Page is currently serving as the Interim Executive Director at Cabarrus Economic Development. She has been with the organization for almost two years, where she supports new business recruitment activity, oversees entrepreneurial development efforts and works closely with local companies to connect them to the resources they need to continue to be successful in Cabarrus County. Prior to her role at Cabarrus EDC, Page spent over 10 years in marketing, communications and business development roles. She is a North Carolina native, a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, and spent seven years living up and down the east coast while her husband, Andrew, served in the Navy. They now call Concord home and live just outside downtown with their four – yes, four – children.

Peter Marsh is a Cofounder of Flywheel. The company designs and operates a growing network of innovation centers for entrepreneurs and start-ups. Peter is an active entrepreneur and investor in startup companies through Flywheel New Ventures and developed Flywheel’s community building formula for ideation, structured development resources and capital access for entrepreneurs. Peter Marsh is also a Partner and co-owner of Workplace Architecture + Design. Based in Winston-Salem, NC, the firm has planned, designed, and managed the construction of all Flywheel locations and over 10 million square feet of commercial and institutional real estate with over 500 completed projects nationwide, ranging from Miami to Seattle.

Barbi Jones joined the The Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus as executive director in 2016. During her tenure, the Chamber team has worked to increase advocacy at local, state and national levels to benefit Cabarrus County businesses, offer ongoing educational, marketing and networking opportunities for members, and work with community nonprofits to connect programs to resources. Noting the importance of workforce development, The Chamber became a founding partner of the Cabarrus County Career Technical Education Advisory Board that she currently chairs connecting Cabarrus County Schools and Kannapolis City Schools’ CTE programs to partners to offer students real-life career education and experiences.

Megan is the new director at the Small Business Center at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. She’s served her local community for the past 9 years through roles in county government and workforce development. Megan holds a master’s degree from University of South Dakota in administration with a double specialty in organizational leadership & HR management. When she’s off the clock, Megan is most commonly found chasing down her lovely (and surprisingly fast) two-year-old son, Connor.

Robin McIntire has been with the SBTDC for 11 years. She currently serves as the Regional Director for the Charlotte office, covering an 8 county region. Robin holds an MBA from Wingate University and a BS in Business from Thomas Edison State College. Prior to joining the SBTDC, Robin spent most of her career running a $28 million specialty chemical division for a multi-national company. During her time with the SBTDC, she completed the LEAD program (SBTDC leadership development) and the EDFP (economic development finance professional) certification. Robin also chairs the continuing professional education committee which directs all training and staff development activities for the organization.  

As the Director of the WBC-Charlotte, Natalie is responsible for providing strategic direction and guidance for the WBCC’s vision, developing training programs, counseling, mentoring, managing staff, and overseeing WBC Charlotte’s budget. She collaborates with various resource partners and professionals to strengthen training programs for women entrepreneurs across a 12 County Region of Charlotte. Under her leadership the Center has served 450 Business Owners with Counseling; provided approx. 350 training events, trained over 4,400 clients with over 7000 hrs of classroom or workshop training. The Center has been recognized and is the recipient of two proclamations by both the City of Charlotte’s Mayor and City of Concord.

Dr. Melvin Douglass took office as the 24th President of Barber-Scotia College on April 12, 2019, ushering in a new era of leadership for the college. Dr. Douglass brings to the college more than 25 years of combined senior level administrative experience in academia, research, policy, advocacy, government service, and nonprofit sector. His talents and experiences have allowed him to become adept at overseeing operational and fiscal responsibilities that speak to ensuring optimal organizational performance and actualizing revenue enhancements. He served as a senior research scientist at Touro College Graduate School of Education, professor of education at Brooklyn College Graduate School of Education, professor of sociology and African American studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, professor of sociology and history at the College of New Rochelle, and professor of social science at Metropolitan College of New York-Audrey Cohen School of Human Services.

Susan is the Regional Manager, Greater Charlotte for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. She is a long-time resident of Cabarrus County and has engaged with the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis since its 2008 opening. Prior to joining the Center, Susan worked as an architectural project manager, construction permit expeditor, and retail store planner. She executed a career transition through continuing education at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College after utilizing their R3 Center Services (Refocus, Retrain, Re-Employ) designed to help navigate to better jobs. Susan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering with concentration in motorsports engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and an Associate of Applied Science in biotechnology at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. She also completed the Basic Economic Development Course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government.

Adrian Smith is the Executive Director of the Flywheel Foundation and Director of New Ventures Accelerator. Adrian is from Winston-Salem and believes that entrepreneurship and finance can change the world. He has deep passion for agriculture, energy, and social innovation. Adrian studied Sustainable Agriculture at Warren Wilson College and received an MBA in Entrepreneurial Finance from the University of Colorado. He lives in Winston-Salem with his fiancé, dog, and four chickens.

Bill Aimutis is currently Executive Director for the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab managed by North Carolina State University on the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. Bill’s team works with entrepreneurial and multi-national companies on plant-based food product development and scale-up in a pilot plant operating under cGMP standards. Bill has held several research and operations leadership and management positions in his career. He is a Certified Food Scientist, Fellow of the American Dairy Science Association, and a Distinguished Agricultural Alumnus from both Purdue University and Virginia Tech. Prior to his current position, Aimutis was a Research Fellow and Global Director of External Innovation for Cargill, Inc. where he developed the External Innovation program for Cargill’s core businesses, including interaction with global venture capital groups. Bill retired from Cargill in September, 2018.

Jeni Bukolt is the founder and CEO of Haven Creative, a community branding agency based in the Charlotte region. Haven Creative specializes in developing strategic marketing and communications campaigns for government entities, nonprofits and other community building organizations. Over the last 10 years, Jeni has helped these organizations connect the dots from design to messaging to strengthen the community within and around their brand. Some of Haven’s local clients include Town of Waxhaw, Union County, Gaston County, City of Hickory and Town of Matthews. Jeni is also the Communications Chair of the EO Accelerator Charlotte Chapter and is a 3rd year EOA Participant.