Ingenuity Honored at Inaugural Maryland Entrepreneur Awards

By Susan Kim, MANAGING EDITOR



Three entrepreneurs were recognized by more than 200 people who attended the First Annual Maryland Entrepreneur Awards on Oct. 21. The event was presented jointly by Maryland Entrepreneur Quarterly (MEQ) and Star Hotels.

"The power of the entrepreneur is phenomenal," reflected Becky Mangus, MEQ's publisher, as she offered opening remarks.

The event was the first of many to come, said its organizers.

"Our goal is to recognize individuals who have the drive, confidence, determination and imagination to succeed and make a profound impact on the present and the future," said Mukesh Majmudar, president and CEO of Star Hotels.

Award winners included:

Business Entrepreneur of the Year: Prathiba Ramadoss, president and CEO of Business Integra, a global provider of IT consulting and outsourced software development.

Technology Entrepreneur of the Year: Elizabeth Rend˜n, president and CEO of LinguaLISTek, a provider of technology, language, training and security services within the intelligence community.

Educator Entrepreneur of the Year: Jaracus Copes, founder and CEO of New Destiny LLC, a program that assists students in grades two through 12 in academic achievement to ensure that they are at or above the requirements for their grade level.



About the Winners

Prathiba Ramadoss

Ramadoss has been in the U.S. for less than a decade. She started Business Integra in her garage in 2002. Since then, Ramadoss has led her company to a 1,450% growth rate over the past four years. Business Integra has been recognized by Inc. 5000 as No. 9 among top companies in D.C., Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia; 13th among top companies in IT services; and 20th in top 100 companies intending to go public.

The company employs almost 100 professionals, with offices in Maryland, Minnesota, Texas, Wisconsin and India. Ramadoss's next goal is to obtain federal certification and take the company public. Business Integra's gross revenues for 2007 were $6 million with expected turnover of $10 million in 2008.



Elizabeth Rend˜n

Rend˜n started LinguaLISTek in 1997 from her basement. When describing her road to entrepreneurism, Rend˜n said, "There were a couple of opportunities presented to me, and I knew I had the skills to do the job. I just couldn't pass them up. I knew I would regret it the rest of my life."

LinguaLISTek - a strong competitor among companies many times larger - has more than 150 employees in offices in Maryland, Texas, Georgia and Hawaii. While most companies provide either technical or language services, LinguaLISTek combines the two so that its software engineers are also linguists.

When asked if she still considered herself an entrepreneur, Rend˜n said "yes." "There are still a lot of different areas I would like to explore that I haven't done yet. Each day is a new challenge."



Jaracus Copes

While in California working on a Ph.D. in chemistry, Copes noticed a significant deficiency in the number of African-American males attending college. He began planning a few fundraisers to help mentor incoming African-American freshmen - and this changed the focus of his own future.

"Passion is what keeps me fueled and motivated to keep doing what I am doing," he said. "I want the youth of today to have a chance at a better life than they may currently have, and a way for that to happen is through education. Being creative has helped me to develop a program that is innovative and has a profound effect on the population I serve."

The program has reached more than 500 students, with 100% of its participants graduating from high school, and 96% attending a post-secondary program.



Business, Community Leaders Offer Congratulations

Guy Guzzone brought congratulations on behalf of the Howard County Council and the state delegation. He said the large crowd at a kickoff event showed how much entrepreneurs inspire other people.

"Entrepreneurs are inspiring people in so many ways: courage, persistence, the willingness to take responsibility. That is pretty heady stuff in the current business climate. Hats off to all of you risk takers. I am in awe of your willingness to do that, and you're doing it day in and day out."

Winners also received congratulatory proclamations from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), as well as a certificate of congratulations from Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

Judges for the awards program were business and community leaders who weighed each application. They included the following individuals.

¥ Clarence Bishop, deputy secretary, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development

¥ Aris Melissaratos, senior adviser to the president, The Johns Hopkins University

¥ Mary Ann Scully, president and CEO, Howard Bank

¥ Rand Griffin, president and CEO, Corporate Office Properties Trust

¥ Dr. Kate Hetherington, president, Howard Community College

¥ Jonathan M. Genn, executive vice president and general counsel, Percontee Inc.

Event participants and award winners alike applauded the plan for an annual Maryland Entrepreneur Awards. "We hope that you will all join us next year when we do this again," said Cathy Yost, MEQ business manager.