High-tech companies are sprouting up throughout the region, helping to revitalize our local economy. Rising Stars, a quarterly event, showcases the entrepreneurs who are building some of Rochester’s most successful technology companies. It offers an opportunity to hear their personal stories and meet the individuals behind Rochester’s “rising stars.”

How's your network? No, your bits and bytes network! You're about to meet two entrepreneurs who saw opportunity in the creation and flow of data and built businesses that supply opposite ends of a network solution!

Lou Germain founded Lumarc in 1999 based on his conviction that customers deserved a company that would do more than sell them a box. Today Lumarc not only sells data, networking and communication hardware, but also helps companies to plan the configuration up front, execute the deployment and upgrade when needed. They help to manage those assets, understanding when it may be time to reallocate, recycle, and/or dispose of idle IT assets. In June of 2004, Lumarc Corporation was named in the 9th Annual D&B/Entrepreneur Magazine "Hot 100", a list of the 100 fastest growing businesses in America - for the second year in a row.

Step outside the building and you step into the domain of John Purcell and Fibertech Networks. Fibertech's founders saw a significant shortfall of last mile fiber optic connectivity in mid-size cities that was choking Internet traffic, limiting facilities-based competition and hampering economic development. They turned shortfall into opportunity by engineering diverse route, "open-access" networks in metropolitan areas. This type of network connects Telco central offices, carrier hotels, data centers, and other traffic aggregation points, enabling numerous telecommunications and Internet Service Providers the ability to offer facilities-based services. They also serve direct end users with high bandwidth requirements, allowing them to leverage the unlimited bandwidth of dark fiber. Founded in 2000, Fibertech operates one of the nation's largest, independently owned metro-area fiber optic footprints in the United States, serving 18 cities in the northeast and midwest. The company also boasts Fortune 500 companies, large financial institutions, major healthcare facilities, well-known universities and K-12 school districts as customers. In 2004, Fibertech closed more than $91 million in new sales contracts.

[Register below]

SPEAKERS:

• Lou Germain, President and CEO, Lumarc Corp.
• John Purcell, President and CEO, Fibertech Networks, LLC

AGENDA:

7:30-8:00 am	Refreshments and Networking
8:00-9:00 am	Presentations and Q&A
9:00-9:30 am	Networking

SPONSORS:

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Lou Germain

"Every once in a while, someone may be able to beat us on price. But no one will ever beat us on expertise, on responsiveness, on turnaround, on delivery. In a category where everyone seems to be trying to commoditize the buying experience, I founded Lumarc to bring customers a commodity in short supply–value."

Lou's drive and vision have been the key forces behind Lumarc's rapid growth. So it's not surprising that he was named to the Rochester Business Journal's Forty Under 40, the annual list of the youngest and brightest Rochester area professionals, leaders in the area's top companies and most influential community organizations. Also in October of 2004, Lou was a finalist for the prestigious Rochester Small Business Person of the Year Award.

After spending five years as a corporate sales representative for a computer reseller in Rochester, NY, Lou decided to start Lumarc Corporation, based on the belief that there was an unfulfilled need in the IT marketplace for a supplier end users could rely on for more than just a low price. Lumarc's success since is proof that he was right. In June of 2004, Lumarc Corporation was named in the 9th Annual D&B/Entrepreneur Magazine "Hot 100", a list of the 100 fastest growing businesses in America for the second year in a row. Lumarc was also named as the 23rd fastest growing privately held company in Rochester in November 2002, with its inclusion in the Rochester Top 100. For the past three years, the Rochester Top 100 named Lumarc Corp one of the fastest privately held companies in Rochester. Also, The Rochester Business Journal has included Lumarc among the largest Computer Dealers in the Greater Rochester Area. In 2001, Lou was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Upstate NY Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Possessing a strong commitment to the community, Mr. Germain serves by providing time, effort and financial support to a number of philanthropic and service organizations. He sits on the Dean's Council on the College of Business Advisory Board for the Rochester Institute of Technology and also sits on the board for the Rochester/Geneseo Advocates. Lou is a Director for Melissa's Living Legacy Foundation, helping teens and young adolescents diagnosed with cancer. He serves on the Board of the Mental Health Association, as well as the American Red Cross Fire and Ice. In 2003, he initiated and is co-chairman of the Teens Tee-off FORE Teens Golf Tournament comprised of high school golfers from all Monroe County High Schools and is co-chairman of the Mental Health Skyway Open.

Lou graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Management with a minor concentration in Psychology. He played four years of collegiate hockey and was twice named to the First Team Titan All-American Hockey Team (1988 and 1990), named as the 1990 ECAC Player of the Year and the 1990 SUNYAC Player of the Year. Immediately following graduation, he played professionally in the Italian Hockey League, in Asiago, Italy.

John K. Purcell

John K. Purcell is president and chief executive officer of Fibertech Networks, LLC, a leader in building and operating metropolitan-area fiber optic networks within mid-size cities.

Under his direction, Fibertech has amassed more than $260 million in total sales contracts, $20 million in annual recurring revenue, 16 markets in service and has achieved operating profitability. A member of the founding executive team, he also led the company through two successful rounds of equity funding.

Prior to joining Fibertech, Purcell served 32 years with Frontier Corporation, now Citizens Corp. During his tenure, he served in every operating department of the company, ending his career as Corporate Vice President. From 1986 to 1995, he served as VP for Mergers and Acquisitions, where he directed the company's expansion into a major national telecommunications firm. Purcell directed the efforts leading to the successful acquisition of 37 local telephone companies in 15 states and 7 regional long-distance companies.

His most recent position with Frontier was Vice President of Regulatory and Government Affairs. In this role, Purcell directed the development of The Frontier Open Market Plan, the nation's first effort by a local telephone company to introduce competition in the local telephone market. Many of the principles adopted in the plan became part of the landmark national Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996.

Purcell is a graduate of LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., and is a frequent speaker at state and national telecom meetings.