Small Business Co.

Bill Burton, President of People Solutions for Small Business, LLC, is a degreed, seasoned Human Resources professional with a background in leadership, managerial and functional HR expertise. His emphasis is in recruiting and retention, performance management, training and development and employee relations. He is also skilled in compensation and benefits, safety, workers compensation and creating quality of life programs for employees and their families. Bill holds a certificate in Employee Relations Law as well as lifetime certification as Senior Professional Human Resources. Bill is a career US Army Officer, having spent 11 years active duty as a Personnel Management officer. His assignments have taken him to Fort Knox, Kentucky, Heilbronn, Germany, and Fort Sheridan, Illinois. In these positions, Bill managed a Personnel Office with 126 staff members under his control and received recognition as the most efficient Personnel Office in the major command. He created quality of life programs that benefited more than 40,000 people nationwide. Bill retained his commission and has recently retired from the 84th Division in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Upon leaving active duty, Bill accepted the position of Personnel Manager with a major printing company in Milwaukee. In this role, he fostered an improved safety program that realized an impressive reduction in workers compensation modification rating, yielding an annual premium savings of over $270,000. He was the focal point in recruiting production workers as well as management staff. He coordinated safety related as well as supervisory training. Bill and his family moved to Baraboo, Wisconsin, where he accepted the position of manager at an injection/blow molding plastics company in Baraboo. He created a three phase diversity program, negotiated a new contract with the on-site employment agency that offered a potential of $200,000 yearly savings, reduced turnover by 26%, reduced workers compensation reserve account by $150,000 and reformatted new hire orientation that yielded annual savings of $120,000. As the Human Resources Manager for a high-tech manufacturer in Middleton, Wisconsin, Bill's successes continued as he coordinated all phases of the employment process in order to achieve staffing goals. He recruited for all levels of positions, from senior management to production worker. He coordinated the development of position descriptions to create a focused recruiting strategy. He created a training needs matrix that identified the training needs of his associates and sought out fulfillment. He reduced turnover by 56%, initiated family programs and corporate wellness programs to enhance family/work life balance, achieved seamless implementation of new Flexible Spending Account program and HMO, implemented a stock purchase plan, and received OFCCP compliance certificate from desk-side EEO/AAP audit. Services and guidance offered by People Solutions for Small Business does not replace legal counsel.

Raymond J. Keating serves as Chief Economist with the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council), a national nonpartisan, nonprofit small-business advocacy group. He also writes a weekly newspaper column for Newsday on Long Island. In addition, Keating runs his own small business Keating Reports which publishes a variety of analyses and newsletters. Mr. Keating has authored or co-authored three books U.S. by the Numbers: What s Left, Right, and Wrong with America State by State (June 2000), New York by the Numbers: State and City in Perpetual Crisis (May 1997), and D.C. by the Numbers: A State of Failure (January 1995). He also has contributed essays for four other books, and is currently working on two new books. Keating has written hundreds of policy studies and articles, with pieces published in such periodicals as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Boston Globe, National Review, Investor s Business Daily, Chicago Tribune, Policy Review, The Journal of Commerce, The Washington Times, New York Post, Daily News, Detroit Free Press, Indianapolis Star, Human Events, The City Journal, and many more. He is a contributing editor to FEE s free-market magazine The Freeman and to Salvo magazine as well.

Todd Gebhart is the Executive Vice President and General Manager of McAfee's global Consumer, Mobile, and Small Business. In this role, Gebhart is responsible developing and executing the partnership, retail, and direct web sales strategy for the global expansion of McAfee's consumer, mobile, and small business. Mr. Gebhart joined McAfee in 1999 to lead the Company's OEM, Service Provider and Outsourcer sales teams. In 2002 Gebhart took over responsibility for McAfee’s consumer business and in 2004 added the mobile business to his charter. Under his sales leadership McAfee's global consumer business has achieved record results and established many significant global partnerships with leading OEM, ISP, Telco, and financial services companies. Mr. Gebhart brings more than 25 years of experience in the IT industry to McAfee and has held senior level management positions with leading technology companies in Silicon Valley. Prior to joining McAfee, he held the position of VP President of Sales at Alaris Corporation, a leader in video compression technology over the internet. Gebhart started his career at IBM where he held a variety of sales and sales management positions. Gebhart received his Bachelor of Science Degree at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and completed the executive management program at Harvard University.

Marty Sartipi is currently the International Policy Program Manager for the Small Business and Self-Employed (SBSE) Division of IRS. She has over 30 years of IRS experience and has managed a variety of functions in many geographic locations during her career. Marty served as the IRS Deputy Tax Attache and Tax Attache in Paris from 1998 until 2004, and had oversight of US tax administration for over 40 countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. She also served as the Deputy Tax Attache in London from 1984 through 1987. In these roles she worked with tax treaty partners, US businesses and US citizens resident abroad on a wide range of tax administration issues. She also participated as a US delegate to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Marty is a native of Iowa and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Alan has over twenty-five years of dynamic leadership experience in all key aspects of business management including sales, marketing, public relations, operations, human resources and information technology. Alan is the former president of IKON Quebec and a NASDAQ listed IT security firm. As an internationally renowned business executive, his experience includes working with companies that range from private start-ups to Fortune 50 public companies. He has developed sales teams and strategies that have consistently exceeded expectations, created innovative, efficient training programs and spearheaded wildly successful PR campaigns. Prior to joining forces with co-CEO Leanne Bucaro, Alan was president of WhiteHat Inc., a privately-held IT security company whose revenues grew from $1M to $7.4M in just three short years thanks to a comprehensive public relations, marketing and sales strategy. Alan, who is fluent in both French and English, is a sought-after corporate and media event speaker. His topics of expertise span from technology to public relations and marketing strategies. Highly respected by the media, he's often quoted in industry publications and interviewed for print, radio and television throughout the world. Corporate responsibility is paramount to Alan; he currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the World President's Organization (WPO) Ontario. Infinity's charitable obligations include a commitment to Imagine Canada. Alan, along with Infinity Communications partner, Leanne is the co-author of PR Mentor: The PR Tool Kit for Small Business.

Ms. Coleman is a Senior Technology Applications Trainer and Facilitator delivering customized training programs for PMG's clientele. She is also an Adjunct Professor with Parks College located in Arlington, Virginia, teaching Management, Small Business, Operating Systems, Human Resources Management and Career Skills. In addition, she is President of Coleman Enterprises a training and development company providing education, training and development in life skills, leadership, team building, journaling, computer applications and self esteem. She is the author of three writing journals and the developer of ?Life Mosaic - Character Building Through The Arts?, ?Life's Journey ? Developing Self? and ?Entrepreneurship ? Get The Edge? Programs. She holds a Masters Degree in Management from Central Michigan University, and a Bachelors Degree in Information Systems from Howard University.

Rep. David G. Argall has served the people of the 124th district since 1985. He has been re-elected in 11 subsequent elections, each time winning all of the district's 11 boroughs and 16 townships in Berks and Schuylkill counties. Well-known for his conservation and community revitalization efforts, Rep. Argall is the prime sponsor of the Waste Tire Recycling and Small Business and Household Pollution Prevention Act of 1996, which has led to the clean-up of approximately 24 million tires from waste piles across the Commonwealth. Because of his work, Rep. Argall has received awards from the Schuylkill River Greenway Association, the Pennsylvania Resources Council, the Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society, Preservation Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association. An active member of his community, Rep. Argall is an Eagle Scout and a leader of his son's Scout Troop. In 2004 and 2006, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as the Republican Whip. As the second-ranking leader in the Republican caucus, his responsibilities include assembling voting majorities during debates on the floor of the House of Representatives. In past sessions, Rep. Argall served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, overseeing the committee that shapes Pennsylvania's annual budget. Prior to that, he served in leadership as caucus chairman.

After leaving university and qualifying as a barrister, Henry practised for 8 years. Between 1983 and 1997, he served as Member of Parliament for Norfolk North West and was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Malcolm Rifkind from 1991 to 1997. Prior to being re-elected to the seat in 2001, he ran his own consultancy practice specialising in advising firms on inward investment. In July 2002, Henry was appointed to be Shadow Minister for Industry, Small Business and Employment.

Jim Kleckner is a private consultant specializing in Federal Government Procurement and Small Business. Previous to starting his own consulting business, for 34 years he was part of various federal procurement activities. Jim is a former buyer and staff officer in the Procurement Policy Office of the Headquarters U.S. Army Weapons Command in Rock Island, Illinois. Thereafter he served as a Small Business Specialist at Defense Contract Administration Services Region (DCASR) Dallas. In 1978, he assumed the role of Associate Director of Small Business, DCASR Chicago. His program responsibilities included management of the Small Business Program for 14 states. Jim was also the Grants Officer for the DOD Procurement Technical Assistance (PTA) Program which included 22 PTA Centers in the 14-state region. During his many years of services Jim assisted hundreds of small businesses win over $100 million in federal contracts. He is a member of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA), the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC) - formerly AGMAS - and the Illinois Small Business Development Association (ISBDA). He is certified by the ISBDA as a Certified Business Specialist and by APTAC as a Certified Contract Assistance Specialist. He currently serves as Chairman of the Program Manager Training Comittee for APTAC. Jim received the APTAC Outstanding Project Award in 2001 and is co-author of a national award-winning book, Win Government Contracts for Your Small Business published by CCH Incorporated, Riverwood, IL.

Since 1976, Karen DeVaney has owned and operated a business office in Modesto, California. She specializes in the income tax, bookkeeping and payroll fields for individuals and small businesses. She serves as a college instructor for Small Business, Practical Bookkeeping, and Payroll Accounting courses. She has spoken before many organizations in Central and Northern California on income tax and bookkeeping subjects. Karen served as a Governor's appointee to the Tax Preparer Advisory Committee for the State of California, Department of Consumer Affairs. She has also been Past President of Inland Society of Tax Consultants, past president of The Modesto Chapter of I.S.T.C., Past President of American Business Women's Associations Tuolumne River and Golden Poppy Chapters. She currently serves as Vice President of the Modesto Chapter of C.S.T.C., Advisor to Alliance Small Business Development Center and University of California Cooperative Extension. Recently Karen has accepted a position offered to her by Congressman Tom Reynolds' office, to sit on The National Republican Congressional Committees' Business Advisory Council. Besides being active in the previously mentioned organizations Karen is also active in several other local and national business and professional organizations.

Rob Messenger is the Queensland Coalition Member for Burnett. He is also the Shadow Minister for Tourism, Regional Development, Small Business and Industry and Shadow Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. Rob was elected to State Parliament in 2004. Prior to entering Parliament Rob served in the Royal Australian Air Force as an electrical fitter, he then started his own business, employing up to nine people. More recently, Rob had a successful media career, firstly as a television writer, producer and editor and then as a radio presenter and producer.