Description
Columbia Mentorship Program For Entrepreneurs Mentor Bios
!"#$%&'( )*+,"-./'0 1-"2-(% 3"- 4+,-*0-*+*$-.5
)*+,"- 6'".
)$--(7 8#,%(+
Murray ls a Senlor LxecuLlve wlLh exLenslve experlence ln Lhe reLall deparLmenL sLore buslness lncludlng
20 years ln Lhe lmporLlng of prlvaLe label merchandlse.
Pe has advanced Lhrough flnanclal and operaLlons responslblllLles Lo Chlef llnanclal Cfflcer, Senlor vlce
ÞresldenL of May Merchandlslng, Lhe domesLlc merchandlslng and overseas prlvaLe label dlvlslon for
May ueparLmenL SLores. Whlle worklng aL May Merchandlslng, Murray led a $2 bllllon lmporL dlvlslon
from over flfLy counLrles worldwlde. Pe was responslble for Lreasury, accounLlng & conLrol, flnanclal
reporLlng & plannlng, lnLernal audlL and corporaLe wlde merchandlse meeLlng & Lravel acLlvlLy. Murray
was also a 8oard Member ln Lhe graduaLe school PaLchery Þrogram for M8A's aL WashlngLon unlverslLy,
parL of Columbla unlverslLy's LnLrepreneurshlp MenLorlng Þrogram, and an Ad[uncL Þrofessor aL
LaboraLory lnsLlLuLe of Merchandlslng.
)'9/(*# 6*-,$9/
Mlchael ls an experL ln Lurnlng around and relnvenLlng LradlLlonal manufacLurlng companles. As
ÞresldenL and CLC of vla1ech Þubllshlng SoluLlons he has led a revoluLlon ln Lhe way books are
produced and dlsLrlbuLed ln Lhe uS.
AL vla1ech, Mlke recognlzed LhaL Lhe publlshlng world was mlred ln a daLed manufacLurlng model LhaL
relled on large prlnLlng planLs Lo produce huge quanLlLles of books aL ever decreaslng prlces. WlLh
readers clamorlng for more speclallzed publlcaLlons, and publlshers drownlng ln unsold lnvenLory, Mlke
has seL ouL Lo have vla1ech creaLe an enLlrely new manufacLurlng process. 8ased on a buslness plan
Mlke wroLe whlle a sLudenL aL Columbla unlverslLy, vla1ech uses hlgh Lech laser prlnLlng hardware and
sophlsLlcaLed sofLware Lo creaLe lnvenLory free envlronmenLs for publlshers. 1hls frees Lhe publlsher Lo
creaLe new and more speclflc LlLles whlle ellmlnaLlng backllsLs and spollage. 1oday, vla1ech's Len uS
manufacLurlng faclllLles and 3 lnLernaLlonal faclllLles ln Mexlco, kuala Lumpur, and Lngland serve
Lhousands of publlshers all over Lhe world.
Mlke recelved a 8.S. degree ln llnance and MarkeLlng from Lehlgh unlverslLy and Lhe M8A from
Columbla unlverslLy. Pe lecLures ln Lurnarounds and enLrepreneurshlp aL Lehlgh unlverslLy and Cornell
unlverslLy's labor relaLlons program. Mlke was honored aL Lhe LrnsL & ?oung Long lsland LnLrepreneur
of Lhe year compeLlLlon ln 1998 and 1999. Long lsland 8uslness news named hlm Lo Lhelr orlglnal llsL of
º40 leaders under 40 years old."
AddlLlonally, Mlke serves on Lhe 8oard of ulrecLors of WnL1 channel 13 ln new ?ork and WLlW
channel 21. Mlke advlsed boLh sLaLlons (Lhe #1 and #4 largesL Þubllc 1elevlslon sLaLlons ln Lhe uS) durlng
Lhelr merger ln 2002.
:"/+ !""0*-
!ohn Cooper ls Lhe Chlef LxecuLlve Cfflcer of Coverago and ls responslble for Lhe dlrecLlon and sLraLegy
of Lhe company. Mr. Cooper has over a decade of experlence ln flnance and sofLware and was mosL
recenLly an lnvesLmenL 8anker wlLh 8ear SLearns & Co. ln Lhelr 1echnology, Medla, and 1elecom group.
Þrlor Lo LhaL, Mr. Cooper held englneerlng and sales managemenL poslLlons wlLh ÞlumLree SofLware. Mr.
Cooper was wlLh ÞlumLree from Lhe company's early sLages as a Sequolabacked sLarLup Lhrough lLs lÞC
and subsequenL acqulslLlon by 8LA SysLems. !ohn began hls career wlLh Sun MlcrosysLems ln Lhelr
8esLofLhe8esL program as a SofLware Lnglneer.
Mr. Cooper recelved hls 8A ln CompuLer Sclence from CeLLysburg College and M8A from Columbla
8uslness School.
;"&*-,
Columbia Mentorship Program For Entrepreneurs Mentor Bios
!"#$%&'( )*+,"-./'0 1-"2-(% 3"- 4+,-*0-*+*$-.5
)*+,"- 6'".
)$--(7 8#,%(+
Murray ls a Senlor LxecuLlve wlLh exLenslve experlence ln Lhe reLall deparLmenL sLore buslness lncludlng
20 years ln Lhe lmporLlng of prlvaLe label merchandlse.
Pe has advanced Lhrough flnanclal and operaLlons responslblllLles Lo Chlef llnanclal Cfflcer, Senlor vlce
ÞresldenL of May Merchandlslng, Lhe domesLlc merchandlslng and overseas prlvaLe label dlvlslon for
May ueparLmenL SLores. Whlle worklng aL May Merchandlslng, Murray led a $2 bllllon lmporL dlvlslon
from over flfLy counLrles worldwlde. Pe was responslble for Lreasury, accounLlng & conLrol, flnanclal
reporLlng & plannlng, lnLernal audlL and corporaLe wlde merchandlse meeLlng & Lravel acLlvlLy. Murray
was also a 8oard Member ln Lhe graduaLe school PaLchery Þrogram for M8A's aL WashlngLon unlverslLy,
parL of Columbla unlverslLy's LnLrepreneurshlp MenLorlng Þrogram, and an Ad[uncL Þrofessor aL
LaboraLory lnsLlLuLe of Merchandlslng.
)'9/(*# 6*-,$9/
Mlchael ls an experL ln Lurnlng around and relnvenLlng LradlLlonal manufacLurlng companles. As
ÞresldenL and CLC of vla1ech Þubllshlng SoluLlons he has led a revoluLlon ln Lhe way books are
produced and dlsLrlbuLed ln Lhe uS.
AL vla1ech, Mlke recognlzed LhaL Lhe publlshlng world was mlred ln a daLed manufacLurlng model LhaL
relled on large prlnLlng planLs Lo produce huge quanLlLles of books aL ever decreaslng prlces. WlLh
readers clamorlng for more speclallzed publlcaLlons, and publlshers drownlng ln unsold lnvenLory, Mlke
has seL ouL Lo have vla1ech creaLe an enLlrely new manufacLurlng process. 8ased on a buslness plan
Mlke wroLe whlle a sLudenL aL Columbla unlverslLy, vla1ech uses hlgh Lech laser prlnLlng hardware and
sophlsLlcaLed sofLware Lo creaLe lnvenLory free envlronmenLs for publlshers. 1hls frees Lhe publlsher Lo
creaLe new and more speclflc LlLles whlle ellmlnaLlng backllsLs and spollage. 1oday, vla1ech's Len uS
manufacLurlng faclllLles and 3 lnLernaLlonal faclllLles ln Mexlco, kuala Lumpur, and Lngland serve
Lhousands of publlshers all over Lhe world.
Mlke recelved a 8.S. degree ln llnance and MarkeLlng from Lehlgh unlverslLy and Lhe M8A from
Columbla unlverslLy. Pe lecLures ln Lurnarounds and enLrepreneurshlp aL Lehlgh unlverslLy and Cornell
unlverslLy's labor relaLlons program. Mlke was honored aL Lhe LrnsL & ?oung Long lsland LnLrepreneur
of Lhe year compeLlLlon ln 1998 and 1999. Long lsland 8uslness news named hlm Lo Lhelr orlglnal llsL of
º40 leaders under 40 years old."
AddlLlonally, Mlke serves on Lhe 8oard of ulrecLors of WnL1 channel 13 ln new ?ork and WLlW
channel 21. Mlke advlsed boLh sLaLlons (Lhe #1 and #4 largesL Þubllc 1elevlslon sLaLlons ln Lhe uS) durlng
Lhelr merger ln 2002.
:"/+ !""0*-
!ohn Cooper ls Lhe Chlef LxecuLlve Cfflcer of Coverago and ls responslble for Lhe dlrecLlon and sLraLegy
of Lhe company. Mr. Cooper has over a decade of experlence ln flnance and sofLware and was mosL
recenLly an lnvesLmenL 8anker wlLh 8ear SLearns & Co. ln Lhelr 1echnology, Medla, and 1elecom group.
Þrlor Lo LhaL, Mr. Cooper held englneerlng and sales managemenL poslLlons wlLh ÞlumLree SofLware. Mr.
Cooper was wlLh ÞlumLree from Lhe company's early sLages as a Sequolabacked sLarLup Lhrough lLs lÞC
and subsequenL acqulslLlon by 8LA SysLems. !ohn began hls career wlLh Sun MlcrosysLems ln Lhelr
8esLofLhe8esL program as a SofLware Lnglneer.
Mr. Cooper recelved hls 8A ln CompuLer Sclence from CeLLysburg College and M8A from Columbla
8uslness School.
;"&*-,