Mentors: BUSINESS IDEA

Chris Zobel

Chris Zobel

Summary of Qualifications Chris Zobel is a sales and management professional with extensive experience in  small and large businesses. He has worked with Fortune 500 and Mom and Pop businesses throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Chris has a degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After a successful career of over 30 years in the private sector, working with Miller Brewing Company, Arrow International, Yuengling and others, he accepted an Economic Development position with the US Small Business Administration assisting businesses in Delaware and later in Virginia. In 2014, he was relocated to Hampton Roads to concentrate on the very important small business community here. During his tenure with the SBA he interacted with small business owners from all cultural backgrounds. He was actively involved with assisting businesses with SWAM, HUBZone, 8a and Veteran certifications. An additional duty that Chris held was the District International Trade Office (DITO).  As DITO, he held Export training events and met one on one with businesses to educate them on the specifics involved with establishing International Trade. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and served for 5 years in the US Navy during the Vietnam Era. Chris and his wife Susan live in Norfolk and enjoy life in Hampton Roads. Want to meet with this Lead Mentor? Schedule an...
Sarah Slotnick

Sarah Slotnick

Summary of Qualifications I am the Community Guru at 804RVA and I see opportunities in RVA everywhere I look. I love helping people find their passions, especially veterans. There are so many places where we can fix social challenges, build communities, and improve people’s lives. While most people pass by these problems wishing they could help, I dig in and get my hands dirty. I’m a doer. Whether it’s collecting intelligence for our military or partnering with one of Richmond, Virginia’s most influential community builders, my life is centered around figuring out the best way to make an impact and then making that happen. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Todd Waldo

Todd Waldo

Summary of Qualifications Todd Waldo is an engineer, artist, and community advocate. With a BSEE from North Carolina State University, he has a career in systems development, maintenance and operations. Todd Waldo is the Enterprise Engineering Manager at Royall & Company. He is responsible for the development, maintenance and operations of all systems to support clients’ needs and requirements. He graduated from North Carolina State University (BSEE) and the Interactive Marketing Institute at VCU. His recent focus has been on operations ensuring quality and performance for users and clients as well as resolving issues with products and data. He is also making investments in other colleagues as a mentor and adviser to increase diversity, inclusion, mission awareness and engagement. All of this carries over in his service to the Richmond community with his work for various non profits. He serves on the Board of Directors for Better Housing Coalition, the President of the Board of the Robinson Theater Community Arts Center, board member for Church Hill Activities and Tutoring (CHAT) and the Church Hill Academy. He also serves Church Hill through the Church Hill Central Civic Association. He leads development and execution of annual special events like TEDxRVA and the Hill Topper 5k. His goal is to partner with leadership adding value for client and employee management, applying his expertise in operations, technology and data, while supporting mission and values. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Luke Rabin

Luke Rabin

Summary of Qualifications A tech startup veteran with a diverse background in economics and music, Luke Rabin is an expert in the very first steps of turning ideas into excitingly simple products. Luke Rabin has had the rare opportunity to spend much of his career in the very first steps of some of Richmond’s most heavily funded tech startups. These hard-earned experiences on top of his background in economics from UVA and a stint in the music industry have made him extremely well prepared to help new teams navigate the uncertainty of creating new companies and products. After being both an in-house Product Manager and a consultant, Luke and his design partner Brandon Lewis started BLDR to put all of their lessons learned the hard way into an accelerated service for creating and validating new products. Luke’s experience and skillset are vital when it comes to problem and market validation, prototyping, messaging, and proving measurable traction without investing in code. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...
Sondra Epley

Sondra Epley

Summary of Qualifications Sondra Epley is the Office Manager and a Certified Business Mentor for Richmond SCORE, which provides mentoring and workshops for small startup and established business clients. For the past seven years, she has also taught primarily graduate students online for a small, private college just outside of Minneapolis. Sondra Epley works for Richmond SCORE, which provides mentoring and workshops for small business clients. As Office Manager, Sondra covers the logistic needs of nearly 50 chapter members and serves as a matchmaker, pairing more than 620 clients each year with mentors equipped to guide them. As a Certified Business Mentor herself, Sondra is partial to startups and “fixer uppers.” Since April 2010, Sondra has also served as an online instructor for a small, private college just outside of Minneapolis. She teaches graduate student courses in community development, nonprofit management as part of an MBA degree program, and academic writing for evaluation and research. A quick study herself, Sondra achieved a financial turnaround for a store that was eight months away from the chopping block, despite having no significant background in retail. The experience reinforced her belief not to wait for a better day, but to create it. This belief enables her to supply nimble advice to clients wondering which business to pursue, what to look out for, and how to say what they want to say when promoting it or training others to do the same. Want to meet with this mentor? Talk with your Lead...