Hear from some of Northeast Ohio’s leading investment and lending experts about opportunities to raise capital and grow your business, no matter how big or small.
Dora Rankin, Honeycomb Credit, Cleveland City Manager
After spending 20+ years in retail and business banking Dora stepped away and began consulting the small business ecosystem in Cleveland.
She witnessed there’s a huge funding gap for Main Street locally owned small businesses throughout Cleveland and beyond. She has since joined Honeycomb Credit, a Pittsburgh based debt crowdfunding company to launch the community capital movement throughout the United States. Honeycomb Credit unlocks growth opportunities for small businesses to build vibrant, financially empowered communities.
Jeff Clawson, Growth Opportunity Partners, Chief Credit Officer
A Northeast Ohio native with 25 years of experience lending to small businesses.
As Chief Credit Officer Jeff is responsible for credit policy, operating procedures, and day to day underwriting. He also takes an active role in the business development and qualification of prospective clients to determine their alignment with the mission of Growth Opportunity Partners.
Before joining Growth Opportunity Partners Jeff was as a Senior Credit Officer at KeyBank in Brooklyn, Ohio. In this position, Jeff had responsibility for managing small business loans throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.
Katy Fuerst, Hebrew Free Loan Association, Director of Programming and Community Engagement
Katy Fuerst joined HFLA of Northeast Ohio in 2016 and currently serves as the Director of Programming and Community Engagement. She is a Certified Financial Counselor and is passionate about financial empowerment, racial equality, and wealth-building for all members of our community.
Prior to joining HFLA, Katy worked in foreclosure prevention efforts and home-ownership counseling at CHN Housing Partners and in workforce development at El Barrio. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Sociology from Cleveland State University and will graduate with her Master’s of Nonprofit Administration from John Carroll University in May.
B.Fae Harris, National Development Council, Consultant, Cleveland Market
Since 1969, NDC has been on a mission to create jobs through small business lending, advance livable communities with social infrastructure investment, and build capacity with hands-on technical assistance to local governments. Fae’s role centers on cultivating relationships within the economic development ecosystem to help women and minority-owned businesses grow and expand.
Fae specializes in bringing high-performance products to market. Over the past 15 years, she’s worked with global industry players such as L’Oreal, Kao Brands and Conair Professional Products. Her brand management experience spans from entrepreneurial to established global brands with multi-million-dollar portfolios.
Fae is a Boston native with a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College. She also holds a dual Master’s degree in Business Administration and Information Age Marketing from Bentley University.