Executive Director Alison Hewitt is a hands'-on community development leader that possesses a wealth of practical business experience and a fresh vision for Manatee County residents interested in developing and growing their own businesses.  She has 11 years of successful economic development and community affairs management experience, including  Executive Director for the Office of Urban Opportunity for former Governor Jeb Bush. 

One of her responsibilities was the Front Porch Florida Initiative, a grassroots bottom-up approach to community revitalization driven by local visioning supported through technical assistance, intensive training and connection to strategic resources.  To date, communities have been allocated more than $25.6 million for urban revitalization including: economic diversity, improved education, strengthening families, and enhancement of Florida's environment and quality of life. 

As a consensus builder,  Alison is committed to working with community and business leaders to build the kind of entrepreneurial business climate that will keep current businesses strong and  stimulate new business growth and job creation.

Prior to this, Alison worked with Newberger & Associates, a governmental consulting firm located in Tampa. Her clients included the Tampa Port Authority, the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, the Lowry Park Zoo and LifeLink of Florida.  Currently she sits on the Advisory Board of Advantage Capital Partners.  She has served as Chairman of the Board to Keep Florida Beautiful, Inc., Vice Chair of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transportation Authority, Secretary of the Transit Board Members Committee for the American Public Transportation Association,  and President of the Central Florida Chapter of COMTO (Conference of Minority Transportation Officials).  She earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

For five years, Steven was Assistant Regional Counsel with the U.S. Small Business Administration. At SBA, he supervised a staff of 16 lawyers and support staff implementing business loans and government contracting programs in five states and the District of Columbia (Federal Region III).  He was also designated a Special Assistant United States Attorney to conduct SBA litigation and was a frequent instructor at SBA sponsored SCORE Pre-Business Workshops for new entrepreneurs.  And with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Special Counsel, he was part of the government audit team that enforced mandatory price and allocation regulations against major oil refineries.

Steven White is Founder and President of Business Strategies Corp. but had been a practicing attorney for 27 years and owned a consulting firm that specialized in government relations and procurement assistance. During his practice, he assisted numerous start-up companies and non-profits.  He also assisted in obtaining financing for existing businesses.  Projects included large real estate developments, hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, entertainment and retail establishments, and manufacturing companies.

Steven assisted companies seeking government contracting with major defense and civilian agencies by preparing bid protests, extraordinary contractual relief petitions, SBA certificate of competency appeals, SBA size protests, and contract claims. His clients held contracts for Federal, state and local government agencies.  He also taught government marketing and Federal Acquisition Regulations for 10 years through the National Institute of Federal Procurement.

After returning to private practice, Steven acted as closing attorney for two commercial banks participating in the SBA Guaranteed Loan Program and was an authorized agent for a major title company in real estate transactions.

Steven is a 1974 graduate of Temple University (summa cum laude) and 1977 graduate of Temple University School of Law. 

As Administrative Assistant, Karl gets to wear an assortment of hats, including office coordinator, information technician, website administrator, grant  writer, and official photographer.  Karl has an extensive background in photography, writing, and video production and has worked for major industries such as Mack Truck, Inc. and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation.