Seminars

Welcome: Bob Steere, Commissioner – Loudoun County EDC

Keynote: The State of Entrepreneurial Finance –

VCs, Angels, Super Angels and the Creative Other

Speaker: John May, Managing Partner – New Vantage Group

Bootstrapping and funding with help from friends and family are key financing sources for small business entrepreneurs. But sometimes they are not enough. John May, Managing Partner of New Vantage Group, will explore with you outside financing myths and misconceptions to help focus your view of some alternative funding sources. In particular, he’ll give you—from an insider’s perspective—the current angel and venture landscape.

New Vantage Group is a Vienna, VA firm which innovatively mobilizes private equity into early-stage companies and provides advisory services to both funds and private investors. John May’s experience in private equity capital over the last 20 years ranges from venture capital fund management to angel investing.

May is chair-emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (formerly a program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation), and is a lead instructor for their “Power of Angel Investing” seminars. He is the co-author of two books, Every Business Needs an Angel (Crown Business: 2001) and State of the Art: An Executive Briefing on Cutting-Edge Practices in American Angel Investing (Darden Publishing: 2003). He is on the investment committee of Verde Ventures (Conservation International), and is a Batten Fellow at the University of Virginia’s Darden Business School. May has lectured on angel investing in over 20 foreign countries.

Mr. May has been at the forefront of the angel investor movement. He co-founded The Dinner Club, an investment group of 60 regional angels who collectively invest in regional early-stage ventures. A larger private investor pool, the eMedia Club with 75 members, followed, and in 2000, the Washington Dinner Club with 75 members started. In 2003, John created Active Angel Investors, a “pledge” fund. New Vantage Group administers all of these groups and has three joint venture group affiliates as well.

He holds a BA from Earlham College and an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He is married, has two adult children and resides in McLean, Virginia.

Panel Moderator: Shaun Kelley, Vice Chair – Loudoun County EDC

Panelists:

Financing Overview: James Chung, Director, Office of Entrepreneurship –

The George Washington University

SBA/Bank Lending: U.S. Small Business Administration Representative &

Cheryl Beebe, Senior Vice President – Cardinal Bank

Bootstrapping: Scott Hamberger, Co-President & CEO – Fortessa, Inc.

Angel Funding: John May, Managing Partner – New Vantage Group

Federal SBIR & GAP Funds-Commonwealth Seed Funding: Tom Weithman,

VP Entrepreneurship and Investment Services &

Managing Director, GAP Funds – CIT

VC Funding: Jonathan Aberman, Founder & Managing Director –

Amplifier Venture Partners, LP

Presenter: Scott Hamberger, Co-President & CEO – Fortessa, Inc.

You have a business concept. Where do you go from there? To the hard work of developing a business plan. Upon starting operation, how do you manage when the real world meets your business plan? Factors which will help you survive and grow include financial literacy and the discipline required to establish good financial management and control. Character is another essential not to be underestimated in securing financing. So is learning how to tell your story to a potential financial partner. Scott Hamberger will expand on these beliefs shaped and tested during his own time in the start-up trenches.

Fortessa, Inc. is a leading international designer, developer and marketer of upscale tableware products for the hospitality industry and home markets. In 1993, soon after graduation from Georgetown University, Mr. Hamberger co-founded the Sterling, Virginia-based company with his brother, Eric, who is Co-President and COO. He directed the company’s novel and fast-moving expansion to a “total table” operation—with flatware, glassware and accessories—pioneering concepts that now dominate the market. Scott charted the development of Fortessa’s international expansion, establishing Fortessa of Canada, Fortessa of Europe, Fortessa of Asia and partnerships in other key markets around the world. He led the way to Fortessa’s operation of the only active Foreign Trade Zone in the Dulles District at its large international warehouse and global operations center in Winchester, Virginia. Today Fortessa sells actively in over 20 countries around the world.

Presenters:

An SBA Representative, Beth Wilson, Vice President & Business Development Manager – Business Finance Group, Inc.

Cheryl Beebe, Senior Vice President – Cardinal Bank, et. al. bankers

If you lack the financial resources to start, sustain or expand a small business, a bank loan may be a viable option for you. Familiarizing yourself with the types of SBA, 504 and bank financing programs, as well as the “rules” and processes for them, will help you make loan decisions most appropriate for your situation.

Elizabeth Wilson has been in the financial industry since 1972. At Business Finance Group, a non-profit Community Development Company providing SBA 504 loans, she develops new commercial real estate loan customers by marketing to bank partners. She also works with underwriters in analyzing and presenting deals to loan committees, and manages loans from initial application through SBA approval.

Cheryl Beebe is responsible for generating new commercial loan activity and marketing a broad range of banking products and operational services to Cardinal Bank’s commercial customers. She has more than 20 years of experience in bank management around the metro region. Ms. Beebe has served as a member of the Loudoun SBDC’s Board of Directors since 2000. She also serves on the Board for The Catoctin Foundation, is a member of the Committee for Dulles, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and Member Emeritus of Loudoun County’s Economic Development Commission.

Presenter: John May, Managing Partner – New Vantage Group

First the stage is set with a short background piece on the historic and current nature of non-institutional venture financing—angel investing. Then you may enter into a freewheeling, open-ended Q&A session on topics of your choosing. Do you know, for example:

• What, precisely, is angel investing?
• What are the criteria for this form of funding and who is eligible for it?
• What are its pros and cons?

This is a great opportunity to get answers!

New Vantage Group (NVG) is a Washington DC-area company specializing in early-stage venture funding. For over 12 years, NVG has managed five different angel funds and angel groups which have invested more than $50 million in more than 55 primarily mid-Atlantic-based companies. Additionally, NVG has advised entrepreneurs, students, and other angel groups. It has provided angel education services in conjunction with the Kauffman Foundation and on its own, published several books, and helped to grow the early-stage investing industry by co-creating national and international non-profit institutions. Widely regarded as a thought leader in the industry, NVG has implemented several different investing models, but always with the same mission: to spur economic development by increasing funding sources for innovative, early-stage ventures. To this end, NVG currently offers services for individual investors, angel investment groups, and entrepreneurs alike.

Presenter: Tom Weithman, VP for Entrepreneurship & Investment Services; Managing Director, CIT GAP Funds – Center for Innovative Technology (CIT)

CIT GAP Funds, a family of seed-stage venture funds, places equity investments in Virginia’s high-potential technology, life science and energy companies. Since its formation in 2005, CIT GAP Funds has placed 42 investments across the Commonwealth, realizing a 16:1 ratio of private:public investment in portfolio companies. An active investor, CIT GAP Funds targets investment opportunities at the earliest stages of company formation and assists those companies in achieving maximum economic return for entrepreneurs, co-investors and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Closely linked with CIT GAP Funds is CIT’s Federal Funding Assistance Program. Through this program, CIT assists Virginia’s small and innovative tech in finding and securing non-dilutive capital from federal grant and contract funding sources such as the SBIR and STTR programs. Mr. Weithman will provide an overview of both of these funding sources.

As founder and Managing Director, Tom Weithman manages day-to-day operations of CIT GAP Funds ensuring continued commitment from funding sources. He maintains oversight for all deal-sourcing, due diligence, investment and portfolio management activities. Under Mr. Weithman’s leadership, CIT GAP Funds has placed more than 40 seed-stage equity investments, attracted more than $60M of private equity investment into CIT GAP Funds portfolio companies, driven 134 portfolio companies to Series-A investment and beyond, and propelled several companies to exit. CIT GAP Funds has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as a Top 100 venture fund in 2005-2009. In addition to CIT GAP Funds, Mr. Weithman maintains executive oversight for CIT’s Federal Funding Assistance Program. Weithman serves on the boards of the Virginia Tech Intellectual Property Foundation and the Alzheimer’s Association National Capital Chapter. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from Michigan State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Presenter: Jonathan Aberman, Founder & Managing Director – Amplifier Venture Partners, LP

What are the responsibilities of the venture capitalist investor and what does the entrepreneur bring to the table? What is the venture capital process once it’s determined there is a good fit? Gain lots of insights and answers to these as well as other questions such as:

• What, exactly, is venture capital funding?

• What are the criteria for this form of funding and who is eligible for it?
• What are the pros and cons of venture capital funding?

Amplifier Venture Partners, LP is a seed and early stage venture capital fund that principally targets investments in technology companies in the Washington DC region. It is positioned to be the first institutional investor in promising technology companies and to provide highly focused, hands on assistance for entrepreneurs looking to team up with experienced business operators and managers to grow world class companies.

Jonathan Aberman possesses substantial venture capital, financial and managerial expertise, gained over a career spanning venture capital, law and investment banking. He is also an educator, teaching subjects relating to family- and closely-held businesses, including corporate finance, business planning, organizational development and new venture creation. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, and he is a regular speaker on topics related to business formation and expansion. He is frequently interviewed and quoted by national and local news organizations, including the Deal, Potomac TechWire, the Washington Post, the Washington Business Journal and ThinkTalk Television.

Presenters:

Dean Craft, General Manager – The Studio, powered by AVCom-Visual Arts

Kurt Schneid, Director/Producer – NOVA Green Media

How can video fit into your marketing plan? Can you create videos with a quality conveying the business image you want? What are the advantages of using professionals? Videos are stepping into the main stream as they become increasingly affordable for small business. Learn basics of professional video production like green screens for virtual sets—as well as demonstrated tips for “do it yourself” videos! Get the latest on videos in Web and cable/TV marketing!

Dean Craft started his video company, AVCom, in 1990. His footage has been featured on ABC-Good Morning America, Nightline, Montel Williams, and Comcast, Cox and Verizon FIOS stations. Currently, he produces the Tony McGee Pro-Football Plus (Redskin post-game show) and Lifestyles, which features interviews with local businesses. Both have been on the air 20 years. He has also been the chief video consultant for the Acapulco and American Black Film Festivals for the past 12 years. He is in the process of opening his newest TV and Special Event Studio in Dulles.

Get five minutes with one or more of the Finance Fair panelists/presenters. Discuss your current or future business growth. Talk quickly, though, before the timer buzzes. SIGN UP for these one-on-one mini-sessions (modeled on “speed dating”) at a table in the First Floor Lobby.

Presenter: Guy Timberlake, Co-Founder & Chief Visionary –

The American Small Business Coalition

In FY 2010, Federal agencies spent nearly $30B on goods and services. At least $20B of it was not posted on the FedBizOpps site. $6.2B was awarded to small businesses using Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP). In fact, more FY 2010 dollars were spent via SAP than the combined total spent that year by the Department of Education, EPA, OMB, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, National Science Foundation, SBA and U.S. Agency for International Development. What exactly is a Micropurchase or Simplified Acquisition? Get an answer as well as:

• Background on why the government uses them
• Rules for doing business under these methods
  • Immediately usable tips & tactics for identifying and reaching out to small purchase/simplified acquisition buyers to ensure you are on their radar for future opportunities

For over 20 years, Guy Timberlake has supported relationship development and opportunity capture in the government sector. He has been a professional, executive and owner of small businesses working with the infrastructure, defense, intelligence and law enforcement missions of the U.S. government. In addition to a plethora of valued relationships and resources, Guy has a fantastic ability to recall information, a willingness to share it for the benefit of others, and an engaging style for presenting it. He and his wife, Margaret, founded The American Small Business Coalition in 2004 and are responsible for its day-to-day operations.

Loudoun County boasts of a beautiful and cherished rural landscape, which is home to a vibrant rural economy. Learn about many of the government departments, organizations and individuals dedicated to supporting and growing Loudoun’s agribusiness community. Get information on resources available Make connections to players including:

• Kellie Boles, Agricultural Development Officer – Loudoun County Department of Economic Development
• Doug Fabbioli, Co-Founder & Winemaker – Fabbioli Cellars; Chair of the Loudoun County Rural EDC
• Corey Childs, Unit Coordinator, Extension Agent-Animal Science – Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Marilyn Jarvis, Branch Manager – Farm Credit of the Virginias
• Philip Shenk, Senior Field District Services Director – Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Company
• Laurette Tucker, Rural Business Specialist – USDA Rural Development
• Marc Willson, Retail Industry Consultant, Virginia SBDC Network

Presenter: ritzya, the drama coach

This is not your typical, run-of-the-mill, boring elevator speech workshop! Want more business? Be unforgettable! Want to be top-of-mind? Be unforgettable! Want to be seen as an expert? Be unforgettable! You can’t do that by blending in. You have to stretch a bit to the fun side to expand your later ease in a crowd! So—

• Find your USP (Unlimited Smile Power)
• Share your USP (Unique Secret Passion)
• Follow your USP (Unbelievable Success Potential)
• Be prepared to go viral with your elevator speech if you opt to video and post it to YouTube in one of the day’s ongoing Live Video Production pods!

the drama coach, ritzya, is both a seasoned performer and entrepreneur. Her clients include CEOs, authors, lawyers, other entrepreneurs and politicians. Her warm, down-to-earth style and commanding presence quickly draw people in and inspire them to confident communication with unique, authentic style shining through.

Want hands-on experience in video filming, editing and posting to YouTube? Sign up for one of the many half-hour video pods where you will create a 15-second marketing video for your business.

(A) Keynote: The Story of Goldilocks—Looking for Just the Right Fit

Presenter: Julia Spicer, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA)

Building a company is the hardest of tasks under the best of circumstances and has certainly been so during this period of extremely tight credit markets. Tracking the evolution of investment capital, as well as knowing what sources are appropriate and when, are important first steps to understanding how to access it. As companies look to find the “right-sized” investor, we’ll take a look at the overall financial landscape to identify sources of financing as well as other resources that may help launch, grow or expand an enterprise.

As MAVA’s Executive Director, Ms. Spicer is responsible for providing MAVA’s strategic direction and oversight operations. Prior to joining MAVA in 2002, Julia was Vice President for Communications at Columbia Capital, a communications and technology private equity firm based in Alexandria. Previously, she was President & COO at IntellEvents, a strategic positioning firm which she co-founded. For nearly 10 years, Julia was with GTE Corporation, serving as Vice President directing strategic communications and investor relations for the corporation’s wireless and emerging technology businesses, as well as GTE Laboratories. In addition, she directed public policy communications for the corporation at the federal level and had oversight for the GTE Corporate Foundation, one of the top 20 in the country.

(B) Concluding Remarks/Mason Enterprise Center Update

Speaker: Michael Matteson, President of the Loudoun SBDC Board of Directors &

Senior Vice President, Group Manager-Commercial Banking, PNC Bank, N.A.

Presenter: Marc Willson, Retail Industry Consultant –

Virginia Small Business Development Center Network

Customer service is where small businesses can shine over the Big Guys. To polish your service and achieve the goals of loyalty and increased sales, Marc will address:

• Keys of differentiation and providing “The Experience”
• Tailoring service to Needs/Wants/Desires
• Leveraging technology for top-notch service
• Changes in the economy and their affects on customer service
• The “new normal” moving to the “new abnormal”

Marc Willson has a refreshing ability to tell it like it is. He also brings 35 years of experience to bear in helping retail, restaurant and tourism-related small businesses to refine and promote their concepts to the public. He is adept at assisting all types of small businesses with their customer service plans. In 1975, he started his retail career as owner of the largest distributor of Earth Shoes in the U.S. Subsequently, he held executive positions with a number of retailers including, among others, Britches of Georgetowne, Circuit City and Ecampus.com. As the Virginia SBDC Network’s Retail Industry Consultant since 2009, he has given seminars to over 1000 attendees and counseled several hundred businesses. He is charged as well with developing the VSBDC’s Small Town & Retail Merchant program throughout Virginia.

Moderator: Ray Sidney-Smith, President – W3 Consulting, Inc.

Panelists:

Hannah Hager, Business Editor, Times-Mirror & Managing Editor, Northern VA Executive Magazine

Jeremy Harvey, Vice President of Destination Marketing – Visit Loudoun

Holly Heider Chapple, Owner – Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, LTD

Headline: Local blogging stars help you, too, to succeed in the blogosphere!! Find out the “what, why and how”: what blogging is, why small businesses should care about it, and how to create a blog using available tools. Delve deeper: learn about stand alone vs embedded blogs, branding through blogs, and getting over blog startup fears. Get tips on what to blog about, giving focus to your blogs, writing in a style appropriate to blogs, and distributing blogs. Consider other practicalities like: “how often?”, keeping your blogs fresh and entertaining, and incorporating blogs into your business. It’s a “blow your mind” on blogs fest!

Ray Sidney-Smith has over 16 years of legal and web technology experience. He works with law firms, small business owners and non-profit/community based organizations on their technology needs. Through webinars and live training available nationwide, his W3 Consulting company assesses where attendees are with their web presence management. It then educates and assists them with implementing a plan for their operations and marketing strategies using Web 2.0 and beyond.

As a professional journalist and writer, Hannah Hager began her career as general assignment reporter in Clarke County. From there, she went on to become a section editor at the Fairfax County Times and then the Loudoun Times-Mirror. Her current positions are listed above. She recently won seven Virginia Press Associations awards!

Jeremy Harvey has 14+ years of destination marketing experience. In his position at Visit Loudoun, he designs, directs and implements the organization’s marketing program, including destination branding, video projects, and social media initiatives. In 2009, he received an Emmy® award as executive producer of the Visit Loudoun heritage video series.

Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, LTD is a home-based floral design studio which specializes in weddings and events. Her flowers come from all over the world as well as from Loudoun County growers. Due to her active participation in social media (and, as an inserted comment by Loudouns SBDC staff, the magnificent beauty of her arrangements), her company has achieved national brand recognition. Her work has been featured in Martha Stewart Weddings, Southern Living Weddings, The Knot, Brides Magazine, Loudoun Magazine and the Washingtonian. Holly is editor of The Full Bouquet Blog.

Presenter: Cindy Gavelek, Vice President & Owner – C-Scape, Inc.

Role Play Directors: Cheryl Beebe, Senior Vice President – Cardinal Bank

Terry Corle, Senior Agent in Loudoun County –

Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance

Marantha Edwards, Economic Development Manager –

The Town of Leesburg

If you’re in business, you’re in sales. So, take advantage of a great opportunity for working on the art of sales through role play. Whether you’re the prospect or the salesperson, you’ll come through the role playing with a greater understanding of how to prepare for the sale in advance, what to look for while meeting with your prospect, how to use your knowledge to gain the edge, and how to use body language to keep the momentum flowing and make the most of the time you have with the prospect. Ms. Gavelek will underpin these understandings by addressing:

• Research hints
• Product and industry knowledge musts
• Competitive clues
• Body language cues

Cindy Gavelek has been a sales, marketing and management professional since 1982. Her background includes selling B2B and B2C in industries including weight loss, temporary help, corporate training programs, insurance, managed care, sales software and others. Her experience in local, regional and national sales and management gives her a broad sales perspective.

Presenters:

Guy Timberlake, Co-Founder & Chief Visionary –

The American Small Business Coalition

Harry Ponack, Market Research Strategist for Government Contracts –

Lazos de Amistad

Information is key to finding new business opportunities with government agencies. Harry and Guy will show you four tools for which the only cost is time (and an internet connection). These freely available tools provided by government and industry can easily be leveraged to:

• Establish automated searches based on parameters you select and have results delivered to your email box!
• Find information about new agency initiatives, business opportunities, insights on recent awards made to competitors, and purchasing trends at agencies of interest

Harry Ponack’s 33+ years of market research expertise have won him and his clients over $42 million in federal contracts—both prime and sub—across all agencies and industries. If there is an opportunity fitting a client’s company, Harry knows where it is, where it was, and where it’s going to show up next.

For over 20 years, Guy Timberlake has supported relationship development and opportunity capture in the government sector. He has been a professional, executive and owner of small businesses working with the infrastructure, defense, intelligence and law enforcement missions of the U.S. government. In addition to a plethora of valued relationships and resources, Guy has a fantastic ability to recall information, a willingness to share it for the benefit of others, and an engaging style for presenting it. He and his wife, Margaret, founded The American Small Business Coalition in 2004 and are responsible for its day-to-day operations.

Presenter: Anne Loehr, Generational Author, Speaker & Consultant

To market and sell effectively to each generation in today’s workplace, you need to understand the political, societal and technological events which shaped each generation’s core beliefs and values. Once you understand the history, traits and culture of each generation, you can then better engage your target generation. The results? Effective niche marketing, higher sales and an improved bottom line. This dynamic presentation will help you better market to Gen X, Gen Y and Baby Boomers and also learn about demographics of the future.

Named the “Generational Guru” by The Washington Post, Anne Loehr’s insights into effectively leveraging generations gives her clients a leading edge. Working with Facebook, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, the American Red Cross, John Hancock, the U.S. Air Force and Merrill Lynch, she consistently helps leaders increase sales, deepen client relationships and build high-performing, diverse teams. Beside the Post, Anne’s work has been featured in Newsweek International, National Geographic Traveler, Elle and CNN Money. A member of the prestigious National Speakers Association, she speaks regularly at national conferences and on the radio. She is also a faculty member of the American Management Association and the author of two business books.

Want hands-on experience in video filming, editing and posting to YouTube? Sign up for one of the many half-hour video pods where you will create a 15-second marketing video for your business.

Presenter: Ray Sidney-Smith, President – W3 Consulting, Inc.

Keeping up with the changes in social media is daunting! So is determining how to best harness social media benefits for your small business. These challenges are endlessly intriguing to Ray Sidney-Smith, who conveys his storehouse of knowledge with enthusiasm and an evident desire to help small businesses. Update your own knowledge of what’s happenin’ out there—the features and practices with the most potential for improving your business relationships and profits.

Ray Sidney-Smith has over 16 years of legal and web technology experience. He works with law firms, small business owners and non-profit/community based organizations on their technology needs. Through webinars and live training available nationwide, his W3 Consulting company assesses where attendees are with their web presence management. It then educates and assists them with implementing a plan for their operations and marketing strategies using Web 2.0 and beyond.

Presenter: Bridget Bean, District Director of the Washington District Office; Acting Regional Director, Region III – U.S. Small Business Administration

The WOSB Program became effective in SBA’s regulations on February 4, 2011. It provides equal access to federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses and economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses. Contracting officers are allowed to set aside specific federal contracts for certified WOSBs and EDWOSBs. Get an overview and learn about program:

• General policies
• Eligibility requirements
• Certification procedures
• Contracting details

Bridget Bean has served in numerous leadership positions within the SBA’s headquarters. Most recently, she served as Deputy Associate Administrator for the agency’s 68 field offices across the nation. This strategic position allowed her to identify practices and habits of the most effective offices in the country. She has extensive experience in Small Business Advocacy, Government Contracting and Procurement, and Entrepreneurial Development Assistance. She also has a demonstrated commitment to small business growth for our local and national well being.

Want hands-on experience in video filming, editing and posting to YouTube? Sign up for one of the many half-hour video pods where you will create a 15-second marketing video for your business.

Presenter: Jill Spaeth, Founder, President & Director of Design – Citizen Creative, an Experience Design Studio

We all use it, we all talk about it. It’s a buzz word of the era, yet very few people understand how to effectively manage and leverage it. What are we talking about? BRANDING. The business world is constantly changing and growing and your clients are constantly searching for something—anything—to help them separate the WINNERS (you) from everything else. The solution: create a passionate brand that “ZAGS’ when others just “ZIG.” You and Jill will discuss insights, processes, and the steps to developing a passionate, memorable and the highest-performing brand for your company. She’ll:

• Quickly cover branding 101 through to branding 201 as it applies across print, interior spaces and web collateral
• Address bridging the distance between business strategy and design
• Help in uncovering your company’s differentiator

Jill Spaeth started her firm in March 2010. The name “Citizen” represents an allegiance to gorgeous and thoughtful design solutions. Citizen Creative just received the two highest awards given by IIDA Mid Atlantic for her interior branding/space identity at the American Chemistry Council. Jill has served on the American Institute of Graphic Design for five years and is currently completing her second year as the nation’s youngest chapter president.

Presenter: David Harbour, Owner – NOVA Green Media

What makes for a WOW! website? Review sample sites with David Harbour for pointers on design elements which add professionalism and effectiveness to websites. Learn, too, how to synergize mobile apps and your website. For the huge impact these apps already have elsewhere in the world and their rapidly growth use in the U.S., savvying up on them is imperative!