Please make your appointments by 7 pm on Thu 06/09/22. We will end registrations then, so our Experts can plan their Friday schedules.

STEPS

1. Review our roster of Experts, below
2. Click on the link below the Expert’s name to schedule an appointment
3. Make individual appointments w/ the experts you need – just ONE – or, up to a maximum of SIX
4. You’ll receive an email & a calendar invitation – w/ a Zoom link for each appointment
5. Fri June 10: at time of each appointment, click on Zoom link to meet w/ your selected Expert

NOTES

1. For most of you, a personal computer will be the best means to access your Expert meetings via Zoom; no need to download software

2. Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”

 

Schedule up to six 30-minute meeting(s) below:

Ryan Steele | Porter Wright
Startup & Emerging Business Law

At Porter Wright, Ryan Steele helps early stage entrepreneurs choose optimal business structures and complete the documentation needed to establish their business foundation, grow and expand, and ultimately exit on their own favorable terms.

Ryan also handles corporate contractual matters to bring mergers, acquisitions, financing, startup operations, and other general business transactions to fruition. Combining business operations knowledge with legal acumen, Ryan efficiently executes complex business contracts so that rapidly growing companies, business owners and early stage entrepreneurs can cost-effectively achieve their growth goals.

Ryan also brings great business savvy to his client relationships. Having managed an office of over 100 people, Ryan can apply his first-hand knowledge of everyday business functions including project management, employee management, and independent contracting, providing practical counsel to fast-growing entities so they can overcome challenges and achieve their business goals.

Great Questions for Ryan:

• Incorporating Your New Business – What forms are possible and the pros/cons of each
• Capital Tables – How to structure company ownership to ensure achieving my long term goals?
• Business Operating Agreements – What are these and when does my business need one?
• Liability – How do I protect myself and my business?
• Written Contracts – When and why should my business use them?
• Regulation & Red Tape – What docs must I file to comply with laws/rules for my industry?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ryan.

Liane Rousseau | Porter Wright
Law – Trademarks & Other Intellectual Property

Liane focuses her practice on all aspects of intellectual property. Her experience across a wide range of industries allows her to provide her clients with comprehensive services that protect their products, services and intellectual assets.

Liane has extensive litigation experience in federal courts and with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She routinely provides advice to clients concerning brand protection, trademark registration, licensing agreements and trademark, trade dress and copyright enforcement and defense.

With a background in privacy and data security, Liane has deep knowledge in litigation, records management and privacy policies. She also understands the operations and governance of intellectual property as it relates to entrepreneurships and startups.

Great Topics for Liane:

• Trademarks, Copyrights, & Patents
• Intellectual Property Rights
• Protection of a Business’s Intellectual Property
• Advertising Law: Can My Competitors Really Say “That”?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Liane.

 

Scott Longnecker | Huntington National Bank
Loans & Banking Services for Startups & Small Businesses

Scott Longnecker has over 20 years of experience in the finance and banking industry. His role as a Business Development Officer Sr has allowed him to develop a deep understanding of his client’s financial situations and to come up with solutions to help business customers like you reach your financial goals. Scott helps clients walk through the steps on how to obtain commercial loans, real estate loans, lines of credit, Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and more.

Great questions for Scott:

• What can I do about kinks in the supply chain?
• What’s going on with the labor market?
• What should I be doing to keep my good people?
• How can I find the right clients and suppliers right now?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Scott.

 

Michael Butler | Footprint Capital
Business Exit Advice & Planning

Michael Butler is Senior Director for Columbus based Footprint Capital. Footprint is a boutique investment banking firm that specializes in advising owners of businesses in the exit process.

Michael formerly worked as a certified public accountant in both the audit and consulting practices, a Chief Financial Officer with a manufacturing and distribution company, a senior officer of a Fortune 100 company and a partner in a venture capital firm. These experiences have given him a broad perspective on various industries. He is also a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CMAA).

Great questions for Michael:

• How should I be preparing to sell my business?
• What are the possible exit options for my business?
• What is the value of having an advisor help me sell my company?
• What are the steps of a sale process and how long does it take?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Michael.

 

Dan Rowell | Book + Street
GAAP Accounting, Cash Flow Forecasting & Financial Modeling

Dan Rowell originally joined Book+Street in January 2021.

Prior to rejoining Book+Street, Dan served as the CAO (Chief Accounting Officer) for one of the largest vertically integrated Cannabis suppliers in Michigan. He established their entire back-office operations for both the wholesale and retail business lines. Including sourcing and hiring of the accounting staff, all processes, budgeting, cash flow forecasting, financial reporting, payroll system, accounting systems (QuickBooks and then Sage Intacct) etc. Additionally, he led due diligence for the acquisition of several retail dispensaries.

Dan spent the bulk of his senior financial executive career as Director Finance and Accounting for Tosoh America, Inc. (Subsidiary of Tosoh Corporation, Nikkei, TYO4042) where he managed a team of finance, accounting, tax, and payroll professionals responsible for the company’s North American finance and accounting operations. He provided guidance and recommendations to senior management in all aspects of the various businesses.

Great questions for Dan:

• What is the most important task to do before the “business” starts?
• Why can’t I just use by bank statement as my financial reports?
• How do I borrow money from a bank?
• How long will my current cash balance last?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Dan.

 

Carolyn Kilbride | Book + Street
Startup HR + Talent

Carolyn began her career in Executive Recruiting in 1997, providing sourcing and executive placement support for diverse industries including Technology and Finance. This experience led her to position as a founding team member of a Retail and Pharmacy e-commerce startup in Columbus. As employee number 8, she was responsible for building and managing HR and Recruitment functions for the organization. This included talent and hiring strategy to quickly scale up operations. She managed the end-to-ed HR function, building compensation and benefits plans, defining and implementing company policies and implementing technology to support Human Resources and Recruitment needs. Within 18 months, the company scaled rapidly, growing from 8 to 150+ employees.

She next leveraged her startup experience by taking on a role with Battelle’s Venture Management Group. In this position she was responsible for driving the human resources and recruitment strategy for multiple commercial spinouts from Battelle’s laboratory system. During her tenure with Battelle, Carolyn led multiple firm-wide initiatives to engineer Recruiting processes, build recruitment capability and position the company for success. She led the selection, design, and implementation of novel digital recruiting platform to catalyze Battelle’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, ensuring that all candidates were properly sourced and screened for opportunities. She worked closely with proposal teams to ensure appropriate Talent Planning and pipeline activity. She authored innumerable talent proposals to define Positions, hiring timelines and delivery expectations. She served as Recruiting Manager for the National Security Division for a number of years before returning to her more entrepreneurial roots.

In 2010, Carolyn launched Kilbride Professional Search to support growing companies with their talent acquisition and management needs. She provided HR Consulting and Recruitment and Hiring services for multiple start-ups and corporations, providing on-demand service solutions.

Great questions for Carolyn:

• Developing a compelling company culture for your employees
• Benefit Plan for startups. What should you offer? What is the right time? How to develop a compelling Employer Value Proposition to attract the right people?
• How to hire the right people for your startup.
• What is the difference between a Contractor (1099) and Employee?
• What should I pay employees? What is current market bearing for Compensation? Cash vs. Incentive vs. Equity?
• Developing HR Documentation and Policy guidelines – When is the right time?
• What is happening in the current Talent Market?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Carolyn.

 

Brad Griffith | Buckeye Interactive
Web Strategy & Engineering

Brad Griffith is President of Buckeye Interactive, the web strategy and engineering agency he started in 2009. Prior to starting Buckeye Interactive, Brad spent several years consulting and developing web applications in-house for a variety of companies including JPMorgan Chase, QUALCOMM, and the Go Big Network. Brad earned his Masters in Business Administration after completing his Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering with honors, both at The Ohio State University.

He has more than 20 years of web development experience and has worked from coast to coast with small and large companies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations and government agencies to build innovative web solutions.

Great questions for Brad:

• What is the best way to get my website started?
• How do I start planning an application for my business?
• How can I improve my site for better SEO?
• What different ways can I start building my company’s brand?
• How can I refresh or redesign my website?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Brad.

 

Satish Albert | E2 Infosystems
Custom Software & App Development

Satish Albert is Founder & CEO of E2 Infosystems. Satish offers a unique combination of experiences: enterprise software development and practical entrepreneurial a, the latter gained while bootstrapping and then selling his own successful SaaS startup. Satish has an advanced degree in computer science and deep experience leading development teams at premier tech companies including: AT&T, Lucent Technologies (Bell Labs), and Docomo Intertouch.

Satish launched E2 Infosystems to help emerging and scaling companies by engineering software solutions that meet their unique needs.

 

 

 

 

E2 Infosystems has developed software and mobile applications serving:

• SaaS startups
• Healthcare & Assisted Living businesses
• Travel, Manufacturing and Enterprise Legacy Systems

Great questions for Satish:

• How do I turn my idea into a software product or application?
• What factors influence the price of software or app development?
• What are the latest trends or best practices in software/nas/content/live/innovatena development?
• How can I make sure my software or app is built to grow as my business grows?
• What’s a realistic timeline & what milestones can I expect when developing my products?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Satish.

 

Jake Epling | Compass Business Group
IT, Network, Telecommunications & Security

Jake has 6 years of experience as an IT security professional for a multi-billion dollar organization in Columbus, Ohio. He’s since focused his efforts at helping small to medium-sized businesses secure their networks and protect their data.

Great questions for Jake:

• How do I know my network is set up correctly?
• How do I ensure my data is secure?
• My Wifi or internet connection is too slow, how can I fix the issue?
• What are some security basics I can cover without hiring someone?
• What are some common IT security gaps in a growing business?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Jake.

 

Susan Fortner | Bowers PR
Public Relations & Marketing

Susan Fortner has 20+ years of experience in public relations and marketing. Her firm Bowers PR manages accounts throughout the country specializing in health care, talent, banking, and packaged and soft goods. In addition the firm is recognized as a broker/partner with QVC, HSN, and Evine shopping networks.

Fortner has won awards and sits on the accreditation board to advance candidates in the Accreditation in Public Relations process. In 2013 Susan received special honors for her work in crisis management.

Great questions for Susan:

• How can I promote my company on a limited budget?
• How do I set Marketing & PR budgets that are sufficient to drive results?
• What simple steps can I take to improve my social media visibility rapidly?
• Which charities, like-minded businesses, and complementary companies should I partner with?
• How do I create and execute events that will differentiate my business in a crowded market?
• How can I get my products featured on shopping channels like QVC and HSN?

Click here schedule 30 minutes with Susan.

 

Manny Larcher | Stopwatch Creative
Growth Marketing & Branding

Manny Larcher is the CEO of Stopwatch Creative, a marketing and operations agency helping hundreds of brands grow around the world. Stopwatch Creative helps its clients develop or improve their ideas and technology while implementing various marketing strategies to achieve goals.

Great questions for Manny:

• How can I maximize the efforts of my team?
• Are my marketing efforts really creating the action I want?
• Am I using the best and current tech stack or strategies for growth?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Manny.

 

Ed Porter | Blue Chip CRO
Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success

Ed Porter began his professional management career in 2001 and has since led teams from 5 to over 1,000 people with responsibilities for sales, customer experience, and marketing functions. Ed has worked for service, software, and distribution companies learning the foundations of delivering a powerful customer experience while driving value and effectiveness in the sales and development channels. He has participated, facilitated and chaired several executive groups centered on sales management, contact center management, and technology innovation. Ed has been a keynote speaker and guest speaker focused on several key sales strategies and customer management programs. He has been an investor and advisor to startups and will continue supporting startups in these capacities.

Ed is passionate about leadership and volunteers throughout several non-profit organizations supporting the advancement of leaders. Ed has helped re-launch the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP) Columbus Chapter in 2015 and has served as the chapter President since, growing the chapter to over 150 attendees. He helped launch the Cincinnati/Dayton chapter in 2019 as well as assists with programming and recruitment for events. Ed has also taken an active role as a mentor for #GirlsClub, an organization focused on the advancement and development of women sales leaders. He has mentored three wonderful women, two of which are now mentors in the program.

Great questions for Ed:

• What does a Chief Revenue Officer do?
• What’s the best technology to use to help accelerate sales?
• What does social selling mean?
• I have a sales problem, what can I do?
• What is customer success? Isn’t it just customer service?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ed.

 

Riley Shelton | Rev1 Ventures
Entrepreneurship, Rev1 Programming

As Entrepreneur Engagement Fellow, Riley is the first touch point, for the more than 700 entrepreneurs who reach out to Rev1 each year. He connects those entrepreneurs quickly with appropriate startup resources available within Rev1 and throughout the broader regional and state startup communities. He manages exploratory meetings between qualified entrepreneurs and the Rev1 team members and supports Rev1 relationships with Rev1 partners who receive entrepreneur referrals from Rev1.

Riley ensures seamless handoffs for entrepreneurs between their early contact with Rev1 and the next steps on their journey, which may be Rev1’s Customer Learning Lab, client engagement planning, or referrals to other support organizations or programs. Riley uses his front-line experience to identify trends and opportunities in deal flow and updates the team weekly.

Before joining Rev1 Ventures, Riley was a due diligence analyst for multiple innovation and venture groups. He conducted market validation and research on prospective portfolio companies. He was also the program manager for the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund. Riley attended The University of Akron, for studies in computer information systems and earned his Associate of Science degree from Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville, OH.

Great questions for Riley:

• Why would I want to work with Rev1?
• What does Rev1 do?
• How does an entrepreneur get started with Rev1?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Riley.

 

Kevin Hammond | Ohio SBDC
Business Management Advice

Kevin Hammond has been a business management consultant for 13 years, mostly focused on small businesses and start-ups. Kevin has been on the SBDC team for almost ten years as a consultant. Prior to consulting, Kevin was in financial services at Chase Manhattan. Kevin has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University and an MBA from Capital University.

The Ohio SBDC is part of America’s SBDC national network comprised of over 1000 Centers across the U.S. including 28 in Ohio. The Ohio SBDC Network provides one-on-one advising, by Certified Business Advisors, at no cost and conduct no or low cost business training.

Great questions for Kevin:

• I have a business idea. What is my next step?
• How do I market my services and products?
• How can I take my business to the next level?
• How and where can I get money for my business?
• How do I keep track of my financial records and assure I’m tax compliant?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Kevin.

Tristan Ruml | Tortuga
B2B Business Development

Tristan has +10 years of B2B & B2C marketing and business development experience in US and European companies across several dozen industries.

He coaches sales teams, develops plays, and implements strategies to help clients build predictable pipelines and valuable networks of strategic partners.

Tristan has helped clients book meetings with executives in companies like JP Morgan, Marriott, and Walgreen’s for industries such as Security, Healthcare, Chemicals, Big Data and more.

Great questions for Tristan:

• What should I change about my assumptions in my outreach message?
• What should I try to crack the code on this vertical/niche/industry?
• This part of my process appears to be broken, what should I re-evaluate?

Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Tristan.

*Please note that if you register and then don’t attend, your time slot will go unfilled, preventing other business owners from getting the expert advice they need. If you register, but later find that you cannot keep your appointment, please email Neil Collins at info@innovatenewalbany.org