ROY MESSING, MBA, CEPA, Program Coordinator
Mr. Messing works on special projects as developed by the center and is primarily involved in three programs within the Center as noted below.

Succession Planning Program (“SPP”): Roy leads the SPP outreach effort in Central and Southern Ohio. Tapping his business development and banking background, he has expanded the center’s network base of business and economic development professionals to build awareness for the need for business owners to develop and implement plans that address their “exit” from their company, so that the company remains a going concern and the jobs are retained. He recently successfully completed training and received a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (“CEPA”) designation, which will be used in guiding business owners develop their exit strategy from their businesses.

Cooperative Development Center (“CDC”): He serves as the center's lead in the rural cooperative development efforts. This is a new effort for the center, as it just it awarded the USDA Rural Cooperative Development Grant in September 2009. Roy’s exposure to cooperatives goes back to his days as a boy on a dairy farm and through his work at Farm Credit Services (a farmer member owned finance cooperative). The center’s main focus is developing employee owned cooperatives. The center’s mission also includes linking rural producers to institutional buyers and providing general support to all rural cooperatives.

Common Wealth Revolving Loan Fund (“CWRLF”): CWRLF provides business loans to existing or prospective employee owned companies. The center has tapped Roy’s twenty plus years of lending experience to enhance the fund’s loan generation, underwriting, approval and servicing functions. Given the current lending environment and the economic conditions, the fund anticipates significant loan and technical assistance growth moving forward.

Background: Prior to joining the center, Mr. Messing enjoyed a twenty plus year banking/finance career, where he served a variety of roles with several financial institutions. The vast majority of his experience was serving in a lending capacity, providing financial solutions for his clients who were small and middle market businesses. He also served as a CFO of a lower end middle market Northeast Ohio manufacturing firm. He holds a BS from Michigan State University and a MBA from the University of Dayton.