NELSON MERCHAN

Business Advisor

Connecticut Small Business Development Center

A business advisor with the Small Business Development Center, Nelson Merchan services prospective and business owners in Connecticut. In 2019, he was the business advisor with the highest-lending impact in the state of Connecticut. Nelson is a board member with the Foundation at Western Connecticut State University Housatonic Habitat for Humanity, Housatonic Industrial Corporation Inc., and Community Council Member at United Way of Western Connecticut. Merchan has advised businesses in Costa Rica and has been invited, as keynote speaker, to Chile and El Salvador. He earned his MBA from Georgia State University and BBA from Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia.

DR. NIKKI WINGATE

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MARKETING WELCH COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY, SACRED HEART UNIVERSITY

Dr. Wingate earned her Ph.D. in marketing from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University and has published in the top marketing journals. In addition to teaching and developing numerous marketing courses at New York University, Rutgers University, Fairfield University, the University of Bridgeport, and Sacred Heart University, Wingate consults on branding and marketing research projects.