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Don Brozek is the acting director for the CenterPoint Procurement Technical Assistance Center. He joined the staff at CenterPoint Small Business Development Center at Governors State University in 2008 as Business Analyst.

Brozek brings a strong background in banking, finance, and strategy to our clients. His previous experience includes 15 years at Harris Bank in various credit, M&A, and consulting positions, ten years of small business consulting on finance and strategy issues, and several years in small businesses.

He is a Graduate of the University of Chicago Graduate School Of Business –Finance/Accounting. He has also taught MBA-level finance/strategy courses and written two investment books.

Entrepreneurship and Business Services Center at Governors State University. She joined the University in June,1998. Prior to joining GSU, she served as Director of the Small Business Development Center at Moraine Valley Community College. She originally lived in the UK where she was a business owner and a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Economics before coming to the United States.

Hilary holds an M.A. in Management and a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Hallam in Sheffield England. Her area of expertise is business start up and growth financing.

She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the coordinating committee of the Illinois Entrepreneur and Small Business Growth Association, a group that works to enhance the quality of service provision to small businesses statewide. She also serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Southland Economic Development Corporation and the Professional Women’s Network.

Cindi is the most efficient and organized person you could ever wish to meet. She makes the SBA 504 loan a reality by working with banks and clients to close the loans on time. Cindi joined the Centerpoint 504 team in November of 2006 as the loan closing paralegal.

Her primary role is processing and closing 504 loans. Cindi has an Associate’s Degree in paralegal studies and has worked as a real estate paralegal on the South Side for over 13 years.

Cindi has vast experience in real estate as she has performed hundreds of residential and commercial closings.

Marlene Lees is CenterPoint’s Office Manager. She has an extensive background in customer service. Marlene is the office’s go to person, she maintains and oversees the office processes, provides information and assistance to our callers and clients, confirms appointments, greets clients – and if you are good to her she may even make you coffee!

Dashan Cui joined CenterPoint in 2006 as the director of the newly-created Global Trade Center. In this position, he is responsible for providing counseling and training services in international trade for businesses in the region.

Previously, he served as an international Trade Specialist at the US Export Assistance Center in Chicago, providing international Trade counseling and financing to exporting businesses in the states of IL, WI and IND.

Prior to that he was employed as director of international business operations for capital equipment manufacturers serving the automotive and steel industries.

Dashan has a BA in English and MA in international relations from universities in China and a JD degree from the University of Connecticut.

Bob Rakstang recently joined Centerpoint where he is responsible for marketing Centerpoint services to the region. He also counsels emerging entrepreneurs and existing businesses that are seeking help in developing, improving, financing or growing their enterprise.

Prior to joining Centerpoint, Bob worked At Fluid Dynamics, Midwest, a Fluid Power Distributor in Elmhurst and was a volunteer counselor at the SCORE Chicago office. He was also a senior SCORE consultant at the Center for Urban Business, University of Illinois at Chicago, advising College of Business student consulting teams on marketing and strategic analysis projects for in-business clients.

Bob is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a BS in Management.

Mary Lou Ruiz joined CenterPoint 504, nfp a/k/a South Towns Business Growth Corporation, on March 6, 1996.

She brought more than 23 years of Chicago and South Suburbs banking experience in management of student loans, supervising loan operations, loan servicing, and customer relations to her position with CenterPoint. Along with her primary responsibility of servicing existing SBA 504 Loans and maintaining necessary records for CenterPoint 504, she is responsible for promoting economic growth and community development and proving financial assistance under the SBA’s loan program.

Mary Lou is a member of the Professional Women’s Network and a Service Provider for Weight Watchers International, Inc.