TEDCO Announces New Rural Business Innovation Initiative Mentors
TEDCO Announces New Rural Business Innovation Initiative Mentors
For Lower and Upper Shore Counties
COLUMBIA, Md. (July 20, 2017) – The Maryland Technology Development Corporation
(TEDCO) announced today that Bill Bernard and Jack Schammel have joined the Rural
Business Innovation Initiative (RBI 2 ) team. Bernard is the RBI 2 mentor for the Lower Eastern
Shore Counties of Talbot, Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and
Worcester. Schammel is the RBI 2 mentor for the Upper Shore Counties of
Cecil, Harford, Kent and Queen Anne’s.
Business and technical assistance is provided to companies by a regional
RBI 2 mentor whose job is to evaluate potential clients and to provide
resources, consulting services, and technical management-level assistance. To receive mentoring
and project assistance, companies must:
– be involved in developing new technologies/products or utilizing technology to create
new or expand their business,
– have fewer than 16 employees,
– have annual revenues of $1 million or less, and
– be in good standing with Maryland Department of Taxation and Assessments.
Bernard has enjoyed a career in the commercialization of technologies and
specializes in the startup and management of businesses around the world. He will
be mentoring entrepreneurs on the Lower Shore and is now meeting with qualified
companies and holding office hours at the hotDesks shared work spaces in Easton,
Cambridge, Salisbury, and Pocomoke City. He can be contacted at 443-786- 4471
or bbernard@tedco.md.
Schammel is a seasoned operations executive turned coach and consultant. He has
spent more than two decades helping to grow startups and has established
companies throughout the region and as far away as Egypt. Schammel hosts office
hours at The GroundFloor at Harford incubator in Havre de Grace. He can be reach
at 443-617- 7614 or jschammel@tedco.md.
“TEDCO is here to help tech startups in Maryland grow and thrive,” said TEDCO
CEO George Davis. “We are pleased to have Bernard and Schammel join a
dynamic team that is committed to connecting innovative entrepreneurs to
resources that help them to overcome business and technical hurdles and advance to the next
growth level.”
The types of assistance provided by RBI 2 include:
– Business model or strategy
– Market strategy/analysis and competitive analysis
– Funding opportunities and introductions
– Financial analysis
– Business plan and grant reviews
– Intellectual property
– Prototype development
– Manufacturing problem solving
“RBI 2 is designed to provide technical and business assistance to small companies and early-
stage technology-based companies in rural Maryland as defined by the Rural Maryland Council.
Assistance to companies is provided by a regional RBI 2 mentor,” stated Anne Balduzzi,
TEDCO’s RBI 2 program manager. “The South Central (Charles, Calvert, St. Mary’s Counties)
RBI 2 mentor is Tiffany Davis and the Western (Frederick, Washington, Allegany, Garrett,
Carroll) RBI 2 mentor is Chuck Ernst.”
The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) is the go-to source for
entrepreneurial support and guidance for start-ups and early-stage companies engaged in
bringing innovative ideas to market. For over nineteen years, the organization has provided
funding, mentoring and networking opportunities to support Maryland’s innovation ecosystem. It
is frequently ranked as one of the most active seed/early-stage investors in the nation. The
organization plays a key role in bringing research created in Maryland’s educational institutions
and federal laboratories into the commercial marketplace. For more information about TEDCO
and its programs and resources, visit www.TEDCO.md.
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