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Russell V. Combs
Executive Director
... has over 25 years experience in the business incubation industry, including Senior Management, entrepreneurship training, development of technology-based facilities and training programs, management of governmental programs supporting economic development, as well as business consulting in the private sector.
His experience also includes authorship of feasibility studies for both mixed-use and food product production facilities (kitchen incubators). He is past President of the Virginia Business Incubation Association boasting 34 business incubators throughout the state. He formerly directed business incubation activities at the Business Incubation Group of the Shenandoah Region in Winchester Virginia consisting of four facilities in three counties. He served as director of a Technology Ventures Division for a not-for-profit corporation, which includes management of a youth entrepreneurial development program, a technology-based business incubator, and four community technology centers in Southeastern Ohio. He has directed the administration and marketing of an Economic Development Zone initiative, which included strategies of growth, incubation, and expansion for over 90 businesses. The program was globally recognized for its successes. He also served as the director of a MicroEnterprise, Entrepreneurial Assistance and ARC Second Stage Business Counseling Program. This initiative resulted in over 120 small business start-ups within a six-year period with a 94% success rate.
Mr. Combs also administered the formulation of a five-community human services and economic development initiative resulting in creation of five diverse programs which received special recognition from New York State Department of Youth and Department of Social Services, as well as New York Department of Economic Development for business retention and expansion strategies within the five communities.
Mr. Combs has also worked in the private sector as CEO and Senior Consultant of his own business which restructured failing companies. All businesses assisted remained in operation retaining over 1,000 jobs.
Mr. Combs received his degree from Dayton Bible College, Dayton, Ohio, in 1972. He has continued his studies in Business Administration and Management, as well as Management/Labor Relations. He is active in the National Business Incubation Association, and is a frequent presenter at NBIA and other state and regional incubation conferences.
He was also a presenter at the 1998 International Business Incubator Conference in Hong Kong.
Karen Ann Geier
Incubator Client Coordinator
Karen Ann Geier comes to the Erie Technology Incubator after 5 years of customer service experience working within the Registrar’s Office at Mercyhurst College. A lifelong resident of Erie, Karen began her early career in banking and then moved on to the Accounting Department at Zurn Industries. Following five years at Zurn, Karen worked for the Unicell Division of the American Sterilizer Company. Unicell specializes in manufacturing products used in the laboratory, health care and pharmacy industry.
After four years at American Sterilizer, Karen took a twenty year employment hiatus as a stay at home mother where she raised two daughters. During her hiatus, Karen volunteered as a public relations liaison for the Ophelia Project and served on the board of various PTAs in the Fairview School District, in addition, Karen volunteered with the March of Dimes and Girl Scouts of American. Then in 2007 Karen earned an Associate of Arts degree from Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA.
Steven D. Overholt
Senior Team Leader
Mr. Overholt is the manager of consulting and the technology commercialization consultant at the Gannon University Small Business Development Center in Erie, PA. Because of his background in inventions and new product marketing, he assists the majority of the inventor clients at the Center. He also provides business assistance to resident and affiliate clients of the Erie Technology Incubator. Mr. Overholt has conducted R & D at Fortune 500 and other large corporations, where he received three U.S. patents for his developments. He also has developed new products on his own and formed companies to manufacture and market them internationally. He has received two patents in these efforts and has won several international awards for product innovation in the process. Mr. Overholt’s inventions have been successfully licensed to one of the largest corporations in the relevant industry, followed by the sale of the technology to a publicly traded company.
He also has started up and run a technology company and written business plans for his businesses, which have received over $2 million in angel and VC investments. He has made presentations to venture capitalists on both coasts. Mr. Overholt has a thorough understanding of the philosophies and processes of marketing new products, and has authored a comprehensive guide on bringing new products to market that has received strong positive reviews from inventors, business consultants and intellectual property attorneys.