Our Business Consultants

The South Metro Denver SBDC provides FREE, one-on-one, confidential business consulting on a variety of topics. Our consultants all have extensive experience with starting and/or managing their own small businesses, which allows them to better understand what our clients need to succeed. Each consultant specializes in a number of areas, ranging from business planning to loan packaging to government contracting.

Scroll down this page to meet our consultants and learn more about their areas of expertise and business experience.

Marcia McGilley

South Metro Denver SBDC Director
Marketing, Business Launching, Clean Tech
In 1989, after spending 10 years in various sales and marketing positions with Hyatt Hotels, The Lee Apparel Company and Showtime Networks, Marcia started her first business. She has since owned six companies as diverse as a marketing consulting firm, murder mystery theatre company and motivational speaking company. Marcia has helped jump-start more than 1,000 companies and reads over 100 business plans annually. Her entrepreneurial drive is utilized daily as the Director of the South Metro Denver Small Business Development Center.

Gina Kaelin-Westcott

Business Consultant
Sales, Business Start-Up, Business Planning, Strategic Planning, Biz Tune-Up
Gina is your Sales Strategist and Productivity guru for small to medium businesses. She is a dynamic, accomplished sales management leader with a 20+ year record of award winning achievement. Gina is Founder of Connect Selling , working with entrepreneurs and small to medium businesses create and implement a winning sales strategy based on building long term customer relationships that allow for sustained business growth. Gina was named the 2010 VIP Professional Woman of the Year by the National Association of Professional Women and is the Author of "Creating a Bond Beyond the Handshake, 100 Reasons Why Relationships and Value Sell Every Time!" She is a Certified Executive Sales Coach and a Certified Professional Coach (CPC).

Stefanie Dalgar

Business Consultant
Marketing, Branding, Public Relations, Social Media
With more than 15 years experience in the marketing and communications industry, Stefanie is an accomplished public relations, branding, and marketing consultant known for creating and implementing strategic programs with innovation, foresight and action. She works across a variety of industries helping clients to create and implement public relations, and marketing programs to raise brand awareness for their businesses, communities and non-profit organizations. Stefanie has owned several communications and PR firms, and has worked as a producer and journalist in newspaper, television and radio. During her career, she has won numerous awards for her public relations and branding work.

Caroline Hanna

Business Consultant
Government Procurement/Contracting, Small and Disadvantaged Business Certifications
Caroline combines more than 18 years of business ownership experience with her certification background. From start-up through development, she has utilized her skills to develop businesses including a limited edition print gallery and a quick printing business. As Certification Director at the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce, Caroline created the Women Business Enterprise (WBE) Certification program. In addition, she collaborated with various organizations throughout Denver, advocating for women- and minority-owned businesses.

Dale Clack, MBA, CBI, Business Financial Advisor

Business Consultant
Financial Accounting & Analysis, Forecasting, Capital Structure and
Strategic Planning
Dale has over 15 years of experience in financial management roles in the functions of income tax, capital budgeting, controllership, and corporate finance. He was active as a CPA for 20 years, served as a corporate CFO for 5 years, and has consulted with many small businesses about growth and exit strategies. Dale's expertise is in business valuation, financial analysis, and forecasting cash flow and financial statements. His accomplishments include negotiating various agreements for over $40 million in loans and new equity capital, and developing strategies for debt and equity financing, debt restructuring, acquisitions and divestitures.

Elena Vasconez

Business Consultant
Business Planning, Start-Up and Expansion, Human Resources, Organizational Development
Elena has more than 10 years experience in strategic planning, management development, sales and customer service training. Three years ago she founded a consulting firm to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs achieve higher levels of performance, productivity, and profitability. As a bilingual business counselor, Elena has taught a variety of classes and helped launch more than 100 small businesses, offered guidance and coaching on start-up and expansion issues, and helped business owners write business plans. She has a Masters in Business Administration.

Michael Johnston

Business Consultant
E-business, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Mike has more than 25 years of marketing and sales experience in the high-tech industry and worked for such firms as AT&T, NCR and the Chicago Tribune Corporation. In 1995, he founded his own agency focused on helping small businesses develop websites and implement online marketing programs. Mike is a frequent seminar leader teaching the latest digital marketing techniques such as online videos, e-mail, social media, e-commerce and search marketing. With an MBA in Marketing and an MS degree in Technology Management, he has the expertise to work effectively with business owners to understand and use technology more successfully in their organization.