Executive Speaker Series
Michael Holthouse closes spring series
2:30 p.m., Thursday, March 13, 2008

(HOUSTON, Feb. 22, 2008)  The University of Houston-Downtown College of Business will close out its Executive Speaker Series for spring 2008 with a presentation by Michael Holthouse, a successful high-tech entrepreneur, 2:30 p.m., Thursday, March 13, 2008, in Room B-113 of the Shea Street Building.

Read more about Holthouse below.

Entrepreneur James Calaway spoke at the College of Business Executive Speaker Series in February. A standout businessman, Calaway shared his three rules of success with University of Houston-Downtown students. See his biography below and click here to view his presentation.

Speaker Biographies
Michael Holthouse
Michael Holthouse was the founder and president of Paranet, which grew from a single office to over $200 million in revenues and was sold to Sprint in 1997. He co-founded the computer network services firm six years earlier at the age of 33, and was just shy of his 40th birthday when the sale took place. Proceeds from the Paranet sale were used to establish Holthouse Interests with the purpose of funding early-stage technology companies.

He received the 1995 Regional Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst & Young. Holthouse has been involved in successful high tech startups including Apollo Computer which was sold to HP for $800 million. In 2002, he started another technology company, Intuitive Homes Inc., a provider of home automation and control.

In 1999, he created the Holthouse Foundation for Kids, a nonprofit organization that aims to help at-risk children learn critical life skills. In 2005, Holthouse and his wife Lisa took the foundation's efforts a step further by teaming up with the "After School All-Stars" initiative and other community partners to create a spin-off organization. Not-for-profit Prepared 4 Life develops after-school programs for middle-school youth in Houston.

James Calaway
James Calaway is president and CEO of Calaway Interests, LLC, a private investment and development company. In May 2005, Calaway retired as founding CEO of the Center for Houston 's Future to form Calaway Interests. 

Prior to his public service at the Center for Houston 's Future, Calaway was a successful entrepreneur. He played an instrumental role in the development of a variety of private and public companies including Network International, Inc., DigiContract, Inc. (acquired by DataCert), C-Sixty, Inc., Edge Petroleum Corp., Forefront Group Inc., and Space Industries International, Inc.

He continues to serve on numerous civic boards and commissions including membership on the Council of Overseers of The Jones School of Management at Rice University , the Houston Independent School District Foundation, the YES College Preparatory Schools and the Blue Ribbon Commission for the Homeless in Harris County . Calaway also serves on the corporate boards of Network International, Inc and Classmates LLC.

He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Texas and a master's degree from Oxford University.