Steve Case Talks to NVTC Friday; Neighbor Becomes Bank Director

McLean neighbor Steve Case will travel up the road apiece at dawn Friday to address a sold out breakfast meeting of the Northern Virginia Technology Council.

Case, chairman of Startup America, will talk about the state of innovation and entrepreneurship in the technology industry. In January 2011, he was named chairman of the Startup America Partnership, an independent alliance of the country's most innovative entrepreneurs, corporations, foundations, universities and other leaders working with President Obama to increase the prevalence and success of U.S. entrepreneurs.

Case co-founded America Online (AOL) in 1985 and served as Chairman of the Board of AOL* Time Warner until 2003.

Where and When: 7 a.m. Oct. 14, Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner.

New State Appointee in Town. Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed Jane Hershey Abraham of McLean, owner and president of Abraham Strategies LLC, to the Human Rights Council last week.

Neighbor Becomes Bank Director. Gary Nakamoto has been elected to the board of directors of Sandy Spring Bank in Olney, according to The Frederick News-Post

Nakamoto is the principal of The Nakamoto Group LLC, a business consulting firm in McLean. Nakamoto is president of the board of trustees for Joe Gibbs’ Youth for Tomorrow Foundation, a director for the American Red Cross National Capital Region, and a member of the board of trustees for Inova Health Systems Foundation. He also received the 2009 Valor Humanitarian Award from the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce.

M&M's New Website. McLean neighbors, Mars Inc., which makes M&M's, unveiled a spiffy new website this week.

Mars is a secretive, family-owned company whose headquarters are located on Elm Street in downtown McLean. A Mars brother and sister are on the Forbes list of the 400 richest folks in the U.S.

The company says the website gives more information about the company and its beliefs. Don't be fooled. The company still doesn't tell you who's on the board of directors and you have to search a little while to find the company officers.

Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience, says the website.

*Patch, of which McLean Patch is a part, is owned by AOL. Case is no longer associated with AOL.