(Posted March 18, 2002)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- An entrepreneur whose wild experiences with the roller coaster dot.com economy was memorably depicted in the documentary film "Startup.com" will visit business classes at Juniata College March 22 and host a screening of excerpts from the documentary along with a question-and-answer session at 3 p.m. in Alumni Hall in the Brumbaugh Science Center that afternoon.

The film session is free and open to the public.

Tom Herman, partner and chief technical officer of Recognition Group, a technology consulting firm with offices in New York, N.Y. and San Francisco, Calif., was co-founder and chief technology officer of govWorks Inc., an Internet startup that pioneered software and other applications that allowed citizens to do business with state and local governments on the Internet.

"Tom's experience in the fast-moving Internet economy is a golden opportunity for our students to tap his expertise," says Michael Frandsen, assistant professor of business administration at Juniata.
On the morning of March 22, Herman will speak to several business classes on the topic of "challenges and realities of starting your own business." Herman was instrumental in designing and launching the govWorks proprietary e-commerce payment engine that would allow easy payment of such government transactions as infraction fines, traffic tickets, taxes, permit fees and other applications.

The startup govWorks' rise and fall in the Internet marketplace was entertainingly followed in the 2001 documentary "Startup.com," co-directed by Jehane Noujaim and Chris Hegedus. Hegedus is an award-winning filmmaker, who, with her partner D.A. Pennebaker, directed "The War Room," a revealing documentary of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.

The film follows Herman and his partner Kaleil Isaza Tuzman from the founding of the firm (the company name was chosen at a pizza parlor) to Herman's eventual ouster from the business, orchestrated by Tuzman, Herman's childhood friend.

Herman will host a screening of excerpts from the film at 3 p.m. and answer questions from the audience.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.