Biletnikoff Foundation Celebrity Crab Fest - San Ramon

Greg Papa, Bay Area sports broadcaster and radio voice of the Oakland Raiders, will be the master of ceremonies for the 9th Annual Biletnikoff Foundation Celebrity Crab Fest & Sports Auction.

Greg Papa, Bay Area sports broadcaster and radio voice of the Oakland Raiders, will be the master of ceremonies for the 9th Annual Biletnikoff Foundation Celebrity Crab Fest & Sports Auction from 6 p.m. to midnight, Friday, November 7 at the Marriott at Bishop Ranch, 2600 Bishop Drive, San Ramon, California.

Tickets are $120 per person and attire is casual. Last year’s sold-out event raised $60,000 for the foundation.

Founded in the memory of Tracey Biletnikoff, whose life was brutally taken in 1999, the Biletnikoff Foundation enables young people to realize their full potential through education addressing problems related to substance abuse and gender violence.

Crab Fest 2008 highlights include dinner with celebrities and past and present Oakland Raiders; live entertainment from Pa Pa Doo Run Run; a diamond raffle; a special performance by the Raiderettes; original art by Armando Delgado, Painter of Legends; a tribute to NFL great Gene Upshaw; and live and silent auctions with many exclusive items available for bid, including Pro Bowl & Hall of Fame travel packages and an Oakland Raiders home game package.

For the third year, the Biletnikoff Foundation will be giving back even more to the community by awarding $1,000 educational grants to aid high school seniors to fulfill their dreams of entering college.

Sponsorship opportunities are available from title sponsor at $25,000 to grant sponsorship at $1,000. Ticket holders who are grant sponsors of $1,000 will have the opportunity to award the scholarships in person at the Crab Fest.

Fred Biletnikoff was All-AFL/AFC four times, 1971 NFL receiving champion, and played in two AFL All-Star games, four AFC-NFC Pro Bowls, eight AFL/AFC title games and two Super Bowls. He was MVP in Super Bowl XI. He was the Oakland Raiders wide-receiver coach. Biletnikoff has a national award named after him. For the past 11 years the Biletnikoff Award has been presented to young men in football who continue to have outstanding careers in the NFL. The impressive list includes Bobby Engram, Terry Glenn, Marcus Harris, Randy Moss, Troy Edwards, Troy Walters, Antonio Bryant, Josh Reed, Charles Rogers, Larry Fitzgerald and Braylon Edwards.

For tickets and information contact the Biletnikoff Foundation, 7080 Donlon Way, Suite 126, Dublin, CA 94568, (925) 556-2525. Tickets may be ordered online at www.biletnikoff.net.

San Ramon CEO Competes in IronmanTriathlon

San Ramon-based Accela CEO Competes Alongside Business Leaders in Hawaii Triathlon

While it’s not uncommon for a CEO to be up at 4 a.m. with thoughts of his company’s success running through his mind, Maury Blackman, president and CEO of Accela, takes this scenario literally. He starts each day before dawn with a two-hour exercise routine that includes running and swimming, and then heads into the office of his international software company that connects people to government services. Blackman also spends his weekend “downtime” biking 50-miles through the areas surrounding his Danville, California home.

This drive to succeed has not only impacted his company’s success, it also helped him secure one of only 15 coveted qualifying slots, sought after by nearly 100 C-suite athletes, in the 2008 CEO Ironman World Championships held October 11, 2008 in Kona, Hawaii. With an overall time of 11:36:04, Blackman placed seventh among the other participating CEOs. Quite an impressive move considering he has only competed in three other Ironman events.

CEO, Maury Blackman Crossing Finish Line in Ironman Hawaii Triathlon

For Maury, personal fitness is like keeping a car in peak condition: the more care and attention you give it, the better and longer it will perform. He believes the same goes for a well-conditioned company: an organization whose culture supports healthy lifestyles and that operates under principles of speed, agility and endurance is better equipped to anticipate and respond successfully to market trends and challenges.

He recently issued a personal directive to employees to take ALL their allotted vacation time off, for their own good and that of the company. And under his leadership Accela offers free flu shots to all employees and provides fresh fruit in lieu of candy as an office treat. Maury also insists that staff get plenty of sleep during offsite events like sales meetings and user conferences. He has been known to call the hotel room of key employees to make sure they “made curfew.”

In addition to keeping his company and himself healthy, Blackman brings a driven, youthful approach to the role of CEO, which in some companies is thought of as a stuffy “suit” position. It’s not uncommon to hear him use phrases like “killer” or “awesome” when he describes Accela’s products that connect citizens and the business community to government services in more than 500 agencies worldwide.

More information about Accela can be found at www.accela.com.