Mike is the Regional Director of the Orange County and Inland Empire Small Business Development Center Network, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs and current business owners throughout Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Before this role he was the director of an SBDC office in Long Beach for 5 years.
He has been and is a business owner and entrepreneur himself. He started with a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store in LA, and then opened a second location in Long Beach, eventually employing 20 people including managers at both locations. He eventually sold the LA store and took minority position in several other locations. He has the retail bug, though, as he has another store in Long Beach now called Sugar Daddies Sweet Shoppe. We had a good discussion about starting as a franchisee and then developing his own brand.
Mike is an entrepreneur, working with other entrepreneurs, and managing a critical support system that our government provides to small businesses here. He sees so much activity that I was excited to hear his important perspective and input. I learned a lot about trends in small businesses in Orange County.
Security Culture In & Beyond Your Bank - David Shipley, Co-founder & CEO of Beauceron Security
Data-Driven Banking Strategies & Competitive Edge - Brian Bauer, CEO of Revio
Knowing Your Partners: Fintech & Banks - Adam Shapiro, Partner & Co-founder of Klaros Group
Better Risk Management For Community Banks - Michael Berman, Founder & CEO of NContracts
Growing the Pie Bigger in Venture Capital - Winter Mead, Founder & CEO at Coolwater
Better Together: Illinois Community Banks Collaborate - Mike Kelley (CBSC) & Kraig Lounsberry (CBAI)
A New Day For Bank Cores, Embracing Collaboration - Tara Schultz, SVP Strategy at CSI
Emerging as a VC Manager from a Community - Amber Illig, General Partner at The Council
Keys to Community Bank Tech Innovation - Sean Willett, CAO of Five Star Bank
Next Generation Family Banking - Kristin Marcuccilli, President of STAR Financial Group
Wholesale Finance Innovation for Banks - John Mizzi, Founder & CEO of Vero Technologies
Challenging How Early Startups Build - Zac Lyons, Managing Partner at Agile Innovation Advisors
Community Banks Will Still Thrive - Brad Bolton, CEO of Community Spirit Bank, and Immediate Past Chairman of ICBA
New Approaches to Talent & Culture in Banks - Samantha Berg, CHRO of Choice Bank
Future Leadership, Strategy & Growth in Community Banking - Heath Fountain, CEO of Colony Bank
Staying Ahead of the Tech Curve in Community Banking - Greg Ohlendorf, President & CEO of First Community Bank
Cyber Governance & Risk Management Success - Zach Duke, Founder & CEO of Finosec
Driving Change in Trucking Insurance - Ian White, Co-founder & CEO of Koffie Financial
Making Waves: A Founder’s Journey - Jacob Ruytenbeek, Founder & CEO of SailPlan
When Passion Meets a Market Need - Nicky Senyard, Co-founder & CEO of Fintel Connect
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