Joseph Amato over thirty years experience as a business development consultant and a leading voice for business ownership and entrepreneurship within the commercial lending industry.
Mr. Amato has been employed as an SBDC executive director, CDC portfolio manager, and direct lender participating in various SBA lending and outreach programs over the past twenty-six years.
He has distinct knowledge of all SBA lending and other SBA support programs.
He is originally from the greater New York area and had spent the better part of the last two decades in the Washington D.C area primarily serving the Mid-Atlantic region as a business development consultant, direct lender and Chief Executive Officer for a major business-consulting firm.
In 2017 Mr. Amato moved to Las Vegas Nevada to take over the District Director position and oversee the SBA program and staff. His impact on the Nevada business community has been critically important in the past several years especially due to the effects of COVID-19 this most recent year.
Mr. Amato was awarded the 1997 Financial Services Advocate of the Year, the year before he sold his small business consulting company to American Express.
His extensive knowledge and experience have been used to stabilize and expand SBA and USDA program opportunities throughout the State of Nevada and beyond.
As a former business executive and lending industry consultant Mr. Amato has evidenced a consistently strong work ethic and knowledge base that has proven to be a valuable asset to the Small Business Administration, the nationwide lending community and hundreds of businesses across the United States.

Michael has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of process improvement, technology and innovation. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Director of Public Safety, Business Services & City Technology for the City of Irvine, California. Michael is extremely passionate about technology, and believes through innovation, workforce development and collaboration, we can create brighter and sustainable communities.

Michael received his B.S. in Management from Pepperdine University followed by an M.S. in Executive Management from the University of Southern California.

Nevada Innovation Center LLC (NIC) is a partnership between Co-Founders Michael A. Saltman and Nissim H. Ezekiel, who have extensive business activities and networks in both the U.S. and Israel. NIC has created the technology bridge between Israel and Nevada and is the primary intermediary for business initiatives linking Nevada’s economic development agencies, academic institutions, and private companies with counterparts in Israel. It works closely with the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) in facilitating the critical objective of diversifying Nevada’s economy. NIC’s strategic innovation has been to establish the State of Nevada as a major client for Israeli pilot projects and commercial deployment and as a showcase and entry point for the broader U.S. market. A complementary development has been the growing interest of major Nevada-based private companies in accessing Israeli technology and exploring opportunities to become part of Israel’s R&D ecosystem.

Nissim has over four decades of experience in business and economic development. He spent 25 years at the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group-Washington D.C.) from 1975 to 2000 and was Director of its newly created Corporate Planning Department.  He was appointed Executive Director of the UN Commission on the Private Sector & Development in 2003 and had primary responsibility for the development of the Commission’s Report, Unleashing Entrepreneurship-Making Business Work for the Poor.  Nissim then served as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Dalberg Global Development Advisors and functioned as Executive Director of the Dalberg Task Force on Capacity for Program Delivery, under the framework of the Clinton Global Initiative. Nissim’s consulting clients have included Darby Overseas Investments Ltd. (Franklin Templeton), whom he advised on issues relating to private investment in infrastructure in emerging markets.

Dr. Dean L. Bartles is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group.  Prior to this, Dean was President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining.  Prior to this position, Dean served as the President of the National Tooling and Machining Association.  Prior to that, he recently served as the Director of the John Olson Advanced Manufacturing Center at the University of New Hampshire and was previously the founding Executive Director of the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute in Chicago. Dr. Bartles worked for General Dynamics Corporation for 31 years setting up and running manufacturing operations in Egypt, Turkey, and the US and prior to that, he worked for Fairchild Republic Company.  He served as the 2016-2017 President of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute, the 2016 President of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the founding Chairman of the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition, and the Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining.  Dean graduated from Indiana State University earning a Ph. D. in Technology Management with a concentration in Manufacturing Systems.

GONZALO LOPEZ-POLIN is a versatile Supply Chain Executive with over 16 years’ progressive
experience managing international strategic projects and teams at Saint-Gobain, a multinational
company with $50 billion in annual revenue and 190,000 employees in 60 countries. A results
oriented strategic thinker, Mr. Lopez-Polin currently holds the role of Director of Supply Chain at
Saint-Gobain CertainTeed Insulation North America, managing 160 people and a budget of $60M,
reporting to the Group’s President and serving as a member of the Executive team.
During his tenure at Saint-Gobain, Mr. Lopez-Polin has lived and worked internationally in France,
UK, Morocco, Spain and North America leading projects involving customer service, S&OP,
process improvement and implementing SAP. Mr. Lopez-Polin has a successful track record of
leading complex mergers and acquisitions, managing world-class supply chain programs, and
providing financial management.
Fluent in three languages, English/Spanish/French, Mr. Lopez-Polin is a proven leader, with a
demonstrated ability to manage people as well as processes. In addition to supply chain, he has
managed finance, Audit and IT projects across multinational boundaries. Representative
accomplishments include:
 Defined a new Value Proposition and executed an improvement program leading to
customer service improvement (CSI from 92% to 96%), $15M annual profit increase and
15 days of working inventory reduction.
 Successful implementation of a new S&OP process for tactical planning ensuring the
alignment of Sales & Marketing, Planning, Production, WH and Transportation.
 With a specific focus on Customer Service streamlined communication between Supply
Chain, Sales and the Customer.
 Implemented cost improvement through product simplification, regional freight bidding,
external warehousing and other outsourced services reductions.
 Implemented SAP ERP including APO and ATP as well as QlikView for reporting.
 Won Supply Chain Award for best 2019 Saint-Gobain’s worldwide business improver.
 Instrumental in improving CertainTeed’s IG operating profit from – $43M in 2017 to +$30M
in 2019.
Mr. Lopez-Polin graduated from Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Madrid Spain with the
equivalent of a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Throughout his career, Mr. Lopez –
Polin has been known for getting the job done and making things happen to the betterment of the
companies he has served. As a strong team player and contributor, he has gained a reputation
for dependability and technical savvy, and for bringing extraordinary value to his positions.
Having moved from Europe, Mr. Lopez-Polin has been living in the US for the past 3 years with
Teresa, his wife who is an Architect, and 3-year-old son Bosco. In his off-time Mr. Lopez-Polin
enjoys tennis and skiing as well as reading about international economics.

Philippe has more than 28 years of Supply Chain experience with companies such as Procter & Gamble, L’Oréal, The Body Shop, Pepsico and Baxter, with positions at country, regional and global levels. Connecting the dots between suppliers , factories, distribution centers and customers has always been his core expertise, more recently with a digital transformation spirit. He has worked in France, England, South Africa, Brazil, China, Mexico and currently lives in the United States.

Justin Ha is a Sr. Director of Solutions Design at DHL Supply Chain, leading a team of supply chain engineers and logistic professionals to design and deliver supply chain solutions to many customers During 12+ years of experience in the industry, Justin has developed numerous solutions across warehousing and distribution, supply chain network design, and reengineering existing facilities for continuous improvement. Justin previously led, and now sponsors, the North American team of DHL Supply Chain’s ‘Automation Focus Group’, which is a global community of Solutions Designers responsible for researching and developing expertise in emerging technologies, such as robotics, AR/VR, autonomous vehicles, and automation & mechanization systems. As such, he drives the adoption of innovative technologies and automation into the engineered designs and processes for customers across many sectors including retail, consumer, automotive, technology, and life sciences & healthcare. Justin received his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from University of Toronto.

Eren Yılmaz is currently in Stanley Black & Decker’s CoE for Industry 4.0 as Director of Industry 4.0 Innovation. Prior to joining SBD, Eren took various leadership roles in management consulting, home appliances, aerospace and automotive industries with a focus on R&D effectiveness, innovation, digital transformation and technology.  Eren received various awards in innovation and Industry 4.0 and completed a successful turnaround as a COO. Eren earned his MBA in Technology management from ESMT in Germany and has a BSc degree in Industrial Engineering from Gazi University. He is an active CSSBB, CMA, PMP, co-chair of Financial Digital Twin chapter in Digital Twin Consortium and serves in the advisory council of IISE.

Mr. Gries was born in Germany completed a degree in International Freight Forwarding and Logistics. He held several managerial and executive positions with global logistics companies and led the commercial activities for one of the Top 3 Global Freight Forwarders. After more than 35 years of logistics and management experience in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, Mr. Gries is bringing a solid international perspective of the transportation industry to the company. In his latest role, he held the position of President & Managing Director Americas. Today he is an advisor and coach and guides international teams through the complex world of global freight forwarding and transport, council supply chain management solutions with the IoT processes, and new technologies.

Supply Chain Management professional with 20+ years of international business experience across the supply chain organization with several leadership roles in General Motors, Monsanto, Bayer and broad experience in Digital Transformation, Customer-Centric Solutions, Data-Driven Business Model, Strategic and Operational Logistics, Global Sourcing including long-term overseas assignments in LATAM, Europe and Asia. Responsible for the Global Distribution Operational Strategy in the Crop Science Organization and drive the logistics transformation across the regions by identifying, assessing and implementing innovative, drives data analytic culture, distribution insights, value creation best-in-class strategy methods and new technologies such as Global Transportation Management Solutions (TMS), Global Warehousing Management Solutions (WMS), Last Mile Visibility, RPA Process, Machine Learning, IA, Prescriptive Analytic, Logistics Smart Centers including Business Intelligence & Data Analytics

Dr. Moore is the Founder and President of The Moore Group LLC, a start-up focused on helping clients develop and implement organizational strategy including innovation, learning and transformation initiatives that enable game-changing outcomes for 21^st Century competitiveness.  He is currently supporting strategy efforts for a Major DOD Acquisition Program, the NDAA 2020 National Energetic Materials and Systems Study, International Program Engagements, and is serving as Chief Strategist and Board of Directors Member for the International Association of Innovation Professionals, The Patuxent Partnership Board of Directors, the St. Mary’s County Economic Development Commission, and a variety of corporate, non-profit and government advisory initiatives.

He has served over 37 years supporting the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense (DoD) including as the Director, Strategy and Innovation, DASN(RDTE) where he led the development and deployment of the Department of the Navy’s (DON) 30 Year Research and Development Plan and the DON Strategic Thinking Community of Interest, was a SECNAV Navy Innovation Advisory Council (NIAC) Fellow, and served as a plank owner for the ASN RDA Agility Campaign leading efforts for Education and Training, Cultural Assessment and Change, and Strategic Communication.

In 2016, Tony took over the RLA and became the Executive Director and Publisher after 12 years of active involvement on the Advisory Board and on Committees. In his 35 plus years in the consumer products industry, Tony has held various positions including 15 years in returns management at Philips. During his Philips years, Tony developed new reverse logistics strategies and implemented many new returns initiatives. He worked with retail partners and industry groups on best practices still being used. Tony then became an evangelist for improving the customer experience to reduce returns and their associated costs. Today, Tony is considered a subject matter expert in reverse logistics, and speaks for the industry at conferences all over the world.

Cheron Lessmeister is the business development manager for CIPS Americas and is an experienced sales professional and business development expert. She has a proven track record in fostering and nurturing long-term relationships with enterprise and Fortune 500 companies. With CIPS, she consults with organizations to upskill their procurement teams, making them best in class, by showing companies how and where they can improve.