Barrett Anderson, Advisor
Barrett is a recent graduate of Bainbridge Graduate Institute with an MBA in Sustainable Business where he also served as the school’s development director. He has recently been appointed Development Manager for Portland Parks and Recreation.
Barrett was born in the suburbs of Chicago and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa. He began his career with a “big six” accounting firm on LaSalle St. in Chicago. He found the need to find mission based work and began a career as a professional fundraiser that lasted twelve years. For nine years his work was focused on fundraising for arts organizations, including The Goodman Theater of Chicago, Artists Repertory Theatre and Portland Center Stage. After leaving the arts he went on to be director of corporate and foundation support for Portland State University and then, executive director of the Ashland Community Hospital Foundation. In addition Barrett has consulted for a range of environmental and social justice organizations. Barrett is a passionate entrepreneur and has founded two new ventures, the first, an early internet development firm and the second a company that serviced scientific and industrial laser systems. When he isn’t working or learning he can be found walking in the park with his wife Tomi and his golden retriever Steve.
Spike Bailey, Advisor
For over 35 years his clients were the CEO’s, CFO’S and owners of domestic and International Corporations largest manufacturers, distributors, and service providers. Over the course of his career, he created hundreds of millions of dollars in innovative financial transactions which were used by these executives to drive cost out of their operations.
Mr. Bailey has held board positions in four leasing companies, founded eight other companies, including two equipment leasing companies, fleet maintenance, retail food, food distribution, record publishing, kiosk manufacturing, elder care services, consulting, agribusiness, and marketing survey system/services. He has held CEO, COO, CFO and executive officer positions with responsibility over national accounts sales, operations, finance, maintenance, credit, accounting, administration, remarketing and asset disposal. His personal experience how each department interrelates to the other allows him to reconnect the elements necessary to create team solutions which will refine and assure continued profitability. His specific knowledge of equipment, fleet operations, and equipment leasing allow him to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice where he served as an expert witness.
Currently, he manages his real estate portfolio, and acts an equity participant and sponsor for Tenant In Common commercial properties that he identifies, owns and manages. As a SCORE volunteer/mentor he works with a special Business Assistance Team of specialists to solve issues for locally owned family businesses. This BAT team works with their clients to identify, improve, expand and solve current financial and operational issues. He is part of a team that has pioneered new programs with local Universities to expose their graduate students to the realities of actual problem solving issues. Allowing them to be better prepared to compete and succeed in today’s difficult business environment.
Fred Carter, Advisor and Board Member
Fred Carter is a Certified Public Accountant and has owned his own firm since 1988. He is a graduate of Portland State University and is active in a number of different organizations. Besides serving on AOC’s board, he serves on the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, Project Pooch and NW Priority Credit Union. He has been a member of the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants since 1980
Manuel A. Castaneda, Advisor and Board Member
Originally from a small village in Mexico, Manuel Castaneda moved to the United States when he was 14 years old. One of 12 children, he worked in agriculture in Washington and Oregon, planting and picking many crops like asparagus, cucumbers, strawberries, onions and cherries. At age 16, he obtained a job in landscape maintenance and became crew leader the same year. At age 20, he started Pro Landscape, Inc. with nothing more than an $800 credit card that was used to purchase a lawnmower. In 1985, he began a small soil stabilization project and by 2007, his company had almost 50 employees and over 7 million dollars in revenue.
Mr. Castaneda has been blessed with many mentors and friends that have shared their wisdom. Community service has been a big part of his life, including 10 years as a radio host at KBOO radio, which he started while in high school. He also has 7 years of experience hosting community access TV and 10 years’ experience playing keyboards in a band. He has served 10 years on the Board of Directors for The Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce and been involved for 8 years with the Mentor-Protégé program through the Port of Portland, (first as a protégé and later as a mentor for minority and small business owners). Currently, he serves on the board of trustees for Pacific University, is the past chair for the Washington County Business Council, and serves on the Board of AOC. He enjoys traveling around the world, meeting new people with new ideas, crabbing and skiing.
Kirk deFord, Advisor
Kirk deFord brings over forty years of experience from the world of education and school administration to the work as a Business Advisor for AOC. He has degrees in both English and Art, and Masters degrees in School Administration and Curriculum Development. He has been an elected school board member, and a consultant to state departments of education and universities and colleges across the Northwest in school policy and best practices for districts and schools.
Mr. deFord went into grant writing several years ago, and has gained insights into business model approaches and strategies. He has written a variety of successful grant applications for the Oregon Department of Education, two large school districts, and for AOC.
Mr. deFord is an artist and sculptor, and has had shows in a variety of galleries in Portland.
John Emrick, Advisor (At Large)
John Emrick, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Norm Thompson Outfitters, Inc. was born and educated in Portland, Oregon and has spent his entire working career with the Portland-based company, a $200 million leading national catalog retailer specializing in unique apparel, gifts, food and travel items. Under Emrick’s leadership, Norm Thompson Outfitters Inc. has been at the forefront of corporate sustainability efforts, including constructing the pioneer green building in the state of Oregon, the first to meet Portland General Electric’s Earth Smart standards. Norm Thompson is a founding member of the Oregon Natural Step Network and a member of Business for Social Responsibility, Certified Forest Products Council and Recycled Paper Coalition.
Emerick has served as an advisor for many state and local groups, including Oregon Public Broadcasting, CASA and 1000 Friends of Oregon. He is a trustee for the Meyer Memorial Trust, one of the largest foundations in the Pacific Northwest, and he has served on the boards of Pacific Crest Outward Bound, Friends of Opal Creek, Oregon State Parks, and House of Umoja. He currently serves on the boards of University of Portland, House of Umoja, and Illahee – environmental lecture series; and on the advisory councils of Oregon Solutions, Portland Parks Foundation, Horambee, and Oregon Natural Step Network. In 1999, Emrick and his wife, Jane, were named “Founders of a New Northwest” by Sustainable Northwest.
Ted Gilbert, Advisor
President of Baron Equities And Resources, Inc., a firm specializing in real estate acquisition and development, and has been actively involved in real estate investment and management since 1973; Board Director for Albina Community Bank Holding Company; Chairman of HOST Development, Inc., a non-profit developer of affordable home ownership; Chairman of Portland Affordable Housing Preservation Trust.
Mary-Elizabeth Harper, Advisor
Mary-Elizabeth Harper of Harper and Associates is a Labor Relations/Human Resources Consultant. In her role with Harper and Associates, she works with business owners to develop performance goals and job performance improvement plans, trains management about various aspects of employment rules and processes. She also drafts proposals and negotiates labor agreements, clarifies state and federal employment laws, standards and procedures for employers.
After moving to Oregon four years ago, she worked for Kaiser Permanente as a Senior Labor Relations and Employee Relations Consultant and was a State of Oregon Labor Relations Manager, responsible for negotiating collective bargaining agreements, adjudicating grievances and resolving employment matters for various departments within the State. Previous to her move here, she held the position of Director of Employee Relations at Central Michigan University and worked in private law firms in Michigan and California.
Mary-Elizabeth has also been an instructor of Legal Studies, Labor and Employment Law, Collective Bargaining and Contract Negotiations, and Business English and Writing at Midstate College in Peoria, IL. In addition, she has taught in the Administration of Justice Programs at Southwestern College, Chapman University, National University and National City Adult School in California. Mary-Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science and Doctorate of Jurisprudence.
Diana Hoff, Advisor
Diana Hoff brings over twenty years of experience from the financial services industry with focus on human resources, administrative and project management. She serves on several non-profit boards and is the administrator of The Renaissance Foundation, a private family foundation. Diana also runs a private equity company and as well as her own business as a graphic design and web development service provider. She enjoys working with small business entrepreneurs, networking, traveling, playing golf and reading.
Sheila Holden, Advisor and Board Member
Regional Community Manager for Pacific Power and serves as a Board Director for Albina Community Bank Holding Company. Founder, Community Energy Project; League of Utilities and Social Service Agencies; Past Chair, Portland New Markets Fund; Co-Chair Portland Family of Funds; Chair, N/NE Community Development Alliance and the Interstate Urban Renewal Advisory Board; Co-Founder of Oregon First Commercial Industrial Incubator; Advisory Board Member of the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs; Board member of Albina Opportunities Corp.
Mark Kalenscher, Advisor and Board Member
Mark R. Kalenscher retired from a fifteen-year career with Intel in 1995. While at Intel, he served in a variety of management positions including European Logistics Manager, Contracting Business Manager, and several management and analyst positions in Intel Operations and Corporate Finance. Throughout Mark’s Intel career, he continuously improved productivity, efficiency, and customer service by simplifying and automating purchasing and distribution processes.
After leaving Intel, Mark has focused his time on investing, philanthropy, and spending time with his family. He presently sits on the boards of several non-profit organizations and served as a director and treasurer of the Cascadia Revolving Fund from 2001 through 2006. Mark has an MBA from Arizona State University and has successfully completed the Certified Financial Planning professional education program and board examination.
Mike Kalkofen, Advisor
Michael has spent the majority of his career working in a variety of smaller sized businesses, encountering (and conquering) many challenges along the way. As a small company Controller, Michael has worn many hats in dealing with situations such as a poorly implemented computer conversion, mergers and acquisitions, chronic management turnover, fraud recovery, and the successful and enduring turnaround of a failing operations. Along the way, Michael has developed a wealth of experience in accounting and operations management, customer service, process design and implementation, and building and leading strong teams.
Entrepreneurial at heart, Michael opened and operated a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream store, achieving one of the biggest grand openings in franchise history. Michael was intimately involved with all aspects of running and managing the store, including all HR decisions, scheduling, production, purchasing, marketing, customer service, and community outreach. Although the business was ultimately unsuccessful, the experience instilled Michael with a passion for operational excellence and delivering outstanding customer service.
Michael earned an MBA with an emphasis in Services Marketing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a Bachelor’s in Finance from the University of Denver. Michael has lived in the Portland area since late 2009 and enjoys everything that the great Pacific Northwest has to offer.
James Meyer, Advisor
Jim Meyer spent 22 years as majority owner and president of a Portland distributor of industrial rubber products, which evolved into a fabricator of specialty conveyor belt products. Since 1983, he has been a part-owner and board member of several small companies in the Portland area. He has also served on the boards of directors of a number of non-profit and government agencies, including: United Way of the Columbia-Willamette, Jewish Federation of Portland, Oregon Community Foundation, Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, Cascadia Revolving Fund, Oregon Economic Development Commission, Oregon Educational Coordinating Commission, Portland Civil Service Board, Portland Charter Review Commission, Portland Schools Foundation, Portland Parks Foundation, and Northwest Health Foundation.
Kevin Ohanesian, Advisor
A lifetime Portland area resident, Kevin has been a certified public accountant for over 27 years. Coming from a line of business owners on both sides of the family, the entrepreneur bug was always biting him. After 15 years of working for small local CPA firms, he launched his own practice in 2000. Most CPA’s would stay put, but after growing the company from zero to 400 clients in six years, he sold the practice to start another business- Portland Payroll. Portland Payroll competes with the big boy payroll companies, but brings the local flavor and CPA expertise to the small business owners of the Portland Metro area. Their goal is to strengthen our small business community through mentoring, education, and partnering with others that can help. When not running the company with his business partner Mike Madrid, Kevin can be found spending time with his wife rooting for Oregon sports (we are Ducks!) and the Blazers.
Lisa Schroeder, Advisor
Lisa Schroeder is the executive chef and owner of one of Portland’s most popular restaurants, Mother’s Bistro & Bar. She’s also the author of “Mother’s Best” cookbook, a mother, grandmother, and mother hen to over 50 employees.
She attended The Culinary Institute of America and was selected as a Top Ten Student Chef by Food and Wine Magazine. She honed her cooking skills at four start restaurants in New York and France, and opened Mother’s Bistro & Bar in 2000 to rave reviews and the “Restaurant of the Year” title from Willamette Week.
Lisa has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, QVC and many other programs. She is the recipient of the Portland Business Journal’s Businesswoman of the Year award and IACP’s Chef/Restaurateur Award of Excellence. Mother’s Bistro & Bar has received numerous accolades, including “Top Restaurant Bargain” from Food and Wine Magazine, “Best Brunch” and “Best Comfort Food” by Citysearch and other publications. Lisa is also an active member of the community, participating in a numerous charities and causes.
Chip Shields, Advisor (At Large)
During the 2005 Legislative Session, Rep. Shields served his first term in the Oregon House of Representatives. In his positions on the House Committee on Education and the House Committee on Business, Labor, and Consumer Affairs, Shields successfully forced debate on adequate funding for schools and stopped attempts to repeal the voter-approved Minimum Wage. He also fought for affordable health care, living-wage jobs, affordable housing, public safety and a fairer criminal justice system. Prior to being elected to the House of Representatives in 2004, Rep. Shields served as Executive Director of Better People, a non-profit, job placement and counseling program focused on helping people who had been in trouble with the law. Since its founding, Better People has helped hundreds find living wage jobs. In addition to his work with Better People, Rep. Shields has been involved in a variety of community and statewide volunteer activities including:
- Working with the Oregon Center for Public Policy
- The Portland Mayor’s Gang Task Force
- Stand For Children
- The Coalition for a Livable Future
- Leading the 2002 fight to increase Oregon’s Minimum Wage, giving more than 100,000 low-wage Oregonians a cost-of-living increase each and every year
Rep. Shields graduated from Portland State University with a Masters Degree in Social Work. He lives in Northeast Portland’s Piedmont Neighborhood with his wife Shelda Holmes, who is a public-health family nurse practitioner with the Native American Rehabilitation Association.
Michelle Silver, Advisor
Michelle Silver is a CPA and practiced as a partner in a major CPA firm for 25 years in Seattle and Portland. She now has her own practice as Silver Consulting Services, LLC providing consulting services in the business and tax areas. Silver graduated from California State Polytechnic University and Southwestern School of Law. She has volunteered for numerous boards and non profit organizations in the 29 years she has lived in Portland.
Dr. Ann Widmer, Advisor
Dr. Ann Widmer is Professor and Dean Emeritus of the School of Management at Concordia University Portland. She has implemented and directed undergraduate and graduate education including BA and BS in Business, Health Care Administration, Nursing, and a Masters in Business Administration. She has taught in the area of Administration for over 25 years, and has published three textbooks in health administration for Harcourt /Saunders Publishers which have received national Book of the Year Awards. The American College of Health Care Administrators named Widmer Educator of the Year in 1991. She also is a founding member of the Executive Board of Widmer Brothers Brewing Company. In 1998 she was selected by The Business Journal as one of the 25 top business women in Portland, Oregon.