May 3, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
William Burns, Director of Communications
(410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858 | Cell: (410) 733-9945

State Chamber Inducts Three Into the
Maryland Business Hall of Fame

Annapolis, MD (May 3, 2007) - The Maryland Chamber of Commerce will induct three outstanding business leaders into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame, during its Annual Meeting and Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on May 10 at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore.

"Through their leadership, creativity and determination, this year’s honorees have made a lasting impact in their organizations and communities,” said Chamber Chairman Terry Neimeyer, PE, Chairman and CEO of KCI Technologies, Inc. "The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is pleased to honor them by inducting them into the Maryland Business Hall of Fame."

This year’s inductees are:

Walter Sondheim, Jr. (video), Senior Adviser, Greater Baltimore Committee (posthumously): A public servant and civic leader for more than 50 years, Sondheim was instrumental in creating the Baltimore City that exists today. Sondheim had a full career as a senior vice president and treasurer of Hochschild, Kohn & Company. During that time, he became president of the Board of School Commissioners of Baltimore City and led the immediate desegregation of the school system in 1954 following the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. He then devoted himself to the renewal of downtown Baltimore, first as chairman of the Urban Renewal and Housing Commission, and later in other capacities. After retiring from Hochschild, Kohn & Company in 1970, Sondheim began a second career as chairman of Charles Center-Inner Harbor Management, Inc., and for 17 years he guided the development of what has come to be known as "The Baltimore Renaissance," which made Baltimore a model for downtown renewal and development.

Jeong Kim, Ph.D. (video), President, Bell Labs at Alcatel-Lucent: Kim is president of Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs, overseeing the communication industry's most heralded research organization. In 1992, he founded Yurie Systems, Inc, where he pioneered the development of a revolutionary asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch for wireless applications. The ATM switch became a pivotal key in the modernization of telecommunications systems for today's digital market. In May 1998, Lucent Technologies acquired Yurie Systems, Inc. for more than $1 billion. During his tenure at Lucent, Dr. Kim initially served as the president of Lucent’s former Broadband Carrier Networks. In 1999 Dr. Kim was named chief operating officer and later president of Lucent’s Optical Network Group (ONG). Dr. Kim left Lucent in 2001 to join the University of Maryland faculty, with joint appointments in both the department of electrical and computer engineering and the department of mechanical engineering. He rejoined the Company in April of 2005 as president of Bell Labs.

Sister Helen Amos, RSM (video), Executive Chair, Board of Trustees, Mercy Health Services: Sister Helen Amos has more than 30 years experience in the fields of education and health care administration.

She was named Executive Chair, Board of Trustees of Mercy Health Services, Inc., in 1999. Sister Helen had served as President and CEO of Mercy Medical Center, a position she assumed on June 1, 1992, following a six-month stint as President-Elect. Sister Helen had also served on Mercy’s Board of Trustees since 1980. Sister Helen has been responsible for the development and implementation of numerous programs at Mercy, including the creation of the Gynecologic Oncology Center, The Breast Center, “The Woman’s Doctor” program on WBAL-TV11, and Mercy FamilyCare. Sister Helen has been named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record in 1997, 1999 and 2001, and she was recognized as one of the top 50 women in Baltimore Magazine’s Most Powerful Women category.

The Maryland Business Hall of Fame was established by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce in 2000 to recognize the accomplishments of entrepreneurs and business executives whose contributions, in business and in the community, have helped advance the quality of life for Marylanders and improve the state's business climate. Individuals are nominated throughout the year by members of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber's Executive Committee selects the inductees, who are honored each year during the Maryland Chamber's Annual Membership Meeting and Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner.

Including this years inductees, there are 23 members of the Maryland Business Hall of Fame. Previous inductees include:

• Susan J. Ganz, Lion Brothers Co., Inc.
• Stephen A. Geppi, Diamond Comic Distributors
• John P. McDaniel, MedStar Health
• Roger R. Blunt, P.E., Blunt Enterprises, LLC
• Ronald R. Peterson, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System and Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Marge Thomas, Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.
• John M. Derrick, Jr., Pepco Holdings, Inc
• Eddie C. Brown, Brown Capital Management, Inc.
• Robert J. Lawless, McCormick & Company, Inc.
• Wayne T. Hockmeyer, Ph.D., MedImmune, Inc.
• Brice and Shirley Phillips, Phillips Seafood
• Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Henry S. Rosenberg, Jr., Rosemore, Inc.and Crown Central Petroleum
• John Paterakis, H&S Bakery,Inc and Northeastern Foods, Inc.
• Stephen A. Burch, Comcast Mid-Atlantic Division
• J.W. Marrott, Jr., Marriott International, Inc.
• Christian H. Poindexter, Constellation Energy Group
• Cathy L. Hughes, Radio One
• Raymond A. “Chip” Mason, Legg Mason
• Frank Perdue, Perdue Fames, Inc.

Reservations for the dinner can by made online at www.mdchamber.org, or by calling the Maryland Chamber at (410) 269-0642, (301) 261-2858. Tickets are $175 per person for Maryland Chamber members or $235 per person for nonmembers.

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit coalition of 830 businesses who employ more than 440,000 people in the state. Its mission is to maximize opportunities for its members to grow and prosper. For more information about the Chamber, visit its website, www.mdchamber.org or call (410) 269-0642 or (301) 261-2858.

# # #