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Office of Business Opportunity
OBO Advisory Board
Listed below in alphabetical order. Read brief biographies below the photo gallery.
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Alan Bergeron (Food Service - Bergeron Management Services)
Mr. Bergeron, CEO of Bergeron Management Service that is certified with the City, specializes in business support and administration, property and project management, strategic planning, Human Resource consulting, and multi-site operations management. Additionally, with over 19 years of successful entrepreneurial experience, Mr. Bergeron also owns and operates two Shipley donuts and three Denny's Classic Diners.
Lana Kay Coble (Construction/ Trade Association - Tellepsen/Women Contractors Association)
Ms. Coble holds over 31 years of professional experience that ranges in the areas of Construction Management, Architecture, Education, and Design. Ms. Coble also is an advocate for community programs, women's development in the construction industry and, mentorship of her staff and students.
Raul Dominguez (Director of Account Management with Concur Technologies)
Mr. Dominguez holds over 20 years of professional experience in the management and technology arena. As part of his role with Concur he is responsible for strategy, contracts and relationships with some of the company’s Fortune 100/500 clients as it relates to big data. Raul was also appointed by Mayor Annise Parker to the Mayors Hispanic Advisory Board in April 2014, where he also serves as
Co-Chair of the Education Committee and is a member of the Events Committee.
Samuel Eaton (Construction - President and CEO of THR Enterprises, Inc.)
Mr. Eaton holds over 17 years of successful entrepreneurial experience in stakeholder relations, construction management, program management, and project management. Mr. Eaton also specializes in corporate operation for clients in both the public and private sectors. THR Enterprises is also certified with the City.
Ramesh Gunda (Engineering - Gunda Corp.)
Mr. Gunda, President and CEO of City certified Gunda Corp., holds over 25 years of experience in planning, designing & implementing infrastructure and mobility projects. Under Mr. Gunda's leadership, Gunda Corp has received numerous awards including HBJ Houston Fast 100, METRO Best Small Business, and Zweig White Best Firms to Work.
Alicia Jimerson (Underground Utilities - Jimerson Underground)
Ms. Jimerson, President of Jimerson Underground Inc, holds over 26 years of successful entrepreneurial experience in underground utility construction, specializing in the installation of water, sanitary, storm sewer. Currently Jimerson Underground is working with METRO on the North Line, a 5.28-mile light rail extension running from UH Downtown Station on the Red Line to Northline Commons. Jimerson Underground clients include NASA, the Texas Medical Center, and many City of Houston projects.
Sam Merchant (Insurance - Reliance Business Solutions)
Mr. Merchant holds over 20 years of successful entrepreneurial experience in the insurance industry. He is currently the CEO of Reliance Business Solutions specializing in corporate/residential sales, mortgage & real estate, and licensing professionals.
Marlon Mitchell (Small Business Loans - Houston Business Development Inc.)
Mr. Mitchell is the President and CEO of Houston Business Development, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit agency engaged in revitalizing neighborhoods and stimulating economic growth throughout the city of Houston. Mr. Mitchell holds over 26 years of professional experience in the commercial lending, community development, financing, and economic development. Mr. Mitchell is actively involved with several community and economic development organizations assuring that minorities have a fair chance at business financing.
Christy Moore (Insurance - SureTec Insurance Company)
Ms. Moore is a Vice President and Senior Contract Underwriter for SureTec Insurance Company, a top 20 surety bond company headquartered in Houston, TX. She began her surety career in 1988 as an underwriting assistant and moved into contract surety underwriting after graduating from the University of Houston in 1991. Her surety experience is thorough and diverse, including marketing and underwriting both specialty and standard small- to mid-size construction firms. She has her Insurance Institute of America's Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding designation, served as President of the Surety Association of Houston in 2001, and is presently on the Education Committee for the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston.
Vladimir Naranjo (Construction/ Trade Association - National Association of Minority Contractors-Houston Chapter)
Mr. Naranjo is a Managing Partner with PMG Project Management Group, LLC, a minority owned firm, and has 18 years of professional experience in the construction, engineering, and energy efficiency industries. Mr. Naranjo also spends time finding support for the underserved in need and is President of the National Association of Minority Contractors-Houston Chapter.
Maria Rios (Waste disposal - Nation Waste)
Ms. Rios, CEO of Nation Waste, Inc., has 14 years of successful entrepreneurial experience in the waste disposal industry. Ms. Rios is the first Hispanic woman owned waste removal company in the United States. Maria has built Nation Waste, Inc. into a successful waste removal and recycling company with a focus on how to serve others in the community and recently became certified with the City.
Troi Taylor (Construction Management Services - Taylor Construction Management)
Mr. Taylor is the President of Taylor Construction Management, a City of Houston certified firm. With 16 years of construction project management experience, Mr. Taylor is a certified Project Management Professional, specializing in management of capital projects and has extensive experience in protocol and SOP generation. He has worked as a Sr. Project Manager for companies such as M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and JRH Biosciences.
Dell Trahan (Pressure Washing)
Ms. Trahan co owns T & K's Mobile Detailing & Pressure Washing with her son and is certified with the City of Houston. Ms. Trahan holds over a combined total of 32 years successful entrepreneurial experience in the car detailing industry & over 39 years experience in customer service.
Laurie Vignaud (Banking - Capital One)
Ms. Vignaud, Senior Vice President with Capital One Bank, holds over 20 years of professional experience in the community development and banking arena. Ms. Vignaud also serves as the President of Capital One's Community Development Corporation which is an entity that provides capital to nonprofit housing developers for the construction of single homes for first time buyers.
Nicole West (Project /Construction Management - WestCo Ventures, LLC)
Ms. West managed success on both the corporate ladder and entrepreneurship tracks for several years before taking the full leap in 2002 to invest her time solely in NCA Investigations, Inc. NCA was West's first full-time business endeavor with multiple clients, certifications and financial success. Over the past 14 years, she has created and invested in several business ventures. In addition to her running and operating NCA Investigations, Inc., she and her husband also own Westco Ventures, LLC, a construction management firm. Both firms are certified with the City of Houston.