Management


Philippe Van Nedervelde - CEO & Chief Technologist

Mr Van Nedervelde is an award-winning entrepreneur-producer-designer in the field of single- and multi-user online Virtual Reality (VR) projects. As one of Europe's earliest VR practitioners, he represents well over a decade of experience in the design, selling, and production of world class online VR projects for entertainment and business applications, this for corporate, educational as well as governmental customers around the world. Mr. Van Nedervelde won the award of the Virtual Reality World Congress 2001 in Barcelona following his presentation of the online Virtual Munich Airport Center project. Mr. Van Nedervelde has been an invited speaker at numerous VR conferences around the world since the mid 90's. He has also been keynote speaker at, for instance, the international conference on Distributed Communities on the Web in Sydney, Australia (http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~dcw2002/keynoteBio.html). In 2002, he also keynoted at the E-space conference in Bangalore and New Delhi, India. The main sponsor of this E-spaces conference was the Malaysian arm of Teknion. A self-styled and precocious entrepreneur -he founded first organization at age 13- he founded E-SPACES nv, his primary i3D/VR company in 1996. E-SPACES is a well-reputed Europe-based online i3D/VR content production house, initially formed as a joint-venture with Tandem Corp., a $2 billion revenue company at the time. As well as staying at the companies' helm without interruption, he also remains its majority owner. From the outset back in the mid-90s, Mr Van Nedervelde pioneered the drastic optimization of the costs of the usually labor-intensive production of VR projects by organizing a remote production studio in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. This facility both enhanced the profitability and scalability of 3D virtual world production. Later on, Mr. Van Nedervelde also started up a second production unit in the Ukraine. E-SPACES made the cover of the prestigious special Web3D edition of the ACM's Computer Graphics magazine in May 2000 with the castle of our Brothers Grimm fairy-tale themed, youth-oriented massively multi-user VRML community SimsalaGrimm, a project which E-spaces realized as the preferred content-production partner of the presently defunct Blaxxun Interactive GmbH. (Online documentation: http://www.e-spaces.com/lbw/portfolio/projects/port_ssg.html) In addition to continuing to take care of E-SPACES, in '01 and '02 Mr. Van Nedervelde accepted to also apply his executive and sales skills -in the capacity of co-CEO- to develop the relatively similar business of X3D Technologies, Inc. of West Palm Beach, Florida, a US corporation co-founded by Mr Michael Bay, renowned Hollywood Blockbuster director of Pearl Harbor, The Rock and Armageddon fame. Mr Van Nedervelde's tenure at X3D was completed upon the successful acquisition of X3D by the Atlanta company Multicast Media Networks. Mr Van Nedervelde presently also serves a similar role with the Los Angeles based corporation Integrated Virtual Networks, Inc. who have developed and patented Silhouette, an innovative technology replacing inexpressive polygonal avatars with live audio-visual ones, and are presently in the process of deploying this innovation into the marketplace. Over the course of its existence and the more than 50 online virtual reality projects E-spaces has delivered thus far, E-spaces has built-up a distinctive career in the field of the production, application and online deployment of standards-based multi-user i3D/VR (homesteading) communities. Of particular note and relevance in the multi-user i3D/VR online homesteading communities are the following projects:
  • ICITY: very large scale multi-user VR homesteading community -- http://www.e-spaces.com/lbw/portfolio/projects/wer.html
  • SimsalaGrimm: fairy-tale themed multi-user VRML-based homesteading community for children & youngsters -- http://www.e-spaces.com/lbw/portfolio/projects/port_ssg.html
  • Virtual Europe: large-scale multi-user EC info-landscape 3D world for European citizens) -- http://www.e-spaces.com/lbw/portfolio/projects/port_ve.htm
  • Educ@ble: Spanish education-oriented VR community for youngsters -- http://www.e-spaces.com/lbw/portfolio/projects/port_md.htm
  • Ipopcorn: South-Korean VR community -- http://www.espaces.com/lbw/portfolio/projects/port_ipop.htm
Note: These require a VRML viewer. We recommend Blaxxun's Contact 5.1 or later. Mr Van Nedervelde is fluent in five modern languages (English, Spanish, French, German and Dutch/Flemish) and is presently learning Russian, his sixth.
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Roger Barry - Chairman & VP of Investor Relations

Thirty years experience in the fields of advertising and marketing with emphasis on New Product Introduction. Skilled at using established retail marketing organizations to integrate their marketing goals with my companies and creating a synergistic relationship where all parties mutually benefit. Designed and implemented strategic business plans and created the people and technical infrastructure necessary to make a profit. I believe strongly in 5 Year Planning Models to establish secure product placement and public acceptance. From 1967 to 1977, served as Vice President Marketing for A&W International and V.P. Marketing for International Industries-Foods Division. From 1977 to 1997, partner or sole owner of four separate marketing businesses with emphasis on film marketing and distribution. From 1997 to present, work concentrated on Internet industry. WORK HISTORY Chairman Of The Board, Global Digital Entertainment Inc., Present President & Partner, Virtual World International, VWI was a company specializing in the development of convergence technology that would integrate the Internet with the television and the home cable industry. This convergence was to be implemented by the development of a Set Top Box that would be user friendly and integrate a number of entertainment options. Most of the technical development was contracted out to independent researchers and technicians. This company is now refocused on direct response marketing strategies aimed at the retail market place using licensed proprietary compression technology as applied to miniature CDRs. President & Partner, AudioGram International This company developed marketing strategies for new products developed by Japanese electronics manufacturers with emphasis on Voice-chip technology. The company worked closely with Polaroid and FTD Florists. Sales was over two million dollars in 1994 President & Partner, Private Screening Video Magazine Start-up magazine in Video format, sponsored by major film studios and distributed to public via 10,000 video stores across America. We produced two issues of Private Screening which were seen in over two million households. Distributor of videos declared Chapter 11 and failed to pay our billing forcing company closure. President & Owner, L'Image Shopping Network Company produced shopping catalogues on video for home shopping parties. EDUCATION MBA from Southern Methodist University, 1966

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John S. Schwendiman - COO

Highly experienced in general management, marketing and finance, John S. Schwendiman has helped companies accelerate profitable growth through new business development, joint-ventures,acquisitions, alliances, direct investments, and strategic planning, both domestic and international. Since 1991 he has been an independent consultant, entrepreneur, and investor, and he has established and assisted in the establishment and development of many new businesses. Earlier, from 1971 to 1988, at The Dow Chemical Company, he served as Manager of Strategic Studies, Business Strategist, and Member of the Company??s Executive Strategy Team, reporting to the Chairman of the Board. He also served as a country manager for two Latin American countries and managed a $50 million (revenues) U.S. plastics business for Dow. Following his Dow years he served as Corporate and Business Development Vice President for John Brown Inc., a subsidiary of the international engineering and construction firm John Brown PLC. He has served as a consultant/advisor for development and growth to several companies, large- and medium-sized in a wide range of technologies and industries. As an international trouble-shooter for Dow Chemical, a Fortune 30 company, he worked with executives, top government leaders and officials in many countries, including China, Brazil, South Africa and Switzerland on negotiations and business development projects. In recent years, John has served as CEO and COO of several start-up and development stage companies. From 2004 to 2006 he was acting Business Manager of a small intellectual property law firm and was a Technical Consultant for business method patent projects. He serves on the advisory boards of several growing companies. Additionally he has served on industry and university advisory boards, including Chairman of The Conference Board Council on International Business Environment in New York City, task groups of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, the Advisory Board on Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship at the George Washington University, and other universities, including Georgetown University, the University of South California, and The Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management. He represented Dow Chemical at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. He has lectured at leading business schools across the nation, and has been Executive-In-Residence at the George Washington University School of Government and Business Administration. His educational background includes a B.S. in Economics, magna cum laude, with minors in accounting and business management from Brigham Young University, and a Ph.D. in Management, Finance and Marketing from the Alfred P. Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His doctoral dissertation, rewritten for a business audience and published by Praeger, was Strategic and Long-Range Planning for the Multinational Corporation. John maintains a wide range of contacts around the world, is fascinated by technologies and new business ideas, speaks fluent German and passable Spanish, and has a high energy level for growing profitable businesses. Back to top

Dr. John Caulfield, PhD - Head, Scientific Board of Advisors

Henry John Caulfield. Home Address: 4626 Delina Rd. Cornersville, TN 37047. Date of Birth: March 25, 1936. Place of Birth: Halletsville, TX. Marital Status: Married. Education: BA Physics, Rice, 1958; PhD Physics, Iowa State, 1962. APPOINTMENTS AND POSITIONS: Distinguished Research Professor, Fisk University, 1996-present. Program Manager and Chief Scientist, Alabama A&M University Research Institute, 2001- present. University Eminent Scholar, Alabama A&M University,. Founder and First Director: Center for Applied Optics at The University of Alabama in Huntsville from May 1985 -October 1991. President, Diversified Research Corporation; Chief Scientist, Northeast Photosciences, Inc.; Chairman, Scientific Advisory Board of Cyber Air Communications; Technical Advisor, Karmanos Cancer Institute: Chief Scientist of LED Systems, Inc.. Also appointed as Research Professor of both Optical Engineering and Optical Science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Adjunct at several other universities on two continents. Consultant to Physical Optics Corporation, Extreme Technologies, etc. Principal Scientist, Applied Sciences Division, Aerodyne Research, Inc. starting December, 1978. Manager of the Laser Technology Department of Block Engineering, Inc. from 1972 through June 1977. Principal Scientist, Sperry Rand Research Center from 1968 to 1972. Technical Director, Night Vision Department, Raytheon Company in 1968. Staff Scientist, Central Research Laboratories, Texas Instruments, Inc. from 1962 to 1967. PUBLICATIONS: 12 books, 34 book chapters, 222 refereed journal papers. Numerous popular articles, including the most popular of them all: the 1984 National Geographic cover story on holography read by more than 25,000,000 people. 10 conference proceedings edited, 27 US patents. SOCIETY HONORS: OSA Fellow. Many time Eastman Lecturer. SPIE Fellow. Service Award. Governor's Award. President's Award. Dennis Gabor Award. IEEE Senior Member. Distinguished Lecturer for the IEEE Neural Network Society. NEI Fellow. OTHER HONORS AND AWARDS: Vavilov Medal. Mentioned in many newsstand journals: "One of America's 10 Top Scientists"- Business Week "One of the Most Influential people in the World in Minicomputers"-Byte "A Pioneer on Optical Processing"-Fortune JOURNALS & BOOK SERIES: Currently editorial board of 5. Past- Editor, Optical Engineering and editorial board of several others. INVITED TALKS FOR TECHNICAL SOCIETIES: IEEE, OSA, NNS, SPIE, Engineering Foundation, Gordon Research Conferences. INVITED TALKS FOR UNIVERSITIES: Alabama, Alabama A&M, Arizona, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, Dayton, Duke, Georgia Tech, Johns Hopkins, Maine, MIT, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, UAH, UCF, UCSD.
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Dr. Lynn Spraggs - Scientific Board of Advisors

LYNN SPRAGGS, PHD, CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER of AKCode Dr. Spraggs holds a Ph.D. in engineering from Stanford University (1974) where he worked on mathematical modeling and computer solution of engineering problems. At Stanford Research Institute he was a mathematician assigned primarily to the Nuclear Physics Division participating in projects from nuclear yield analysis to water borne waste transport. From 1976 to 1983, he was a Professor of Engineering at McGill University specializing in mathematical modeling and computers. Since 1984, he has worked in the computer industry in both hardware and software development. As founder of Northern Computer Products, he developed both hardware and software solutions for industry. Subsequently, Dr. Spraggs founded Ultra Information Systems LLC to specifically address the problems of Internet and E-commerce security. Ultra Information Systems and Trireme Partners created AKCode, LLC in March 2004. Dr. Spraggs has been an IT Manager, a computer consultant and a practicing Professional Engineer.
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William D. Landreth - Federal Government Management Consultant

WILLIAM D. LANDRETH, PRESIDENT of AKCode Mr. Landreth is a former Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). With twenty-five years experience in Federal Law enforcement, Mr. Landreth developed the Computer Crimes and Investigations Model for the DCIS Western Field Office and supervised the Computer Vulnerability Assessment Model for DCIS. Mr. Landreth has also managed multi-million dollar budgets and supervised multiple offices and multi-agency Task Forces. With his experience and knowledge of the workings of US Government agencies Mr. Landreth is an ideal choice for President of AKCode, LLC and will help move forward all of the products and applications AKCode has at its disposal. Mr. Landreth holds a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from California State University.
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Rex Eagan - Government Relations Consultant

Rex Eagan, Co-Founder of Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc., earned both his Bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science and Master's degree in Business Administration from Marshall University. After serving one tour of duty with the Navy in Vietnam and another at the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, he accepted a position with a large defense contracting firm where he served as site manager for Lexington Park, Maryland personnel providing program management services to mostly Navy clients for the research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) of major system acquisitions. In 1984, he joined with John McAllister to found Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc. Rex Eagan retired from his official duties at EMA in August 2000.
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