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Sponsored by:
National Veteran Owned Business Association
Cinema Salem
New England Premier of
Based on the memoir by First Lieutenant Mike Scotti of 1st Battalion, 4th Marines
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Starting a business is an attractive option for many people with military backgrounds, especially in this competitive job market. The military provides many of the skills vets require to be successful entrepreneurs. Our panel of highly successful veteran entrepreneurs and military support representatives will discuss if this is an option for you, how to get started, and where to find support.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Congressman John F. Tierney – 6TH Congressional District, Massachusetts
MODERATOR
Fausto Molinet– Founder, Matrix Internationale and Boston Entrepreneurs' Network (Retired Colonel, Air Force)
PANELISTS
Kent Bartlett – Founder, KGM Systems (Air Force)
Sherry Handel- Executive Director, Guard Support of Massachusetts
shandel@guardsupport.org
Jerry Pinsky, MSW, CPRP– Director of Supported Self Employment, Bedford VAMC
Ray Milano, Business Development Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration Massachusetts District Office
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PANELISTS
Kent Bartlett is the owner of KGM Systems, a manufacturer’s rep and reseller of access control and security technologies. Kent also provides business development, proposal management and costing services to small businesses interested in obtaining federal government contracts. He has over 30 years of U.S. government and international experience with IT and electronics companies in business development, sales, marketing, and engineering. He has been Vice President of Product Development, Sales, or Service at several companies as well as President of Hetra Secure Solutions. While in Florida he represented small manufacturing companies as a member of the Florida’s Small Business Advisory Council providing input to the governor on small business issues. He was also a member of the Brevard County Manufacturing Workforce Alliance whose function was to develop programs to train unskilled workers to enter the workforce. He received his BS in Computer Science from Chapman College. Through his service in the U.S. Air Force, he was stationed throughout the U.S. and overseas.
Sherry Handel is the Executive Director of Guard Support of Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 to help members of the Mass. Army National Guard and their families. She was previously a Director at the Center for Women and Enterprise, as well as the Marketing & Communications Manager of a leading health care organization. Sherry has held positions in direct sales for leading corporations managing and growing multi-million dollar territories. Sherry is the past founder and CEO of Blue Jean Media, Inc. and Blue Jean Magazine. As an entrepreneur, Sherry has raised start-up capital from debt financing and angel investment. She knows from first-hand experience how to build organizations from the ground up. Sherry earned a B.S. degree in Business Management from Northeastern University and a Certificate in Sustainable Business from the University of Vermont. Sherry serves on the Advisory Board of the Boston Entrepreneurs’ Network and on the Program Committee of the WPI Venture Forum. Sherry served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1987-1995.
Chris Henson is a former Navy Office/Nuclear Engineer with an extensive background in construction. In February 2009, Chris founded Joe Green Home which provides unbiased home energy consulting to residential and commercial clients. Joe Green works with clients to reduce energy costs by increasing efficiency. Chris grew up in North Carolina, attended The Citadel, toured the world during his career in the Navy, and now makes his home in the North Shore Area. He has zeal for team building, customer satisfaction, and revolutionizing the industries in which he works.
Jerry Pinsky, MSW, CPRP is a former CEO of a computer company located in Boston and engaged in a wide range of activities. His work efforts for Honeywell and Xerox computer divisions focused on large-scale hardware and software systems and the creation of business opportunities in the United States and internationally. He specialized in zero-stage business development. He received his MSW from Simmons College and trained as an outreach worker and psychotherapist in Boston. Mr. Pinsky completed a Psychosocial Rehabilitation fellowship as “change-agent” at the Bedford VA Hospital where he started a pilot program studying PSR principles that might pertain to entrepreneurial business efforts of mentally ill and seriously addicted veterans. Now an employee of the VA, Mr. Pinsky, when a consultant to the VA, established two nonprofit corporations, where he acted as CEO, to serve the needs of homeless, disadvantaged veteran clients in the metropolitan Boston area. In addition and in this capacity, a micro-lending bank and a transportation unit have also been created to alleviate the distress of credit problems and essential travel. This veteran run bank has loaned out thousands of dollars; it's all been paid back and all on time.
Ray Milano Veterans Business Development Specialist, U.S. Small Business Administration (Marine Corps.)
Ray has been with the U.S. Small Business Administration since January 1999.
During this time, he has held several positions in the Boston Regional and Massachusetts District Offices. Ray’s current responsibilities include veteran outreach, business development and special initiatives.
Ray is a graduate of Bridgewater State College and Northeastern School of Law. He is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
Fausto Molinet founded Matrix Internationale in 1989 to promote international ventures and assist companies in strategic planning and business development in the government sector. Before retiring from the United States Air Force in 1984 he was responsible for technology development and acquisition for missiles, radar, communications, security and command control systems. He was Deputy Director of the Air Force Rome Laboratory Electromagnetic Science Division and director of computer acquisition for the Airborne Warning and Control System. Later, at Litton Itek Optical Systems, he managed the development and marketing of imaging and decision support products and the Advanced X-Ray Telescope. He has a Masters Degree in Electronic Engineering and has completed advanced studies in business management and information systems at the Wharton School of Business. He was a senior examiner for the Massachusetts Quality Award and is a Senior Member of the IEEE, a founder and Advisory Board member of the Boston Entrepreneurs' Network and Deputy Chair of the 2010 IEEE Conference on Technologies for Homeland Security.
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