Columbia Center team
Virginia Wilson |
  Virginia worked for University of Missouri Extension as a business development specialist in St. Charles County for seven years before returning to her home of Columbia for a position as SBTDC counselor in the Center. Virginia holds an M.B.A. from William Woods University and a B.S. degree in business administration from Columbia College. Virginia is the recipient of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and University of Missouri Extension awards for business development. She was a Missouri Quality Award Examiner for three years. She is a certified FastTrac instructor with emphasis in NewVenture and GrowthVenture and as an Economic Development Finance Professional by the National Development Council. Virginia works with start-up and existing businesses from business planning, financial projections, operations and performance management, financial analysis and marketing. Contact Virginia at WilsonV@missouri.edu or phone (573) 882-7096. |
Jim Gann |
 As the Director of Technology Business Development for the center, Jim teaches and coaches in all aspects of technology-based business. During his five year tenure with the University of Missouri, he has assisted his portfolio of clients increase sales by more than $76 million, helped his clients gain financing in excess of $28.5 million and create or retain more than 350 jobs. Mr. Gann has been identified by campus administration (and actively works in the role of ombudsman) to those external parties seeking complex commercial relationships with the university. Jim comes from an entrepreneurial background, having owned and operated his own successful businesses in custom manufacturing, publishing, real estate management and property development. Additionally, he has held a number of elective and volunteer leadership positions in public service. Mr. Gann is a Doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri studying higher education policy in technology transfer. His past degrees include a B.S. from Central Missouri State University and an MBA from William Woods University. Additionally, he has received specialized training in business credit, entrepreneurial development, and technology marketing from a number of thought-leading sources. Jim is nationally certified as an Economic Development Finance Professional (NDC), and as a Technology Business Counselor (ASBDC). He also holds a certificate in Technology Marketing from the California Institute of Technology, and is certified in curricula promulgated by the Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation. Mr. Gann resides in Boonville, his hometown, along with his wife, Marilyn and daughters, Callie and Abigail. Contact Jim at GannJ@missouri.edu or phone (573) 882-7096. |
Sam Devaram |
 Sam Devaram is an MBA honors December 2009 graduate from the University of Missouri with an emphasis in Corporate Finance and Organizational Management. Sam was involved in leadership positions throughout his degree in student affairs and student activities. After finishing his bachelor degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering at Anna University he worked in marketing and sales sector in power control systems industry. Sam hails from a family of entrepreneurs and had made strides early on in his career during the Y2K boom by creating and briefly running a small business which instilled his interest in capitalism and commerce. He aspires to use his experience and education to someday be a successful entrepreneur. He is a Kauffmann certified FastTrac NewVenture instructor and currently conducts multiple entrepreneurial workshops and classes at the Columbia Small Business and Technology Development Center. Sam works with start-up and existing traditional businesses providing assistance with start-up logistics and legalities, business planning, financial analysis and projections, business operations and management, pricing and marketing. Contact Sam at DevaramS@missouri.edu or phone (573) 882-7096. |
Paul Bateson |
 Paul Bateson possess more than 20 years of experience in business development, B2B sales, industrial engineering and operations management with multiple fortune 100 companies and one small family owned business. His experience breaks down to ten years in operations management, eight years of sales and business development and two years as general manager. Among his accomplishments were managing the ISO accreditation and integrating an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system as a plant manager. In addition he achieved multiple years of ten per cent year on year's sales growth and was a key team member that created a new commercialization process geared towards expediting new products to market. Paul's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology and an MBA. One of his strongest attributes is to match up ideas or needs in areas beyond conventional wisdom. This ability will allow his clients explore non-traditional areas for their ideas or inventions. Paul works as a Technology Transfer Counselor, primarily with researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs with ideas or inventions at the early stages of development. Assisting these people to understand the commercial value their work may bring along with what steps need to be taken to bring it to fruition. Contact Paul at BatesonP@missouri.edu or phone (573) 882-9976. |
Olivia Gill |
 Olivia Gill wears many hats in the center, including managing the schedules of eight business professionals, scheduling and monitoring training events, handling public and client inquiries and assisting the director of operations with center reporting. Contact Olivia at gillos@missouri.edu or phone (573) 882-7096. |
Bill Stuby |
  Before joining PTAC, Bill served as the financial administrator for the MO SBTDC state office. He is a retired federal employee from the U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ), Federal Prison System. He has held the positions of Accounting Supervisor, Contracting Officer, Controller, Asst. Division Manager, and Associate Warden. His previous position entailed supervising twelve department heads, six contracting officers and a penitentiary housing over 2,200 inmates with more than 600 employees. His procurement background and expertise include processing major contracts in construction, manufacturing components and equipment, food and supply items. He holds a B.A. degree in business administration from Dakota Wesleyan University. Bill is a member of the National Contract Management Association, Missouri Association of Public Purchasing and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. He is the president of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers. Contact Bill at StubyB@missouri.edu or phone (573) 882-7096. |
Rhonda Wilson |
 US DOT SBTRC, Central Region Rhonda Wilson earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Columbia College with dual majors in Management and Human Resource Management. She is currently working on her Master's Degree in Business and Marketing Education at the University of Missouri. For six years, Rhonda worked as a Contracting Officer in the Division of Purchasing and Contracting at the Missouri Army National Guard Headquarters procuring supplies and services for the units of the Missouri Army National Guard. Currently, Ms. Wilson is the Central Region Project Director for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Small Business Transportation Center (SBTRC). She helps small businesses obtain government contracts as well as help with completing the applications for certifications. Contact Rhonda at WilsonRH@missouri.edu or phone (573) 882-7096. |
Regional Resources |
Virgil Woolridge |
 Virgil Woolridge is Business Development Specialist for University Missouri Extension. For more than 15 years, he has provided business assistance programming and educational assistance to the northern part of the central Missouri service area. Virgil has an undergraduate degree in Dietetics and Institutional Management from Kansas State University and has a Masters degree in Business Management from Webster University in St Louis. Prior to joining University of Missouri Extension, his business experiences included starting and running his own service business and working as a branch manager of a national service company where he was responsible for managing all sales, service and administrative functions. Virgil is an Army Reserve Officer with more than 34 years of military service. He is married and has three adult sons. Contact Virgil at WoolridgeV@missouri.edu or phone (573) 581-3231. |
Chris Thompson |
 Chris V. Thompson joined University of Missouri Extension’s Business Development Program as a Business Development Specialist in 1999. As a business specialist, Chris provides counseling and training to prospective and existing businesses. He routinely conducts more than 40 training events each year and counsels more than 100 clients. Based in the University of Missouri Extension's Small Business and Technology Development Center in Jefferson City, Chris serves clients in Cole County and the southern part of the central region. He also serves as the County Program Director for the Cole County Extension Office. Chris is a past president and current member of the East Side Business Association. He is also a member of the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce and co-chairs the Small Business Resource and Development Committee and is a volunteer with the Service Corp of Executives. For seven years (1996 – 2002) he served as an examiner/senior examiner in the Missouri Quality Award Process. Additionally served as a Team Leader in the Sprint Corporation Chairman’s Quality Award in 2000. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and a Masters of Public Administration from Ball State University. Contact Chris at ThompsonCV@missouri.edu or phone (573) 634-2824. |
Bob Newman |
  Bob Newman has been with the SBA since April of 1990. Bob has worked in all four divisions within the St. Louis District Office — Finance, Portfolio Management, 8(a) Business Development and Marketing — during that time. An Army veteran, Bob served as SBA's veteran affairs officer for a number of years across Eastern Missouri. Prior to joining SBA, Bob worked in the finance field: spending time in banking, as a stockbroker and accounting. Bob likes to think he could have been a good history, or art, teacher if he had not become interested in business. Bob believes that art is the root of culture, and that the lessons of history are a guide for how the world works today. A reformed "car-nut," Bob fights a daily battle staying away from classic cars; and had rebuilt or reconditioned two Corvettes before kicking the habit. His diverse SBA experience — processing loans, servicing loans, helping small businesses obtain government contracts, and experience explaining and marketing SBA's programs and services to individuals, businesses and community organizations — are of real value in Bob's position as a Senior Area Manager for SBA in Central/North Missouri. Growing up, Bob's father owned and operated a small business, a heating, air conditioning and home improvement company that Bob worked in. Bob has a daughter, Andrea; and a granddaughter, Molly. Bob earned his BSBA from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1979, with a dual specialization in Marketing and Management Information Systems. In 1980 Bob earned his MBA from SIU-E. You can learn more about the SBA and its program and services by calling Bob in Columbia at (573) 256-1794; by email at robert.newman@sba.gov; or stopping by one of his office on the campus of the University of Missouri in Room W1026 of Lafferre Hall in Columbia, MO 65211. |
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