Speakers
Mr. James Corman
Mr. Corman earned his degree in finance from Auburn University and a MBA from the University of Texas. As an active investor he has invested in 47 new business startups.
During 1969 – 1987 he held various positions within Southland Communications Corporation and its subsidiaries including President from 1981 - 1987. Southland Communications Corporation was a diversified telecommunications firm; Mr. Corman was founder and initial CEO of cellular, long distance and long haul fiber optics subsidiaries. Later he was Senior Vice President with Telecom USA, the fourth largest long distance company in the U.S.; President of Touch 1, a diversified company offering long distance telecommunication service; and President of Z-Tel Consumer Services Division.
He is an accomplished teacher and mentor. He was Professor of Economics, Jefferson Davis Community College in 2002; since August 2007 is Executive-in-Residence and Instructor, College of Business, Auburn University. In 2011 he was appointed the Entrepreneur-in-residence at the Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management, Ginn College of Engineering, AU.
Since1993-Present he is the founder and President of Corman Foundation. The Corman Foundation is a private foundation that exists to issue grants to various Christian ministries and charities. He is a member of the Board of Directors of ACO Information Services LLC. He is the founder and Chairman of the Board of the Auburn Angel Network. He has held numerous leadership positions in civic and industrial organizations, selected ones being: Member and Vice Chairman of the Atmore Industrial Authority; former Director and past President of Atmore Chamber of Commerce; and founding Director and Vice President of Escambia County Industrial Development Authority; and former President of Alabama-Mississippi Telephone Association.
Mr. Robert H. Crutchfield
Bob Crutchfield is a Venture Partner in the General Partner. Mr. Crutchfield joined HMC in September 2008 and serves as a Board Member of Optimal and as a board observer for Aldagen, Innovative Biosensors, MaxCyte and ControlScan. In addition to his responsibilities at HMC, he serves as the Chairman of the Commercialization Sub-Committee for the Alabama Innovation Council Study Commission, serves on the Steering Committee of the Alabama Obesity Institute at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, is a Venture Fellow at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, is a Visiting Executive at Auburn University and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Southeast Medical Device Association, the Birmingham Venture Club, the Alabama Launch Pad, and the Atlanta Venture Forum. Mr. Crutchfield also serves as a member of the Investment Advisory Board for the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research.
Prior to joining HVP, Mr. Crutchfield served as Senior Vice President/General Manager of the Pharmacy Services Division at U.S. Oncology, a privately held, vertically integrated cancer care provider network with cancer clinics in more than 440 sites of service and a physician network consisting of over 1,000 medical oncologists and radiation oncologists. His division was responsible for approximately $2 billion of annual revenue and under his leadership the division’s EBITDA grew to over $80 million.
Mr. Crutchfield was also a Senior Executive at CardinalHealth, where he served as Vice President of New Ventures. While with Cardinal Health, he built and launched a new surgical products business unit through licensing of new technologies, acquisitions and creating a new North American sales channel. In 1995, Mr. Crutchfield founded Surgical Innovations and Services, Inc. (SIS), a surgical laser management company. Under his leadership, SIS became a leader in the emerging outsource management sector, with over 300 hospitals and surgery centers under contract with SIS for management oversight and delivery of their surgical laser programs. In 2000, SIS merged with Surgical Laser Technologies, Inc. (SLTI) a publicly traded surgical laser-manufacturing firm. Mr. Crutchfield continued as President of SIS and served as VP of Sales, Marketing and Business Development for SLTI, until he exited the company following its acquisition by publicly-traded Photomedex, Inc. Mr. Crutchfield has launched five successful new business ventures during his private and corporate career and has lead four M&A transactions.
Mr. Crutchfield is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science and Chemistry.
Mr. Gene Fuller
Mr. Fuller attended Auburn University graduating with BS and MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering in 1967. Following 3 years work with a Birmingham aeronautical company he became one of the principals in the formation of REMTECH, Inc which he is still operating today as a primary owner. REMTECH and Gene moved to Huntsville in the early 1970’s after securing several contracts with NASA to conduct R and D in the thermal and fluid sciences relating to problems with high temperature and high speed aerodynamics on different NASA programs. Much of this work centered on the development of computer programs and subscale testing to predict operational performance of the Saturn rockets initially and then later the Space Shuttle propulsion system.
Gene led expansion in Huntsville for over two decades in support of government and aerospace firms developing aerospace and military missile systems. In addition, he moved the company into providing computer support for steel manufacturing in Birmingham and for the Army’s helicopter training and development center in Ft. Rucker, AL.
In the last decade the company has moved to the development of interactive software to enhance the teaching and learning of personal finances in high schools. Today the company is located back in Birmingham and is continuing to enhance its educational software which is being sold and used in schools throughout the US.
