Brownlee Adds Financial Experience to NW-ISBDC Team

Gary-brownleeGary Brownlee has joined the NW-ISBDC staff as a business adviser. He will work primarily with businesses in Porter County bringing 30 years of experience in the financial services industry to his role.

Brownlee will work directly with new and existing business owners on business planning and execution as well as serve as a guide toward community resources and avenues for financing.

“I would hope to bring an analytical discipline and framework to aspiring entrepreneurs and growth-oriented small businesses. Success in business is a function of having a clearly defined opportunity and business model,” Brownlee said. “Having been involved in a variety of new ventures, I have learned the value of applying fact-based assessments of market opportunities and investment programs to capitalize on them. A good idea is a great start, but requires structure to come to life as a business.”

Brownlee’s background is in business planning, credit/risk management and financial analysis. Before co-founding a specialty finance business, he served as a senior officer of Indiana Federal Bank where he represented the bank on the Valparaiso Community Corp. board.

He holds a BA in economics and MBA in finance, both from the University of Pittsburgh, and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. He has served as a board member of the University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association for the past decade and currently holds the position of treasurer.

“We are excited to welcome Gary to our staff,” said NW-ISBDC Regional Director Lorri Feldt. “His financial background will serve as a key component to our team’s wide range of expertise, which helps us continue to spur the growth and development of region businesses.”

Brownlee believes his own entrepreneurial experience will be important to his adviser role.

“Having co-founded and co-managed a start-up business will help me to understand the concerns, needs and motivations of entrepreneurs. Empathy is, therefore, an important attribute. Also, with experience as a business owner, I developed an acute understanding of the need to integrate the various disciplines — sales, marketing, finance, human resources, risk management — into a unified force moving in a common direction,” he said. “My business partner and I also respected our limitations and sought specialized external help for matters outside of our areas of competence. I now will be in a role to provide some of my experience or expertise to entrepreneurs in similar positions.”

Serving seven counties in the region, the NWI SBDC offers no-cost assistance for entrepreneurs starting or expanding their businesses. Through one-on-one consulting, the NWI SBDC helps guide small businesses toward their goals by offering referrals, workshops, training opportunities and other essential business tools. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Small Business Administration, the State of Indiana and other local partners.

For more information, visit www.nwisbdc.org.