Meet 1-on-1 With the Experts You Need
100% VIRTUAL Format
Innovate New Albany created Expert 😎 Office Hours to make it easy for business owners & aspiring entrepreneurs to get the answers they need.
Please set all your appointments by 1 pm, Wednesday 7/16/25.
We will end registrations at 1 pm, so our Experts can plan their Thursday schedules.
STEPS
1. Review our roster of Experts, below.
2. To schedule an appointment with a specific Expert, click the link below his/her name.
3. Make individual appointments w/ the Experts you need – just ONE – or, up to a max of FIVE.
4. For each appointment, you’ll receive an email & a calendar invitation – w/ a built-in Zoom link.
5. On Thursday July 17th: At the time of each appointment, click on your Zoom link to meet w/ your selected Expert
Questions? Email Neil Collins at “neil@InnovateNewAlbany.org”
Schedule up to FIVE 30-minute meeting(s) below:
Bryan Ellrod | Huntington Bank
Business Lending and Fraud Mitigation Solutions
Great Questions for Bryan:
- When should my business start thinking about securing a business loan?
- What financial documents will I need when submitting a loan application?
- SBA Loan versus Conventional Loan – which is a better fit for my business?
- Should I buy or lease a building for my business?
- What can a Business Relationship Manager do for me and my company?
- What steps should I be taking to protect my financial accounts from fraud?
Bryan Ellrod has been in the financial industry for 20 years. During that time, he has held multiple roles in finance and he can assist with any banking solution that arises. His top priority is to provide white glove service and fully support his clients.
At Huntington Bank, Bryan has experience working with a wide range of business types including start-ups, manufacturers, non-profits, professional services, and healthcare. When you are Bryan’s client, you have full access to his team of industry experts that can work with you on the business, personal and planning phases of your life. Bryan’s primary goal is to fulfill your financial needs and provide guidance and education along the way.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Bryan.
Brett Rosenstein | Build Accounting
Accounting and Taxes for Startups
Great questions for Brett:
- What is the best entity structure for my business?
- What are the tax compliance requirements that I should be aware of?
- What are the bare minimum OR best practice accounting and tax requirements I should be taking to ensure I stay out of trouble with the IRS.
- How can I ensure I am picking up all available deductions for my business?
- What else should I know about that I may not be thinking about when it comes to the accounting and taxes for my business?
With 15 years of experience in the accounting industry, Brett Rosebstein is a highly skilled Certified Public Accountant dedicated to helping tech startups and SaaS businesses navigate the complexities of accounting and taxes.
Brett previously worked for Plante and Moran, a large public accounting firm in downtown Columbus. Having the entrepreneur “bug”, Brett started Build Accounting in 2019. Over the years, Build Accounting has grown to a team of five and today provides tax filing, accounting, and advisory services for tech startups and SaaS business. Build Accounting’s mission is to make the accounting and tax process as easy, simple, and headache-free for founders as possible. Build uses cloud-based accounting systems and current technologies to help founders understand their numbers and make informed decisions that will benefit their company.
During the day, Brett can be found working from the Innovate New Albany offices. In his free time Brett enjoys running, spending time with his wife and daughter, and trying new pizza places around Columbus. Between 2011 and 2013, he tried 100+ pizza places in the Columbus area.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Brett.
Jen Meek | Book + Street
HR & Talent Solutions
Great Questions for Jen:
- How do you build and sustain a conscious culture?
- What are strategies that you can deploy to attract, recruit and retain top talent?
- What are the keys to leading executive team communication?
- How can you effectively and efficiently hold your team accountable?
- What are the most effective ways to articulate Mission, Vision and Values for your company?
Jennifer Meek is a result-driven executive, guiding leaders in laying the foundational work of their talent strategy. Going beyond the everyday Human Resources issues, she aligns people strategy with the overall goals and objectives of an organization. This intentional and authentic approach leads to identifying areas where an organization can continue to develop and thrive.
Her vast experience in the talent solutions arena also makes her a sought out subject matter expert. She is knowledgeable in C Suite issues that impact workplace culture, team dynamics, and internal communications strategies. A dedicated and passionate leader, Jennifer can provide personalized service, create meaningful and lasting relationships, and achieve profitable results.
Prior to Book+Street, Jen has 25 years of senior leadership experience, she served as Vice President of HR for a multibillion-dollar private equity-owned company in the oil and gas industry, with 1500 employees in 22 countries. Additionally, Jen was the President, CEO, and member of the Board of Directors of an HR consulting organization for 12 years.
Jen’s undergraduate degree is in Marketing from Bowling Green State University, and her Master’s in Business Administration is from Miami University of Ohio. She has served on many boards over the years and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors for Modern Ice Equipment and Supply.
Click here schedule 30 minutes with Jen.
Satish Albert | E2 Infosystems
Custom Software & App Development
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?
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
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Satish.
Ron Savoia | Stratus Innovations Group, LLC
IT Consulting, Azure PaaS Application Development
Great Questions for Ron:
- What is the best way to get your first IT services customer?
- Why do customers utilize IT contractors vs using FTEs?
- Is it possible to have an IT contracting side-job while having a full-time job?
- What is the difference between Azure and AWS from a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) applications, and why would you use one over the other?
- How do you differentiate the IT services you provide vs the many other providers in the market?
- How do you scale/grow a sole proprietor IT Services organization?
Ron Savoia has over 30 years of experience in IT consulting, starting with his first engagement with CompuServe in 1993 to help with their migration to WindowsNT and SQL Server for their new Email platform. He used this experience to join Microsoft’s new Enterprise Consulting Team, Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), where he worked Nationwide, Limited and JPMC (BankOne at the time), and eventually running MCS’ Central Region Financial Services practice. He spent the last 3 years in MCS incubating the professional services needed to deploy the Microsoft offering that eventually became Office 365 and Azure.
Ron continued the focus on Cloud Services when he founded Stratus Innovations Group in 2010, working with local and global organizations to help develop their Cloud strategies, including Nationwide Childrens Hospital and Cardinal Health. Stratus Innovations Group now has a global reach of reach of working with Enterprise and Mid-Market companies in deploying Cloud Services for their IT infrastructure and line-of-business applications, including Ceridian, MKS/Spectra-Physics, Hexagon, PowerGrid Services, OrthopedicONE, BroadStreet Partners, and The Energy Cooperative.
Stratus Innovations Group’s vision is to become a software platform startup, where they recently released IT-Gig.com, which is a platform specifically for IT Service Providers.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Ron.
Andrea O’Carroll | Rev1 Ventures
Resources for High Growth Startups
Great Questions for Andrea:
- How can an entrepreneur get started with Rev1?
- Can you tell me about Rev1’s Bootcamp and Accelerator programs for entrepreneurs?
- What other types of support/resources do Rev1 offer to entrepreneurs?
- Can Rev1 help me get funding for my startup?
- What advice do you have on selling into or engaging with large companies/corporations?
With more than 30 years of business and leadership experience, Andrea O’Carroll has supported a wide variety of Fortune 500 clients and industries throughout her career. As Managing Director, Venture Platform at Rev1 Ventures, she leads a comprehensive range of services that guide early-stage startups through every phase of their lifecycle.
With an extensive background in strategic operations and customer experience, as well as her entrepreneurial spirit, Andrea fosters strong relationships and offers solutions to a wide range of stakeholders from corporate executives to startup founders.
Before joining Rev1, Andrea spent nearly 7 years at CoverMyMeds, gaining real-time experience with a high-growth, tech-enabled startup.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Andrea.
Kevin Hammond | Ohio SBDC
Business Management Advice
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?
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.
Click here to schedule 30 minutes with Kevin
