The Georgia Tech Business Network (GTBN) came to life fall semester 2002 with a series of events aimed at providing lifelong support to Georgia Tech alumni, faculty, students, and business partners.

GTBN's official kickoff was in September, when a crowd of more than 150 gathered at the GCATT building. The evening's program featured speakers from those Georgia Tech organizations that offer assistance in economic development and venture assistance, including the Economic Development Institute, VentureLab, and the Advanced Technology Development Center.

There was a similar turnout on a cold and rainy night in January, when the topic was "Investment Forum: Seeing it from the Investor's Point of View." Four IE alumni, who also hold MBA degrees, served as panelists, each giving on overview of investment from their point of view. The panel, moderated by Dr. Bill Rouse, consisted of: John A. Harrison, BIE 1966, the retired chief financial officer of Financial Securities Assurance; Bob Marbut, BIE 1957, chairman and consultant to Hearst Argyle and The Hearst Corporation; John C. McLean Jr., BIE 1970, retired senior executive vice president of Wachovia Corporation; and John Ratliff, BIE 1981, corporate vice president and chief financial officer of Acterna Corporation. The panel then took questions from the audience.

So far the majority of those in attendance have been IEs, but the goal is to encourage GTBN membership of alumni from all Georgia Tech colleges and schools. There is plenty of time for networking at the beginning and end of the formal program.

David Touwsma, BIE 1997, serves as president of the new organization. "It was Dr. Rouse's idea to bring everyone together to learn and propel people's careers by sharing knowledge," says Touwsma. "He believes this is a way we can increase the value Georgia Tech brings to our degrees. So far, the feedback has been tremendous — everyone is asking, 'what else have you got?'"

What the GTBN does have is a website, www.gtbn.org, that is set up to encourage interaction between GTBN members. In addition to the calendar of events and copies of presentations from past events, there is an area for group discussions, downloads, and feedback. There is also a listserve, and a section for cyber book clubs (for more information, contact ryan.ogden@netnetgroup.com). The site is designed to make it easy to communicate with any or all members of the Network.

The evening sessions with programs are scheduled for four times a year, and GTBN also plans to hold four "lunch and learn" events and four breakfasts. The breakfasts will be held at local Atlanta restaurants and feature lively conversation from individuals with diverse business and personal backgrounds. The first breakfast, held at the Silver Skillet Restaurant near campus in February, gave attendees the opportunity to discuss the investment information shared at the January Forum.

For more information on GTBN breakfasts, contact birdblitch@hotmail.com. More information on the lunches will be available later. For the time being these events are limited to Atlanta, but the goal of GTBN is to encourage Tech alumni in other locations to organize similar events.

"We're starting small," said Touwsma, "so we can show these examples of our success and the value they bring to us all. Eventually, we hope to get together for philanthropic events, such as getting a group together for Team Buzz," he adds.

Touwsma noted that the Business Network is different from, and not in competition with, the Georgia Tech Alumni Association. "GTAA is social oriented, while we're putting a business and networking element into play," he says. GTBN also expects to partner with other community groups, such as the Technology Alliance of Georgia (TAG) to promote the value that Georgia Tech brings to the entire community.

To join the Georgia Tech Business Network, go to www.gtbn.org, sign up using your e-mail address, and start exchanging ideas with your fellow alumni.

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