grew business to business sales from $0 to $3 million in two years and launched a division dedicated to public sector sales. Balsam graduated from the University of New Hampshire.

Peter Rowan
Vice President of New Ventures, Coinstar, Inc.

Rowan is responsible for new ventures including the development of new lines of business, strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. Rowan's past experience includes advising early-stage technology companies for the Interactive Strategy Group. Until its sale to a leading systems integrator, he was President of T3 Media, an internet services provider that was recognized in 1998 by Forrester Research as one of the top "web integrators" in the United States. Peter also held various corporate development positions, including Director of Mergers and Acquisitions and Director of International Business Development, at GP Strategies Corporation, a NY-based private equity firm. Rowan’s 15 year tenure in corporate finance, business development and technology management roles has helped him lead Coinstar’s growth and diversification program. Through these efforts, the company has more than doubled its size, successfully entered several new lines of business and introduced a number of innovative growth initiatives like its e-payment and coin-to-card programs. Rowan holds a B.A. in Russian History from Cornell University, an M.A. in International Policy Studies and an M.B.A. from Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Michael Eguchi
Lecturer, Marketing and International Business, Business School, University of Washington; Adjunct Professor, Management and Marketing, Albers School of Business and Economics, Seattle University

Before coming to the University of Washington in 2004, Eguchi had a long and successful career as a senior executive in the broadcasting industry. He is recognized as an expert problem solver in sales and marketing. His 34-year career with Fisher Communications, Inc., Seattle, spanned 11 different positions, including those of internal consultant and national sales manager, KOMO 4 Television, and general manager, Fisher Pathways. He holds an M.B.A. from Seattle University.

Bert Sugayan
President, North American Operations, Oxford Computer Group, LLC.

Sugayan is responsible for business development, strategic partnerships and business operations for a leading company in the emerging field of identity and access management. Sugayan’s past experience includes business development vice president and corporate general counsel positions with leading media and technology companies including Corbis, Getty Images and ARIS Corporation. He has extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, joint ventures and establishing international sales operations. He brings a unique blend of business and legal experience in making deals, developing strategy and global business. Sugayan holds a B.A. in Economics and English from University of Michigan, a J.D. from Notre Dame and a L.L.M. degree from New York University Law School.

Instructors are subject to change.