David Mitroff is a business consultant, marketing expert, keynote speaker and author. He brings to the SBDC his experiences as the founder and chief consultant of Piedmont Avenue Consulting, Inc. He provides business consulting and marketing services to create brand awareness, strengthen customer loyalty and generate new opportunities for new and established companies, restaurants, franchises, law firms, high-growth start-ups, retail specialty stores, professional services firms, individual entrepreneurs and other diverse organizations.

Jocelyn Graf is a serial entrepreneur, educator, and author. As an SBDC advisor, Jocelyn helps clients answer these questions: Will my business idea work? What would my customers really pay for? How do I get started? Where can I access funding and other resources? How do I sort out my finances and do required paperwork? Who do I need on my team? How can I grow my business, and where do I want to end up? She also provides specialty advising for tech startups and for social and professional services businesses. Jocelyn is familiar with healthcare & biotech, clean energy, hardware, cybersecurity, blockchain, and data science. 

Mike DeDonato is a seasoned corporate finance executive and business advisor, with a demonstrated history of working in the manufacturing, health care, consumer goods, construction and aerospace/defense industries. Mike’s functional expertise is in accounting and financial management. He has been relied upon by clients for his competencies in financial management, M&A due diligence and acquisition integration.

Herb Thompson is a process improvement expert who advises on Lean/Six Sigma Enterprise, project management, ERP System Optimization, safety, quality, environmental and energy audits, effective management, corporate structuring, and strategic planning. Herb has multiple years of hands-on experience in a number of industries applying Total Quality Management (TQM) and the Toyota Production System (TPS) style of manufacturing, now often referred to as Lean Manufacturing.

Deborah Deras has a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She has been a business owner since 2002, providing Fortune 100 companies with peak performance corporate training, and is also an international speaker and author. She has served as a marketing consultant to various Small Business Development Centers with her expertise in digital marketing. Her specialties include content creation, social media strategy, YouTube, SEO, Facebook, live streaming, podcasting, Instagram Sales, and how to speak with confidence on camera. She speaks English and Spanish and has been a sought-after professional speaker for over 20 years.

Greg Horos is the owner and co-founder of LOCALI, a deli/market hybrid quick service restaurant concept with a keen focus on healthier versions of conventional convenience fare and has served as the Chief Operations Officer since 2008. Greg’s areas of expertise include budgeting, cost controls, labor, purchasing, vendor relations, supply chain management for startups.  He also is well-versed in lease/financial negotiations, legal strategies, cost-benefit analysis, inventory control systems and risk management planning.

Steve Richardson joined the Long Beach SBDC as an advisor in 2019. He has extensive experience leading both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, as well as acting as a professional turnaround management consultant. At the SBDC, his initial focus was on helping clients with leadership, people management and transformational change. However, it became apparent that his experience as a business owner would benefit many of our clients with other needs. Steve has advised entrepreneurs starting out in retail, personal service, construction, and other sectors. He has also helped SBDC clients with mature businesses become more efficient and profitable.

Karie Armstrong has over 20 years’ experience helping retailers, service providers, restaurants and entrepreneurs successfully launch and grow their businesses in a wide variety of retail environments and markets. Her extensive background stems from shopping center management, marketing and development, as well as retail operations and manufacturing. Since she began working with the SBDC, she has helped thousands of small businesses. Her consulting expertise includes the development of overall strategic business and marketing plans, financial and sales projections, as well as site selection, tenant improvement issues and demystifying lease language.

Mike Huntley has over 30 years of sales and marketing experience in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, oil and gas, and electronics. He has worked with companies throughout the world, including Latin America, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.