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Capital Access Team

The Oregon Small Business Development Center Network’s Capital Access Team (CAT) started in 2011 as a business advising “special team” dedicated to working with SBDC clients on getting projects funded. The CAT program has grown into four regional teams which have engaged over 700 small businesses. The resulting impact has been to assist hundreds of businesses projects with over $140M in capital.

The CAT advising team assists business owners statewide via confidential business advising.

There are four CAT regions across the state.

Meet the regional advisors…

OSBDCN CAT REGIONS

REGION ONE

Noah Brockman – Team Lead and Northwest Oregon (Region 1) CAT Advisor

noah-brockmanNoah Brockman leads OSBDCN’s Capital Access Team (CAT), the group that provides strategic business advising to SBDC clients statewide on access to capital, business planning and financial analysis. Noah has worked with the Portland Community College SBDC since 2008.

Over the years he has worked with hundreds of small business owners on business planning and capitalization – helping to secure over $30 million dollars in capital. His professional background includes management consulting, strategic planning, financial analysis, program management, market research and international affairs.

Noah has an MBA from the University of Portland with a focus on Entrepreneurship. He holds certifications in Project Management, Profit Mastery, and is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP). Noah is also the principal consultant at Pointman Consulting, LLC, of Portland.

Send Noah a Note or Submit a New Region 1 Client Inquiry

Supriya Shanbhag – Northwest Oregon (Region 1) CAT Advisor

noah-brockmanSupriya works as a Regional Adviser with Oregon’s SBDC Network’s Capital Access Team. She specializes in helping small business owners with business planning, finance strategy development, life-balanced profit strategies and accessing debt and equity funding. In addition to this role, she also works as the Statewide Cybersecurity Coordinator and Business Adviser with the Mt. Hood SBDC.

She has 15 years of combined experience in software development, business development, access to capital as a CDFI Loan Officer underwriting SBA microloans and training entrepreneurs in achieving profitability and a balanced life using sustainable business models.

Supriya holds a MS in Computer Science from OGI School of Engineering at OHSU and has studied Ayurvedic Health and Wellness. She is the owner and inventor of ProsperUs, a simple cashflow management tool for small businesses. She also consults with people on improving health and wellness through music, Ayurveda and Yogic techniques.

Send Supriya a Note or Submit a New Region 1 Client Inquiry

Carlos Mendoza – Northwest Oregon (Region 1) CAT Advisor

noah-brockmanCarlos has more than 20 years of experience in sales, hospitality, and banking. In the banking industry, he specialized in small business lending and community outreach. His experience with business start-ups, business banking, and digital marketing has allowed him to focus on his passion for helping families reach their life and financial priorities. Carlos is a native Spanish speaker and hopes that his experiences will help those from underrepresented communities to realize their dreams of being in business for themselves.

Carlos graduated from the American School of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Mexico, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University.

Send Carlos a Note or Submit a New Region 1 Client Inquiry

Mike Kelsay – Northwest Oregon (Region 1) CAT Advisor

noah-brockmanMike Kelsay is a Strategic Advisor with the Oregon SBDC Network’s Capital Access Team. He specializes in helping small businesses owners with business planning, finance strategy development, business efficiency improvement and accessing debt and equity funding.

Mike comes from a very entrepreneurial background based in multiple family businesses. His diverse career ranges from Director Level responsibility to Senior Credit Management positions for companies such as Mercedes-Benz Credit Corporation and Doc Martens AirWair USA.

Mike holds an MBA from Marylhurst University as well as a BS from Oregon State University.

Send Mike a Note or Submit a New Region 1 Client Inquiry

Terry Long – Northwest Oregon (Region 1) CAT Advisor

Terry D. Long has been with the SBDC for over three years and leads as the cohort for our Small Business Builders educational series. He also is an instructor in the areas for Understanding Your Financial Statements, Inventory Management I & II, and Building a Budget (capital, operational and sales) to assist the small business owners in strategic planning. He is also a member of the Capital Access Team (CAT). Terry has an MBA from Fairfield University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Linfield College. He is also a graduate of the America’s Community Bankers National School of Banking.

Send Terry a Note or Submit a New Region 1 Client Inquiry

Bruce Melzer – Northwest Oregon (Region 1) CAT Advisor

Bruce Melzer is a Strategic Advisor with Oregon SBDC Network’s Capital Access Team. He specializes in helping small businesses owners with business planning, finance strategy development and accessing debt and equity funding.

His diverse career ranges from work with energy efficiency start-ups and established firms, to radio, newspaper and Web business journalism to managing business development at NPR’s digital media unit.

Bruce holds an MBA and an MS in Journalism, both from Columbia University, as well as a BS from UC Davis. He was also a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economic Journalism at Columbia.

Send Bruce a Note or Submit a New Region 1 Client Inquiry

VACANT POSITION – Willamette Valley (Region 1) CAT Advisor

Send us a Note or Submit an position inquiry

REGION TWO

Eric Lind – Willamette Valley (Region 2) CAT Advisor

Eric is an advisor with Oregon’s SBDC network’s Capital Access Team. He specializes in helping small business owners with business planning, developing financial strategies, and accessing debt and equity funding.

Eric has 40 years of experience in the financial services industry including 20 years as a commercial real estate and business loan officer. He specialized in business acquisition financing, business lending, and investor commercial real estate lending.

He has been active in his communities including past president of Eugene Delta Rotary Club and United Way of Southwestern Oregon. He served three years on the Oregon State Board of Accountancy along with serving seven years on the Loan Committee for Evergreen Business Capital, Seattle, WA. He has a degree in Economics from the University of Oregon.

Send Eric a Note or Submit a New Region 2 Client Inquiry

REGION THREE

Greg Smith – Eastern Oregon (Region 3) CAT Advisor

In addition to his work with the Capital Access Team, Greg is the Director of the Small Business Development Center at Eastern Oregon University. He has 23 years of wide-ranging experience in small business consultation, business recruitment and gap-financing. Greg’s current work focuses primarily on small business assistance, business recruitment, project development, and commercial financing.

Greg is a national leader in gap-finance lending according to national statistics gathered by OSBDCN. On average, he annually participates in the commercial gap-financing and loan packaging of more than $15 million. This is a direct result of the solid relationships that Greg has developed with Eastern Oregon’s leading financiers.

Greg graduated from Eastern Oregon University with a BS degree in Liberal Studies and a master’s in Business Administration. He was named Eastern Oregon University’s 2001 Distinguished Alumnus.

Send Greg a Note or Submit a New Region 3 Client Inquiry

REGION FOUR

Deelia Warner – Southern Oregon (Region 4) CAT Advisor

Deelia has been a member of the SBDC’s Advisory Council since 2006. For the past 25 years, Deelia has been involved in banking in Southern Oregon. Her last position was as the Vice President and Relationship Manager at US Bank – Business Banking in Grants Pass, Oregon. During her banking career, she has specialized in business financing, customer relations, and other aspects of commercial banking, working throughout Josephine, Jackson, Curry and Del Norte counties. Deelia is a strong believer in giving back to her community, and has volunteered for many years with several local agencies, including United Way of Jackson County, Siskiyou Community Health Center, Boys & Girls Club of the Rogue Valley, among others. She is a Past President of the Illinois Valley Rotary Club and as a past participant in the Ford Family Foundation Leadership Program, helped build a new 9-hole Disc Golf Course in the Illinois Valley. Deelia also currently serves on the Rogue Community College Foundation Board.

Deelia and her family live in the beautiful Illinois Valley, where her family settled in the early 1900’s. She likes to keep busy; going on road trips and enjoying the rivers, vineyards and mountains surrounding us.

Send Deelia a Note or Submit a New Region 4 Client Inquiry

REGION FIVE

Belinda Adler – Central Oregon (Region 5) CAT Advisor

Belinda works as a Regional Advisor with the Oregon SBDC Network’s Capital Access Team in Central Oregon. This region includes Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, Klamath, and Lake Counties.

She specializes in finding financing solutions for business owners. Belinda had a long career in banking, providing a myriad of financing for small to medium size businesses.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Oregon. Her work experience includes both private and public accounting, and various banking roles, including credit analyst, underwriter, and commercial lender.

Send Belinda a Note or Submit a New Region 5 Client Inquiry

REGION SIX

Wendy Ludwig – North Coast Oregon (Region 6) CAT Advisor

Wendy Ludwig has been an Oregon Coast Small Business Development Center Advisor since 2018. She has assisted hundreds of businesses with launch steps, financial analysis, and funding for start-up, expansion, and disaster recovery. Wendy is a CPA licensed in Oregon and California and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Linfield College. Prior to her work with the SBDC, Wendy served clients in public accounting and held finance positions in industries including software, financial services, real estate, telecommunications, agriculture, and transportation. Wendy enjoys grappling with complex issues. Her mission is to help business owners focus on the most important details, turning challenging situations into step-by-step action plans. Wendy volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children. She loves to read and spends free time exploring beaches, rivers, and forests.

Send Wendy a Note or Submit a New Region 6 Client Inquiry

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