2024 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Working together, the Florida Business Incubator’s Executive Team expands Northern Pinellas’ presence as the destination for small business and entrepreneurship.
EVELYN DUFNER Board Member, Chair
Contact: [email protected]
Evelyn Dufner is a local computer consultant and trainer whose business also prides itself in being a trusted web developer for both large and small organizations in Florida. Her experience includes over 20 years in education, and a Master of Arts in Mental Health (Marriage and Family), as well as 20 years as an entrepreneur. Evelyn is involved in the arts within the Pinellas County area, with frequent shows in area galleries, as well as having her hand in curating artwork for two local coworking spaces; The Hub (Dunedin Chamber of Commerce) and Hope Grove CoWorking. Her history with the Florida Business Incubator spans over 6 years, as a participant, the support for backend technology and systems, and as a board member.
RENEÉ HAERTLE, Vice Chair, Board Member
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In 2015, Renee Haertle traded in her snow boots for flip-flops and has not turned back! She loves living in the Tampa area and currently resides in Dunedin. In addition to the beach, she enjoys traveling, cooking, spending time with friends and family, and finding new entrepreneurial opportunities.
Renee is very passionate about the Florida Business Incubator because that is where she got her start! During the midst of COVID, she cashed in her life savings, quit her corporate job, and dove headfirst into making her dreams a reality! Left Coast Loggerhead Corp was created with the understanding that this would be a private equity company, with the first purchase being a food truck company, Got Lobstah? Food Truck. She has found joy and a knack for taking already good businesses and growing them to their full potential. Her motto is “Create a life you don’t need a vacation from”!
Gloria Lepik-Corrigan, Secretary, Board Member
Contact: [email protected]
After retiring from a career as a marketing executive in the pharmaceutical industry, Gloria moved back to Clearwater and became a disability advocate and life coach. She founded Your Accessible Life to help provide practical advice and support to individuals facing new or worsening disabilities.
She currently serves on the board of the Disability Achievement Center and the Forward Pinellas Local Coordinating Board (for Transportation Disadvantaged) as well as a number of citizens advisory committees with Forward Pinellas and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA)
CARL SCHRADER, Board Member, Treasurer
Contact: [email protected]
Carl Schrader owns Schrader Accounting and Tax Inc. located in Largo, FL. With over 30 years of experience in the accounting and finance industry, his previous work included positions in commercial, consumer lending, financial planning, analysis, and accounting. He enjoys working with businesses in the community and sees entrepreneurship as the way for individuals at any age in the workforce to grow and develop their economic passion. Carl joined the Florida Business Incubator because he believes in its goals and objectives and it gives him an opportunity to share his experience with other entrepreneurs. He is involved in the community and serves as an officer for other local nonprofit organizations. He lives in Clearwater with Rosalind, his wife, and they enjoy spending time together exploring local venues, activities and the area’s parks.
KEVIN OSBORNE, Board Member
Contact: [email protected]
Kevin Osborne is a Senior Vice President at First Citizens Bank and part-time Commander in the US Coast Guard Reserve. He leads business and commercial banking deposit growth and branch network sales for nine branches in the Greater Tampa Bay Area. A native of Tampa, FL; Kevin holds a Bachelor’s degree and Masters of Business Administration from the University of South Florida. As a banker with almost 25 years of experience, Kevin has seen and helped businesses navigate the full economic spectrum from explosive expansion to deep recessions. He is passionate about helping small business owners reach breakout growth.
As a Coast Guard Reserve officer, Kevin is currently assigned to Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff in Suffolk, VA where he is an analyst and project officer supporting the Allies and Partners Force Development Division. His military career has taken him around the world including; Spain, Kuwait and Guantanamo Bay and he domestically he supported the Deepwater Horizon spill and Hurricane Florence response. Kevin’s blend of passionate sales & marketing “hustle” and deliberate military planning provide unique perspective and a no-nonsense approach to business growth.