Santa Barbara SBDC Expands Roster of Advisors

    CAMARILLO, CA, March 13, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Three Santa Barbara-area business advisors have joined the Small Business Development Center of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to provide free one-on-one consulting to help strengthen the bottom lines of area companies. The advisors will be part of the Santa Barbara SBDC, located at Santa Barbara City College, Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.

The SBDC is a program of the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County.

The new advisors include Megan Cullen, international trade; Armando A. Sahagun, entrepreneurship; Marcella Shelby, Ph.D., nonprofit management and economic development.

"With their business acumen and expertise in their individual fields, Megan, Armando and Marcella deepen our capacity for helping area businesses," said Ray Bowman, director of the SBDC of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. "Though they're located in Santa Barbara County, they will be able to provide assistance to companies in Ventura County as well."

Cullen has nearly 40 years of experience in international trade and is a Certified Global Business Professional. In 2010, she was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the District Export Council of Southern California and re-appointed in 2013. She is the international sales/marketing manager at Soilmoisture Equipment Corp. in Goleta, handling a large international dealer network selling to universities, research institutions and governmental agencies.

Sahagun is an entrepreneur with over 15 years of business experience with an emphasis in technology and international business. He has started and operated multiple small businesses, including a telecommunications construction company in Central America that reached sales of $50 million per year. Sahagun owns and operates CIMA Advisory Group, a small business and finance consulting firm; CIMA Realty Group, a real estate sales and management company; and DC Funding, a retail mortgage lender.

Shelby is the co-owner of Shelby Solutions, a consulting firm for community and economic development, financial analysis, program evaluation and engineering design. As a nonprofit professional, she has worked at the local, regional, state and national levels with nonprofit organizations, small businesses and large corporations, as well as elected officials nationwide. Shelby served as the technical assistance provider for the New Mexico Community Development Loan Fund.

The SBDC is funded by the SBA and provides professional business assistance at no cost to businesses. Participating businesses are required to follow a well-defined scope of work and report their economic successes. These SBA milestones are defined as job creation, increase in sales, capital investment, jobs retained and business started. To learn more about SBDC's advisors and services in Santa Barbara County, visit http://www.sbcountysbdc.org or contact the office at [email protected] or 805-892-3643.

EDC-VC is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as a business-to-government liaison to assist businesses in Ventura County by offering programs that enhance the economic vitality of the region. For more information about the Small Business Development Center, loan programs, manufacturing outreach and international trade program, or other services available to small businesses through EDC-VC, contact Bruce Stenslie at 805-384-1800 ext. 24 or [email protected]. Or visit http://www.edc-vc.com.

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