Larry Brian

Center Director

LBrian@walton.uark.edu

Larry Brian is the Center Director of the Small Business Technolgy Development Center at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. He joined the SBDC in February of 2007. As Center Director, Larry is responsible for managing the daily tasks of the SBDC program including training and consulting. He also works with other community resource partners such as commercial lenders and chambers of commerce.

He holds a bachelor of science in business administration in general business from the Walton College and is a graduate of Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. Larry brings to the SBDC commercial lending and small business ownership experience.

Trish Kalbas-Schmidt

Training Coordinator

TKalbas-Schmidt@walton.uark.edu

Trish serves as Training Coordinator for the SBTDC program.  She is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing training and educational activities for small business owners in Northwest Arkansas. Trish also coordinates media relations and marketing efforts on behalf of the SBDC and its’ training seminars in an effort to cultivate lasting relationships with potential supporters such as commercial loan officers, local chambers of commerce, and community professionals.

Trish relocated to Fayetteville from Logan, Utah where she worked for Utah State University as the Project Manager for the NSF ADVANCE Grant and as a adjunct lecturer.  Prior she held positions as the Membership Coordinator at the Greater Louisville Medical Society in Louisville, Kentucky and as a Marketing and Management Consultant at Business Development Directives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She graduated from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater with a master's degree in Corporate Communications and University of Wisconsin - La Crosse with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and communications. She holds a certification in Training and Development from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Bill Fox

Business Consultant

BFox@walton.uark.edu

Bill Fox is a Business Consultant for the Small Business Technolgy Development Center at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. As business consultant, Bill works with clients on various types of business issues such as financing options, business planning, marketing, and financial management.

Before joining the SBTDC, Bill was a former small business owner, having developed and operated a retail gift concept and a catering company.  He also has lending experience as a banker/loan officer with Bank of America and has worked in higher education as director of a student enterprise program at the University of Pennsylvania, as coordinator for a disability services program at Broward (FL) Community College and as a job developer for Florida Atlantic University.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University and an MBA from West Virginia University.

Ashley Chua

rchua@uark.edu

As Office Manager, Ashley is responsible for accounting entries, financial reporting and provides various support services for SBTDC.  She works closely with Center Director in preparing proposals, department budgeting, and submitting grant applications.

Ashley relocated to Fayetteville from Orange County, California in 2005.  Prior to joining the SBTDC staff, she was previously the Senior Financial Analyst at United HealthCare in Cypress, California.  She holds a BSBA in Accounting from California State University at Long Beach and has more than 14 years of experience in accounting and financial analysis.

She enjoys the beautiful Fall colors in Northwest Arkansas and is very active in serving the international students community on campus by volunteering with International Students and Scholars Office (ISS) and International Student Christian Association (ISCA).