Staff for Entrepreneur Outreach

Steve Fortunato - Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, East

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:42:34 GMT

Steve Fortunato graduated from the US Naval Academy; he served as an active duty Naval Aviator for six years and active reserve for fourteen years. During that time, he led flight crews and conducted highly classified worldwide covert anti-submarine missions.

Steve worked as a reliability engineer for eleven years at Procter & Gamble manufacturing, leading implementation for Total Quality systems,Total Productive Maintenance and other Lean Manufacturing systems.

As a small business owner he has developed, owned and operated a multi-unit franchise business; he was recognized as multi-unit operator of the year by the parent company.

Rob Ginn - Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, Northeast

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:12:57 GMT

Rob Ginn, a graduate of West Georgia College with a dual degree in Marketing and Management,attended Virginia Commonwealth University and Harvard Graduate School of Business for postgraduate degrees.

Rob’s work experience includes 25 years with HON Industries with positions from machine operator to company president. His entrepreneurial experience includes owning, operating and selling several companies in such markets as high-end furniture, patio equipment, and motor sports.

Andy Helm - Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, Northwest

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:12:16 GMT

Andy Helm’s entrepreneur experience includes participating in several high-technology start-up companies as well as TV production; products resulting from some of those organizations are in use today by Fortune 500 companies as well as the U.S. Government.

He holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Business Administration, both from the University of Central Florida. His community involvement includes youth league coaching and serving on various committees including a community board of directors and local university committees.

Ed Murphy - Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, Central Region

info@georgiainnovation.org — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 21:05:43 GMT

Ed is a mechanical engineering graduate of Western New England College and holds a Professional Engineer’s license. He also completed MIT’s Sloan School Greater Boston Executive Business Management Program. As an entrepreneur, he served as Chairman of the Board of a “lean” software service provider for five years, and was also president of a small, Georgia based start-up that developed and patented devices for the physical therapy market. Ed worked in the printing market for a Fortune 50 company holding manufacturing, engineering and business management positions including VP and General Manager of Printing Plates. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Flexographic Technical Association and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the Flexographic Technical Association. He has been a consultant to the packaging printing industry and is inventor or co-inventor of several issued and pending patents.

Matt Oxley III, P.E. - Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, Southeast

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:13:55 GMT

Matt Oxley holds a Professional Engineering License in Industrial Engineering, received his Masters of Business Administration in Management from Georgia State University and a Bachelor in AerospaceEngineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a Georgia Tech employee assigned as Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist to the Georgia Rural Economic Development Center (GREDC).

Matt is a serial entrepreneur, having successfully owned/operated a number of businesses includinga corporate wellness company and two manufacturing companies with 300 and 110 employees,respectively. Matt also has an extensive banking and finance background, serving as a bank director at two banks for a total of 21 years.

Bobby Rowe - Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, Southwest

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:13:31 GMT

Prior to becoming an Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, Bobby operated a diversified farming operation consisting of tobacco, cotton, peanuts and cattle. He has served as a research co-operator with the Coastal Plains Experiment Station by providing test plots for various crops and is currently participating in the Ag Water Use and Metering pilot program.

He recently participated in the two-year Phillip Morris Agricultural Leadership Program; this program placed an emphasis on diversification and strategic planning. Rowe attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and received his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Georgia in 1985.

Patrick Wilbanks - Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist, Coastal

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:11:25 GMT

Patrick Wilbanks, the first Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist (EOS), helped build the initial program demonstrating a need for management and technical assistance to entrepreneurs in rural Georgia.Prior to his involvement with EOS, he served as Director of Quality and a member of the Board of Directors for Advanced Metal Components, Inc.

Wilbanks’ entrepreneurial experience includes the start up and operation of several businesses including fabricated sheet metal products, wastewater treatment systems, records management systems, and real estate development; he also is a fifth-generation commercial beekeeper. Wilbanks received his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1992 and is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP).