Archive for category: Pinellas

Yolanda Goodloe

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Florida PTAC at Pinellas County Economic Development
Specialty: Procurement

Yolanda Goodloe has more than 20 years of experience in public service at the local and municipal levels. Early in her career, she worked as a human resources and relations professional while serving as a liaison to the business community and advocacy groups. Her prior experience includes being a human relations specialist for Lee County Government, and an equal opportunity director for the City of Fort Lauderdale. Her background combines public service and human relations experience with hands on leadership in equal opportunity, supplier diversity, business certifications programs, organizational training and development, and managing workforce diversity principles. Goodloe is the procurement specialist for the Florida PTAC at Pinellas County Economic Development. She connects businesses to resources and tools for state, local, and federal contracting opportunities. She is a Certified Procurement Professional (CPP), a Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP), and a Certified Verification Counselor. She graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor of arts in political science and history.

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Kurt Forster

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Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development
Specialty: Marketing and Strategic Planning, Business Planning, Financial Management, Capital Access

Kurt Forster found his interest in business consulting and training working at the USF Center for Organizational Communication while completing his master’s in communication. Later, he put that experience to use, owning and operating two market research businesses. The entrepreneurial spirit stuck with Forster even while working in large organizations, opening new offices for St. Petersburg College and later the State of Wyoming’s Business Council. Additionally, he led marketing efforts to redevelop downtown St. Petersburg as the Director of Marketing for Bay Plaza Companies. He developed his enthusiastic facilitator style working in a variety of teaching positions from alpine ski instructor and Sea World animal trainer to college instructor. Forster is also a certified instructor for NxLevel Business Training Programs and Kauffman Foundation FastTrac TechVenture Program, and is a Certified LivePlan Expert Advisor and a Certified Profit Mastery Facilitator. Forster also founded Common Ground, a downtown development organization in St. Petersburg, and assists a variety of technology and entrepreneurship organizations throughout Tampa Bay.

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Debra Schweikowsky

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Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development
Specialty: Finance, Capital Access

Debra Schweikowsky is a business professional with experience in business management, administration, banking and finance. She was a small business owner with more than 20 years of experience, including being a franchisee. As a business owner, she successfully implemented a variety of revenue enhancement strategies and is results driven. Schweikowsky successfully sold her business by following an established exit strategy. Four years ago, she entered the banking industry and gained a wealth of knowledge in assisting consumers and businesses to meet their financial and borrowing needs. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from State University of New York, Empire State College.

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Aubri Shauger-Haley, MBA, CCA

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Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development
Specialty: Procurement

Aubri Shauger-Haley serves as a business manager, procurement specialist for the SBE program at Pinellas County and is a business consultant for the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County. Shauger-Haley assists the business community by providing education in start-up and procuring contracts with the county. Her certifications include Contract Compliance Administrator, DBE/ACDBE, and Nav Certified Credit and Lending Specialist. Additionally, Shauger-Haley is a master user in the B2GNow system. Prior to joining Pinellas County in 2018, Shauger- Haley served as a minority & small business special programs coordinator for Hillsborough County. She conducted construction contract compliance project approvals, audits, site visits, and project close-outs to ensure goals were met. In addition to compliance, she represented Hillsborough County Economic Development through involvement in business and trade organizations and associations, as well as provided instructional courses. She has been a committee member of (Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week since 2007, and was a NFL’s Emerging Business Super Bowl XLII Host Committee member. Prior to joining Hillsborough County in 2015, Shauger-Haley served as a small business specialist and a community specialist with the City of St. Petersburg. She has a bachelor of science in business management and a MBA.

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Corey J. McCaster

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Florida SBDC at USF, Pinellas County
Specialty: Business Planning, Financial Analysis, Marketing and Sales, Loan Packaging, Strategic Planning

Corey McCaster brings more than 20 years of experience to the Tampa Bay small business community. McCaster specializes in small business accounting and finance, quality improvement and strategic business planning. His experience while “in the trenches” managing his own small businesses, and serving in Tallahassee at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, allows him to deliver a unique perspective and a wealth of knowledge to clients. McCaster is charged with helping small to medium sized existing businesses find new market opportunities, hidden profits and innovative ways to create sustainable growth, which includes hiring the right employees. His background in workforce development assists him in guiding business owners in attracting and retaining top talent. McCaster is a University of South Florida business school graduate and holds certifications in both project management and workforce development.

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The Florida SBDC at the University of South Florida is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide partnership program nationally accredited by the Association of America’s SBDCs and funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Department of Defense, State of Florida, and other private and public partners, with the University of West Florida serving as the network’s lead host institution. Florida SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for limited English proficient individuals.

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