FSBDC at UCF Names Jed Grennan Regional Volunteer of the Year
Jed Grennan, Managing Partner, Grennan Fender Hess & Poparad, LLP Named FSBDC at UCF Regional Volunteer of the Year
January 8, 2021
Contact: Hal Thayer, Communications Director, FSBDC at UCF, 407.420.4850 or hthayer@ucf.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Orlando – The Florida SBDC at the University of Central Florida (FSBDC at UCF) has named Jed Grennan, Managing Partner of Grennan Fender Hess & Poparad, LLP, as its 2020 Regional Volunteer of the Year. Grennan earned this important recognition on the strength of his long and committed service as a volunteer advisor in the FSBDC’s award-winning Advisory Board Council (ABC) program.
Grennan Fender Hess & Poparad, LLP has been a leading Orlando CPA and business financial solutions firm for more than 40 years. The firm provides a wide array of innovative services for clients, including tax, audit, consulting, outsourced accounting, cloud accounting and tax planning to meet both individual and business needs.
The Advisory Board Council (ABC) is a next-level, business support service, assisting established Central Florida businesses by matching them with experienced professionals with a diverse range of skills who work together on a carefully selected, “custom-fit” advisory board. The program provides dynamic talent and expertise specially selected to address the needs of the client company to help it solve problems and create opportunities, all at no-cost. All ABC Advisors are volunteers who are interested in building relationships and improving the economic community in Central Florida. The operation of the program is funded in part by Orange County and supported by the generosity of our sponsors.
“Jed Grennan has distinguished himself by his significant contribution to the FSBDC at UCF’s award-winning Advisory Board Council program,’ remarked Eunice Choi, Regional Director of the FSBDC at UCF. “As a dedicated volunteer advisor since the program’s inception in 2003, he has donated almost 100 hours of pro-bono consulting services to small business owners across the Central Florida region, totaling more than $27,000 in reported market value. For that and more, we are deeply grateful.”
Grennan brings significant business growth consulting, tax, and audit experience and has applied this expertise with the seven ABC clients he has served. These clients cover a wide spectrum of industries including a manufacturer of floating turbidity barriers and oil containment systems; a creative media, live production, and digital marketing solutions provider; a landscape and civil engineering group; a software development group; aluminum construction firm; and a computer repair service provider.
One of the seven boards on which Grennan has served includes a saltwater aquarium products retailer, World Wide Corals (WWC). When asked to reflect on his time working with Grennan, Ryan Clay, President of WWC, shared, “I was fortunate enough to meet Jed Grennan during the Advisory Board Council for World Wide Corals. Jed took an interest in our company and provided many helpful strategies and tips during the program, providing a constant source of encouragement. His advice made a significant impact on our young company and laid the groundwork for our success. After the program was completed, we were so impressed with his knowledge we hired his firm to provide accounting services, a relationship that continues through today. Since that time and with his continued help, we have been able to grow to $8M in yearly sales with over 50 employees. Jed deserves recognition for his devotion to volunteering with the SBDC.”
When asked why he has remained committed to the ABC program for nearly twenty years, Grennan explained, “The large majority of small businesses are established by individuals with technical experience in their industry and a passion to see if they ‘can do it better.’ Unfortunately, skills and passion alone are not enough. The great small businesses are well capitalized, have established reporting systems and focused direction. The businesses I had the privilege to advise are provided the necessary tools for success from experts from multiple disciplines and immense experience over a lot of years. Becoming involved with ABC is my way to do a small part in supporting small business owners with my knowledge gained from both others and my own experience in assisting clients for the last 40 years.”
For more information about Grennan Fender Hess & Poparad, LLP, please visit orlandoaccounting.com/.
For more information about the FSBDC at UCF’s Advisory Board Council, please visit sbdcorlando.com/abc/.
