OXFORD,
Miss. – Despite the tough economic climate, some companies continue to
prosper. Leaders of two thriving national firms – FNC Inc. and Medical
Marketing Economics LLC, both based in Oxford – plan to share secrets
of their success April 15 at the inaugural Innovators Discovery
Luncheon.
Hosted by the Northeast Mississippi Regional
Innovation Council, the event is set for 11:30 a.m. at the Oxford
Conference Center, 102 Ed Perry Blvd. Admission is free, but advance
registration is required. Contact Mary Mills Ritchie at 662-915-1711 or
ritchie@olemiss.edu by Tuesday (April 14) to sign up.
Bill
Rayburn and Dennis Tosh of FNC and Mick Kolassa of Medical Marketing
Economics are to discuss how they created these innovative companies
and grew them into industry leaders.
“FNC and Medical Marketing Economics are such outstanding examples of companies that grew out of ideas by innovative entrepreneurs at the University of Mississippi into the thriving businesses and valued corporate citizens they are today,” said Christy Knapp, vice president of the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation. “Our hope is that their stories will serve to inspire other aspiring entrepreneurs about the importance of innovation and perseverance.”
Co-founded by Rayburn and Tosh, FNC develops software that helps the nation’s major mortgage lenders streamline their processes, comply with government regulations and make informed decisions about the collateral backing their loans. Besides its headquarters in Oxford, the company has offices in Dallas and Costa Mesa, Calif.
Rayburn, the company’s chief executive officer and chairman of the board, often speaks or sits on panels at major industry conferences. Before founding FNC, he and Tosh led a consulting firm specializing in seminars for bank regulatory agencies, financial institutions and appraisal firms.
The two former UM business professors also authored a series of real estate industry books and articles, including “Bankers Guide to Real Estate Appraisal Compliance” and “Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice,” both of which have become recognized as industry standards.
Medical Marketing Economics is a consulting firm that specializes in the development of value-based marketing strategies for health care goods and services. The company combines academic theory with real-world medical marketing experience to provide comprehensive and useful guidance. Besides its headquarters near the Oxford Square, MME has offices in Montclair, N.J., and Oxfordshire, England.
Before forming MME, Kolassa was associate professor of pharmacy administration and associate professor of marketing at Ole Miss. Recognized internationally as an expert on pharmaceutical pricing and value-based strategies, he previously served as director of pricing and economic policy at Sandoz, where he created and instituted that company’s first pricing and health economics departments.
“We are excited to help bring the Discovery Luncheon to north Mississippi,” said Stacey Gaines, director of policy and community services for the Mississippi Technology Alliance. “It is a great opportunity to highlight what’s going on in the region with technology, entrepreneurship and capital investments.”
The Northeast Mississippi Regional Innovation Council is a partnership of the University of Mississippi, Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation, Oxford Enterprise Center, Renasant Center for IDEAs, Northeast Mississippi Business Incubation System, Mississippi Technology Alliance and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
This program is funded by a grant from the SBA. SBA’s funding should not be construed as an endorsement of any products, opinions or services. All SBA-funded projects are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.
For more information on FNC Inc., go to http://www.fncinc.com/ . For more information on Medical Marketing Economics, go to http://www.m2econ.com/.