Media Contact:
Mick Kulikowski, News Services, 919/515-3470

Oct. 5, 2005

‘Fire in the Belly’ is Focus of NC State’s Entrepreneurs’ Lecture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

It takes a special passion to start a business. According to three entrepreneurs from RF Micro Devices, it takes a “fire in the belly” to build the business into an international company.

Co-founders Jerry Neal, Bill Pratt and Powell Seymour will share their stories about RF Micro Devices – its inception and explosive growth over the past decade – with NC State students and faculty at the Fall 2005 Entrepreneurs’ Lecture Series, at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, at the McKimmon Center. A reception will follow the talk.

RF Micro Devices is a Greensboro firm that started in 1991 as a seven-person design firm and has grown into a global leader in wireless technology, providing some of the world’s leading wireless manufacturers the components that enable wireless devices to transmit and receive signals.

Neal has more than 30 years experience in the radio frequency and wireless communications industry. He took primary responsibility for securing the initial funding for RF Micro Devices. He now serves as executive vice president of marketing and strategic development. He authored Fire in the Belly, a revealing and often humorous account of the history of RF Micro Devices that offers a glimpse of the firm’s unique company culture.

Pratt, chief technology officer and corporate vice president, has more than 33 years experience in the semiconductor industry. He set the overall business concept and strategy for RF Micro Devices, and has managed all the product development engineering functions for the company.

Seymour led the functional operations of RF Micro Devices with initial efforts in the engineering layout design and CAD development, bringing up test development, quality assurance and facilities, and full volume production capabilities of the company. He has almost 39 years experience in the electronics field, and currently serves as corporate vice president of strategic operations.

The Entrepreneurs’ Lecture Series, developed by the NC State Office of Public Affairs, is designed to showcase outstanding innovation and entrepreneurship among the university’s alumni and partners.

The lecture series is co-sponsored by the Engineering Entrepreneurs Program, started in 1993 to educate undergraduate engineering students in the art and science of new product development within engineering entrepreneurial and corporate environments. The students work in teams organized as “virtual start-up” companies and research, design, build, test and demonstrate to business professionals their new products and business ideas.

Past speakers in the lecture series include: Bill Nussey, co-founder of DaVinci Systems, current CEO of Silverpop and NC State alumnus; Matthew Szulik, CEO of Red Hat and Centennial Campus partner; Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor, co-founder of AuctionRover.com and NC State alumnus; Thomas R. McPherson, Jr., former president and CEO of Hatteras Networks and NC State alumnus; Barbara Mulkey, president and CEO of Mulkey Engineers & Consultants and NC State alumna; Richard Holcomb, current CEO and chairman of StrikeIron, former CEO and chairman of Haht Commerce and NC State alumnus; and Nick England, founder and current CEO of 3rd Tech, founder of Ikonas Graphics Systems, founder of Trancept Systems and NC State alumnus.

- kulikowski -