Ellis Gordon, Jr. is the founding principal of Gordon/Barash Associates, Inc., a full-service financial advisory group specializing in community economic development, outsource CFO services, financial structuring, capital acquisition, strategic planning and crisis management. He formerly served on the Board of Trustees of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) and he was a co-founder of the Richard Allen Men’s Society (RAMS), an activist group.

Ellis serves on the boards and is treasurer of the following entities – National Association on Mental Illness Urban Los Angeles and The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation. He is a member of the National Black MBA Association, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Ellis was a member of the Loan Committee of Pacific Coast Regional Small Business Development Corporation, a Coro Southern California board member, a Freddie Mac’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council member, a board member of the Home Loan Counseling Center and a member of the Credit Committee of the Los Angeles Community Development Bank.

Ellis holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas. He obtained a master of business administration (MBA) in finance and marketing from the University Of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.

Sahar Andrade, MB BCh is a Diversity, Global Leadership, Personal Transformation  Speaker/ Consultant. She lived, worked and was educated in 7 countries and 3  continents; she speaks 5 languages. She holds a double Bachelor of Medicine and  Surgery, a major in Psychiatry from Cairo University; and successfully completed a  Mastery of HR Studies Certificate Program.  

Sahar is a USC Adjunct Professor for the Multicultural Executive Women Leadership  program. She appeared multiple times on nationally syndicated radio such as 1100 AM  KFNX news radio. She has given speeches at University of Phoenix, UCLA, Cal State Long  Beach, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino, SBA (Small Business  Administration), and the Woodbury University. She has also spoken at many conferences  locally, in Canada and overseas. She has been featured as an SME (Subject Matter  Expert) numerous times in many national magazine articles on topics such as diversity executive and diversity bar.  

Sahar is a business advisor at PCR-SBDC a subsidiary of the Small Business Administration. She served as a board member for NAAAHR, and as a board member for Los Angeles Diversity Council. Currently she is a board member of Leadership Circle of Change.

Her book 49 things about Entrepreneurship is published on Amazon. Her current client list includes government agencies, public utilities, nonprofits, healthcare and educational organizations. Sahar is the founder of Sahar Consulting, LLC and Reinvent Yourself to Greatness.  

Martha Castro has been a business consultant for almost 20 years. She attended Tadeo University in Bogota, Columbia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She went on to start her own travel business. After moving to the United States, she worked for Technology Training Corporation as the Director of Latin American Marketing, while also joining the board of the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Long Beach, California.  

Martha is a business advisor for the Small Business Development Center, providing  bilingual consulting services to minority business owners and entrepreneurs. She also  conducts bilingual training services. 

Harold C. Hart-Nibbrig, a UCLA School of Law graduate, has been a lawyer for over 44 years. He now practices general business and transactional law, representing numerous small and medium-sized private businesses and non-profit corporations. His business law skills were honed by over thirty years as a business and civil litigator handling numerous trials, arbitrations and administrative hearings before various government agencies.

Harold is adept at helping clients with business startup issues, corporate and other entity formation matters, contracts, employment and personnel matters, business loan and equity financing issues, and business management. His clients consider him a part of their team and respect his problem solving abilities

Trevor Shickman is a business advisor for Pacific Coast Regional Small Business  Development Center. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University. He also obtained master’s degree in History, Technology and Society from Georgia Institute of Technology and his master’s in Business Administration from American Jewish University.  

With his great love for sports, Trevor became an assistant coach at Georgia Tech while  obtaining his masters, and then moved on to become an assistant coach at UC Davis and head coach at Santa Monica College. Trevor has been with the Small Business  Development Center Since 2007, working to provide information and advise prospective small business owners regarding strategic business planning, marketing, budging, projections, small business loans and investments.

Aja Beard is a native Angeleno and a UNLV Rebel. She has been in the
Hospitality Industry for 25 years and spent 15 years managing and opening new
restaurants. Her experience ranges from fine dining to quick service and she loves helping
restaurants thrive. She joined the PCR team as the Restaurant and Hospitality Advisor
in April 2019. Her passion for restaurant efficiency and cleanliness can be seen when
she teaches Food Cost 101 and ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification and
training classes.

After graduating from UNLV with her Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration, Aja
spent 14 years climbing the ladder in Las Vegas by working for some of the most
prestigious companies on and off the strip. She assisted with opening the fine-dining restaurant “Sensi” at the Bellagio Resort. She was the Hotel Manager at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino and later the Food Service Director for United Healthcare’s corporate café and catering with Aramark and Compass.

While living in LA she opened “Boca”, a fine-dining restaurant at The Conga Room in LA Live and was the General Manager of The Lab Gastropub, part of USC Hospitality. She most recently assisted owners Kim Prince and Greg Dulan with opening Hotville Chicken in the Crenshaw community. This restaurant has quickly become one of LA’s hottest new eateries serving up authentic Nashville Hot Chicken from a 90-year-old recipe.

Aja is excited to help PCR clients create the proper foundation for long term success
in the unforgiving restaurant industry. Delicious food and excellent customer service
are not the only winning ingredients for great restaurants; profitability and cleanliness
are the silent partners that keep them in business!

Celeste Young-Ramos, PHR-Ca, has a lifetime of restaurant leadership experience through restaurant ownership and large scale multi-unit restaurant  operations, human resources, training, and franchise consulting at a top 30 restaurant chain.  

She has been responsible for the operations of 50 domestic and international  restaurants with annual sales of $90,000,000. In 2017, she founded Restaurant Success Center to help independent restaurant operator have the same resources and  knowledge base that the large franchise restaurants enjoy. Celeste is Professional Human Resources-Ca certified and is an expert in harassment  prevention and food safety. 

Jorge Chavarin is a retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran, leveraging 24+ years of proven experience in organizational leadership, operations, training, and human resources. He is adept at leading teams of 25 within a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Jorge oversaw 9 departments with budgets, equipment, and assets valued at $200+M, while providing strong leadership, expertise in strategic planning, project management and budget oversight. Jorge holds a Doctor of Education, MBA, bachelor’s degree,
and pending PMP certification. He is bilingual in English/Spanish and earned the 2nd highest enlisted rank (E-8), achieved by only 2% of enlisted personnel.

Patricia V. Click began her career at Southern California Edison 41 years ago as a file clerk in the Phone Center. She advanced to a Principal Manager in the Accounts Payable department, becoming the first African American senior manager in the Controllers organization. Pat recently retired from SCE and has launched her own business, Ventress Click Ventures LLC (VCV). In addition to her outstanding reputation as a valued Edison employee, Pat is well known for her mentorship, community service involvement, and partnerships with many associations. 

Pat currently works with small businesses to help them achieve their dreams. Her  coaching style is inclusive, engaging with each client and meeting them where they are in life without judgement or criticism, just support. 

Pat’s affiliations exemplify her emphasis on education and personal development, service and diversity, and providing a positive environment for children. So it is quite fitting that Pat steers her life according to Martin Luther King’s words, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.” 

Michael Williams is a Licensed Career Technical Education Instructor and was the Chief Instructor for Peerless Institute for more than 18 years, where he helped create construction and engineering companies by helping them with their State of California Contractors Licenses. He has dedicated his professional life to serving and helping people achieve their goals in life and business. Michael had an extensive career in retail management and has worked in the financial services market helping people with retirement planning, insurance, and estate planning.  

Aside from his work in financial services, Michael is President and founder of Contractors License Network, which he founded in 1991. He also founded Solomon’s Temple Design and Development with his twin brother Mitch to assist single mothers with finding, building and adding value to their homes. He is a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, where he helps build homes for the disadvantaged in his community.

Michael Manahan is a CPA (Canada), MBA, CFO, strategist, entrepreneur, change manager and financial leader who can drive profits and revenue growth. Michael helps develop and implement strategy and positive change, ensure the accuracy  and integrity of financial records, safeguard corporate assets, and support the efforts of  the enterprise through accurate and timely reporting and financial analysis. 

Michael  has raised $150 million in capital, structured and completed 40 acquisitions, worked with 100 management teams, and led major change initiatives and restructurings. In addition, he has authored numerous business plans, led strategic planning initiatives, orchestrated reverse mergers, and created hundreds of millions in market value. Michael enjoys educating the CEOs of the future (today’s college students), and is the host of radio show Biz Rap Radio. He is the author of Secrets to Raising Capital.

Len Tanguay served as Vice President/Commercial Loan Officer for Pacific Western Bank, managing a $90 million loan portfolio at the bank’s Irwindale Office, from November 2013 until his retirement in 2017. Prior to this, he was responsible for sourcing and qualifying prospective clients for the bank’s asset-based lending division. He served as liaison between the California units and the division, promoting an internal understanding of how to serve emerging companies below $5 million in annual sales. Over the prior 18 years, Len established and managed specialized factoring lending units at three different banks.  

Len’s combined units purchased over $400 million in small company accounts receivable,  providing much needed funding for his rapidly-growing clients. Many of these clients  were able to grow their sales 25% to 50% annually with Len’s guidance. Len entered the banking industry in 1979, graduating from Bank of America’s Management Training  program, and held both underwriting and unit management positions at many banking  institutions including Bank of America, Sumitomo Bank, Bank of Southern California,  Eldorado Bank, Bank of Whittier, Peoples Bank and Gateway Business Bank.  

Len holds a BS degree in Management from California State University, Long Beach,  where he resides and enjoys many interests including technology, backpacking,  motorcycling, amateur radio, and independent study of philosophy and theology.

Keith Rogers has worked closely with small businesses in Pasadena and surrounding San Gabriel Valley cities since 1995. As former Executive Director of Pasadena Development Corporation (PDC), he was the administrator for PDC’s lending programs and technical assistance services. The City of Pasadena provided CDBG resources for a viable “high risk” micro-lending program to startups and existing businesses looking for capital infusion.  

Keith established partnerships with major banking and financial institutions, raised  millions for lending programs, and provided economic development solutions for over  1200 businesses in the Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley cities. His team led business and marketing plan assistance, credit counseling and business matchmaking services.  Programs were developed to educate business owners on access to capital, economic  updates and business growth strategies over the years. Hundreds of entrepreneurs participated and received over $2 million in funding.

Formerly, Keith was a Senior Business Development Officer with Valley Economic Development Corporation, one of California’s largest non-profit small business lenders. Keith is a senior consultant within the SBDC network and owner of KAR Enterprises, an independent consulting firm for businesses denied capital from banks.

Keith is a graduate of University of Phoenix with a BS in Business Management and has licenses/certifications in lending, insurance and emergency management mitigation.

Karen Blackwell is an experienced Supplier Diversity Executive with a demonstrated history as a thought leader in supplier engagement. She is skilled in business planning, operations management, coaching, sales, and supplier and customer relationship management. She is a strong purchasing professional with a Master of Regional Planning degree focused on Social Policy Planning and Economic Development from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Karen also has certificates from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and CORO.  Her excellent communications and interpersonal skills allows her to cultivate a business strategy and rapport with key stakeholders for development of innovative procurement tools and programs to enhance efficiencies and reduce costs.  

Karen is a hands-on team leader who leads by example with demonstrated success in managing highly effective, cohesive teams, and motivating them to peak performance. Her expertise and background in the public sector provides an opportunity to assist companies required to develop and report Supplier Diversity Programs. 

Joseph Duncan is a business consultant for the Pacific Coast Regional Small Business Development Center. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of La Verne. He has almost 20 years of banking and financial experience.  

Joseph’s expertise is in providing solution-based services to small and medium-sized businesses, and applying time-proven methods to assess requirements for improving the operations and financial position of businesses. He works with both start-ups seeking capital and established companies looking to increase sales and profitability.

Jack Ochoa has been a business and community leader dedicated to supplier diversity and inclusion for more than 25 years. Jack has held various positions with top-tier Corporate and Small Business Associations, Minority Business Groups and Education Outreach organizations across Southern California. He remains focused on and dedicated to supplier diversity and inclusion, as well as actively participating in procurement outreach to help drive the local small business sector and multicultural and minority community and economy. 

Jack has been instrumental in designing and writing new Small Business Enterprise & Veteran Owned Small Business procurement policies that continue to be utilized today  to support “leveling the playing field” for small businesses and the continuous growth of the economy.

Georgette Huckaby is a business consultant for the Pacific Coast Regional Small Business  Development Center. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration,  Accounting from California State University, Dominguez Hills. She has 20+ years of financial experience, working as a senior accountant, finance manager, and finance director.  

Georgette is an experienced finance leader who helps build, transform and enhance finance teams in the areas of analysis and reporting, forecasting, accounting, budgeting, process improvement, project management and strategic planning.

Gary L. Polk, Sr. is an adjunct professor of Business Management, Ethics and  Entrepreneurship at CSUDH (CA State University, Dominguez Hills) in Carson, CA. He  began teaching at CSU, Northridge in 1991, and by 1993 found that teaching was his true passion. Currently, Gary serves as an independent business advisor with Pacific Coast Regional (PCR)/SBDC. Gary is very well known in the entrepreneur eco-system encompassing L.A. County. Gary has also served as Executive Director of two business incubators. The first was with the South Bay Entrepreneurial Center (SBEC), where he led the SBEC from red to black ink in a great turnaround effort.  

Gary was the founder and first Executive Director of the Innovation Incubator at CSUDH. After three great years, in 2019 he returned to teaching full time. Gary has served as a CEO coach as founder of Polk Consulting. A former banker, district financial services sales manager, and women’s college basketball coach/recruiting coordinator, Gary has 40 years of practitioner experience to go along with his education background. Gary is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, with a BA Marketing/Finance (C’78) and CSUDH, MS in Administration (C’83). His academic areas of research include strategic management, ethics, and entrepreneurship.