UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES - Key Persons
Anne founded Universal Strategies in 1999 as an international business, government relations, trade and specialty environmental consulting company.
Returning to the company in 2021 after a 13 year leadership position with the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration, Anne brings more than 45 years of experience in the global marketplace with senior government and private sector business and trade positions. Anne is a seasoned leader with a reputation as a "go to" problem solver bringing clear thinking to complex situations for large and small business clients. She has a strong background in government relations, international trade, business development, environmental solutions, inward investment, government procurement, waste recovery and manufacturing.
Anne is a global thinker with a substantial network of global contacts in government, business and industry. She has led numerous trade missions worldwide and organized high level business, trade and procurement events including events at the White House and at USA and foreign embassies. At Universal Strategies Limited she leads a team that specializes in business development, government relations and international trade with a particular focus on Australia and AUKUS opportunities.
A well-known leader, innovator and business developer in the global tire and waste tire industry, in 1989 Anne was called on by the UK Government to lead the national solution for the nation's waste tire recovery problem. She successfully developed, financed and operated an $86 million waste tire fueled power station in Wolverhampton, West Midlands UK. To accomplish this, she brought the entire UK tire industry together to support a national program for the environmentally friendly recovery of waste tires. Along with being the initial developer and investor, she attracted a major equity investment of US$25 million and debt financing of US$61 million.
Anne was recognized by tire industry and awarded the Tire Industry Pioneer Award for her innovation and leadership in waste tire recovery. She was the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award winner by the Hartford Business Journal. Her businesses and achievements have been highlighted in articles in international publications including The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The (London)Telegraph and Dunn and Bradstreet Reports. She has been recognized twice by the US Congress for her support of USA businesses and employment of veterans.
Peter Taylor, based in London, UK is a business and tyre industry veteran with experience in new tyre and recycling markets around the world. He is Director of the Imported Tyre Manufacturers' Association (ITMA Europe), Secretary General of the UK Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) and is a prolific writer on industry matters internationally. At TRA Peter has developed and led the association's highly successful 20-year UK Responsible Recyclers Program. The market-based best practice program for scrap tyres is the largest of its kind in Europe. Peter has work with new tyre and tyre recycling companies in the UK, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.
In 2009 he was the honoured with the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen for services to the tyre industry. He is a Freeman of the City of London and of the ancient Guild of Wheelwrights and in 2015 was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Britain's National Tyre Distributors Association.
Tony brings to the team a 45-year career in the aerospace industry including senior positions with Pratt & Whitney and GKN Aerospace working on engines and structures for the SR-71, 747, F-15, F-14, JFS and 777 programs working in the fields of engineering, test, manufacturing, technical publications and workforce and skills development.
Tony specializes in material and component development and bringing innovations to commercialization including cross industry and company collaboration. Tony holds over 30 patents for aerospace components, equipment and processes.
In 1995 Tony was appointed Director of the Dow-UT joint venture facility in Tallassee, AL.. Tony led the Tallassee site for Dow-UT until its acquisition by GKN Aerospace in 1999 at which time he was appointed President and CEO of the site.
Tony has worked with Alabama, Connecticut and Federal elected officials in developing grants with universities and industry leaders thereby advancing the science of composites.
Tony holds a degree from New York University in Aerospace Engineering.
Attorney Wendell Davis, based in Connecticut, has held senior positions in government and private sector law firms. From 2017-2021 Wendell was the New England Regional Administration for the US Small Business Administration managing the activities of six district offices and oversaw SBA's financial, export, disaster relief, government contracting and business development programs. In fiscal Year 2019, the SBA provided 4250 loans supporting more than $1.5 billion dollars through the agency's various loan programs with the assistance of over 200 hundred lenders across the region. Additionally, New England small businesses were awarded a record $4.1 billion in federal contracting dollars and New England entrepreneurs and innovators received over $468 million dollars in grants.
Leading SBA nationally with a focus on Manufacturing, Wendell was named Chair of the SBA's Office of Field Operations Manufacturing/Supply Chain Recovery Task Force for COVID-19 recovery and served on FEMA's Region 1 Economic Recovery Manufacturing Task Force. He instituted cross-agency impact outreach initiatives between multiple Federal agencies including Treasury, Commerce, the US International Development Finance Corporation, and the Federal Reserve to assist manufacturers overcome impacts of COVID-19. Wendell's efforts resulted in numerous regional and national outreach events highlighting the manufacturing industry and he led four White House round tables with the White House Office of Public Liaison focused on the challenges of SMEs and championing manufacturers' efforts and importance in the Nation's economy. In 2018, Wendell negotiated a groundbreaking co-sponsorship agreement between the SBA and a Fortune 50 company focused on strengthening OEM supply chains and improving opportunities for SME's of OEM(s).
Prior to his work with the SBA, Mr. Davis was managing partner at DCB Law Group, LLC where he established the firm's Business Law and Commercial Transactions Practice Group which represented lenders and a diversified client base of small and medium-sized businesses in all aspects of commercial finance transactions. The practice group represented non-traditional lending outlets including regional development authorities, non-profits, community based micro lenders and borrowers seeking federal and state guaranteed loans. Wendell has acted as state and national counsel for Tier 1 wireless and infrastructure clients. Over his distinguished career, his representation has included closing multi-million dollar deals, negotiating Master License Agreements and contracts with Federal and State governments, utility companies, municipalities and private land owners and managing the build out of a state-wide communications network.
Wendell is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and received an undergraduate degree from Central Connecticut State University, where he is a past president of the University's alumni association and was named the Alumni of the Year in 2017.