First
Step to Starting Your Business
Kutztown University
MSU, Room 250
Thursday, March 24, 2016
3pm
– 5pm
Panelists
Dr. Ernie Post, D. Ed (post@kutztown.edu) has been director of Kutztown University's
Small Business Development Center since 1998.
Under his leadership, the center was recognized in 2007 and 2008 by the
U.S. Small Business Administration as an SBDC center of excellence for
innovation and quality. In 2007, Post
helped launch the Latino Business Resource Center. Today, the SBDC serves as a National Best
Practice Site for the Small Business Development Center national network. More recently, the center has been recognized
for its leadership with its cooperative effort with the Berks County Community
Foundation to launch a brick-and-mortar incubator for business startups in
Reading. Post received his master's
degree in business and a doctorate in education from Penn State University.
A. Mark Rentschler (Rentschler@kutztown.edu) is the Finance Specialist and Technology & Strategic Planning Specialist of Kutztown
University's Small Business Development Center.
He has over 25 years of experience administering local, state, and
federal incentive loan programs in the public, non-profit and private
sectors. Extensive knowledge of Small
Business Administration (SBA) loan programs (7(a) and 504), Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania loan programs, and USDA Business and Industry loan program. Areas of Expertise: Loan structuring, credit
analysis, loan underwriting, business plans, strategic planning, and technology
commercialization. Educational
Background: Masters of Business Administration, Tulane University, New Orleans,
LA; Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA; National Development Council, Business Credit
Analysis, Chicago, IL; and PA Bankers Association Central Atlantic School of
Commercial Lending, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA.
Matthew M. Mayer, Esquire (mmayer@leisawitzheller.com) is an Associate at the law firm
of Leisawitz Heller. As
an international/operational law attorney in the United States Army Judge
Advocate General’s Corps, then-Captain Matthew Mayer served as the Army’s sole
legal representative in Europe at numerous planning conferences for military
exercises in Poland, Italy, Romania, Israel and the Ukraine. In that position, he negotiated and drafted
multimillion-dollar contracts on the Army’s behalf with various other European
nations. In a previous position as the
command judge advocate for Headquarters, Fifth Signal Command in Mannheim,
Germany, Captain Mayer was the sole legal advisor to a two-star general for the
entire European Signal command. Along
the way, he advised clients from the lowest-grade private to four-star
generals.
Today, Matt Mayer is drawing from his JAG experience,
applying it as an attorney for Leisawitz Heller’s Business Group, where he
focuses on general corporate and commercial transactions, along with work in
the estate planning and business representation fields. He has been admitted to practice before the
Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Virginia Supreme Court, the United States
District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the United States
District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He is a member of the American Bar
Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Berks County Bar
Association. His diverse military
clientele has prepared him to serve a wide variety of clients, from small
family businesses to multimillion-dollar corporations.
An All-Berks soccer player and alumnus of Fleetwood High
School, Matt continued his soccer career at Moravian College where he was an
All-Conference captain of his soccer team and a cum laude graduate. Mayer received his Juris Doctor degree from
the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. He currently resides in Sinking Spring and is
an avid sports enthusiast and stays active in golf, soccer, running and
weightlifting. “For me,” says Matt,
“staying in good physical shape is essential to being mentally fit. Keeping myself fit is part of my personal obligation
as an attorney.”
Greg Knies (greg@kniesinsurance.com) is President of Knies Insurance
Group, Inc. He has 16 years’ experience
in the Property & Casualty Insurance industry, 7 years as co-owner of Knies
Insurance Group Inc., licensed in PA, DE, MD, and NJ. Areas of Expertise:
Working with small to medium sized businesses to properly fit insurance
products with their needs. Educational
Background: Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from Pennsylvania State
University in 1993; PA Property/Casualty Insurance License obtained 1999; PA
Life/Health Insurance License obtained 2000.
Colin Waszkiewicz (Colin@financialguide.com ) is a Financial Services
Professional at The W Group Financial Services.
He served in the United States Army and completed two combat tours in
Iraq. In 2006, he was honorably
discharged as a Sergeant after completing a four-year military career and
receiving the Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device. A graduate of West Chester University, Colin
has immersed himself into his profession and has received numerous industry
awards and recognitions, including the MassMutual Rising Leaders Award during
his first two years as financial services professional. Colin, his wife Laura, his daughter Piper,
and his son Jonah reside in the Reading, Pennsylvania area where they enjoy
spending time with family and friends.
Areas of Expertise: Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, Long Term Care
Insurance, Estate, and Succession Planning, Investments
Craig
Peiffer (craig.peiffer@readingpa.org)
has been the
Zoning Administrator for the City of Reading since 2012. He manages
Zoning, Planning, and Historic Preservation. He previously worked for the
City of Harrisburg, in their Planning Bureau, and in the private sector for
three architectural firms. Areas of Expertise Include: Land Use Planning,
with a specialization in Urban Planning and Design;
Historic Preservation; Economic Development and Architecture. Craig earned a Bachelor of Arts in History
with a Minor in Urban Studies from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and
studied Architecture and Technical Theatre at Harrisburg Area Community
College.