Southeast Michigan Region
Eastern Michigan University
Serving Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties
Eastern Michigan University
109 Hill Hall
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Wendy Thomas, Regional Director
Email: bking18@emich.edu
Phone: 313.672.1101
Hours: 8am-5pm ET Monday-Friday
Your business journey starts here.
Whether you’re launching a new venture, growing your company, or navigating challenges, we’re here to help. Our expert team provides no-cost consulting, market research, business education, and the resources you need to succeed.
Serving small businesses across the Southeast Michigan Region, we’re committed to helping entrepreneurs like you build strong, resilient businesses. Let’s take your next step—together. Ready to get started?
Southeast Michigan Regional Team
We’re more than just business consultants—we’re your partners in success. Our dedicated team is here to provide expert guidance, no-cost consulting, and valuable resources to help your small business thrive. Whether you’re starting, growing, or overcoming challenges, we’re ready to support you every step of the way. Let’s build something great—together!
Wendy Thomas
Regional Director
Wendy Thomas is the Southeast Region Director for the Michigan Small Business Development Center which services Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. Her extensive and rewarding career, spanning over 25 years, has led her to incredible professional growth opportunities in the business and economic development community. In addition to successfully helping small businesses launch and grow, she has spent the last 20 years in leadership and management roles which magnified her abilities to think and lead strategically.
Wendy serves on several small business advisory boards and committees. She routinely serves as a guest speaker for small business related events. In addition, she has been a strong advocate for the underserved and underrepresented small business community through program development and resource opportunities for this group.
Wendy has received recognition for Outstanding Volunteer for the CEED Detroit Loan Program, Michigan Small Business Center of Excellence and Innovation Award, and SBA Small Business Consultant of the Year. Wendy is also a certified as a Small Business Consultant and a Small Business Administration Export Trade Specialist.
Wendy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Michigan State University, Master of Business Administration with a specialization in Entrepreneurship, Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications, and Master of Science in Human Resource & Organizational Development from Eastern Michigan University. She also complimented her academic achievements with studying business practices abroad in Asia and Europe including China, England and France.
Meri Dembrow
Business Consultant
Meri Dembrow has been a small business consultant for the past 12 years. Whether the business plan is for external purposes – to obtain financing, or more internal purposes – to help the business develop and stick to a road map, Meri gives her clients a planned path to success in creating better business practices, increased profitability and the attainment of company goals.
She devotes extra time to her passion of helping families, especially women and children, achieve financial independence. Meri has consulted with Independent Means, Inc., a for-profit company whose mission is to financially empower young women. She has specifically helped develop and worked at Camp $tart-Up, an entrepreneurial camp where teen women write their own business plans, and Summer $tock, a camp to teach teen women how to invest in the stock market.
Meri brings a diverse range of experiences to her current work. She has worked as a financial analyst, investment banker, stockbroker, and her background also includes a five-year stint as a field hockey coach at the University of Michigan. Meri has been a resident of Michigan for the past 24 years, receiving her MBA in Finance from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She has a B.S. in Mathematics from Purdue University, where she also received All America Field Hockey honors.
Meri has experience on several non-profits Boards, having served as Finance Committee Chair and Treasurer of the United States Field Hockey Association of the United States Olympic Committee. She has also served locally on the Jeff Daniels Board of Advisors and Golf Jam Committee. As well, she is currently a Director at Community Alliance Credit Union.
Rita Hillman
Business Consultant
Rita Hillman is a Certified Small Business Consultant with the Michigan Small Business Development Center (MI-SBDC). Ms. Hillman has always been very passionate about providing financial literacy education to underserved populations in urban, rural, and Native American communities.
As a Certified Small Business Consultant at the Michigan Small Business Development Center (MI-SBDC), she works with start-ups, and businesses with revenues below $750,000. She considers this segment to be her ideal client because at the start and early stages of a business the owner needs to implement strong operational and financial policies and procedures to be successful.
Her mission is to help all businesses start, survive, and thrive. Rita believes that providing the core services of one-on-one counseling addressing the unique needs of each business she counsels.
Rita counsels her clients on the importance of striving to have healthy mental and physical well-being, to operate the most successful company they can dream of and envision for themselves.
Rita Hillman has many career accomplishments, two of which are being honored as one of Wayne State University’s Most Prominent Black Alumni and one of Crains Detroit Top 100 Women in the Financial Industry.
Wendy Richardson
Business Consultant
Wendy Richardson has 30 years of experience working with small businesses. Wendy holds a Masters in Business Administration from Wayne State University and a BA from Michigan State University, providing a strong educational background in business management. Wendy’s skills have been recognized at a national level, having received both Counselor of the Year and Region awards from the Small Business Administration.
Diana Dimitroff
Business Consultant
Diana Dimitroff has extensive experience in all aspects of starting and running a successful business. She grew up in a family business, upon completion of college began a career in sales for a Fortune 500 company and earned a Master’s Degree in Business. She opened her first business almost 30 years ago and has run 4 profitable businesses successfully over the years. Implemented an extensive training and education program for new staff, successfully training more than 30 staff members a year. Lectured at Madonna University and Schoolcraft College in entrepreneurship and gourmet food related topics.
In 2015, she began facilitating workshops for the Michigan SBDC and over the years became more involved in assisting start-ups and small businesses, consulting them through all stages of business. Then in 2018, became a Senior Business Consultant and working primarily in the city of Detroit on a special grant program for underserved communities. In 2021, her position changed to cover all of Oakland and Wayne Counties. Diana has a B.S. Degree in Food Systems Management from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in Management from Central Michigan University.
Richard Choi
Business Consultant
Richard Choi has extensive experience in marketing, branding, advertising, product strategy, data analysis, and new business development. He has counseled and trained hundreds of small businesses.
Richard is currently a consultant with the Michigan Small Business Development Center, a non-profit that supports entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state. He was named Michigan Small Business Development Center’s Outstanding Business Consultant for 2024, and is a Google-certified Small Business AI advisor.
Richard retired from General Motors after 37 years, serving 20 years as an executive. His last position was Director of Global Chevrolet Marketing, reporting directly to GM’s Chief Marketing Officer. He spent almost half his career outside of the US, lived in eight different countries and traveled to over 40. Following retirement, he started two LLCs and three businesses: freelance business and educational consulting, real estate property rentals, as well as online retail. He also does some guest lecturing at the university level.
Richard and his family have lived in the Flint and Detroit Metro areas for over 20 years. He supports two national non-profits as a Board Director and advisor. He graduated from General Motors Institute, earned an MBA from Cornell University, and completed the Chief Marketing Officer Program from Northwestern University.
Robin Kinnie
Business Consultant
Julie Oldham, CPA, CGMA
Business Growth Consultant
Julie serves small businesses across Michigan, providing expertise in financial analysis, strategic planning, succession strategies, SBA lending, exporting, and cybersecurity. A NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional and cybersecurity certified, she brings decades of experience in accounting across multiple industries, including advertising, healthcare, hospitality, and IT. Julie holds two master’s degrees from Walsh College (Management and Public Accounting) and a bachelor’s in Hospitality Management from Michigan State University. She is also a college professor who teaches companies how to use financial data as a management tool, both domestically and abroad. Julie has earned numerous accolades, including the 2023 SBDC State Star Award, the SBA Consultant of the Year, and the highest capital formation in Michigan SBDC history. She remains active in professional associations such as MICPA, AICPA, the Canada-U.S. Business Association, and the Accounting Aid Society.
Jacqueline Jones Love
Business Consultant
Jacqueline Jones Love is a Business Consultant with the Michigan Small Business Development Center and Managing Director of Community Resources Group (CRG), a consulting firm providing technical assistance to small businesses and nonprofits in strategic planning and resource development. Ms. Jones Love has over thirty years in marketing, strategic planning, and fund development for profit and nonprofit management organizations, as well as fifteen years’ community development experience. Ms. Jones Love has managed projects for major nonprofits such as United Way, the American Lung Association, Neighborhood Housing Services, Foothill Private Industry Council, Detroit’s Youth Sports and Recreation Commission, Warren Conner Development Coalition, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, and the Michigan Small Business Development Center; other community based organizations, as well as a number of small businesses in real estate, transportation and community development. She has over twenty-five years’ experience teaching business courses at community colleges and universities. Originally from Detroit, she graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a B.S. in Home Economics in Business and then moved to Los Angeles to complete graduate studies, obtaining a Masters Degree in Business Administration – Marketing from Pepperdine University. Her field of expertise is business management, with a focus on entrepreneurship and she currently consults in strategic planning and organizational development.
Vassel Lewis
Business Consultant
Vassel Lewis is a dedicated business consultant and marketing expert with more than two decades of experience. His experience includes working with: Wayne State University both as a business and procurement consultant, along with working for Grand Valley State University, and Michigan State University Extension Service. He has helped businesses navigate challenges with strategic insight. He has been a business owner who understands the struggles business owners face and gives him the sensitivity in helping them reach their goals.
Allison Baker
Business Consultant
Dan Brophy
Business Growth Consultant
Dan assists business owners and their management teams grow their companies by helping them establish time-honored business management systems such as Scaling Up by Vern Harnish and Built to Sell by John Warrillow. Dan also uses his commercial banking background to help business owners raise capital for growth and use their financial statements for business decision making.
Dan’s background is commercial banking. He also owned and operated a small business for seven years.
Dan received his MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy, and his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University. Dan taught Corporate Finance for 8 years at Walsh College in Troy.
Brian King
Intake Specialist
Tameka Johnson
Program Administration Coordinator
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