Cathy Balach has founded, run, and successfully grown two businesses in the retail and e-commerce fields. With both an MBA from the University of North Carolina and a Master of International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management, she has worked throughout North America, Europe, and Australia. Cathy has extensive experience in education as a professor of business and consulting experience with Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Her areas of expertise are marketing and public relations, small business development and strategy, project planning, and accounting/financial systems. In addition to her work in the fields of retail and e-commerce, her career has also included work with specialty food manufacturing and wineries.

Paul Bozzo has a professional background that combines ten years as a senior manager in the retail banking sector with five years as a management consultant working directly with CEOs and entrepreneurs worldwide. As a senior consultant and lead seminar facilitator for E-Myth Worldwide, Paul was instrumental in helping small businesses and major corporations develop strategies to take their companies to the next level. Specific areas of expertise include entrepreneurial strategy, business planning, venture financing, niche marketing and web-based technology. Paul holds a B.S. in Information Systems and MBA from California State University, Fresno.

John DeGaetano is a former bank executive with a strong background in management and leadership. DeGaetano has extensive experience in administration, marketing, sales planning, training, operations, auditing, project management and financial analysis. John most recently served as First Vice President and Regional Manager for a community bank in the bay area where he played a major role in the bank's growth development. During his tenure, he designed and implemented marketing concepts, sales campaigns, training programs, client consulting and business development, operational functions, fraud awareness and security policy. John is a graduate of Ohio University in Athens with a Bachelor of Arts degree and was on the Business Deans Honor List. John advises new and existing business owners in the areas of planning, sales and marketing, legal structure and finance.

Evert Fernandez is a bilingual, English/Spanish, small business consultant. He has an extensive background in sales, marketing, financial planning, training, presentation and customer service. He is experienced in a variety of corporate environments with small, mid and fortune 500 companies. He has exceptional success in community involvement, projects, events and fund raising. In addition, he is a founding member of the Sonoma County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Betsy Fischer has worked in the hospitality industry for thirty years. Her career has included positions in the restaurant, hotel and wine industries, as well as in trade association management, writing, public speaking and teaching. Betsy is also an instructor in the Culinary Arts Program at Santa Rosa Junior College where she teaches dining room management, culinary supervision and leadership, food and beverage operations and food and wine studies. She has also operated Winespeak, a wine education service, for the past seventeen years. Betsy is a past director of the Society of Wine Educators, the Sonoma County Convention and Visitors Bureau and Select Sonoma County. She currently sits on the culinary advisory committees of Piner High School and Casa Grande High School and is past chair of the Food Industry Advisory Forum. She is a frequent public speaker, most recently for the Hospitality Committee of the Sonoma County Workforce Investment Board and for the Tasting Room Strategies Conference, sponsored by Vineyard and Winery Management Magazine.

Harlan Hanson is a Certified Public Accountant with an extensive background in both financial and manufacturing management. Most recently he was the founder and President/CFO of Total Scale Systems, an industrial distribution company with outlets throughout California. Harlan was also President of National Controls Inc., an electronic/mechanical manufacturing company. At Optical Coating Laborites Inc., he was Controller for this high technology manufacturing company during a period of rapid growth. His experience in planning, cost control, taxation, and general business management is a valuable to businesses in need of assistance.

Noah Harris is a multi-lingual (Spanish and Portuguese) professional with a career reflecting over 15 years of operations, training, management, leadership, and consulting experience in a range of industries including: business development, risk management/loss prevention, logistics, education and non-profit. He is a consulting partner of the Krause Management Group, and provides academic market development consultation to EverFile Systems, Inc. Noah holds a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and is completing a M.A. in Organization Management & Development from Fielding Graduate University.

Karin Iwata is a dynamic business coach and trainer with a deep passion for working with entrepreneurs and business owners. With over 20 years of experience as a senior manager, business leader and consultant, she commands a deep knowledge of business development and the challenges and opportunities of small business ownership. Expertise includes small business strategies, leadership development, marketing, and evaluating and enhancing the customer experience. Karin has successfully coached and trained hundreds of small business owners, domestically and internationally, in all industries and sectors, for E-Myth Worldwide. She has been instrumental in helping clients identify a strong vision for their business and helped them to spot the strategic opportunities that ensure success. Karin holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration from the University of Redlands.

Greg Johns is a small business owner with over 10 years of business experience in both the corporate arena and as a small business owner. He holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration degree with a concentration in Finance from Howard University and an MBA from the University of Michigan. His background includes work in corporate finance and budgeting, stock market and investment research, financial analysis and valuation, business strategy analysis on both corporate and business unit level, small business strategy and business development, and general business marketing. While his corporate background is in the Financial Services sector, he also has experience in the hospitality industry as the owner of the Trojan Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast in Sonoma, CA.

Robert Lane is a former Deputy for Small Business with the Defense Logistics Agency where he monitored large prime contractors to ensure that they did business with small, minority, and women owned businesses. Robert retired from the Department of Defense after 33 years of federal service, and immediately accepted a position as a Procurement Specialist with the Bay Area Procurement Assistance Center in Oakland, CA. Robert's experience also includes being a Procurement Specialist with the Commission on Economic Development for the State of Nevada and an Outreach and Marketing Director for Procurement Resource Center, helping small businesses obtain certification as a "Small Disadvantaged Business" under the new regulations by the Small Business Administration. In addition, Robert teaches Small Business Management at various community colleges in the Bay Area.

John Lundin has a diverse and extensive information technology background. As the founder of a small business, he uses office, computing, network and communications technologies to leverage his abilities and promote his information services. John has also taught and researched in management information systems at San Jose State's College of Business. He holds BS and MBA degrees from the University of Denver and a PhD from the University of Texas. Prior to teaching, John worked for well known business software development, computer hardware manufacturing and information systems consulting organizations. In addition to his existing consulting practice, he is a consultant with the SBDC Technology Advisory Program. He assists business clients on ways to fix existing technology problems, on how to navigate the complex information technology environment, and how to use information technologies more effectively in their business.

Cynthia Riggs is a business counselor and specialist in business development. Ms. Riggs assists small businesses examine new business opportunities, develop financial or marketing skills, or evaluate any part of their business. Riggs’ broad background includes an ability to take a vision and make it real. For twenty years, Cynthia owned Making It Big, a manufacturing and mail order catalog company, which she sold in the spring of 2004. The Making It Big story was developed into an academic case study, published in “Crafting and Executing Strategy,” a 2004 university textbook. As a business mentor and a One Page Business Plan consultant, she has helped many people to achieve their business goals.

Steve Schneider has been the Coordinator and consultant of the Sawyer Center since 1995. Steve provides valuable information and assistance on the inventive process and helps individuals and small businesses develop ideas into marketable products. He has extensive experience providing information about patents, trademarks and copyrights. His background includes over 35 years in the consumer electronics field working with such companies as Pioneer, Sanyo and Panasonic as sales representative, distributor, importer, buyer and trade show exhibitor. His broad experience has given him a vast network of resources that he shares with his clients and workshop participants.

Janet Wentworth is a small business consultant who works with business owners to help them achieve business success. As the owner of her own marketing company, Janet works with small businesses in a variety of industries, supporting their print and online marketing needs. More than 20 years experience with local technology companies, such as Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc. and Computer Associates, has given her a strong business, accounting and marketing background, with specific expertise in accounting, branding, product marketing, internet marketing, product introductions and partner relationships. She has a B.S. degree from the University of California, Davis; is a board member of the Sonoma County Web Developers; and is a consultant with the SBDC Technology Advisory Program.

Ken Wooller bought four companies, merged two of them and co-founded three others. CEO of each company he has been in, Ken left his CFO position at a billion dollar revenue firm to embark on his entrepreneurial career. His expertise includes business strategy, venture and bank financing, operations, sales, labor negotiations, business development, financial, turnarounds, mergers and acquisitions. Ken has directed environmental sustainability and green-clean tech since the early eighties. He speaks French, Afrikaans, German and Dutch. He graduated with a degree in economics and business administration, is a Chartered Accountant and a Rhodes scholar nominee.