Gregory Barnhill Remembrances and Reminiscences

Collected from Citybizlist

Greg Barnhill Reminiscences In response to Remembering Greg Barnhill http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/article/rememberinggreg-barnhill , citybizlist received an overwhelming response from our readers and friends. Were sharing those responses below. If you have an interesting anecdote or story, please send it to edwin.warfield@citybizlist.com

Bill Bonner Agora Financial My memory of Greg goes back to 1984. We had moved from Washington to Baltimore, drawn to the city by Mayor Schaefer's 'shopstead' program. Greg was an early subscriber to one of our newsletters. He noticed the move to Baltimore and asked to have lunch. We went to "Love's," on Charles & 25th. Greg told me that he was glad we had moved the company to Baltimore... and then he surprised me. He spilled a glass of water in my lap and said he wanted to invest in my company. At the time, our company was such a fledgling enterprise it was not at all certain that it would ever learn to fly. I cautioned him against it. I told him he would probably lose his money. But he said he was a "big boy. He wanted to do it. I wasn't really looking for investment capital at the time. I didn't need it. But it wasn't a matter of money. I probably wouldn't have sold part of the company to anyone but Greg. He was so friendly, so upbeat, and so optimistic. I was happy to have an ally and helper in our new home town. For the next 28 years, Greg was always available, cheerfully offering support... giving ideas... and making connections. It was always a pleasure to see him... and I never once regretted having him as a partner. All of us at Agora will miss him greatly.

Brian Smith CEO Founder: BizBrag Positive. Well dressed. Deal maker. A friend. And this was all before 8 am on any given day. Greg first came to me as a business associate in the form of an investor/board member, but quickly became a good friend. Through my friendship with John Carbone, I met Greg, or as John called him, 'Greg-o.' I always looked forward to meeting with Greg and John, whether it was at Tark's, Joey Chui's or Greg's house where he had his prized metal banks. When I think of Greg, I find myself smiling because he loved to say 'non sequitur.' I never knew what it meant until I met Greg... and after my first meeting, I had to Google it because he said it at least 5

times. There is a very good reason for Greg saying that phrase often, and that was because that is how Greg's mind worked. Greg had such a high-energy business mind, that thoughts never stopped. There would be days when Greg would call me urgently and say he wanted me to meet a particular person, and I would respond, 'ok, sounds good, I am excited - what should I talk to them about?' to which Greg would respond, 'I don't know - I just want you guys to meet, because there might be something there.' That something was Greg. No matter who he 'suggested' I meet with (and by the way, I always did because Greg thought it was important enough to do so, and that was good enough for me), we always ended up talking more about Greg than what synergies we could have together. Greg had such a young spirit, his excitement was contagious in the many things he did: family engagements, talking about Scott's regattas, talking about Lisa's real estate deals, attending auctions, metal bank collecting, sailing, Nicaragua trips and of course, telling stories. Greg was the glue for many start-ups, companies and entrepreneurs. The small business world in Baltimore is better because of Greg Barnhill. Going forward whenever I hear the phrase entrepreneurial spirit, undoubtedly I will know that that spirit is the spirit of Greg Barnhill. Thanks for letting me share this Edwin... just like yourself, this was hard to write for a number of reasons, one of which is how do you talk about Greg in just one or two paragraphs?

Aris Melissaratos Senior Advisor to the President Enterprise Development at Johns Hopkins University Greg Barnhill was the ultimate civic leader, friend, family man, and human being. His success in business as an investor, entrepreneur, marketer, mentor and advisor provided a great foundation for him to give back to society by being involved in an incredible number of philanthropies. His concern for marketing his City and State made him the ultimate salesman for events like Sailabration, and the Whitbread Round the World Race as well as the Volvo his leadership put Baltimore on the map with these hugely successful events. His strong ideals and beliefs in our democratic society got him involved in supporting candidates at the highest level of national offices. He was always involved in everything, had a ready smile and advice for everyone, had a knack for never saying no, and generally attended everything and kept all of his constituencies happy. An incredible man, a fantastic life, a great contributor he will be greatly missed.

Valerie Sax Friend I too am a good friend of Gregs. He walked by me every morning at Brown Advisory singing a song and whistling. I knew it was Greg from the second he turned the corner. He was carrying that big bag that was filled to the brim with every article and important piece of paper he could find. On a trip home from Wyoming I was trying to board a Southwest flight and getting ready for the cattle call when I looked up to see him and Lisa waiting to board the plane. He said he was flying home on the same flight. He had just gone to Colorado for an investment. I knew my flight home would be safe; it had to be I was on the same plane as the legendary Greg Barnhill. I slept for an hour on the flight but got up to use the restroom to see Greg sitting in his chair with the light on. He had a trash bag full of mail and he was going through it. When he first bought his car I had to ask him several times if he understood the car was fully electric. I said Greg you cant even keep your blackberry charged how do you expect to keep the car charged? My son helped him rearrange and rebuild the garage for the car charger. He came into work one day and threw the keys on my desk and told me to have fun at lunch. I went out and checked out the car but I didnt dare take it for a ride. I sure wish I had now! He drowned about 10 Blackberries always going out on the boat with Ed St. John. I finally took his American Express card and order him a floating case for his Blackberry. I told him Blackberries werent meant to swim. He sent me to his paradise in heaven for 7 days - Nicaragua. He told me I was a single mother who needed a break, a good getaway. He put me up at the hotel and had Antonio bring me down a four-wheeler so I could get around to see the property. I sat and had dinner with Bill Bonner one evening too. He showed me the world through his eyes, he gave me opportunities I never thought I had Greg Barnhill was a very good man. He will be missed by many. I will have a place in my heart for him forever.

Matt Turner Agora Financial Thank you for those comments on Greg. Im a partner in Agora Inc. with Greg, and Ive known him for nearly 20 years. My last call from Greg was about a lumber mill company that we invested in with 4 other Agora partners in Nicaragua. The mill now provides work and income for 30 low-income families and is growing each month. Greg was all smiles when he last saw it. This was just his thing where a few individuals could pull money together and get a business

going from scratch and literally change the world for the individuals involved. He loved it all. And we all loved him. I thank him for all the outstanding memories he provided. He packed more life into a week than many pack into a lifetime.

Norm Goldstein CEO By Kids For Kids Greg was a bigger than life character to me. Gregarious, generous, ambitious, nothing was impossible kind of guy. He loved the finer things in life which was visible by his choice of friends, artifacts and lifestyle. Even his idiosyncrasies were endearing because of how he executed them. His warm and engaging persona was disarming and charming all at the same time... It was his "magicical touch" that made so many people open their hearts to him. Greg could talk with anyone about anything and make them feel he was interested in them. It was always an opportunity to engage with someone to learn about them. From a Cabby to a CEO it didn't matter. His commitment to "giving back" was unparalleled. His spirit will live within me for the rest of my days on this planet.

Maria Cadden Brown Advisory I always asked Greg for the patent rights to make a cartoon of him. The adventures of Greg Barnhill! Just the material I have for the past eight years would be enough to run longer than the Simpsons. Greg often talked about his parents, especially his father. Greg said his father gave him the following advice. Always be honest, kind, and generous, especially if you have more than others. I think Greg certainly lived by those words.

Paul Costantino, CFO of Rancho Santana I would like to share a story about Greg that makes me smile (and my son) from ear to ear to this day! I actually work for Agora Publishing but am the CFO of Rancho Santana... the property in Nicaragua that Greg was involved with. I was always exchanging emails regarding his property at Rancho Santana and I closed one of my emails out by mentioning to Greg about taking my son an Oriole game that weekend... next thing you know he responded back with the

contact information of someone for me to call, it was a "friend". Not knowing what was going on, I called this gentleman and he put me through to Colleen Gellatly and next thing you know I had tickets to the Orioles game 1st row behind home plate and was on the field for pre-game warm ups with my then 8 year old (now 10). My son to this day talks about walking on the field, getting to meet and take pictures with various Orioles that day and taking a tour of Camden Yards. The smile on my son's face that day was priceless and Greg's generosity and willingness to go above and beyond what anyone expected allowed me as a father to be put on a pedestal that day with my son. Even though I only met Greg two or three times in person at the Maryland Club, the emails and calls we exchanged about Rancho Santana allowed me to come into contact with someone who always was thinking of others. He was truly a great man. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time.

Kathleen Cahill Law Offices of Kathleen Cahill I had the honor and pleasure of co-chairing two volunteer ventures with Greg back when we were in our mid-20s. We had an absolute blast, while raising money (for the Kennedy Institute, now Kennedy Krieger Institute) and generating political involvement (heading up Young Professionals for Schaefer) among our peers. And sitting here today I can close my eyes and dip back into that shared exuberance and awe we had for the wide-open playing field ahead of us. Over the years since, we learned of lifes inevitable challenges and unfathomable complications. But never once did I encounter Greg where he did not have that amazing sparkle in his eye causing me to break out in a huge smile and reach for a hug.

John Carbone M.D. One can make a career telling Greg Barnhill stories. That is because my fiend Greg lived an unbelievably varied and busy life. Rather than give a single incident I would like people to remember Greg's whimsical nature and flexibility. He was a man that could comfortably ride cross country in the middle seat of an economy jet then take a ride on the presidents helicopter in Nicaragua to his compound there. He brought the Volvo Ocean Race to Baltimore and went cruising on the racers but I remember his laugh as he paddled his inflatable kayak across Seneca Creek to socialize with friends and family. Greg was comfortable with kings, presidents, and laborers- he could relate to us all. I will miss him.

Greg Conderacci Good Ground Consulting I learned about Greg from citybizlist and it was a terrible shock. Like many of us who worked with him at Alex. Brown, I always considered him a star -- both in the business world and in the community. My favorite story about Greg is the delight he took in his son's invention of a credit card with multiple magnetic stripes. It was a brilliant idea and I think his son's innovation symbolized much of what Greg brought to everyone to everyone who met him: energy, insight, and creativity. Like everybody else, I'll miss him.

Remembrances of Gregory Barnhill By Edwin Warfield, CEO of citybizlist Brown Advisory partner and citybizlist board member and investor, Gregory Barnhill, died Friday, September 14. Ive spent the weekend mourning the devastating loss of my friend, and the loss felt by his family, Baltimore, the angel community, entrepreneurs, Brown Advisory and all of the individuals, companies and institutions he touched. Greg was an angel investor extraordinaire, entrepreneurs co-pilot, legendary investor, allweather friend and business colleague. His love of people was equaled by his love of entrepreneurs and game changing companies. His panoramic investments ranged from publishing companies such as Agora Financial, to biotechnology companies Pure Bioscience and Osiris Therapeutics, to digital media companies such as Bizbrag and citybizlist. My personal history with Greg started in my analog life at The Daily Record when I remember him as friendly, personable and great fun. When Greg joined the board of citybizlist, I grew to have a deep appreciation for his intellect, advice, intuition, perseverance and spirit. He was exactly what every entrepreneur needs and wants: he understood that pivots, pirouettes and business iterations are the DNA of game changing businesses. There are a couple of anecdotes about Greg that I would like to share. Osiris Therapeutics: On May 17th of this year, I was flying to San Francisco and had a layover in Denver. Arriving at the airport, I had two voicemail messages from Greg. Please call me immediately. It is very important. I reached Greg Edwin, Osiris Therapeutics has received regulatory approval for its stem cell therapy! Greg wanted to make sure that citybizlist had the story on our web site. Osiris was founded in 1992; it took 20 years to get this approval. Greg was an early investor in Osiris. What vision, what patience, what thoughtful investing. Osiris PDF - http://www.osiris.com/images/timeline-large.pdf Agora Financial: Gregs investment in Agora Financial is a legend and one that I have told on numerous occasions for one reason - it may be one of the biggest investment returns in

Maryland history. Greg invested in Agora Financial when it was a single newsletter based out of Washington with diminimous revenues. Today, Agora Financial is a sprawling international publishing company, owning most of Mt. Vernon and a sizeable chunk of Nicaragua. When I asked Greg if it was a 1,000X, he did not disagree. For Greg, it is not about the IRR. The Agora Financial investment was a journey built on passion and belief in the vision of Bill Bonner. Greg enjoyed the journey. British Airways: Last September, Greg received an honorary citation from Christian Johansson, Secretary of Business and Economic Development for his role in keeping British Airways transatlantic service out of BWI. I was touched that Greg included me, along with Ed St. John, in this proud moment. Citybizlist: As a digital media company, citybizlist has been pivoting and refining its business model since 2009 when Greg became an angel investor. Greg has been there at critical inflection points. Thank you, Greg, for being an all-weather co-pilot. Neuprene: Three weeks ago, Greg called me to tell me he was moving to a new company Neuprene. I was surprised (it was hard to imagine not having the name Brown associated with Greg), but I was excited for Greg. Neuprene is developing a green technology for the production of a short-chain hydrocarbon, a new solution in biofuels. Next week, I was going to send a videographer to interview him about his new company and job. I never got that chance. Greg - Have fun with the other super angels. I hope youre driving the first Tesla in heaven, my friend. With love, gratitude and thanks for the time we spent. Edwin