Entrepreneurs Panel Discussion

Alex Chizhik ‘97, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, VIMRO, LLC--University of Baltimore, School of Law, J.D.; University of Maryland, Baltimore County, B.A., Economics, Double Minor, Finance and International Affairs

A simple telephone call in 2005 from a friend asking for advice led Alex to joining his friend’s startup as a Partner and Employee #2. 12 years later, as the company grew from 2 people to 50, and over $10M in revenue, Alex says he can’t imagine doing anything else. VIMRO provides professional services in the IT infrastructure space working within datacenters and wide and local area commercial networks.

Rob Deford ‘93, Owner and President, Boordy Vineyards-- Loyola University, MBA; University of Maryland, Baltimore County, B.A., Geography

Rob Deford is a twelfth generation Marylander with over forty years of experience in the wine industry. He studied viticulture and enology at the University of California at Davis from 1979–1980. Upon returning to Maryland, Rob assumed the role of president and winemaker of Maryland’s historic Boordy Vineyards. Under Rob’s guidance Boordy has gained a reputation as a leader in the regional wine movement in the mid-Atlantic, through one of the most exciting and challenging periods for the American wine industry.

Kara Redman, CEO, Backroom

Kara is an ex-full service agency strategist who needed a better way to do great work. So she founded Backroom in 2014, where they use deliberate process to build brands and web technology that empowers the visionary people who work with them to go out and do big things. She believes that how they get there is just as important as where they end up, and the best products come from intimate collaboration with clients and constant iteration. At Backroom, they help companies with real substance live up to their potential, and build incredible relationships in the process.

Co-Sponsored by the UMBC Career Center