Advisory Board Council Success Stories - Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida

Hotspray Industrial Coatings

Achieving long-term success as a small business is never simple. The challenges are constant: finding and retaining customers, building a strong team, establishing efficient processes, and consistently turning a profit. After more than 30 successful years in business, Lyle Cummings—president and founder of Hotspray Industrial Coatings—knew his company had met those challenges well. He also believed there was still room to strengthen Hotspray’s position as an industry leader in polyurea coatings, secondary containment, industrial floor coatings, and sandblasting services. To take the next step, he turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its award‑winning Advisory Board Council program.

With locations in Orlando and Mims, Florida, Hotspray Industrial Coatings specializes in high‑performance industrial coatings engineered to withstand harsh conditions and deliver long‑lasting protection. Its technicians are highly trained in applying specialized coatings—expertise that sets the company apart from traditional painting services. “The key to our success has been being able to deliver high‑performance coating jobs, from floors all the way up to heavy industrial, high‑up areas, especially for the Space Center and the theme parks, but also across many other industries and for many municipalities,” describes Cummings. “We’re talented in a variety of different coating solutions with a crew of roughly 60 trained technicians who pride themselves in the quality of their work.”

Despite the company’s strong track record, Cummings sensed untapped potential. “You reach a point in your career running a business that you have to do something different or you’re going to get the same result,” he explained. While Hotspray’s results were good, he believed they could be even better. “We needed some assistance. We were able to have a board of advisors provided to us from the FSBDC. They put together experts at the table with us that really helped us get going and really grow.”

The FSBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council is a high‑impact business support service that matches established Orange County companies with a customized board of volunteer advisors. These professionals bring expertise in areas such as strategy, finance, marketing, operations, and HR—providing insight, accountability, and guidance at no cost to the business. For Hotspray, the fit was immediate. “We had folks on the Board who were good at marketing, finance, HR, business development,” Cummings recalls. “At each meeting, we would bring up issues that we had with our business, they would share their expertise and knowledge and hold us accountable to solve those problems by the time of our next meeting. We were able to talk freely about the issues we were having and this helped us out in our business growth.”

The results speak for themselves. “While working with the Advisory Board Council, we were happy that we achieved a 40% increase in revenues and a 50% increase in headcount,” Cummings reports. Reflecting on the experience, he adds, “If I would have a wish, I would have had the FSBDC’s Advisory Board Council sooner. It definitely helps in your growth and development, and getting you headed in the right direction.”

For information about Hotspray Industrial Coatings, please visit https://hotspray.com/

Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream

Starting and growing a small business takes vision, courage, and a steady belief in your own decisions. Even when the business is thriving, many entrepreneurs still seek reassurance that they’re steering their company in the right direction. For Kelly and Scott Seidl, founders of Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream, finding trusted guidance became essential as their beloved Central Florida brand expanded. That search led them to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its two flagship programs for second‑stage companies: the Advisory Board Council (ABC) and CEO XChange.

Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream began with a simple craving. After moving to Central Florida, Kelly and Scott were surprised to find no local homemade ice cream shops. Kelly—who had scooped ice cream throughout high school and college—started experimenting in their dining room. They shared early batches with coworkers, then moved to farmers markets, then to an ice cream truck, and eventually to their first brick‑and‑mortar shop. At every stage, customers responded with enthusiasm.

“We love making homemade ice cream, serving the community, and serving up special treats you can’t find in your grocery store,” Kelly explains. “We make all our own flavors in-house along with our mix-ins here in Altamonte Springs. We just love serving the community with sweetness.” Scott adds, “My favorite thing is making people happy. We enjoy being in the shops and seeing families sit down together to enjoy our ice cream and each other.”

Today, Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream has grown far beyond its dining‑room beginnings. The company now operates six shops across Central Florida, serves ice cream at 41 Foxtail Coffee locations statewide, and runs two iconic pink‑and‑white ice cream trucks that appear at events throughout the region.

With rapid growth, however, came new pressures. That’s when the Seidls turned to the FSBDC at UCF. Their first step was joining the Advisory Board Council, led by program manager Jill Kaufman. ABC provides a customized, no‑cost board of volunteer experts who offer strategic guidance tailored to each business.

“We were part of the Advisory Board Council a few years ago,” Kelly recalls. “They were an amazing group of individuals who helped guide us. They really helped strengthen us and challenge us. For me, it just gave me more confidence—confidence in how I speak about the business, in how we set goals, in our own expectations.”

After graduating from ABC, Scott joined the CEO XChange, the FSBDC’s peer‑to‑peer roundtable for high‑performing CEOs. “The thing about coming together with other business owners is it lets you know you’re not alone,” he shares. “There are other people going through or who have gone through similar things, so they’re able to help. Group problem solving has been very helpful; we’re able to use the brainpower in the room to solve problems and get advice from people who have been there and done that before.”

Scott sums up their FSBDC experience simply: “If I had to use one word to describe our time with the FSBDC, it would be ‘confidence.’ We are all somewhat alone as business owners, and it’s great to connect with experts or other business owners who help you feel confident that you’re on the right track and doing the right thing.”

For information about Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream, please visit https://www.kellyshomemadeicecream.com/ .

Mecatos Bakery & Café

Finding broad industry experience and deep functional knowledge that can accelerate revenue growth in a small business is generally not easy, even for the most ambitious entrepreneurs and business owners. Edwin Lurduy, founder and CEO of Mecatos Bakery & Café, had built a successful company from a simple, family-owned business started in 2015 that shared his passion for Colombian food and culture with its diverse communities. Featuring Mecatos’ by-now renowned Colombian specialty coffee, delicious baked foods, hot bites, and desserts offered in a welcoming, relaxed, and modern setting, the company had grown to four stores in Central Florida by 2022.

Lurduy believed Mecatos Bakery & Café could be much more, however, and to achieve the growth he imagined possible, he sought fresh perspectives and deeper expertise. This led him to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program. Led by program manager Jill Kaufman, it offers small business owners the opportunity to work with a customized board of experts providing advice to help businesses grow – all at no cost. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local businesses like Mecatos and area professionals who volunteer their expertise and are purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client. Lurduy could not be happier with the results of his Advisory Board experience.

“The benefits we received from working with our Advisory Board, which was composed of people with decades of experience in marketing, legal, finance, and more, was incredibly valuable to a young organization such as ours” Lurduy recalls. “Every single idea or input they shared with us was important. They have lived this in much larger companies and it helped us to prevent or reduce mistakes and go in a better direction. It has meant significant changes at our stores and in our distribution center, some of the more critical ones being menu simplification, display and signage improvements, expansion of our catering operation, and help with sourcing and procurement of new products, how to look for them and how to negotiate them.”

Lurduy has long had aggressive expansion goals in mind for Mecatos and the ABC has helped him realize them. “We have received tools from the Advisory Board on how to reach those goals,” he continued, “all obtained from the Board based on their experience working with companies that have done this. From their feedback and advice, we have saved money, saved time, and made our operations more efficient. We have learned things that would have taken years and many resources to learn on our own.”

“During the term with our Advisory Board, they were crucial to our expansion plans,” Lurduy concluded. “While we were working with them, our organization grew from four to nine stores. Our revenues doubled. Our employee count doubled. Our distribution center expanded as far as labor and production. These are all numbers that were impacted in one way or another by the advice, help, and support of our Advisory Board Council.” And exactly the result he was looking for when he brought in its experience and expertise to help him.

For information about Mecatos Bakery & Cafe , please visit https://mecatoscafe.com/.

Urban Perch Boutique Homes

It’s a hyper-competitive world out there for entrepreneurs and small business owners. They can have a great idea and love what they do but will always need to have focus and a competitive advantage to establish themselves in the marketplace and make their companies the successes they desire. Bianca and Eric Rey, the wife/husband team and co-founders and owners of residential home builder Urban Perch Boutique Homes, had launched their business and enjoyed some success, but soon found themselves at a fork in the road that brought questions about the next best steps to take in their entrepreneurial journey. Fortunately, they discovered the Advisory Board Council (ABC) program offered by the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and it has made all the difference.

Headquartered in Winter Park, FL, Urban Perch Boutique Homes is a design-build firm that specializes in helping clients to find land, design their dream home, and turn its customers’ wishes into reality through new construction. With the help of its Advisory Board Council, Urban Perch has recently repositioned itself and carved out a special niche in a crowded and demanding industry. “What makes us unique,” shares Eric, “is that we are a design-focused wellness builder focusing on clean air, clean water, and a healthy home for your family.”

Having such a clear direction and unique focus was not always the case. As Bianca recalls, “when we started our journey with our Advisory Board Council we were at a crossroads with our business, feeling a little bit lost, not sure how to grow, not sure if we even wanted to grow and continue with this industry. The board we worked with completely changed our business. Working with the Advisory Board Council has been incredible for us. We rant and rave to everyone we can about how impactful the Board has been to us.”

The FSBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council program is an award-winning economic development driver for small businesses. Directed by program manager Jill Kaufman, each advisory board is a customized, no-cost panel of experts providing advice and counsel to help businesses grow over a set, 18-month term. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local small businesses like Urban Perch and area professionals who volunteer their expertise as members of the advisory board, with each advisor purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client.

“Every meeting they provided us with very insightful viewpoints and were a great sounding board to help us get to where we are today,” remarked Eric. “When we started with the Advisory Board Council, we were not clear as to what our unique value proposition was. They convinced us we needed to identify what that was and helped us develop what ended up becoming our wellness brand focus which is very unique in our industry.”

That new wellness positioning has worked admirably for Urban Perch. “We’ve seen some great business results since working with the Advisory Board,” declares Bianca, “because we’ve been able to stay focused on what we truly do well and what we know. We have been able to elevate our product and what we offer and been able to price our homes a little higher.”

Growth has also included new team members to expand Urban Perch’s marketing and social media presence while also attracting two seasoned project managers who have helped keep projects on time and moving along. “On the revenue growth side,” Eric noted happily, “from right before we began with our Advisory Board to the time we finished, we will be about five time (5X) larger revenue wise than when we started.”

For information about Urban Perch – A Boutique Home Builder, please visit https://urbanperchhomes.com/.

The Reimagined Classroom

Starting and growing a successful small business takes vision, resourcefulness, determination and so much more. Even with a partner, the journey can be daunting. Finding smart people and useful resources to assist you is always a challenge but one that pays off in multiple ways. When Michael Heyman and Brett Meyers, co-founders of The Reimagined Classroom, a one-stop shop for custom educational content, were looking for help with government contracting, they came to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida’s (FSBDC at UCF) government contracting affiliate, the Florida APEX Accelerator at UCF, for help. They quickly found even more value and assistance than they initially anticipated in the form of the FSBDC’s award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program.

The Reimagined Classroom has built a very successful business serving the corporate community. “We can take a concept from ideation and brainstorming and bring it all the way to print and web ready content,” Heyman explains. The team at The Reimagined Classroom subcontracts and works with large companies by producing and bringing to life engaging textbooks and educational resources for K-thru-12 students. Interestingly, before starting the company, Heyman and Meyers were third grade teachers and this background informs their corporate strategy, with every one of their content creators being or having been an educator. “We are a people-first organization creating things with a teacher’s mindset considering all learners and all educators,” Heyman highlights proudly.

“We first reached out to the APEX Accelerator and the FSBDC because we were interested in government contracting,” Heyman recalls. “Our journey with APEX has been incredible. At the same time, my co-founder Brett and I are just head-over-heels with our Advisory Board.” Led by program manager Jill Kaufman, the ABC is a customized, no-cost board of experts providing advice to help businesses grow. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local businesses like The Reimagined Classroom and area professionals who volunteer their expertise and are purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client.

Working with their Advisory Board has really paid off for the company; their revenues were nearly doubling annually through 2023 and continue to grow rapidly since starting with their ABC. “The advisors and FSBDC consultants that comprise our Board are so knowledgeable, and every facet of business is covered, from legal to government contracting to marketing to operations to finance,” shares Heyman. “We’ve been matched up with experts in every field and the Board has helped us in so many ways. It helped us modify legal documents. It helped us win government contracts. It helped us in hiring decisions. It helped us in business structure decisions. We’re just extremely grateful for the advice. Everybody provides such incredible insights, from technology to legal to finance.”

At the suggestion of its Advisory Board, The Reimagined Classroom also had the FSBDC conduct a business valuation of the company which opened new directions for Heyman and Meyers. “With the valuation in hand and from our work with Jill and the Board, we’ve continued to think about how we can not only continue to increase the value of our business but also what other places we can shore up from an operational standpoint,” Heyman reveals. “So if another private equity company – we’ve talked to one already – were to look at the company, we’ve at least addressed or thought about any of the concerns they may have.”

For The Reimagined Classroom, what started as an investigation into government contracting opportunities evolved into much more, with the company now better positioned for future growth across multiple functional areas thanks to the experts and resources at the FSBDC at UCF and its Advisory Board Council program.

Genstar Generator Service

Going it alone often proves to be a failed growth strategy for all too many entrepreneurs and small business owners. On the other hand, finding mentors, coaches, and advisors can become the key to both the short-term and long-term success they seek. For Lance Metcalfe, owner and founder of Genstar Generator Service, bringing in Edgardo Rodriguez as his general manager was a big step forward. When Rodriguez subsequently enlisted the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program for support, Genstar was on its way to the growth it sought and the exit strategy Metcalfe desired.

Genstar Generator Service has proudly served Central Florida since 2002. As a factory authorized dealer employing factory certified technicians, its knowledgeable team of experts is available to help customers with all of their generator installation, maintenance, and repair needs anytime – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “What makes Genstar unique is our customer service,” explains Rodriguez, “Lance started the company with that in mind and every employee understands it is paramount.” “What really makes us unique,” laughed Metcalfe, “is we answer the telephone with a live person every time. No telephone trees. No answering service. You get someone on the line every time you call, whether its during business hours or after hours at our emergency service number.”

Fast forward 20+ years and, despite a lot of success, Metcalfe decided his company was ready for more and that he would need help to achieve this. “In the beginning when Genstar was founded,” he recalls, “you would call it a ‘Mom & Pop’ operation. We really didn’t have the structure it takes to grow. We brought Edgardo on board because he had experience in company growth. He knew about the SBDC and was able to bring them in and make use of the resources they provide.”

“We came to the SBDC because we needed to grow,” Rodriguez affirms. “I had experience with them before and knew they had the tools and programs that we were looking for.” Specifically, Genstar took advantage of the FSBDC’s Advisory Board Council program led by program manager Jill Kaufman. ABC offers small business owners the opportunity to work with a customized board of experts providing advice to help businesses grow – all at no cost. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local businesses like Genstar and area professionals who volunteer their expertise and are purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client.

“Our Advisory Board was composed of different experts with different skills, including accounting, finance, sales, marketing and general business professionals, that Jill put together thinking of what we needed to meet our goals,” Rodriguez commented. “They served as a sounding board from whom you receive advice and counsel. The Advisory Board was there to help us, guide us, to tell us if we were going in the right direction or not. It wasn’t always easy but that’s what they were there for and I was very appreciative.”

“Three or four years ago, Edgardo came on board to help us and brought us together with the FSBDC and the Advisory Board,” Metcalfe expounded. “He took us from being a $1 million company to a $5 million dollar company, from 5 employees to 20 plus employees. He did it in just a few years with the SBDC’s Advisory Board’s help and that was exactly what we wanted.”

“The ultimate goal as an owner of Genstar was to find an exit strategy,” continued Metcalfe. “The SBDC helped us grow into a viable company that could serve as a platform for an equity capital company who acquired us and has used Genstar as the base from which to acquire other companies to grow into the largest generator company in Florida. If I had to use one word to describe the FSBDC, it would be ‘lucky’,” Metcalfe concluded. “Not that the SBDC is ‘lucky’ but that Genstar was lucky. ‘Lucky’ that Edgardo was aware of the SBDC and that he had the knowledge to use the SBDC as a resource to bring us to exactly where we were trying to go.”

For information about Genstar Generator Service, please visit https://genstarservice.com/.

Airway Management

The ability of a small business to overcome adversity becomes the difference between success and failure in almost every case. There are times, however, when the market’s headwinds are so formidable that even the most resourceful and resilient business owner needs help. Such a time unfolded for Daniel Ramsaywack, owner and President of Airway Management, Inc., and he turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) for support.

Kissimmee-based Airway Management, Inc. is a home medical equipment company serving Central Florida and a leader in the delivery of professional healthcare products and services. It offers an extensive inventory of medical equipment, healthcare solutions, and supplies ranging from advanced respiratory care devices to mobility aids, all carefully selected for quality and reliability and delivered directly to the client’s doorstep – ensuring comfort, convenience, and peace of mind.

“Airway Management is unique and special because we provide individual service to our clients,” Ramsaywack says proudly. “When they call us, we pick up the phone. Even if it’s in the middle of the night, our therapists are there. Airway’s approach contrasts significantly with the big multinationals where calls go to a call center which then tries to reach someone in Florida which can be tough.”

Despite its strong business model, Airway Management found itself wrestling with difficult market conditions and a challenging insurance and Medicaid reimbursement environment. “I originally sought out assistance from the FSBDC because we were on a downward slide in sales and in margin,” recalls Ramsaywack ruefully. “We were losing money every month and it was not sustainable. We were going to go bankrupt. I needed to turn the company around and asked the FSBDC for help.

The Florida SBDC extended a full complement of resources to assist Ramsaywack. He participated in its award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program, led by program manager Jill Kaufman. The ABC is a customized, no-cost board of experts providing advice to help businesses grow. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local businesses like Airway Management and area professionals who volunteer their expertise and are purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client.

The FSBDC’s services didn’t stop there. Ramsaywack took advantage of its no-cost consulting; its CEO XChange program, a peer-to-peer coaching group for growth-minded business leaders; and its Small Business Institute® program in which UCF graduate students work as consultants focused on defined projects under FSBDC supervision.

“The Advisory Board Council, in particular, helped me see a future for my business,” explains Ramsaywack. “It was like taking a microscope to my business to see where we were losing money, how we could mitigate those losses and turn it around. They did strategy analysis and financial projections. They reviewed the staff and our approach to human resources. They evaluated our marketing plan. They looked at so many aspects of our business and those insights helped me grow the business and turn it around.”

Significant credit goes to Danial Ramsaywack himself for his determination and willingness to be a change agent, especially through his lobbying efforts, relationship building, and service in various state level health care organizations that turned the tide for his industry on the insurance and Medicaid reimbursement front.

At the same time, he is vocal about his gratitude to the FSBDC. “Since working with the FSBDC, we have seen a growth in sales, cost reductions, improvement in gross margin and net income growth that is very positive for us,” Ramsaywack states. “We have helped people in our community as we have increased our employee base by one-third. One of our proudest accomplishments is to have our patient count grow 300% over the last four years.”

“I’m just very grateful for the support of so many people at the FSBDC and elsewhere that helped make that all possible. For me, the FSBDC was Airway Management’s ICU (Intensive Care Unit). We needed emergency help, and we got it. For that I say, ‘Thank You’.”

For information about Airway Management, please visit www.airwaymanagement.com.

Rolling Green Landscape Solutions

Entrepreneurs often become business owners on the strength of having a “better answer to a customer’s problem.” Even so, most entrepreneurial journeys are replete with challenges for a small business owner to address – frequently without significant experience or business training, and most often without substantial support. Eric Kobb, the founder and owner of Rolling Green Landscape Solutions, faced just that predicament and turned for assistance to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program.

Orlando-based Rolling Green Landscape Solutions provides a full range of landscaping services to high-end residential and commercial clients. What sets it apart is the quality of its people and service, and the superiority of its technology. “The landscape industry is a crowded place,” explains Kobb. “The number one way we differentiate ourselves is through our people. We focus on hiring the best, on training and education, and on retaining them. We’re proud of the number of licensed and certified staff members we have. We also try to be more technologically advanced than most in our industry. It’s all part of making our teams more efficient, to allow us to communicate better with our clients, and overall just do a better job.”

“I have spent my whole life in the landscaping industry, so I have always known my trade,” Kobb points out. “I know my craft and I know how to service my customers. What I didn’t have any experience in was the business side of things: how to set up a business plan; how to have a marketing strategy; how to actually understand and grow our financials. I have seen other businesses flounder without that knowledge and I didn’t want to go down that path so I sought out the FSBDC.”

“When I first met with them, they recommended one of their programs: the Advisory Board Council,” Kobb recalls. Directed by Program Manager Jill Kaufman, each advisory board consists of a customized, no-cost panel of experts providing advice and counsel to help businesses grow. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local small businesses like Rolling Green Landscape Solutions and area professionals who volunteer their expertise as members of an advisory board, with each advisor purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client.

“We set up a board that would fill the voids in my personal experience,” Kobb states. “We built my board focused on the areas I could improve upon and we went from there. It’s been great. My ABC was pretty awesome in fact.” It included professionals in accounting and finance; Human Resources; advertising, marketing and branding; and banking. “It was really cool to see the different levers that can be pulled in the business world and how you could make yourself more successful and grow as an individual,” Kobb shares.

The FSBDC’s Advisory Board Council really made a difference for Kobb and Rolling Green. “Working with the FSBDC and my Board have been really impactful. It’s been huge,” Kobb concluded. “The results are staggering. Over the three years we have worked with the FSBDC, our profits are up, our revenues are up 139%, our employee count has more than doubled, we have expanded our facility, and we have increased our line of credit by three times (3X). It’s all really helped to position us for the future and for future growth, and I’m super excited about that. The FSBDC opened my eyes to how things are done and I want to thank them and everyone on my Board who helped me.”

For information about Rolling Green Landscape Solutions, please visit http://www.rollinggreenlandscape.com/

NovoaGlobal, Inc.

If two heads are better than one, then how valuable must a group of eight experts and consultants be when all are dedicated to helping you make your small business more successful? And all at no cost? Carlos Lofstedt, founder and CEO of NovoaGlobal, Inc. – an automated traffic enforcement pioneer – found himself in exactly that enviable position when he enrolled his company in the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida’s (FSBDC at UCF) award-winning Advisory Board Council program.

NovoaGlobal® is a leading developer and manufacturer of photo enforcement, including school zone speed and red light enforcement, and intelligence solutions designed to improve traffic safety, reduce road injuries and fatalities, and help law enforcement reduce/solve crime in their communities. “Our vision is to create safer communities for our families,” shares Lofstedt. “We do that by implementing different solutions for traffic safety and public safety like speed enforcement, red light enforcement, license recognition and so on.”

Customer service and superior technology set NovoaGlobal apart from its competitors. “One of the big differentiators between our company and others is the service level we provide,” Lofstedt explains. “Our existing clients rave about us and it’s something we’re very proud about. Besides that, our technology is a very important factor. We have been able to outperform the largest companies in the world.”

Lofstedt learned about the FSBDC’s Advisory Board Council program while attending a Small Business Administration event. “I was introduced to Jill Kaufman (FSBDC Associate Director and ABC program manager) and it really caught my interest to be able to have a board where I could get input from experts within different areas to try to grow the business,” he recalls.

The Advisory Board Council program is a next-level, business support service aimed at helping established Central Florida businesses grow. Each advisory board is comprised of a customized, no-cost panel of experts providing advice and counsel to the FSBDC client. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local small businesses like NovoaGlobal and area professionals who volunteer their expertise as members of an advisory board, with each advisor purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the participating company.

“Working with the FSBDC and our Advisory Board gave several benefits to our company,” Lofstedt states, “because the board members we had were able to increase our marketing exposure, improve our website and helped us increase sales in general”. In addition, NovoaGlobal was able to take advantage of the FSBDC’s International Trade program which produced an Export Marketing Plan that assisted its entry into new global markets.

“The Advisory Board helps you get a different perspective and pushed us in a different direction that is more beneficial for our company,” concludes Lofstedt. “We had an increase in sales of almost 100% from 2019 to 2022, and have been awarded multiple contracts, including government contracts during that period that are over $50 million in total.” Proof positive that eight heads are better than one, especially when they are part of an FSBDC Advisory Board.

For information about NovoaGlobal, please visit https://novoaglobal.com/

SNA Software

Success as an entrepreneur is built upon the knowledge, experience, and leadership skills one brings to the venture. The principles and values that Nick Pisano – founder, president, and CEO of SNA Software LLC – developed as an active-duty United States Naval officer placed him in a good position to lead and grow his business. Taking his company to the next level was his latest challenge and for that he turned to the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) and its award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program.

SNA Software is a veteran owned technology company specializing in data transformation and open systems business intelligence and application configuration. The firm’s customers consistently rate its software and customer service as exceptional. This is because SNA Software’s technology is a cut above the rest and its technical personnel are subject matter experts in the same business domains as their customers, ensuring that they understand the customer’s needs and are committed to their clients’ success.

“SNA Software is dedicated to the proposition that the customer should ‘Own the Data®’,” states Pisano, “and that is why our solutions support open systems, data democratization, and data transformation into open systems with powerful visualization based upon establishing a single, trusted point of information.” It’s how they successfully deliver organizational efficiency, cost savings, and organizational transformation to their customers.

Growing in the world of government contracting, earning large US military, civilian federal agency and corporate IT projects, is an immense undertaking. Pisano sought guidance to help steer through and excel at the challenges and opportunities facing his company and called on the FSBDC and its ABC program for help. Directed by program manager Jill Kaufman, each advisory board is a customized, no-cost panel of experts providing advice and counsel to help businesses grow. The FSBDC acts as a matchmaker between established local small businesses like SNA Software and area professionals who volunteer their expertise as members of an advisory board, with each advisor purposefully selected to address the specific needs of the FSBDC client.

“The Advisory Board Council was extremely valuable to us,” explains Pisano. “It acts as a Board of Directors and as such asks a lot of the hard questions that need to be asked of a CEO. The composition of the Board provides you with a unique breadth of expertise you otherwise would not be able to access. You get a holistic and broader view of how you should run your business, navigate the rocks and shoals of the day-to-day business and do what you need to do in order to make your business successful.”

“Working with the FSBDC has been fantastic. It’s really a pleasure dealing with Jill Kaufman and the FSBDC. They’re always there to help and assist you,” concluded Pisano. “The level of expertise that we’ve been able to draw upon from the FSBDC has, in a very real way, increased our business over 100% over the past 3 years. In addition, our customer base has expanded greatly and our effectiveness on the job has also improved qualitatively as a result of the assistance from the FSBDC. The value of their support to our business was, in one word, invaluable.”

For information about SNA Software, please visit https://sna-software.com/.