MEC Loudoun

ABOUT THE MASON ENTERPRISE CENTER

The Mason Enterprise Center incubator is an entrepreneurship program of George Mason University designed to foster innovative startups and the growth of emerging, scalable companies.

Mason Enterprise Center (MEC) Loudoun assists entrepreneurs as they launch, work and grow, serving as the Center of Entrepreneurship for Loudoun County. A program of George Mason University’s Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Impact, the MEC partners with Loudoun County and the Town of Leesburg to educate, advise, connect and incubate small businesses. The affiliation with Mason provides small businesses an accredited unbiased resource and gives local stakeholders a trusted and effective partner supporting entrepreneurship and economic development in the community. Under the MEC Loudoun umbrella are the MEC-Leesburg Incubator and the Loudoun SBDC.

Incubator Gallery

Proven Success

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Over a two to three year period companies are connected to the resources, the expertise, and the business advising and accountability they need to solidify success. Together with local community partners, the MEC-Leesburg accelerates business growth and improves long term success.

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Revenue Increase

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REturn Users

Meet Our

Staff

Meet Our

Mentors

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Meet Our

Advisory Board

Regional Director
MEC-Leesburg
shenson2@gmu.edu

As Regional Director for Mason Enterprise Center programs in Loudoun County Henson runs the MEC-Leesburg incubator and oversees the SBDC program in Loudoun, leading a team of high-performing professionals. She reaches broadly into the community to market MEC programs, to forge partnerships, to make connections to Mason and to engage with stakeholders and potential sponsors.

Henson brings to the MEC over twenty-five years of experience in innovative program development, tactical business advising, training, human resources, customer service, operations, retail management and apparel manufacturing. Including work at the Missouri Small Business and Technology Development Centers in Kansas City and serving on the faculty at the University of Missouri in Columbia as the Coordinator of the Missouri Textile & Apparel Center. She grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia and is an alumnus of Virginia Tech University, in Blacksburg, Virginia for both her M.S. and B.S. degrees.

SBDC Manager and Lead Business Advisor

As the manager of the Small Business Development Program in Loudoun Eric leads a team of experienced business advisors and educators to help small businesses thrive and grow. With 30 years of business experience he has worked with companies and organizations of every size and structure. Melding strong storytelling skills from his days as a television editor, producer, director and screenwriter with skills learned from 20 years as a technology sales professional Eric uses proven tools to help business owners identify key areas of opportunity and challenges. After working in the IT space as a Cisco certified trainer he launched a training company called Pitch for Success that creates action based learning and skill building programs. He leans on his own experience as an entrepreneur and from growing up in his family’s small business to help entrepreneurs develop a strong strategy for success. Leveraging his BS in Communications from James Madison University, Eric teaches and coaches strong planning and communications practices as the point person for the business consulting team at the SBDC in Loudoun.

Program Support and Operations Assistant

Stefa’nie brings over ten years of experience in operations, event planning, sales, business development, human resources and property management. Over the past four years, she has become an expert in senior housing and office management. She has the desire to learn all of the steps needed to become a successful entrepreneur. Using her experience with office management, her focus is to help with the providing a streamlined approach to the overall success of the MEC and SBDC team!

At the Incubator Stefa’nie is in charge of purchasing, including company signs, supplies and building maintenance. She also handles leases & agreements and receipt and logging of payments. She also has responsibilities with the SBDC program. Her work is primarily handled remotely or on weekends.

Administrative Assistant Front Desk

Jacob is currently a Senior at George Mason University, getting a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He handles requests for the SBDC and MEC-Leesburg Incubator, answering questions and responding to needs. Jacob routes calls & directs walk-ins appropriately, directing entrepreneurs to classes or setting up SBDC advising appointments as needed.

He manages incoming packages, sets up for events and processes payment deposits. Jacob performs this multi-faceted role like a true entrepreneur using his customer service, intuition and problem-solving skills on a regular basis.

Volunteer/Mentor

Don Chapman serves as Senior Vice President of Federal Services for Cayuse Technologies. His responsibilities include operations, capture, and business growth strategies for 8a directed award and competitive opportunities. Over his extensive career he has over $600mm+ in captured contracts/contract vehicles in both DoD & Civilian arenas. Don also as served as a Sr PTAC and advisor to Native American Contractors Association. Don has advised hundreds of Tribally-owned, individually-owned Native and minority-owned small businesses, federal agencies, and investment groups concerning government contracting and operations, business portfolio diversity, and other synergistic economic development areas. His work has also included the facilitation of multiple acquisitions of federal contracting companies and formation of multiple Joint Venture and Mentor / Protégé entities. His community service includes serving as the vice-chair of the Town of Leesburg Economic Development Commission and as federal contracting advisor Loudoun (VA) SBDC run by the SBA. Don is a member of the Mohegan Tribe of CT.

On October 5, 2009, Don receive an appointment by US Department of Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as the first ever Senior Policy Advisor on Native American Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce – where he served until October 3, 2012.

Prior to his Tribal business experience, Chapman worked in the private technology sector as design engineer in the Ericsson Cell Phone Design Group, General Dynamics Optical Engineering Group (Advances Technologies Group), as a partner in the technical manufacturer’s representative group Mechtronics Sales, and as Vice President of Operations at Professional Electronics – a military electronics reverse engineering and manufacturing company.

Mr. Chapman is a member of the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut.

Volunteer/Mentor

Joey brings 20 years of product management and engineering experience to the MEC. He has gained that experience in a variety of industries, including but not limited to, the federal government, subscription-based non-profits, media, advertising and health care. During this time, Joey has been a developer, product manager, project manager, COO, CPO, CTO and founder. He will use these experiences to advise in everything from technical architecture, resourcing, product vision/roadmapping, operational management and venture fundraising.

Joey brings a deep network of clients, resources and subject matter expertise that he has gained through his work throughout the Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Baltimore area. Over his career, Joey has developed a core belief that technology is ultimately a means to delight clients, so his focus is on squeezing incremental value out of every aspect of product and technology development. He relies on a pragmatic decision-making approach, where technology is right-fitted to each company, client and culture combination. When he is not involved in product and technology, you will find Joey surrounded by his female-dominated life (3 girls and 1 wife). When time permits, he takes in a live show or sporting event.

Volunteer/Mentor

Clint Thomas has 24 years of experience in public accounting in the areas of tax compliance and planning for closely held businesses of all types, including government contractors, technology companies and service providers. Clint is the managing member at Rubin, Koehmstedt & Nadler, where he leads a highly qualified accounting team to provide outstanding service in tax consulting and tax planning for businesses, individuals, estates and trusts.

Clint graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and became a CPA in 1995. He is a member of the Virginia Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Personally, he is a member of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg and is active in the mission’s ministry, the Loudoun Homeless Shelter as a volunteer, and Loudoun County Youth Sports as a coach.

Volunteer/Mentor

Kristine Jacobson, Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Conveyance Marketing Group has more than 25 years of strategic marketing and communications experience in diverse industries ranging from software and telecommunications to professional services and non-profits.

Kristine provides consistent strategic leadership to her team and the clients of Conveyance Marketing Group.

She has held senior marketing positions with notable corporate leaders as well as emerging market contenders. Kristine offers expert marketing strategy with a touch of creative flair. Her extensive knowledge of strategic marketing, marketing plan execution, and branding illuminate the big picture without losing sight of the important details.

Volunteer/Mentor

In September 2010 Tony opened Ford’s Fish Shack in Ashburn, VA. He has over 25 years of experience. He has worked in all types of food service since coming home one day and telling his parents he no longer wanted to be an engineer and wanted to go to culinary school. That didn’t go over very well. He has worked in all types of foodservice operations, from business catering to resorts, country clubs, large restaurant groups and small boutique restaurants, and even brew pubs when they weren’t cool. He has lived in the northern Virginia for the past 19 years and now calls Loudoun County home.

When Tony opened the first Ford’s Fish Shack he hoped to create an outstanding seafood restaurant that became known in the neighborhood as a great place to get fresh seafood at a fair price. There are now three locations in Loudoun County, 165 employees, and serve 12,000 guests a week. Ford’s has won numerous awards over the years, including best seafood restaurant and has even taken their lobster rolls to NYC for a national lobster roll competition. Recently Ford’s has started a catering division and now even has a food truck. Ford’s is always helping local charities and last year donated over $300,000 in food and money back to the community.

Tony still loves getting up every day and working with his employees and greeting his numerous regulars who come to Ford’s because they are the place for fresh seafood.

Business Advisor

Cort draws from an extensive professional experience in finance and management, where he spent 17 years of his career. Using his knowledge gained working in the credit card industry, finance companies, as well as both large and small banks he specifically helps small businesses focus on their finances and funding strategies. He has been a manager, a trainer, mortgage lender, small business lender, personal lender, and all other duties as assigned. He brings real world experience to help business owners evaluate and plan for financial and operational processes in their company.

Cort provides an expansive knowledge base and countless resources for his clients. As a Compound Coach certified coach Cort understands the value of working smart and efficiently, not just working hard. He brings his drive to be his best to all areas of his life including his practice of mixed martial arts. Participating in tough mudders across the country he is all about helping clients to achieve their goals.

Business Advisor

Demetrios is a business leader who bridges the gap between business and technology and knows how to leverage emerging technologies to enhance company value. He makes product ideas come alive and delivers solutions that solve real problems and create competitive advantages. His broad background includes corporate strategy and planning, operations, M&A integration, full lifecycle product development and commercialisation. Demetrios’s industry background includes Healthcare (telemedicine, eHealth, mHealth, analytics), Energy (smart grid, energy management, analytics), Technology (commercial software, custom solutions), Financial Services and Defence. Demetrios has held leadership positions at startups and Fortune-50 corporations, including DomiDocs, Fannie Mae, the Center for International Rehabilitation, IBM and has been coaching, mentoring and advising startups and entrepreneurs. His educational background includes a PhD in Computer Science, with emphasis in AI, machine learning and Image Processing and an MBA with emphasis in management, strategy and entrepreneurship.

Business Advisor

A 20-year veteran in business, Tom is an advisor to various technology startups in artificial intelligence, Blockchain, and international development. Previously Tom led, at MAXIMUS, Inc. the administration and corporate market research for global expansion; supporting there, the integration of digital capabilities. While at MAXIMUS, Tom was also lead investigator in Mergers and Acquisitions including: due diligence and integration.

Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French, Tom has delivered strategic global partnerships, expanded international markets and sold high value deals in marketing and sales positions at: Ligado Networks, Philips Electronics, Loral, and CISCO.

Tom also had a broad and successful career in the U.S. Air Force, as a systems acquisition officer and in intelligence. He served as a military attaché in Brazil and on the Air Staff at the Pentagon.

Tom earned his undergraduate degree in Physics from The College of the Holy Cross with a minor in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He has an MA in Strategic Studies from Georgetown University and is a graduate of the Defense Systems Management College. He and his family reside in Northern Virginia.

Business Advisor

Terry Saeger is an accomplished CEO with a consistent record of accelerating the P&L performance of companies ranging from hardware and software, to financial services, to advertising and media. He is experienced in all stages of growth including substantial global leaders ($2.6 billion), mid-caps, and start-ups, in public company, private, and private equity ownership structures. Terry is an experienced Independent Director, member of The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), an NACD Governance Fellow, and is available for select Board engagements. Presently, Terry is spearheading a Business Process Improvement advisory firm, bringing re-engineering and cost reduction expertise to small and mid-cap companies. It’s been said that Terry “creates contagious enthusiasm for a shared vision to accelerate growth.”

Terry began his career with AT&T where early-on, he gained blue-chip and Fortune-size experience. He achieved his first Corporate Officer distinction as Vice President- National Accounts with Price Interactive. Major mid-career milestones included Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing for Volt Delta Resources, a multi-channel cloud contact center, big data and speech recognition technology solutions provider for enterprises around the world. At Volt Delta Resources, he was elevated to become General Manager and leader of their SaaS sector, M&A, Private Equity, and Business Transformation interests.

He was recruited to become CEO for Conservation Solutions, Inc., the largest independent provider of conservation services in North America, where he reduced turnover by 90%, and positioned the company for 50% growth and a successful exit. For the last decade, Saeger has built The Saeger Group, into a prominent global advisory company providing consulting, Interim, and fractional CXO services to businesses in the technology sector. The Saeger Group is consistently recognized for their ability to generate step-change enhancements to shareholder value.

Saeger is an Independent Director of publicly-traded MainStreet Bank (NASDAQ: MNSB, Russell 2000) with over $1.3 billion in assets, where he Chairs the Compensation, and IT committees, and also serves on Audit, Loan, and Nom/Gov. Saeger has obtained the NACD CERT Cyber-Risk Oversight Certificate for Directors from Carnegie Mellon’s Software Engineering Institute’s Cyber Emergency Response Team (CERT). In his seven years of service, MainStreet Bank has grown from $125 million to over $1 billion in assets. He raised over $100,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and in 2006 was awarded ‘Innovator of The Year’ by the Reston Chamber of Commerce.

Saeger earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management at North Dakota State University. He is a licensed private pilot with a Complex rating, is an avid tennis player and golfer, and has been deeply involved with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation for decades. He resides with his wife in the greater Washington DC area.

Business Advisor

Subodh uses decades of successful consultative sales experience covering business needs analysis; systems integration and product design to help entrepreneurs form, grow and reimagine their companies’ revenue and cost model. Subodh focuses on needs articulation to benefits quantification through program implementation.

His skills and experiences include key account development; crisp needs articulation; creative prospecting; social selling; program design and delivery; strategic partner relationships; proposals development and delivery; market research; pricing strategy; sales forecasting and strategic account planning.

His professional background has centered on the operations of essential systems like telecommunications, electric networks, water systems and transit systems. Primarily as a vendor of robust, scalable software, telemetry and services solutions.

Business Advisor

With more than 20 years’ experience with all facets of account supervision and project execution, Mary brings an exceptional knowledge base to marketing activities, including branding, positioning, strategic planning, corporate identity, event planning, executive and internal communications, web presence, tactical planning, primary and secondary research, focus groups, advertising, direct marketing, project management, copy writing and editing, and budget oversight. Mary has supported clients ranging from small boutique companies to Fortune 500 corporations including Corning, Securicon, RBN, Acumen Solutions, Standard Solar, MDV-SEIA, Booz Allen Hamilton, LGS and NACHA. Her specialty areas are business-to-business, business-to-government and government-to-government. Her work on behalf of her clients has earned her several awards including a Stevie Award, Hermes, Spotlight and Communicator Award.

Business Advisor

With more than 20 years’ experience with all facets of account supervision and project execution, Mary brings an exceptional knowledge base to marketing activities, including branding, positioning, strategic planning, corporate identity, event planning, executive and internal communications, web presence, tactical planning, primary and secondary research, focus groups, advertising, direct marketing, project management, copy writing and editing, and budget oversight. Mary has supported clients ranging from small boutique companies to Fortune 500 corporations including Corning, Securicon, RBN, Acumen Solutions, Standard Solar, MDV-SEIA, Booz Allen Hamilton, LGS and NACHA. Her specialty areas are business-to-business, business-to-government and government-to-government. Her work on behalf of her clients has earned her several awards including a Stevie Award, Hermes, Spotlight and Communicator Award.

Mentor

Mr. Martinez brings more than ten years of industry experience in commercial and nonprofit treasury management and lending. He is a Certified Treasury Professional, the highest designation for financial professionals in the risk management and capital preservation field. He has been on the board of various local organizations, including the Washington Metropolitan Chapter Community Association Institute (WMCCAI), the Stroke Comeback Center and is currently the treasurer of the Community Business Partnership. He earned a B.A. in Economics at George Mason University, and is a U.S. Army, OIF III Veteran.

Mentor

Dr. Mort has been an Engineer, Entrepreneur, Novelist, and Attorney. He earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University. He turned that research into a product idea and started a software company, grew it during the 1990s, then negotiated the company’s sale, and stayed on to preside over the merged organization for several more years before moving on. Throughout the lifecycle of his own company, Dr. Mort used several advisors, some valuable, some not so much. He realized that advisors help the most when they can bring outside industry experiences to bear on issues the entrepreneur faces. He became a business attorney and now serves as Legal Business Counsel to a number of small to medium sized businesses in Northern Virginia. He loves to use his education and experience to guide other entrepreneurs along the path from ideas to wealth through the planned monetization of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.

Education: JD, George Washington University; PhD Electrical Engineering, Southern Methodist University; MS Electrical Engineering and MS Math, University of Minnesota; BS Math, Michigan State University

Mentor

Adam Calli has over 20 years of comprehensive experience in all aspects of progressive human resource management, in such diverse environments as government contracting, television production, commercial banking, hospitality, and multi-client outsourced HR support. Adam began his career in hospitality industry operations, before making the transition into HR. Following successful completion of his six-year enlistment he was honorably discharged from the US Navy Reserves. As an HR professional, Adam has overseen all aspects of talent development and evaluation processes, targeted employee recruitment, orientation, retention and training systems, job classification, benchmarking, HR business and strategic planning, and compensation, benefits administration, and compliance. In addition, he has extensive experience with the development, refinement and implementation of progressive and innovative personnel and employee relations policies and procedures.

Adam has an MS in Management with an HR Concentration from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. and a BS in Business and Hospitality Administration from Florida State University. He is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SCP) – Society for Human Resources Management and a Strategic Workforce Planner (SWP) – Human Capital Institute.

Mentor

Raksha Sukhia is a small business sales, business growth, change and digital transformation consultant. Her toolkit leverages digital and traditional marketing, business development and sales enablement, entrepreneurship and technology adoption, automation, and knowledge and innovation management. She works with CEOs to find “hidden sources of revenue” and shows them strategies that dramatically increase both gross profitability and helps them innovate their client experience and offering in the process. Raksha has led strategic corporate positions for Fortune 500 MNCs, and innovative startups in both the public and private sector. She consults with CEOs and executives globally. She holds many certifications and degrees and is a published author. She travels promoting her Humanist Agenda while supporting her clients.

Mentor

Gerry Preville has more than 25 years of hands-on financial management experience growing software, hardware and life science firms. His experience includes senior positions with rapid growth technology firms, including Natural Insight, 3CLogic and Newbridge Networks. In 2002, he founded Laurentian CFO Services to provide professional outsourced accounting services to emerging technology firms. Mr. Preville earned a BS in business from Wright State University, Ohio and an MBA in finance from the University of Toronto. He also holds a CPA license from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Mentor

For over 35 years, Mr. Grenter has held executive level positions in Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations and General Management. Before Mr. Grenter co-founded Theragen, he was the President, CEO, and Board Member of SpineAlign Medical Inc., an early commercial stage venture backed medical device company. Previously Mr. Grenter was the Group President for Spacelabs Healthcare, a global leader in patient monitoring, anesthesia, and diagnostic cardiology, and was responsible for all operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

During his tenure, he successfully managed and closed the acquisition of Del Mar Reynolds and incorporated that business into their global network. Prior to Spacelabs, he was the President and CEO for Kyphon Inc., a spine company and led their very successful IPO in 2002. He also took a struggling electrical stimulation medical company, Biolectron, managed a 400% increase in sales and profitability, and then sold it for $100 M to its largest competitor, Biomet Corporation, a global leader in orthopedics. Mr. Grenter began his medical device career with Stryker Orthopedics, holding senior positions in Operations, Marketing and Product Development. Mr. Grenter holds a B.S. in Production Management from Northern Illinois University and an M.B.A. in Management from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Mentor

Mr. LeMay is the principal of LeMay & Company, a CPA firm established in 1997 to address the financial accounting needs of small businesses. Robert has over 20 years of experience in the financial management of small companies. He has helped countless entrepreneurs realize their dreams of owning their own business, by guiding clients through the process of launching the business, managing growing pains and even assisting in the successful sale of the company. Born and raised in New England, Robert brings a no-nonsense approach to the world of accounting. He has an uncanny ability to break down the complicated rules of accounting in a way even the least financially literate person can understand.

Mentor

Mary recently returned to DC after 18 years in Hong Kong where she lead over $1b investments into distressed and high growth companies across Asia for prominent special situation and private equity funds. During her final 5 years in Asia she co-founded a food company and led its growth and brand building throughout Greater China. She is currently running her own VC firm, with a focus on growing companies which are producing consumer products and services that are dramatically influencing changes in their respective industries. Mary holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame where she double majored in Accountancy and Chinese Studies.

MEC Loudoun

ABOUT THE MASON ENTERPRISE CENTER

Incubator Gallery

Proven Success

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Revenue Increase

REturn Users

Meet Our

Staff

Susan Henson

Eric Byrd

Stefa'nie Ross

Jacob Michaels

Meet Our

Mentors

Don Chapman

Joey McCord

Clint Thomas

Kristine Jacobson

Tony Stafford

Cort Maddox

Demetrios Sapounas

Tom Solitario

Terry Saeger

Subodh Nayar

Mary N. Joynt

Rafael A. Martinez

Dr. Michael Mort

Adam Calli, MSM, SHRM-SCP

Raksha Sukhia

Gerry Preville

Gary Grenter

Robert LeMay

Mary Schroeder

Meet Our

Advisory Board

Town of Leesburg

Loudoun Economic Development Authority Recommendation

Mason Enterprise Center Loudoun Staff

Loudoun County Dept. Economic Development

SBA recommendations

Loudoun SBDC, Manager

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Manager

Loudoun Chamber of Commerce recommendation

MEC Incubator Programs

George Mason University

MEC-Leesburg Incubator Alum

SBDC Program

Tech Startup Sector

Tech Startup Sector