PlazaBridge Partner Bios

Teresa W. Spangler

Teresa Spangler, Managing Partner

Teresa Spangler,  founder of PlazaBridge Group, is uniquely differentiated by her creative thought leadership. She has designed business models, routes to markets, company strategies as well as bridged the gap between products and services and customer purchasing behavior for better than 30 years. Teresa’s experience includes growing companies as the entrepreneur, creating and launching new divisions, entering new global markets and market segments and creating and executing strategies to take companies to their next level of growth. She excels in brand strategies, creating revenue driving sales and marketing plans, and taking companies through the process of ideation, formation, and revenue acceleration.

Teresa  secured an exclusive partnership with the Tom Peters Company where she worked with large enterprises including Coca Cola, Merck, and Hope Depot. Teresa’s experience also includes working with mid-size and start up companies. She has had the responsibility of building teams to drive revenue from $0 to $150 Million and contributed to growth of a second stage start up from as Regional Director $23Million to $500 Million. She held several senior executive positions at Red Hat, where she was responsible for pre and post IPO  revenue growth. She was a co-founding member venture backed  Technauts and was both a Regional Director and early member of the start up team for Picturetel Corporation, a leading tele-presence technology company where she worked with companies ranging from Saudi-Aramco to Shell and Exxon and Fortune 10 companies around the world to developing partnership strategies for OEMs as well as reselling to small and medium business.

Teresa’s innovation extends beyond creating brands and start ups, she is author to a four book series, Game of Life and columnist to monthly publications including, Over the Edge in Women’s Edge Magazine. Teresa holds a B.S. from Appalachian State University and Executive Leadership & Management certifications from Duke University and Harvard University. Teresa currently serves on the Board of The Council for Entrepreneurial Development, The NC World Trade Association and is Chair of the non-profit arts organization, Night of Dreams. Teresa’s passion for the arts and music can be witnessed first hand when she performs as a singer/songwriter and guitarist.

Richard Spangler, Managing Partner

Richard Spangler, an original founder of PlazaBridge Group, has an intense desire to help growth companies migrate through the maze of issues and to help the executive/entrepreneur accelerate into success while minimizing errors.  He is a recognized problem solver and change accelerator who creates actionable results.  His expertise includes product strategy and management, entrepreneurship, mergers & acquisitions..

Richard has over 25 years of experience in large corporate branding beginning with product management, corporate development and acquisitions for Compaq Computer Corporation.  Following Compaq, Richard was the Program Director of Wireless Strategy at IBM, where he redefined the wireless application business.  He continued at IBM as the Worldwide Brand Manager overseeing the Aptiva consumer product and new licensing programs for the IBM logo.  After IBM, Richard leveraged his extensive experience in web merchandising, technology and strategic management to create 6 startups including Planet Portal Inc., Square Loop Inc., Creative Leadership Adventures, Interpretis Inc. and his current non-profit, PoleFlyers.

Richard holds a B.S. from Guilford College and an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.  Beyond the PlazaBridge doors, you can find Richard flying, golfing or playing the guitar with his band, The Headless Chickens.

Author of:

Start Up Work Book

Partner

David B. Rose,  Managing Partner

David Rose helps clients accelerate growth through the development and implementation of      strategic and tactical programs.  David has over 15 years of executive experience in developing strategic business partnerships, creating innovative marketing strategies and negotiating key agreements for both Fortune 500 and start up companies.

David is the Founder and the President of Kudzu Media group.  His experience includes serving as a senior executive, launching three successful venture backed start ups to exit stage. David has held several senior leadership roles (VP Sales & Marketing, VP Business Development) while working with leading technology companies including SlickEdit and YellowBrick Solutions. He was also the Head of New Media & eCommerce for Redeye Distribution and Yep Roc Records.  Prior to working with start ups, David held several leadership roles at Automatic Data Processing (ADP).  At ADP, David was on the founding management team of the TotalSource division where revenue grew to $125MM in less than 3 years, building the foundation of a billion dollar business.

David has a B.A. in Economics from University of Tennessee and anticipates an M.B.A from University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School in August 2011.  David stays active in the music industry as managing editor of KnowTheMusicBiz.com.

PlazaBridge Group Partner Companies

Colonial Technology Development  Co.

Taffy Williams, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Colonial Technology Development Co

Dr. Williams serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Life Sciences Research Organization a not-for-profit company affiliated with the American Nutritional Society. Prior to Colonial, Dr. Williams served as president and Chief Executive Officer of Photogen Technologies Inc., IMCOR Pharmaceutical Co. and he was president and founder of InKine Pharmaceutical Company.  Prior to that, he was president, CEO and Chairman of Panax.

Dr. Williams has raised more than $100 million. In addition to executive management skills, the ability to grow companies and new business development experience, he is the author of eight patents, one invention registration, seven patent applications and 53 published articles and also has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including a postdoctoral fellowship from the National Institutes of Health, “Most Significant Scientific Publication” awards from the Naval Medical Research Institute in 1985 and 1986, and the Civil Service Special Achievement Award for restructuring research activities in 1986.  Dr. Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of South Carolina, and did postdoctoral training at the University of South Carolina and the University of Michigan.