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VENTURA COUNTY – The Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County has added four new consultants to their team of 30-plus advisors providing free one-on-one consulting to local businesses to help area companies strengthen and grow their bottom line. The new advisors include Bruce Hazuka, business management; Erica Bristol, legal/compliance and intellectual property; Raja Subramoni, marketing; and Tony Alcock, entrepreneurship. The advisor services are provided through EDC-VC’s Small Business Development Center of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties (SBDC).
“With their business acumen and expertise in their individual fields, Bruce, Erica, Raja and Tony bring an even greater depth to our capacity for helping area businesses,” said Ray Bowman, director of the SBDC of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
Hazuka has served as a president, COO and CEO for numerous public and private companies in the healthcare and medical products sector. His experience, which spans more than 40 years, includes startups as well as established companies where he has managed manufacturing, marketing, sales, finance, and product development.
Bristol is an attorney and commercial mediator specializing in intellectual property, including copyright, trademark, trade secrets and patents. She also specializes in business contracts and transactions, and currently serves as a panel mediator for the United States District Court, Central District of California, mediating intellectual property disputes for the court. She is also a panel mediator for the Santa Barbara Superior Court and the California Association of REALTORS®’ Buyer/Seller Mediation Program.
Subramoni has been a marketing professional for over 20 years and has extensive experience in brand management, product marketing and customer insights and analytics. A graduate of Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, he has worked for several Fortune 500 companies including Procter & Gamble and Microsoft (Xbox) as well as T-Mobile, Sonos and REI. His specialties include technology, video games, telecommunications, B2C marketing, retail, and channel marketing.
Alcock’s extensive technology experience started with 17 years at IBM where he ran IBM’s West Coast strategic planning operation. Following his tenure with Big Blue, he worked with several high-tech start-up companies before founding two of his own companies and co-founding a third. In 2006, he owned and ran “YHC Magazine,” a high-end monthly health publication. He recently published his first book, Life at the End of a Rope, which is borne of his experiences living aboard boats of all shapes and sizes.
The SBDC is funded by the SBA and provides professional business assistance at no cost to businesses. Participating businesses are required to follow a well-defined scope of work and report their economic successes. These SBA milestones are defined as job creation, increase in sales, capital investment, jobs retained and business started. To learn more about SBDC’s advisors and services, contact Alondra Gaytan at alondra.gaytan@edcsbdc.org, or call 805-384-1800 or visit edc-vc.com.
EDC-VC is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as a business-to-government liaison to assist businesses in Ventura County by offering programs that enhance the economic vitality of the region. For more information about the Small Business Development Center, loan programs, manufacturing outreach and international trade program, or other services available to small businesses through EDC-VC, contact Kelly Noble at kelly.noble@edc-vc.com or call 805-384-1800 ext. 21 or visit edc-vc.com.