j-ref’s Mobley Wins Howard County Individual Achievement Business Award
and Makes Guest Appearances on Two Local Television Programs this Spring Columbia, MD— April 22, 2010 -Michael A. Mobley, executive director of j-ref, a small business financier in Howard County, won the 2010 Individual Achievement Award from the Committee for Business and Economic Diversity (CBED), Howard County Economic Development Authority. He was honored during an awards breakfast at the Sheraton in Columbia on April 20, 2010. Mobley won the award for individual achievement as a minority for his work at j-ref, where he has served as executive director for five years. “As a former business owner myself, I am proud to foster the entrepreneurial spirit in Howard County,” says Mobley. “Since j-ref’s inception in 1992, we have funded more than 60 businesses with close to $6 million and helped to create over 500 jobs.” As part of his responsibility to promote j-ref to the business community, Mobley was interviewed on two local cable television programs, to air this May. He will appear as a guest on Columbia Matters, which airs on Comcast channels 96, 98 and 99; and Verizon channels 41 and 44. For specific times, go to: http://www.columbiamatters.org/html/schedule.html. He can also be seen on Comcast’s Local Edition program, during CNN Headline News, channel 55, at the 24th and 54th minute of every hour, during the weeks of April 26 and May 3, 2010.
j-ref Welcomes Howard Community College VP to Board of Directors Columbia, MD — October 27, 2009 — Michael A. Mobley, executive director of j-ref, a small business financier in Howard County, announces the addition of Thomas Glaser to the j-ref board of directors for the 2010 fiscal year.
Since 2000, Glaser, a Columbia resident, has been the vice president of information technology, Howard Community College. Prior to that, he was the chair of technology and information systems at State University of New York University Colleges of Technology. He holds an M.S. degree from Syracuse University in instructional design, evaluation, and development. He is a graduate of Leadership Howard County, a member of the Howard County Economic Development Leadership Consortium, and the president of the Howard Corridor Technology Forum.
"We are pleased to have a representative of Howard Community College on our board once again," says Mobley. "We expect that Tom will bring great insight to the board with his technology background and leadership skills."
Headquartered in the Center for Business & Technology Development in Columbia, Maryland, j-ref is a private, not-for-profit funding source for Howard County start-up and emerging companies. Support for the j-ref program (www.jref.org) is available through partnerships with Howard County government, Howard County Economic Development Authority, Howard County Chamber of Commerce, Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce, local financial institutions, and the local business community. In addition to offering business loans up to $250,000, j-ref works through its strategic partners to offer assistance to small and emerging companies in the areas of business advice, planning, and education.
j-ref Announces 2009-2010 Board of Directors Columbia, MD — July 3, 2009 — Michael A. Mobley, executive director of j-ref, a small business financier in Howard County, announces the offices of the j-ref board of directors for the 2010 fiscal year:
Chair: Chuck Breitenother of KLNB
Vice Chair: Rosa Scharf of Howard Bank
Secretary: Tina Corner of The Alternative Board
Treasurer: Steve Wolf of Berman Goldman & Ribakow
Assistant Treasurer: Fred Shaw of JPB Accounting Services
Immediate Past Chair: Chris Young of Business and Technology Law Group
Retiring from the board are Mike Genna and Kate Hetherington. Joining the board is Amy Walker, facility security officer/program manager with Pangia Technologies in Maple Lawn.
j-ref Funds Two Growing Howard County Businesses Columbia, MD— June 2, 2009 — j-ref, a small business financier in Howard County, loaned a total of $450,000 in May to two expanding businesses in Columbia: $250,000 to the Inn at Peralynna Manor, a boarding house and inn; and, $200,000 to Booth Management Consulting, a professional accounting and management consulting firm.
The loan to Peralynna will be used to retire outstanding liabilities, upgrade the property and for working capital. Booth Management Consulting requested a loan for working capital for contract start-up and hiring staff.
"It’s satisfying to assist growing companies during these challenging economic times. j-ref and its resources stand behind these small business owners in forwarding their missions and improving their companies," says Michael Mobley, executive director, j-ref.
The 19-room Peralynna Manor http://www.peralynna.com, located on Route 108, was founded in 1997 by its owners, David and Cynthia Lynn. Peralynna has received numerous awards, including Best Inn in the U.S., Best Inn in North America and one of the Top 15 Inns Internationally. They have also been rated 10 out of 10 by Zagat.
Established in 2008, Booth Management Consulting, LLC (BMC) http://www.bmc-llc.net is a SBA Certified 8a, GSA certified Woman-owned small disadvantaged business with over ten years of experience serving the federal, state and local government. The company is owned by Robin and Phil Booth and is located on Columbia Road, with a second location in Washington, D.C.
Headquartered in the Center for Business & Technology Development in Columbia, Maryland, j-ref is a private, not-for-profit funding source for Howard County start-up and emerging companies. Support for the j-ref program is available through partnerships with Howard County government, Howard County Economic Development Authority, Howard County Chamber of Commerce, Baltimore Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce, Howard Community College, local financial institutions, and the local business community. In addition to offering business loans up to $250,000, j-ref works through its strategic partners to offer assistance to small and emerging companies in the areas of business advice, planning, and education.
Since 2000, Glaser, a Columbia resident, has been the vice president of information technology, Howard Community College. Prior to that, he was the chair of technology and information systems at State University of New York University Colleges of Technology. He holds an M.S. degree from Syracuse University in instructional design, evaluation, and development. He is a graduate of Leadership Howard County, a member of the Howard County Economic Development Leadership Consortium, and the president of the Howard Corridor Technology Forum.
