Kevin has extensive experience in retail, having served 18 years as a senior executive at a national chain with more than 75 stores, as a retail store owner and partner in a national franchise.
Kevin is the Director of the CCC SBDC and has served as Executive Director of the Clatsop County Economic Development Organization (CEDR), a one-stop for local businesses. He also sits on the Cabinet of CCC, representing the education and workforce needs of the business community.
As a Clatsop SBDC small business adviser, I have counseled business owners through one of the most challenging business environments seen in recent memory. I am especially proud of our work to create an entirely new entrepreneurial educational curriculum and have since led our Start-up Boot Camp course, which ushers entrepreneurs through the business planning process.
The opportunity to work closely with Clatsop County small business owners is incredibly rewarding and has allowed me to fully reengage with the community where I grew up. I have a deep-rooted passion for counseling and supporting those who are working to build successful businesses—and by extension build successful and fulfilling lives.
Hermenegildo Ochoa has an extensive background in the Business Services industry in Mexico. He spent many years as the owner of an insurance agency and banking and finance, specializing in Capital Access and Financial Reports. He has an extensive background in business, including teaching financial administration and human resources at Tecnologico de Tijuana and Centro de Estudios Cristobal.
Ochoa recently owned his own retail food business serving Clatsop and Pacific (Washington state) counties, giving him a perspective on the importance and need to serve this fast growing demographic. He has a passion for serving the Latino business community, and continues to expand the reach of the Center by his outreach, connections and communication, relying on a customer service model involving flexible scheduling to meet the needs of the client.
Eric spent over 40 years around the Portland restaurant scene, starting as a server with McCormick & Schmick’s while completing his BS degree at PSU, then becoming director of their retail products division. He co-founded Hot Lips Pizza in 1985, also working as a consultant and instructor at Portland’s SBDC. He joined Western Culinary Institute in 1996 as an instructor, eventually becoming VP of Academic Affairs before co-founding Oregon Culinary Institute in 2006 where he served as President until 2015.
In 2019, after a lifetime in Portland, Eric moved with his wife to Astoria where he is looking forward to engaging with his adopted North Coast community to help small businesses be successful.
Ian has held positions both as an intrapreneur and entrepreneur in various industries. For over a decade, he worked closely with small, medium and larger enterprises both in economic development counseling and guiding entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and transfer their business, and as co-founder of a business processes consulting firm that went from two to twenty-six employees. He completed a master’s degree in user research and experience to better understand the dynamics of human needs, that he believes ultimately fuels business and the economy.
Filled with curiosity and endless ideas, he launched multiple web businesses, managed teams, and helped in aligning vision and everyday actions for many organizations.
