Banking Expert to Assist Small Business Development Center Clients

CAMARILLO, Calif. - Oct. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- CAMARILLO, Calif. – Gonzalo Fernandez, owner of small business financing advisory firm GBF Consulting, has joined the Economic Development Collaborative-Ventura County’s SBDC as an advisor. Fernandez will assist Small Business Development Center clients in the areas of analyzing and securing business loans, and strategic planning. Fernandez joins the approximately 30 advisors offering Ventura County companies no-cost general and specialized business assistance, including manufacturing, international trade, and government contracting and procurement.

“Gonzalo is an experienced banker with a proven track record of developing and growing SBA lending programs throughout California,” said Ray Bowman, SBDC director. “His financial expertise is invaluable for our SBDC clients looking to access capital to grow their existing businesses or to start a new one.”

A Thousand Oaks resident, Fernandez has held senior management positions at national, regional and community banks. Most recently, he served as the senior vice president program manager in the small business lending division for First California Bank, where he was responsible for creating and managing the bank’s SBA program. Fernandez also serves as an advisor for SCORE Ventura County and Women’s Economic Ventures. Fernandez, who is bilingual in Spanish and English, has a business degree from La Salle Business College, Havana, Cuba, and an executive program in management certification from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

The SBDC is funded by the SBA and provides professional business assistance at no cost to businesses. Participating businesses are required to follow a well-defined scope of work and report their economic successes. These SBA milestones are defined as job creation, increase in sales, capital investment, jobs retained and business started.

EDC-VC (http://edc-vc.com/) is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as a business-to-government liaison to assist businesses in Ventura County by offering programs that enhance the economic vitality of the region. For more information about the Small Business Development Center, loan programs, manufacturing outreach and international trade program, or other services available to small businesses through EDC-VC, contact Bruce Stenslie at 805-384-1800 ext. 24 or bruce.stenslie@edc-vc.com. Or visit www.edc-vc.com.