Chamber Names Interim Leader
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 14, 2006; Page GZ07
Georgette "Gigi" Godwin, vice president of public affairs of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, has been named its interim president and chief executive.
Godwin is temporarily replacing Richard Parsons, who resigned recently to take a job with Rodgers Consulting, a land-use and development consulting firm in Germantown.
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She will keep the position until a permanent chief executive and president is hired by the board of directors, according to the organization.
Godwin has lived in the county for 20 years. A longtime education advocate, she was recently appointed to the board of trustees of Montgomery College.
"We appreciate Gigi's willingness to assume this responsibility and to work with the board and Rich to ensure a smooth transition," said Lester Coffey, the chamber's board chairman.
Freewebs.com to Grow
Freewebs.com, a Silver Spring company founded by two brothers who created a simple Web page design site, has raised $11 million in funding from two venture capital firms.
Freewebs will use the money from Columbia Capital and Novak Biddle Venture Partners to expand its product development team and add sales and marketing employees, the company said.
"When my brother Zeki and I founded Freewebs in 2001, we set out to create a service that even my mother could use," said Haroon Mokhtarzada, co-founder and chief executive. "We'll never lose sight of that, and are indebted to the invaluable feedback of our incredible members who continue to define the product."
Biotech Center Expands
University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's research center in Rockville will celebrate the opening of its $60 million, 140,000-square-foot expansion at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 21.
The expansion, funded primarily with state money, will feature additional laboratory space, including a lab for the production of drugs for early human testing. There will also be secure labs for developing transgenic insects that may one day block the transmission of disease-causing agents.
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