Our Consultants

• At Division of Building & Construction, lead member of survey crew with the Civil Engineering Section, & Manager of the Contractors Prequalification Office

• NJ Department of Commerce, Small Business Office, Director small, women and minority set-aside and certification program

• Business development and assistance firm specializing in government procurement and construction contracting

• Advocate of NJSBDC as workshop presenter & one-on-one counseling

Michelle Hermelee

• 10 years of experience procuring and negotiating government contracts with both federal and state government agencies and private sector companies

• Experience identifying key business opportunities, acquiring term contracts, completing GSA proposals, ensuring contract compliance, negotiating terms and managing national private sector accounts

• President, BH Sky Associates, specializing in assisting companies with government contracts, including identifying, securing, negotiating, marketing, and managing all aspects of government contracts with both federal and state government agencies

• Over 12 years’ experience in the field

• Training as GSA Certified Schedule Contract Manager

• Conducts seminars and workshops on-site and online to assist companies with government contracts

• Expertise completing government registrations and certifications (CCR, ORCA, SBA programs); identifying new contract opportunities with federal, state and local government; acquiring GSA schedule contracts; market research and analysis; ensuring contract compliance, administration and marketing of GSA schedule contracts

• Member of NJ Chamber of Commerce, National Contract Management Association (NCMA), Coalition for Government Procurement (CGP), Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), NJ Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO) and the Princeton Regional Chamber

• Graduate of Douglas College, BS Degree, New Brunswick, NJ

Liz Illgen

• President, Practical Management Solutions (PMS) works with business owners to help identify and resolve the issues that impact their ability to make more money, lower expenses, and find the time to focus on the big picture

• Runs two successful businesses, worked in management for both small business and fortune 100 companies in a variety of capacities including Strategic Planning, Finance, Accounting, Product Development, Project Management, Operations, Marketing, Sales, IT, and Personnel Development 

• B.A. in Business Administration, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and her M.B.A. from Rutger’s University

• Serves on several boards of directors, acting in the capacity of president, vice president, secretary, or member at large

Sunny Kancherla

• M.B.A., founder and consultant for the NJ Apartment MLS- GardenStateApartments.com; the award-winning internet resource helping thousands of people find NJ apartments every year.

• Consults to startup and growth companies to help them optimize their internet presence and use of resources

• Received the NJ Small Business Success Award

• Featured in NJ Biz Magazine's Entrepreneur 101 for entrepreneurial innovation

• Published in NJ Biz Magazine, The Star Ledger, The Bergen Record, Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Journal, Property Owner's News & Views, Apartment Industry Magazine, and more.

• Feature speaker for US Small Business Administration, Middlesex Regional Chamber of Commerce,  The College of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, Property Owners Association, NJ Real Estate Club, and NJEntrepreneur.com

• Boston College B.S. in General Management (Information Systems and Marketing), Rutgers University General Management (Real Estate and Marketing) MBA.  Mr. Kancherla has served as a Commercial Real Estate Banker with Wachovia Bank, Professional Real Estate Broker, and Property Manager

• Consults on marketing strategy, website building, online advertising & optimization, real estate investment, and management.

Ed Kurocka

• 25 years Fortune 100 human resources management and consulting

• Specializes in Performance Management, Compensation, Business Strategies, Organizational Change, Career Consulting/Transition Services

• M.S., Organizational Dynamics, University of Pennsylvania; B.A., English/Liberal Arts, The College of New Jersey

• Adjunct Professor, The College of New Jersey, School of Business; Assistant Professor, Mercer County Community College; Adjunct, New Jersey Human Resources Development Institute

• Founder and principal of OnSight Advisors, LLC and its companion human resources consulting firm, KUROCKA FRANCES ASSOCIATES

Vicki Lynne Morgan

• Entrepreneur over 30 years

• Life-long sales professional and guerrilla marketer- manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service

• 7 years counselor and workshop presenter for NJSBDC & ASBDC Annual Conference

• Certification in Marketing & Sales sponsored by an ISO 9000 program, instructor for PSS-Professional Selling Skills, and Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. 

• Serves on advisory boards for the Academic Marketing Department and SBDC at Raritan Valley Community College and has written second stage training programs for NJSBDC

• President of Califon Connection LLC, dba Russmor Marketing Group and Animal Brands Marketing, Sales Representation, and Consulting Agency

Cheryl Patnick

• Founded Capella Consultants LLC in 2007, an HR and Management consulting group dedicated to harnessing the potential and maximizing the performance of employees.

• Capella has an industry-leading HR Diagnostic©, which crystallizes insights into over 100 human resources and organizational design practices, enabling Capella to successfully offer unique HR solutions to clients from 1 to 12,000 employees.

• Successfully integrated over 40 bank acquisitions and start-ups, restructuring over 11,000 employees in total, all with zero lawsuits regarding human resources policy and procedure implementation.

• For 20+ years designing agendas that align with organizations' core values, leading to workplace environments that met or exceeded “best place to work” benchmarks and programs that increased customer satisfaction levels from 80% to 95%.

• Designed and implemented flexible benefit plans, managed health care programs, employee stock ownership programs (ESOPs) and a variety of 401k plans.

• Is Board member of the Mercer Chapter of the NJ Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO)

• Serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Financial Training.

• Volunteers her time consultanting for the Small Business Development Council of NJ and is a member of the Mercer and NJ State Chamber of Commerce.

• Has presented “Creating a Successful Consulting Company” for Right Management and “Transforming HR” for the Society of Human Resources Management.

• Received the HR Person of the Year award from the Society of Human Resources Management.

• Earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, summa cum laude, from the University of Richmond.

Ellen Silverman

• Jersey City State College, degree in English Education, taught high school

• Founded ESA in 1981 to provide insights & methods (what to do and
  how to do it) for small businesses and professionals to successfully market
  and grow their enterprises.

• Consultant for NJ SBDC for 15+ years

• Consultant, teacher, speaker on marketing strategies, business start-up, development of a business plan

• Copywriter for print and the web

• Serves on TCNJ/SBDC advisory board

• Elected member & PR chair for the NJ Delegation to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business
  

Al Spiewak

• University of Pennsylvania, B.S., Cornell, M.B.A, Albany Law School of Union University

• President, Montessori Corner at Princeton Meadows, Montessori Country Day, Children's House of the Windsors

• President, The 2100 Building Company

• Adjunct professor, Fordham Graduate School of Business, NYC

Al Stephens

• Kings College, B.S., Accounting

• At Home Tax Pros, LLC, Founder and President of all locations and employees

• Specializing in individual and business tax preparation and planning, business start-up consulting and planning, quickbooks training and bookkeeping services, account system implementation, general business consulting

• Member of National Association of Tax Professionals, National Society of Accounts, American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers

• Teaches classes on small business taxes, understanding financials and record keeping

For more information about the center, e-mail us at info@sbdcnj.com.

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