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Vice Chairman

J. ANTHONY RUIZ
SENIOR MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER
BALTIMORE, MD

For the past two years, Mr. J. Anthony Ruiz has been a Senior Management Consultant to the Maryland Small Business Development Center - Baltimore City Office.

Mr. Ruiz is a former international and commercial banker with ten years experience in international trade finance: private banking; financing trade with the former Soviet Eastern Europe Block Countries, the Peoples Republic of China, the Middle East, Africa, India, Australia, Canada and Latin America for manufacturing, technology and contractor companies; Export-Import bank claims; bank post-merger due-diligence and integration; product development; commercial banking for foreign-owned companies in the United States; financing leveraged buyouts; workout of problem loans; workout of real estate loans; and private banking.

Mr. Ruiz has been a hands-on business management consultant for over fifteen years in the following areas: strategic expansion; organizational management of emerging companies; creative financing; corporate development; non-profit organization growth and development strategies; marketing and sales growth; turnaround of financially troubled companies; Chapter 11 exit plans and reorganizations; small business acquisitions and sale (California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, New York, Illinois, Ohio, The Caribbean, Mexico, Canada and Poland).

Mr. Ruiz is regular speaker, instructor and trainer for numerous conferences, seminars and workshops on various issues dealing with business management, finance, marketing, turnaround management and international trade. He authored original research for both the National Law Center (NAFTA implementation project) the University of Arizona-College of Law.

Mr. Ruiz is a former Arizona National Guardsmen (1963-1967) and a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Field Artillery Brigade. He is the recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medals for bravery in the battlefield. He was honorably discharged in 1969.

Mr. Ruiz earned a Bachelor's degree in international relations with honors and a Master in Business Administration degree (finance and marketing) from the California State University (1974) and the University of Southern California (1977) in Los Angeles, respectively. In 1995, he obtained a Doctorate in Jurisprudence (business, finance and international trade & investment) from the University of Arizona-Tucson.

Mr. Ruiz is a co-founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of the InterAmerican Chamber of Commerce in Houston (1977-1987), and a co-founder and member of the Board of Director of the Texas Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce (1986-1987) and of El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (1990-1992). He has served in a variety of leadership roles including Chairman, Advisory Council, U.S. Small Business Administration, Texas Southeast Region (1986-1987; Texas State Delegate, 1986 White House Conference on Small Business, Washington, DC; and alumnus, Leadership Houston (1985) and Co-chair of Economic Development Program (1986-1987).