Coming Soon...

Coming Soon...

Coming Soon…

Workshop Track: Startups, Growth, and Business Plans

Matt’s Strategic Business Planning Expertise Spans:

• Navigating the startup environment
• Business model/feasibility assessment
• Strategic management and implementation
• Business plan development
• Applied leadership and management principles

Matt Wells is an educated and experienced strategist, manager, entrepreneur, and startup enthusiast with a passion for challenging the status quo. Boasting a track record of over 15 years of experience as a successful business owner and small business consultant, he is adept at crafting innovative strategies, developing highly valued customer service packages, and navigating complex business environments. His approach revolves around the question of "why not" rather than "why," emphasizing a willingness to push boundaries and explore new opportunities.

Eric started his career in 1989 as a freelance artist and designer and quickly expanded his customer base across a wide range of industries, including but not limited to entertainment, retail, real estate, banking, & commercial real estate development. By 1998 Eric entered into his first partnership serving the real estate and banking industry, developing brands and marketing strategies for the commercial real estate community, focused on the consumer-facing resale of newly established developments in NJ. During this time, Eric was blessed to work with other entrepreneurs, including investors, developers and banks, on strategies, branding and content development to increase awareness and sales.

In 2008 Eric left the commercial real estate space to pursue other industries, including entertainment, small business development, travel and hospitality, launching Black Ink Creative Partners in 2014.

Black Ink quickly grew its services base and became government contractors in 2016, which expanded the partnership to include long-time friend and business partner Mark Slotnick. The journey led the company into branding and co-producing contracting expos and conferences, opening up a new vertical for the company.

Eric spent over a decade as a parent advocate with a local parenting organization helping to foster fatherhood and community, as well as spent several years as a speaker and educator in addition to his passion with Black Ink. Eric leads Black Ink towards new opportunities and is excited to explore new spaces and help new (and existing businesses) expand their potential by shirking trends and status quo for roads less traveled. Businesses need to stand out above all the noise.

Dominick has over 20 years of experience as a manager in the financial services industry. His experience has included leading financial teams of over 40 professionals in expansion markets for one of the world’s largest financial institutions to unprecedented heights of success.

Dominick is credit trained and has transacted on credit facilities as large as 33 million dollars. His expert knowledge in small business financing has opened doors to middle-market financing as well as Wealth Management opportunities. Dominick was part of the JPMorgan Chase pilot program to license bankers with a series 6, series 63, and New York Life and Health Insurance license.

Dominick graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a degree in Legal Studies and is currently pursuing a Judicial Doctorate Degree

Owner of Cognicom Media, LLC, a Marketing, Content, and Public Relations agency that takes an integrated, platform-agnostic approach to digital marketing and generating attention. We reverse-engineer your target audiences to create the most effective marketing strategy and content possible.

Cognicom Media helps businesses, organizations, and professionals of all kinds build brands and create marketing strategies that drive business and create not only new customers and clients but advocates. We also provide services to in-house marketing departments for agencies that don’t have the bandwidth or that need specialized assistance.

Ryan Silvestre is a Senior Business Consultant at the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC) based out of Rutgers University, under a specialty program that serves businesses state-wide. His primary goal is to assist entrepreneurs in gaining greater access to capital. Mr. Silvestre has almost 20 years of corporate finance experience covering a broad range of transaction types in different industries, including but not limited to, debt/equity raises, recapitalizations, and valuation modeling. He has worked on several middle-market mergers & acquisitions and leveraged buyout deals. In the past 13 years with the SBDC, he has helped hundreds of small businesses raise over $50MM in working capital, equipment, start-up, and commercial real estate loans using both conventional and SBA products.

Prior to joining the SBDC, Mr. Silvestre was an Investment Banker and Business Development Officer with a boutique investment firm on Wall Street. He was responsible for establishing new national relationships, using their AR Facilities, ABL, and equity services. He also worked closely with senior C-level executives in his firm to create analytical research reports and contribute to the development of the marketing plan for the company. Outside of the SBDC, Mr. Silvestre currently owns and operates his own businesses, allowing him to gain additional perspective on economic climates as an entrepreneur himself. During his college years and after his graduation, he worked with a small business broker, where he was responsible for debt and equity placement with a focus on real estate and working capital loans. He also provided basic forensic accounting services to help develop greater efficiencies in the operations of small businesses allowing them to become more bankable. Lastly, he was also responsible for training and managing new sales hires.

Jennifer Perkel is a highly skilled digital content creator and event organizer with a talent for creating and editing graphic design content for social media platforms and advertising. With experience in promoting events through social media, print, and other digital resources, Jennifer is well-versed in analyzing content trends, developing and editing social media templates, and managing day-to-day project tasks.

Jennifer's current event portfolio includes the Keyport, Matawan, and Sea Bright Farmers Markets, as well as Borough-wide events in Keyport, Fair Haven, Lincroft, Oceanport, Highlands, Atlantic Highlands, and Edison, NJ. She is a proactive and forward-thinking individual with a keen eye for identifying issues and devising improvements.

In addition to her professional skills, Jennifer is a creative problem solver with exceptional communication skills. She is a superior team builder, adept at managing vendor relationships and resolving conflicts while maintaining strong relationships. Jennifer's leadership and time management skills make her a valuable asset to any project or team.

Bob Palumbo is the Director of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center at the Rutgers School of Business Camden. Mr. Palumbo manages the Rutgers-Camden NJSBDC operations, provides community outreach, council’s small business owners, and oversees all SBDC training programs. The region covers Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, and Camden Counties. Bob and his team of consultants advise small business owners in the areas of business startup, business planning, business expansion, marketing, loan proposals, financing, cash projections, and government procurement.

Bob is a Berlin, NJ, resident with more than 50 years of experience in Finance, Operations, and Marketing. Mr. Palumbo holds a BA in Accounting from Rutgers University and an MBA in Finance from Philadelphia University. Mr. Palumbo brings a diverse background to the SBDC, having worked in the service, manufacturing, and distribution sectors, including small businesses and large corporations. As an entrepreneur, Robert owned his own video production business for over ten years.