Professional Consultants
Overview
Santa Fe College maintains relationships with a number of local professionals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. As a team, these proven professionals are able to address virtually any question or concern that can be raised by an entrepreneur, and each one is personally interested in helping new companies get started and grow.
(listed alphabetically)
Laurence Andrews
Strategic Development
CIED Coordinator
Laurence has over 20 years of experience analyzing problems and providing strategic solutions for clients and co-workers in the public and private sectors. He spent 10 years working as a pension analyst for the New York City Employees' Retirement System. As an independent management consultant, Laurence has advised entrepreneurs and small business owners in the US and the Caribbean.
Laurence has an MBA with a focus on Strategy Development and Entrepreneurship from Babson College and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and Music from Nyack College. He also holds a Certificate of Completion from the University of St. Gallen Switzerland's International Study Program - a 10 week intensive study exchange program focusing on doing business in continental Europe.
Laurence is currently serving as the Program Coordinator for the Bradford County Incubator - a collaborative training program between Santa Fe College's Center for Innovation and Economic Development and CareerSource North Central Florida. The goal of this program is to help local entrepreneurs turn their ideas into income.
Don Davis
Banking Administration
Don Davis has 31 years in banking administration including 11 years as local bank president for Capital City Bank, a regional bank, with prior stops at a local community bank, First National Bank of Alachua and 14 years with Bank of America/Barnett Bank. All stops were focused on commercial lending and all experience is in Alachua County. Don holds a Bachelor in Science in Business Administration with a Major in Finance from UF.
After retiring from Capital City Bank, Don wants to continue to assist small businesses and start up entities assess their ability to borrow. In addition he can offer guidance on how each of the local bank’s business model aligns with your company’s borrowing needs. He will take you through a trial run based on your prospective lender before you apply for a loan.
Eva Del Rio
Human Resources
After a 20 year career as a Human Resources professional, Eva Del Rio founded HR Pro on Demand, a consulting practice that focuses on the human resources needs of small businesses. She is a firm believer that every business will benefit from learning how to use good HR practices to reduce liability and increase employee productivity and morale.
Eva graduated with a Masters degree in Education from the University of Florida. She went on to a successful 20 year career as a Human Resources professional serving in senior management positions for local employers such as Golder Associates, Meridian Behavioral Healthcare and The Gainesville Sun.
Eva is active in community and professional organizations; she is a board member of the Gainesville Area Innovation Network as well as a board member and past president of the North Central Florida Society for Human Resources Management. Eva also writes a weekly newspaper column about the workplace, published in The Gainesville Sun and the Star Banner in Ocala.
Bill Dorman
Marketing, Operations, and Strategic Planning
Bill Dorman assists small businesses with strategic planning, marketing, and project execution. His work helps companies build value by aligning resources to achieve results. Bill′s personal yet professional approach yields benefits that are both immediate and sustainable.
Bill has independent management consulting experience as well as experience serving in the strategic planning division of FMI Corporation in Raleigh, North Carolina. At Raymond James Financial in St. Petersburg, Florida, Bill served as Vice President of Office Services and managed the firm′s national portfolio of real estate. He also served in the Corporate Marketing Department for Raymond James Financial to help develop the firm′s corporate marketing plan.
Bill holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Major in Finance and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resource Management, both from the University of Florida.
Nouvelle L. Gonzalo
Practicing Attorney
Nouvelle L. Gonzalo, Esq. is the member-owner of Gonzalo Law Florida. Ms. Gonzalo has worked in the legal field for over a decade. Her work has been in private practice, the court of appeals, and in-house counsel for a multi-national corporation. She is a practicing attorney who also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Florida Levin College of law.
Her firm, Gonzalo Law, provides services to the Santa Fe incubator in the following practice areas:
- Private and Emerging Business – Entity Set-Up and Structuring
- Intellectual Property – Trademark and Copyright
- Non-Profit Law
- International Corporate Law
Gonzalo Law helps companies anticipate problems, find solutions, and structure their businesses for the future. The firm integrates its legal experience with that of industry experts, specialists in tax, asset protection, and more. Contact them today for a complimentary consultation.
Sven Hanson
Patent and Trademark Attorney
Since 1996, attorney Sven W. Hanson has been serving North Florida and clients nationwide in protecting intellectual properties. As a registered U.S. Patent Attorney, Mr. Hanson handles U.S. patents and trademarks world wide. His clients include many North Florida technology companies as well as individuals in emerging businesses and national and multi-national companies. With a diverse technical background, his patent practice has included subjects ranging among optical devices, medical appliances, electronics devices, consumer pharmaceuticals, industrial equipment, software applications, business methods, and chemical process equipment. As well, Mr. Hanson represents writers and other artists in protecting copyrightable works through registrations, licensing and publication agreements.
He has been a speaker and presenter on intellectual property law for CIED, GAIN, SCORE, SBRN and at UF. He is also on the board of a local non-profit, Conservation Burial, Inc. and is active with Citizens for Strong Schools and is a member of the Emergent Growth Fund II.
Jim Harrison
Creativity, Branding, Communication Strategy, Visual Systems and Design Thinking
Jim Harrison is a Senior Creative Director and Faculty Lecturer at the University of Florida and an award-winning communicator, graphic designer and visual artist. An IDEO certified Leader for Creativity, he currently leads creative strategy at The Agency, an integrated communications firm within the College of Journalism and Communications. From 2010-2016 he was instrumental in guiding strategic creative efforts for the UF brand within the department of University Relations, as well as assisting other units across campus with their strategic branding, communications and design efforts. Across campus Jim regularly supports teams in pursuit of their best work, helping them use the creative process to solve tough problems.
In 2017 Jim was appointed as a Faculty Lecturer in the College of Journalism and Communications, and now in addition to his other duties teaches Forward Thinking, a course he designed on understanding and applying the psychology of creativity to bridge the gap between ideas and strategy. In 2019 with UF's Human Resources Department and College of the Arts, he co-created and launched the Academy of Strategic Creativity, a 6-month professional development curriculum for UF faculty, staff and leaders.
A designer and creative director in Gainesville for over 25 years, Jim founded the design studio MetaVisual, specializing in branding and visual systems. His graphic work, featured in multiple solo gallery exhibitions, has won numerous Gold and Best in Show ADDY awards, and is in the collection of the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. He is a past recipient of a prestigious SAPPI Paper “Ideas That Matter” grant, and the founding Vice-President of AIGA Gainesville — the local chapter of the professional association for design.
Dwight Hulse
CFO/Controller Advisory Services
Dwight L. Hulse, CPA.CITP, CGMA is the Founder and Principal Business Advisor of D.L. Hulse Consulting, LLC, a CFO/Controller Advisory Services company that advises small businesses in the areas of start-up assistance, business planning, cash management, financial analysis, financing, information technology, internal control, management reporting, accounting, and finance function leadership and training. He believes that all entrepreneurs should have access to the same high-quality high-value multinational-company financial expertise and he brings that within the reach of small businesses through his company to put them back in business.
With over 19 years of international experience, Dwight performed business consulting engagements for companies in the U.S. and Central America. He earned his senior management experience as Resident Vice President for Citibank, N.A. and Manager of Business Consulting for Andersen. His professional career also includes past employment with Santa Fe College, University of Florida, Deloitte, and Pannell Kerr Forster.
Dwight graduated with a BBA in Accounting from Harding University, an MBA in Finance from La Universidad Francisco Marroquín, and an MPA in Management Information Systems and Human Resource Management from Kentucky State University. He holds multiple professional certifications including Certified Business Manager, Certified Information Technology Professional and Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Dug Jones
Business Startup Generalist
In his ten years as a business incubator director, Dug has worked with hundreds of start up companies to help them navigate the challenges entrepreneurs face when launching or growing new companies. His background makes him best suited to working with very early stage companies. His strong network reflects his thirty years working within the Gainesville higher education and business communities.
Felicia Lee
Technical and Promotional Writing
Felicia Lee is a professional writer and editor with 20 years of experience. She specializes in helping commercial clients develop and polish crucial documents such as new-business proposals and technical reports, and also provides writing services for print and online promotional materials such as brochures, web copy, video scripts, and newsletters.
Felicia has worked as an in-house editor and writer for three Fortune 500 companies (Rockwell International, Xerox, and Philips). Her past technical and promotional writing has included work for the Space Shuttle program, product test documentation for video games, and projects in the biotechnology, architectural, and hospitality industries. She has taught at major universities including UCLA, USC, and the University of Florida, and is skilled in designing instructional and informational materials accessible to a wide range of audiences.
Felicia holds a B.A. (with honors) and M.A. in English from Stanford, and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from UCLA. She served for three years on the board of directors of the Writers Alliance of Gainesville.
Jim Lilkendey
Executive and Organizational Coach
Jim Lilkendey is the founder and principal of Apogee Coaching, an executive and organizational development coaching practice whose mission is to partner with leaders to bring out the best in themselves, their team and their business. Jim works with executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs to grow their organizations through mindful leadership, intentional culture, strategic thinking, and continuous improvement oriented execution. Apogee’s services include executive and team coaching, strategic planning, organizational and cultural development consulting, and related training and facilitation.
With over 20 years of experience in a multitude of industries, Jim's areas of expertise and specialization include executive leadership, team development and performance, strategic and cultural alignment, change management and innovation. Over his career, Jim has worked with firms ranging from just a few employees to Fortune 50 companies including Prioria Robotics, InfoTech, RaceTrac Petroleum, American Greetings, Lockheed Martin and McKesson.
Maxwell Minch
Intellectual Properties Attorney
Maxwell Minch, a registered patent attorney, focuses his practice on intellectual property and technology law dealing with patent drafting and prosecution, licensing and technology transfer as well as corporate formation and governance, contract drafting and negotiation, and federal contract and grant compliance. Prior to joining GrayRobinson he opened his own law firm and served as a General Legal Consultant for Banyan Biomarkers Inc. and formerly as the in-house General Counsel for Banyan Biomarkers Inc.
During his time there, Mr. Minch established the company's legal and intellectual property department, prepared US and foreign patent applications in the biomedical field, managed the company's patent portfolio, oversaw the company's scientific publications, in addition to negotiating the company's contracts and licenses. Additionally, he helped navigate Department of Defense and National Institute of Health grant compliance and assisted with interpretation of FDA regulations for negotiating clinical trial agreements for the approval of a medical diagnostic.
Estefania Torres
QuickBooks Online, Financial Management
Estefania Torres is a certified pro-advisor that helps small businesses set up or clean up their QuickBooks Online accounts. Her firm, Crown Consulting, gives business owners the financial control that is necessary for start-ups and young businesses. With flexible QuickBooks plans customized for tight budgets, she provides financial management that is affordable and necessary for small businesses.
Estefania first became familiar with QuickBooks Online while she independently trained and set-up QuickBooks accounts for small local businesses in Gainesville, Florida. She then worked under a consulting business for a year, where she attained her certificate and managed a variety of different business accounts from non-profit groups to freelancers to small businesses from a variety of different industries. Once she graduated from the University of Florida, she decided to start her own consulting business specializing in small businesses with tight budgets at the early stages of their growth.
She has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy with experience in microeconomic data research for developing countries. Using her data analysis experience, she also offers QuickBooks Online reporting analysis that helps businesses make sense of their numbers and make strategic financial decisions.
Karl R. Zawoy
Early Stage Business Development and Product Launch
Karl R. Zawoy, the Managing Partner for ScriptShot, LLC, has the unique ability to identify whether an early stage technology has commercial and market potential. Further, he is able to recognize the potential use of a new technology and its application in emerging markets. He helps entrepreneurs and executives find their niche, crystalize opportunities, create a vision, build trust, and develop plans to deliver on schedule.
Karl served as a CTO for TruVitals, an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research, and a Licensing Officer for the University of Florida Office of Technology Licensing where he closed over 150 technology-based licensing deals. He also led new product development teams for two Johnson & Johnson companies and other medical device startup companies and directed product development teams to launch products to diagnose breast cancer, treat coronary artery disease, heal wounds, and improve human vision.
Karl recently mentored the winning team out of 14 competing business teams at the 2nd Annual Startup Quest Competition in Gainesville, Florida. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida and a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Nova Southeastern University. He is an inventor on twelve patents and a Registered Technology Transfer Professional.