Commercial Development Seminar Teaches Practical Skills of Innovation and Commercialization to Accelerate Corporate Growth.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 1998--The executive seminar Commercial Development and Corporate Venturing provides a "solid, immediately implementable framework - with clear and concrete steps - on how to launch a new business," says Thomas Keir, Commercial Manager, Specialty Surfactants for Lubrizol. Adds Judy E. Jones, New Business Development Supervisor, 3M Company, "an across-the-board overview of the entire commercial development process was my goal, and that's exactly what I got."

The aim of Commercial Development and Corporate Venturing is to meet the needs of executives responsible for corporate growth, from senior corporate officers and technology managers to leaders of product development teams. This highly acclaimed executive seminar will be offered twice in Philadelphia in 1999 - January 10 through 15 and June 6 through 11 - by staff of the Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Research Center of The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, under the sponsorship of the CDA Educational Foundation, an affiliate of the Commercial Development Association (CDA).

Under the direction of Dr. Ian MacMillan, noted author and authority on corporate venturing and entrepreneurship, Commercial Development and Corporate Venturing provides the practical skills, knowledge, and guidance to build and enhance an organization's commercial development capabilities. The seminar, which marries the academic strength of the world's premier entrepreneurial center with the industry experience of the CDA, the leading association for technology commercialization, includes presentations and hands-on workshops led by eminent business scholars from both Wharton and Columbia University.

Now in its third year, Commercial Development and Corporate Venturing examines the steps in the commercial development process, including: - Identifying and screening opportunities - Assessing the strategic fit of potential new businesses - Utilizing technology intelligence - Transforming a project into an ongoing, profitable business - Managing rapid growth - Promoting continuous innovation

In addition, the seminar includes new methodologies and workshops for utilizing discovery-driven planning techniques and implementing the ACE (Accelerating Competitive Effectiveness) system to manage the commercialization process.

"Discovery-driven planning makes you focus on the things that really count when you begin to explore a new venture," says Raymond D. Feldwick, Vice President, Automotive Catalysts for Grace Davison. "The discussions and workshops devoted to discovery-driven planning proved to be so valuable that I have now implemented the technique in my department."

An additional benefit of the seminar is its emphasis on a cross-functional approach within multinational companies as the best way to effectively move new technologies out of the laboratory and into the marketplace.

According to Dr. Francis J. Honn, a past president of the CDA and former chairman of the CDA Educational Foundation, improving the effectiveness of cross-functional teams is one of the key take-aways of the seminar. "Commercial Development and Corporate Venturing devotes a fair share of time to teaching ways to build and improve the effectiveness of the teams responsible for making the commercial development process work," he says.

Sponsorship of this seminar is one of the more significant ways in which the CDA has long been involved in linking technologies and markets. Founded in 1943 to exploit World War II technology, the CDA has grown into an international organization of 800 professionals, representing more than 300 firms in a wide range of multinational industries that depend on technology for growth and prosperity.

For further information about Commercial Development and Corporate Venturing, contact Caroline McLean, Operations Manager, CDA, at [phone].