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Staff Biographies
Margaret A. Somer
Regional Director
Margaret joined the Massachusetts Small Business
Development Center's Northeast Regional Office as its director in October 2005, after four years
as director of MSBDC Boston Regional Office &
Minority Business Center.
Previously, Margaret worked for 14 years
in economic and business development at Massachusetts Community
Development Finance Corporation (CDFC). There she served as external
affairs officer and later, fund manager of the $10 million Urban
Initiative Fund. For a short time, she managed a bi-national trade
organization and a technology incubator, and later consulted to
several economic development groups.
Margaret is a board member of the
Creative Economy Association of the North Shore (CEANS).
She has participated in the development of new business products and programs, community
development initiatives, and public affairs and government
relations.
Margaret has a BA from Boston University and an MA from Tufts
University. She completed her thesis at Tufts in 1999 on the
turnaround of Ireland's economy, the role of the European Union and
the country's emerging small business sector.
Awilda Irizarry
Senior Business Advisor
Awilda has over seven years of experience in
banking. Her areas of expertise include all phases of
small business operations, including business planning,
financing, and market research. Awilda is fluent in both
English and Spanish, and is familiar with the Hispanic
market from soup to nuts. As a business advisor, Awilda
helps business owners build sales and marketing
operations.
With her unique combination of
skills in strategic planning, marketing, sales,
financing, business development and performance
management, she has helped business owners launching
successful businesses.
Awilda holds a Bachelor
of Science degree from Salem State University in
geography and a Master’s degree from Lesley College in
international relations.
La señora Irizarry
tiene sobre siete años de experiencia en la banca. Sus
áreas de conocimiento incluye todas las fases de
operaciones de empresas incluyendo planeación,
financiamiento, y análisis del mercado. Awilda domina
la lengua inglesa y española y esta muy familiarizada
con el mercado hispano de la a la z. Como consejera de
negocios, Awilda ayuda a los empresarios a incrementar
operaciones de ventas y mercadeo.
Con su
única combinación de destrezas en planeamiento
estratégico, mercadeo, ventas, finanzas, desarrollo de
negocios y gestión del rendimiento corporativo, ella ha
ayudado a dueños de negocios arrancar negocios exitosos.
Awilda es licenciada en Geografía por la Universidad
de Salem y cuenta con un Máster de Relaciones
Internacionales por la Universidad de Lesley.
Walter
Manninen
Senior Business Advisor and Financial Specialist
Walter
Manninen joined the staff of the Massachusetts
Small Business Development Center's Northeast Regional
Office in November 2005. A
former entrepreneur, Walter served
as president and chief executive officer, and prior to
that as chief financial officer, of CXO Media Inc.,
which published magazines for senior managers in
marketing, technology and security. Walter also brings
to the SBDC ten years of experience in banking as a
treasurer and loan officer. His outstanding performance
was noted in 2004, when he was nominated for an Ernst &
Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and was later
given the IDG Chairman’s Award for Entrepreneurial
Leadership.
Walter
holds a BS from Salem State College and an MBA from
Suffolk University. He lives in Rockport where he serves
on the Board of Governors at the Rockport Art
Association.
Laurel
Costello
Training
Coordinator
Laurel joined the
Massachusetts Small Business Development Center’s
Northeast Regional Office as its Training Coordinator in
November, 2006.
Previously, Laurel
worked for Delta Air Lines, Inc. at Logan International
Airport for 30 years. There she worked all aspects of
the Airport Customer Services Department including
Training Supervisor, Customer Services Supervisor and
Customer Services Representative. In addition to her
strong customer service background, Laurel brings a
wealth of experience in supervisory and management
skills to the MSBDC.
Laurel holds a
Bachelor of Science degree from Salem State University.
George
Emmanuel
Senior Business
Advisor/Technology Specialist
George
joined the Massachusetts Small Business Development
Center’s Northeast Regional Office as Senior Business
Advisor/Technology Specialist in November 2011.
An entrepreneur at heart, George has worked as an
independent consultant, and CEO, COO and CFO for a host
of technology and investment firms. George also served
as General Manager for Process Design Sciences, Inc.;
and an auditor for Coopers & Lybrand. In addition,
George co-founded Indoor Golf Club, Inc. – early
“edutainment” using virtual reality, and was General
Manager for Croesus Industries / Clinical Technologies,
the medical device company that invented and launched
the compression boot, widely used in hospitals today.
George holds his BS from Bentley
University and a Masters from MIT Sloan School of
Management, Sloan Fellows Program. George serves as a
member of MIT’s Society of Sloan Fellows Board of
Governors.
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