SJF portfolio company Intechra, Jackson, MS, is one of only five companies (including Dell, Hewlett Packard, IBM, and Redemtech) to achieve IDC's first certification in Green Recycling and Asset Disposal for the Enterprise (G.R.A.D.E.). Of those five companies, Intechra, which helps businesses safely retire IT assets, is the only independent provider. Read More... 

SJF portfolio company EdMap, Nelsonville, OH, a leader in developing innovative course material solutions for higher education, K-12 and other educational associations, has developed partnerships with CourseSmart, Experience Point Simulations, and Hands-On Labs, that have extended its ability to aggregate solutions and provide a tailored and comprehensive answer to the unique needs of its clients. For example, EdMap leveraged its partnerships and experience to develop a customized textbook model that reduced student costs by 40% to 50% for Talladega College.  The college was able to extended its brand by using the world famous Amistad Murals (from Talladega's Savery Library) as the textbook cover art. www.edmap.biz

Deutsche Bank hosted SJF Ventures' fourth annual 'Cleantech Companies in Mainstream Markets: CEO Panel on Innovative Strategies' in New York City on June 11. The event featured a keynote from Kevin Skillern, Senior Vice President at GE Energy Financial Services, who leads the venture capital team focused on the energy and water industries. Presenting CEOs included Craig Bramscher of Brammo Motorsports, Allen King of Excellent Packaging & Supply, Andrew Kennedy of FoodLogiq, Frank Shinneman of Lamina Lighting; Jacob Susman of OwnEnergy, Chuck Newman of Recellular, and Rusty Jewett of Sencera. Since the event, Sencera has announced plans to invest $36.8 million to build a factory in Charlotte, NC where it will produce silicon thin-film solar modules, creating an expected 65 jobs during the next three years. Read more...  

SJF Advisory Services will hold four Getting Ready for Equity™ seminars in 2008 to educate entrepreneurs about the process of working with equity investors. The first, sponsored by Bank of America and the Florida Black Business Investment Board, will take place in Orlando July 23.  SJF will work with Bank of America and the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City to hold a GRE™ training in New York Oct. 28 in advance of the Inner City Capital Connections event Nov. 19. Click here to apply. With the support of the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, and the F.B. Heron Foundation, SJFAS will conduct two Getting Ready for Equity™ seminars in Appalachia this fall, one in Charleston, WV on Sept. 23 and the other in Chattanooga, TN on Dec. 4. For more information on the Appalachian GRE™ events or to apply, contact Bonny Moellenbrock at gre@sjfund.com.

SJF welcomes SJF Advisory Services Program Associate Erin Payne, based in Durham, NC. Erin most recently served with the Windham Regional Commission in Brattleboro, VT; prior to that she worked for nearly five years in the non-profit conservation sector in Portland, OR. We are also pleased to have Marta Nelson as our SJF Advisory Services Summer Associate. Marta most recently worked with Friends of the Chicago River and is currently working towards a Master's degree from the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Anne Claire Broughton will be speaking on a Business Roundtable at CFED's 2008 Assets Learning Conference in Washington, DC on Sept. 11, along with Jamie Resor, CFO of groSolar.  Alan Kelley will be speaking at the Green Innovation Venture Capital Summit in Scotsdale, AZ on Sept. 7-8. Arrun Kapoor will attend the Venture Capital Institute in Atlanta Sept. 15-18. David Griest will attend E-Scrap 2008 in Phoenix, AZ, Sept. 16-18 and will be speaking at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston on Nov. 20. Cody Apperson will be attending the BioCycle conference Oct. 7 and the Expo East conference Oct. 16-17. David Kirkpatrick will attend the Cleantech Venture Forum Sept. 15-17 in Washington, DC.