Hillsborough - Florida SBDC.

Carol Minor

Center Director, Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County
Specialty: Financing, Disaster Preparation, Business Strategy, Exit Strategy, Startup

As an entrepreneur herself, Carol Minor provides technical assistance to business owners seeking expertise in everything from figuring out how to get started to optimizing business performance. Minor has 25 years as a small business and non-profit lender prior to starting a management consulting and entrepreneurial training firm in 1997, which she still owns today. She has served as executive director of several community development financial institutions and micro-lending organizations as well as established a non-profit business service firm, which was certified by the Small Business Administration as a Technical Assistance Provider for small, start-up and expanding firms. Minor was awarded the Mary McLeod Bethune Award for Education and Advocacy and the SBA Minority Small Business Advocate Award. She earned a MBA and is accredited as a Business Planning Professional and FranFit certified. She is an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities in the areas of business, management, business finance and entrepreneurial studies.

Janette Blanco

Blanco, Consultants, Hillsborough

Assistant Director, Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County

Specialty: Construction Industry Regulations and Licensing, Contract Compliance, Strategic Planning, City/County Contracting

Janette Blanco, assistant director of the Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County, is a civil engineer from Venezuela. As a graduate from University of Massachusetts with 25 plus years of professional experience, she has spent a decade working with the entrepreneurial community in the Tampa Bay area.

Blanco’s style and approach has given rise to the development of strong relationships with significant business leaders in the Tampa Bay area. Over the course of 10 years, Blanco has provided services to approximately 1,500 with more than 10,000 consulting hours. She was the recipient of the 2016 and 2017 Florida SBDC at USF consultant of the year award for the result of her work. She has helped clients obtain more than $48M in government contracts and capital access. Blanco also teaches business-related seminars and aids clients in English and Spanish.

Janette holds a Strategic Management Performance System certification from the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, a Master Compliance Administrator certification from the American Contract Compliance Association, a Yellow Belt certification from the International Association for Six Sigma Certification, and Post-Crisis Leadership and Diversity, Equality, Inclusion certificates, both from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business.

Robert Pierce III

Consultants, Hillsborough, Pierce

Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County
Specialties: Startup, Financial Analysis, Commercial Lending

Robert Pierce is a thought leader that is known as a strategic thinker, a solid decision-maker, and a visionary with mature business judgment. Pierce gained these business attributes during his 20+ years in the financial services industry serving various communities in two states. His experience in retail banking, small business/commercial lending and insurance provided opportunities for him to learn and to share with others his knowledge. Pierce’s business development experiences across the United States and Canada have afforded him a diverse perspective on various business industries, profitability strategies, client service and leadership effectiveness. In his current role he serves the startup and existing business communities as he provides a variety of consulting services that cater to their specific needs. He also provides strategic and technical assistance to these business in the form of one-on-one confidential consulting and group training classes. Pierce has a bachelor’s degree from Wittenberg University and an Executive MBA from Walden University. He also holds a Florida Property and Casualty insurance license and has completed the White and Yellow Belt certifications as he pursues his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Retta Parsons

Consultants, Hillsborough, Parsons

Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County

Specialty: Start-up, Bookkeeping

Retta Parsons brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in business management and public administration to her role as a business consultant. She previously served as CEO of Shiawassee United Way. In that position, she provided leadership to ensure the construction of a $26 million county medical care facility. She also led the change process and alliance establishment that resulted in the implementation of United Way 2-1-1 in Shiawassee County. Parsons also served as a training director for Girl Scouts, where each year she managed the delivery of approximately 124 trainings for more than 700 attendees.

Parsons enjoys being active in the community. Past roles include chairperson for the State of Michigan, Department of Health & Human Services, Shiawassee County, board; chairperson of the Shiawassee Human Services Council; and ambassador for the Shiawassee Regional Chamber of Commerce.

She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Western Michigan University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resources Management from Spring Arbor College. She is a certified Child Care Facility Inspector, Instructor of Trainers, and Bridges Out of Poverty Trainer.

In her spare time, Parsons enjoys bike riding with her husband, Roger, and spoiling her children and granddaughter.

Shawn M. Ferguson

Consultants, Hillsborough

Barry Haynes

Consultants, Haynes, Hillsborough

Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County

Specialty: Operations, Technology

Barry Haynes started his career in engineering and has extensive experience in computer integrated manufacturing and manufacturing automation. Haynes became a serial entrepreneur in the 80s and has started and sold four multi-million-dollar companies. He brings to the Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County more than 36 years of experience as a business owner and in-depth knowledge of operations, business automation, sales, customer service, marketing, and corporate development. He also brings with him more than 30 years of senior management and company-building experience, as well as in-depth knowledge of web-based technology.

A lifelong coach and fan of the game, Haynes has coached youth baseball teams for more than 10 years and served on many youth association boards. He holds an associate in instrumentation engineering from Tennessee Technical Institute, a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering with a minor in economics from Washington University and did his MBA work in manufacturing at Southern Illinois University.

Carol Minor

Janette Blanco

Assistant Director, Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County

Specialty: Construction Industry Regulations and Licensing, Contract Compliance, Strategic Planning, City/County Contracting

Robert Pierce III

Retta Parsons

Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County

Specialty: Start-up, Bookkeeping

Shawn M. Ferguson

Barry Haynes

Florida SBDC at Hillsborough County

Specialty: Operations, Technology

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813-396-2700

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