NORCAL SBDC - Key Persons
Aaron Phelps is the Marketing Director at NorCal SBDC. Aaron and his team communicate the SBDC brand message across multiple channels to a diverse entrepreneurial audience. Aaron is an experienced marketing leader and problem solver with a proven track record of helping organizations increase brand visibility and generate growth.
While marketing is his daily nine-to-five, Aaron also enjoys ocean swimming, playing music, and family time.
Expertise: Creativity Marketing
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Assistant Director, San Mateo SBDC Interim Director
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
- Founder of TopLine
Allan Young is currently founder of TopLine, a technology and business incubator in Richmond Marina Bay near UC Berkeley. Previously, he founded Runway, another technology incubator in the heart of San Francisco. Before that he cofounded a company backed by Y Combinator.
Allan has experience as a venture capitalist as part of a small group of students that launched a venture fund managed by undergraduates. That portfolio yielded 4 IPOs and generated two tier returns for investors. Allan is also currently a venture partner with Piedmont Partners Group Ventures, a late stage private equity firm.
He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, Brigham Young University, and the College of San Mateo.
Expertise: Fundraising Investor Presentation Package Content Pitch Development & Delivery VC & Startup Community Relationships
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Business Advisor / Finance Center
Bart Miller has over 30 years of business lending experience with banks, Certified Development Company, and the SBA. His specialties are in capital acquisition, including financial statement analysis, business plans, projections, and loan packaging.
Expertise: Business Planning Financial Projections
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Ecommerce / Digital Marketing Advisor
- Ecommerce / SEO Advisor
Job Titles:
- Program Assistant
- Program Assistant / Finance Center
Breana Palmer is the Program Assistant at The Finance Center and loves helping to host webinars and help clients to sign up for SBDC services. She has spent the majority of her career in the construction industry, gaining experience in other arenas such as providing stellar customer service to clients and learning about small business finance.
While assisting directors with administrative duties is her primary job function, Breana also enjoys spending time with her family and traveling to new countries.
Expertise: Administration COVID-19 Regulations
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Marketing Advisor
Job Titles:
- Data Systems Manager
- Data Systems Manager / Lead Center
Carrie Lopez is setting a new standard for how to collect, organize, and report SBDC client data. As a former grad student turned data manager, Carrie has developed a unique perspective when it comes to handling and maintaining client data. While Data Systems Manager is her primary job function, Carrie also enjoys meditating and studying insects and spiders.
Expertise: Agreements Data Management
Job Titles:
- Online Marketing / Funding Advisor ( French Speaker )
Job Titles:
- Proprietor of Culinary Business Strategy
- Restaurant Program Advisor
Deagon B. Williams, Proprietor of Culinary Business Strategy, is a chef and food business consultant who uses broad and deep industry knowledge and an unbound intuitive curiosity to her clients with their projects to realize the next level of business opportunity and success. Deagon completed culinary school at La Varenne in Paris followed by an intensive apprenticeship program all while eating her way through the streets of Paris and the European continent. Deagon was part of the first wave of American women to work their way up the kitchen ladder in high-end kitchens. She began honing her management skills and style beyond her culinary education as the Executive Chef at the Heritage House on the Mendocino Coast at the age of 24. She later rounded out her culinary education with a BA in Sociology and an MBA with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Marketing.
She brings 20+ years of experience as an Executive Chef, event planner, business owner, business development specialist, mentor and consultant to Culinary Business Strategy as well as counsel with SBDC clients. Since 2008, Deagon has worked with clients to refine, improve and enhance their internal and external operating systems through flawless execution and strategic growth road maps.
Job Titles:
- Director of Client Services
Debbie Toste comes with over 20 years of local small business experience along with an international business background. She started her SBDC career working as the Business Services Director for the North Coast SBDC, a service center that covers Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as well as the adjacent Tribal Lands in Northern California.
Debbie is a Humboldt State University graduate, having completed her BA in French with a minor in Spanish. She then obtained her Master's degree in French Literature at San Francisco State University. Debbie spent the last several years working in Paris and Singapore where she had her own company. While living abroad, she had the opportunity to do what she loves most: traveling, hiking, and exploring different cultures.
In her free time, Debbie enjoys spending time with her family and being back home in Humboldt County. She has a great love for her community and is ready to help it flourish.
Expertise: Client Relationships Team Management
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor - Specialst
Job Titles:
- Regional Training Coordinator / Lead Center
- Regional Training Coordinator at the NorCal SBDC Lead Center
Eliza Jones is the Regional Training Coordinator at the NorCal SBDC Lead Center. She is a recent graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt with a Bachelor's in Business Administration: Finance & Economics. In her current capacity she assists clients in accessing training resources, schedules regional training webinars and programs, and provides administrative support to the Program Team. While assisting in the facilitation of webinar trainings is her main function, Eliza also enjoys spending time with family and friends and exploring her local environment.
Expertise: Administration Client Relationships Finance
Fernando has more than 25 years of financial industry experience including commercial and corporate lending and credit management at institutions around the world. He has extensive knowledge of commercial financial services, complex loan structuring, and strategic business planning gained from diverse experiences.
Fernando provides comprehensive financial services guidance for a variety of commercial clients.
Expertise: Access to Capital Lending Specialist Loan Packaging
Job Titles:
- Client Intake Specialist
- Client Intake Specialist / Lead Center
A self-described philanthropic philosopher, Gabriel Salazar is a Client Intake Specialist at the NorCal Lead Center who is committed to helping small business owners obtain information and assistance on their path to success.
Gabriel is currently most passionate about researching institutionalized racism and social equity.
Expertise: Client Intake Resource Allocation
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Manufacturing Engineer
Gregory Theyel is a manufacturing engineer with over 20 years of experience helping companies with strategy, product and process design, production planning, and supply chain management. He has assisted over 500 companies as well as started and run his own companies. He has a doctorate from Clark University, has published more than 50 peer-reviewed academic articles, and has taught industrial engineering and management courses.
Gregory was formerly a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom where he was Director for the High Value Production Program. His research is on the innovation and diffusion of manufacturing technology for high value production with particular focus on production location and supply chain traceability.
Expertise: Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Finance
- Business Advisor / Tech Futures Group
Gurdeep is a finance executive with extensive International and U.S. experience ranging from start-up environments to Fortune 500 corporations. Highly experienced in financial and operational management spanning complex global industries, he led the finance integration of a $3.2 Billion acquisition with end-to-end responsibility for transitioning the financials of a start-up to the requirements of a major business and management of the finance & accounting functions across Xros Inc.
He has held several Director of Finance positions with the opportunity to experience one of the largest IPO's in U.S. history. Previous positions include Controller roles for a Research and Development Lab responsible for managing the Strategic planning, budgeting and reporting of R&D expenditures ($200M +).
Expertise: Accounting Budgeting Finance Pricing Policy Strategic Planning Systems Implementation
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Inclusivity Project Advisor
Job Titles:
- Marketing / Storytelling Advisor
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Funding / Planning Advisor
Job Titles:
- Accounting Advisor ( Spanish Speaker )
Job Titles:
- Social Media Advisor ( English / Spanish )
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor - Restaurant Specialist
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Business Planning & Government Contracting Advisor
Job Titles:
- Financial and Grant Analyst
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Sierra Business Council
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor, Retail and Inventory Specialist
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- General Business Advisor ( Spanish Speaker )
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Marketing / Sales Advisor
Job Titles:
- Client Success Specialist
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Regional Trainer, and Business Advisor ( SBDC Inclusivity Project )
Job Titles:
- Business Planning Advisor ( Spanish Speaker )
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor / Finance Center
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Social Media Marketing Advisor
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Business Advisor, Inclusivity Advisor
- General Business Advisor
Job Titles:
- Entrepreneur in Residence
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- HR Advisor
Job Titles:
- Director of Client Services
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Marketing Consultant
- Marketing Advisor
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor - KIVA Specialist
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Center Director
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Business Consultant
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Financial Advisor
- Funding / Angel Investments Advisor
- General Advisor
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Funding / Loan Advisor
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Generalist / Manufacturing Advisor
Job Titles:
- Centralized Intake Manager
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Restaurant Program Advisor
Job Titles:
- Social Media Marketing Advisor
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor
- Inclusivity Project Advisor
Job Titles:
- Business Advisor - Del Norte