ADVISORS

The persons listed below have volunteered their time to assist student teams participating in Economic Fuel.

As successful business professionals their time is valuable, so please exhaust our online resources for research with due diligence before utilizing their counsel and talents. Also, prepare yourselves by isolating succinct, crucial and specific questions. By recognizing and honoring their limited availability we hope to preserve their participation for the duration of the competition.

Advice received from the following advisors is not representative of, nor formally endorsed by either Economic Fuel or SN Servicing Corporation. The inclusion of this list is offered exclusively as a convenience to participants. All advisors are volunteers, and are not agents, contractors, representatives or employees of Economic Fuel or SN Servicing Corporation. Any individual(s) who seek to contact advisors must do so independently, and all such contact(s) will constitute an independent relationship between the advisor and the querying party.


ADVISORS: If you would like to add, amend or delete an entry please contact theteam@economicfuel.org

 


Gayle Abramson

    Business Consultant and Coach
    Insight & Strategies
    825-8500

Gayle is a partner at Insight & Strategies. She has been a business consultant, facilitator, trainer and personal coach for over twelve years. Gayle has a B.S. in Economics, Cum Laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Her approach creatively integrates her experience and education in business and psychology. This unique and relevant perspective helps her clients to refocus, prioritize their time and make better choices. She supports her clients to grow personally and professionally to achieve their business and life goals.



Phil Ayers

    Co-Owner/Founder
    Ayers Distributing
    445-2077

Wholesale food distribution- buying food and selling it to grocery stores.



Heather Bonser-Bishop

Heather has extensive experience with nonprofit organizations in the health and human services field and specializes in rural health centers. She ran the North Coast Clinics Network, a regional trade association of nonprofit community health centers serving Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity counties, for seven years and left that position to establish her own consulting practice to assist organizations best provide services to their communities.

Her clients range from associations to physician practices to nonprofits. She has performed systems improvement, fundraising planning, legislative analysis, meeting facilitation, financial scrutiny, public relations and other activities for them. During her time at the helm of the North Coast Clinics Network (NCCN) she grew the annual budget from $75,000 to $750,000 and staff from 1 to 7 people; developed over $4.1M in grant and other revenues. Heather looks forward to sharing her expertise with partnership development, advocacy, grant writing and nonprofit management with other entrepreneurs.



Barbara Browning

As a professional organizer and wholistic productivity trainer, I can help you refine your vision for your business, and break ideas down into actionable next steps. I can also help with planning and time management so that you can stay on track with Economic Fuel.



Lane DeVries

Starting in 1988, Lane went from building greenhouses for Sun Valley to serving as the Greenhouse Manager, the General Manager, and his current position as President, CEO, and part-owner of The Sun Valley Group.

Lane specializes in overall management of an operation, with experience in production, sales, distribution, and all aspects of general business.



Jason Eads

    Attorney / Partner
    Bragg, Perlman, Russ, Stunich, Rudolph & Eads LLP
    jjeads@yahoo.com

Expertise in business law, including real estate and entity formation.



Elizabeth Ennis

BS in Business Administration, grad school at Pepperdine and California Lutheran University. With SBDC: a presenter of Books and Recordkeeping workshop; contract consultant for small business clients for management accounting and system design. Independent management accounting consultant and QuickBooks specialist. A serial small business owner as well as a former corporate employee, I have over 35 years of diversified accounting experience. They include major proposals and budgeting for defense research projects, the Space Shuttle Main Engine, corporate strategic planning, annual financial forecasting and reporting, and asset management of multi-million dollar commercial office buildings and industrial parks. I can assist with development of detailed budgets for your Business Plan, Cash Flow planning, and guide you in researching the financial implications of your Economic Fuel business.



Gregg Foster

    Executive Director
    Redwood Region Economic Development Commission
    gregg@rredc.com

I am executive director of RREDC and the president of the Small Business Development Center. I’ve also worked in local media for radio stations KHUM, KSLG, and KWPT. I have experience in reviewing business plans, funding small business, and advertising.



Deborah Giraud

    Farm and Community/Economic Development
    University of California Cooperative Extension
    ddgiraud@ucdavis.edu
    445-7351

The UC Extension office in Eureka has many resources for anyone with a natural resource or agriculture theme. We are located in the Humboldt County Agriculture Center and can also introduce you to other agencies in the building.

Deborah Giraud is a horticulturist, and has been working in the county for 25 years. She has many contacts and resources. In addition to horticulture topics, she has worked with recycling/composting projects , the dairy goat industry and ag/nature tourism.



Larry Goldberg

Has had past business plan competition experience. Built and sold two companies and currently runs Sequoia Technical Services. Available for IT help as well as business strategy and management. Has had experience in all aspects of business.



Barbara Groom

Barbara is available for any questions regarding the brewing industry, restaurant business, distribution, customer service, manufacturing, marketing, advertising, employment.



Scott Hammond

30 years local marketing, advertising, coaching, and consulting...(keynotes and training).



Russ Harris

19 years of commercial lending experience in Humboldt County. Works with small to medium size clients with lending needs. Commercial Real Estate, opening lines of credit, term equipment financing and guaranteed loans.



Richard A. Hutchison

Richard A. Hutchison is a partner with over 32 years of experience in public accounting. He has built up significant experience in tax compliance and tax-exempt organizations. Richard is a member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants and has served on numerous non-profit organization's boards of directors.



Susan Jansson

HealthSPORT started from an idea and grew into a multimillion-dollar business. I specialize in entrepreneurialism and can offer advice to teams in the service industry.



Dan Johnson



Stacy D. Lane

Stacy D. Lane joined North Coast Schools Insurance Group in 2007 as their Executive Director, after a successful Risk Management & Insurance career in both Sacramento & San Francisco. Most recently she served as Assistant Vice President of the Private Client Group for a top-ten ranked national independent brokerage firm in San Francisco. Prior to moving to the brokerage side of the industry, Stacy was the Manager of Business Development for the AIG Private Client Group, the largest insurance company in the world and the leading risk consulting group for affluent individuals in the United States.

Former clients she has worked with include members of the Forbes 100 and professional athletes, as well as successful entrepreneurs and senior management of both private and public corporations. A Risk Management and Insurance graduate of California State University, Sacramento, she attended University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and is currently completing both her Masters in Business Administration and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriting professional designation. She is a published author in the field of Risk Management and is active in industry seminars and community philanthropic endeavors.



Tim Lorenzo

I have 22 years of business experience starting three different types of corporations each with different needs. I also have started and owned 5 businesses, each one was successful and sold for profit. I developed and hold two patents and one trademark.

Currently I own and develop commercial properties. I previously sat on Arcata Economic Development’s Loan Committee, and on their Board, as well as past President. I also currently work for the City of Arcata as a Redevelopment Specialist II.



Paul Lubitz

Holly Yashi has been in Humboldt County for 24 years creating unique jewelry for the fashion and costume jewelry market. My focus has been piloting this company both in vision and design, developing style, structure, equipment and business practices to propel us ever onward in an expanding market. Current challenges include increasing revenue through international sourcing and new tooling designs. My other challenge is creating a culture of total quality management where everyone takes part in this responsibility.



Patrick McCarthy

17 years banking start-up and early stage venture and non-venture backed high tech and life science companies in Silicon Valley and Seattle. Former Board Member - Northwest Entrepreneur Network. Coached and judged a number of business plan/elevator pitch competitions over the years.



John McClurg

15 years as a CPA consulting with small businesses as well as the president and CEO of Fire & Light for the last six years.



Fred Moore

A CPA by trade, was a driving force behind the creation of Redwood Capital Bank in late 2003/early 2004. Would be helpful in evaluating business plans, financial statements, and budgetary forecasts.



Michael S. Munson

Munson/Bowen Financial Group is a financial services group associated with Wells Fargo Advisors. We work with clients to help them meet their various financial goals including savings, retirement, business planning, etc. I foresee providing student entrepreneurs with guidance in areas including finance and money management. I will coordinate with other brokers in the office for additional involvement or assistance as appropriate to the needs of Economic Fuel.



Sandy Neal

Our business counselors understand the nature of doing business in California, and can provide relevant advice to entrepreneurs - from business start-up to expansion issues. We offer expertise in every aspect of running a small business, including sales and marketing, business plan development, financial analysis, human resource management, and the legalities of forming and running a business.



North Coast Small Business Development Center

North Coast Small Business Resource Center provides high-quality and innovative technical support and education to start-up and existing small business in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. In relationship to Economic Fuel we can provide one-on-one counseling support to help you in developing your business plan, as well as help to create the required financials.



Scott Pesch

Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Partners is a full-service commercial real estate brokerage that provides leasing, sales and business opportunity services. Among all of the real estate offices in Humboldt County, we are one of only two companies in Humboldt County that specializes in only commercial real estate transactions such as retail, office or industrial. If you need any help with space lease rates or building sale prices for your proposed business plan, please feel free to call Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Partners....the commercial experts.



Bryan Plumley

    Investment Counselor
    Edward Jones Investments
    825-6511

Specialize in business finance and investment counseling. Experience on the loan committee for the Arcata Economic Development Corporation, resulting in familiarity with all aspects of the business plan.



Leslie Posvancz

Leslie has been with US Bank for the past six years in their commercial lending division. She is currently working to develop small business relationships within the bank. Leslie has also been active in the Eureka Chamber of Commerce for the past eight years. As a Chamber Ambassador, Leslie is an advocate and promoter for local businesses in the community, volunteering her time at grand openings, ribbon cuttings, and mixers.



Bill Ruff

Currently the President,CEO of Vector Rehabilitation; non profit physical therapy program. Bill also has a consulting business; Resources and Solutions, that provides case management and long term care options for seniors and marketing/business development for health care providers.



Maureen Smithey

PRM is a design and product development firm for the sewn goods industry. We offer our clients a complete package; including apparel marketing development, apparel design and development, sourcing, manufacturing and importing. If you need help with the feasibility of your product design concept or the logistics of how to manufacture your product we can help.

Castle ware is a line of interior soft goods for the home. We design, manufacture and sell table linens and bedding for both adult and baby. Our products are made from clean and sustainable fabrics such as Silk, Hemp and Organic Cotton. We can help with questions about the process of starting a line of your own. How to questions on the costs, research of the market place, sourcing materials, sales, and manufacturing.



Jonathan Speaker

Jonathan has worked in several start up companies, some successful, some not so successful. It is with this real world experience he can offer counsel in successful start up mentalities and advice on how to run lean and become cash flow positive.

In business since 2000, StreamGuys, Inc offers a variety of streaming media solutions and tools enabling superior quality delivery and monetization of digital media. Through devout dedication to improving the customer experience, StreamGuys has enjoyed continued success across all sectors of internet broadcasting. Headquartered in Northern California, they currently serve a base of over 500 clients worldwide, including such companies as Cisco, CIA, NBC Universal, Pfizer, New Balance and broadcasters such as WNYC, KQED and Chicago Public Radio. Visit www.streamguys.com for more information on their products and services.



Tim Storey

    Allstate Insurance
    Contact Mr. Storey in person @ Allstate Insurance

I purchased two Allstate agencies 4 years ago and before that I was the district manager for Allstate for 5 years. I started in the insurance business in 1990 owning my own employee benefit and financial services business. I attended San Jose State University and after school I worked for a Steel company as a sales rep for 13 years.



Nicole Vincent

I love my business and I have enjoyed self-employment for the past 8 years. I just recently launched Humboldt Mobile Massage in September 2009. I would love to help aspiring entrepreneurs reach their dreams.



Troy Vizenor

I supervise an accounting staff serving several agency locations in Northern California and Central Oregon. I am responsible for the cash management, accounting, and financial reporting of the individual business units. I have fourteen years of accounting, finance and small business management experience.



Ross Welch

    Executive Director
    AEDC Small Business Lending Center
    ross@aedc1.org
    822-4616, ext 11

Arcata Economic Development Corporation has been in existence since 1978 and serves a six county area including Humboldt, Del Norte, Mendocino Siskiyou, Trinity and Lake counties. AEDC provides loans and support to entrepreneurial, innovative and community endeavors.

Ross Welch has been Executive Director at AEDC since 2008 and prior to that time he had a 30-year banking career as a loan officer and bank manager including banks in Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino Counties. He has commercial lending experience and has financed projects ranging from the smallest business startup up to motel construction financing.