Welcome to your North Idaho Small Business Development Center

Bill has served as the Director of the Idaho Small Business Development Center at the North Idaho College since October 2005. Prior to joining Idaho SBDC, Bill served as the Executive Pastor of a large church. He has also performed strategic planning and organizational alignment for World Vision, an international relief and development agency.

As an entrepreneur he started two ventures and turned around two failing businesses. He also worked as a management consultant to Fortune 1000 companies in manufacturing, service, and non-profit industries. He began his career designing, building and running manufacturing plants.

Katrina is a former business owner, non-profit development director, and project manager with experience in content creation, grant writing, research, event planning, marketing, public relations, human resources, customer retention and CRM systems.

She is passionate about serving and supporting small businesses and strengthening local communities.

When not working with small business owners, she is out biking, kayaking or looking for Sasquatch somewhere in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Beth Freeman obtained her Associate degree in Business Administration from Arizona Western College while working as the Coordinator of the college’s Performing Arts Series and School Outreach Program. She was
awarded the Arizona Board of Regents Scholarship leading to her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Northern Arizona University.

Beth was hired as a command advisor and Director of Family Programs for the Marine Corps while living in Japan and continued in that role for Marine Corps Special Forces in southern California. She then transitioned into business consulting in the franchise industry where she evaluated small businesses in their pursuit of franchise growth. Upon arrival to northern Idaho, Beth became a licensed esthetician and opened a successful skincare business.

Beth has lived in Japan twice and travelled throughout Asia and Europe. She has three children and three grandchildren who motivate her daily. She has served in volunteer positions through her church and community, as PTO President, and Volunteer Coordinator. Beth is excited to be part of the Idaho PTAC team as they continue to support local businesses with government contracting.

Deborah Dickerson, PMP, MBA has been involved in project management for almost 20 years across many industries. She has an MBA in sustainable business as well as leadership training from Landmark Worldwide and lives in Sandpoint, Idaho.

She was a partner in a digital marketing firm for two years while doing contract work an additional three years with non-profits and small businesses. Most recently, she worked at Spokane Falls Community as an organizational wide project lead.

Deborah has created and executed digital marketing strategies utilizing Facebook and LinkedIn including email marketing. She also developed websites on a number of platforms.

When not working, she can be found biking, hiking, and skiing in the mountains or paddling around Sandpoint. She also enjoys serving at her church.

For the majority of his career, Dennis worked for a major international aerospace company. As a member of the senior leadership team he helped to design and build world class aerospace products.

He started his career working in the Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering of aerospace graphite parts and subsequently held a variety of leadership positions in the U.S. and Europe.

Dennis served on the board of a software development company and ran his own Financial and Tax planning business. In addition, he taught classes in business management and Corporate Finance at both the graduate and undergraduate level.

Dennis and his wife moved to North Idaho in 2010. In 2016, he accepted the position as Director of Boundary Economic Development Council.

Linden Burzell, Ph.D., has over 40 years of experience as a business owner and manager, with specializations in manufacturing, large-scale aquaculture, and international trade.  He pioneered the development of the technology behind large-scale commercial shrimp aquaculture, fish hatcheries, and farms in Hawaii, Asia, and South America.  In addition, he’s worked in various executive capacities in India, Malaysia, China, Ecuador, Russia, Fiji, Australia, American Samoa, and the US.

As an owner, he manufactured after-market automotive braking products sold in over 25 countries.  Prior to retirement, he spent 10 years as the General Manager of a public water supply agency.

Lin is married to Kimberly, a writer. They live in CDA with their two dogs.  Lin is an avid fisherman and can be found on and around lakes and streams from North Idaho to Alaska when not at work.

Michael is a former marketing & sales executive, serial entrepreneur and successful small business owner. He has a keen passion for transforming ideas from the back of a napkin into viable business opportunities. Michael was most recently Chief Revenue Officer for a leading social media management software company, responsible for global sales and marketing. Michael also currently owns a successful small business which won ‘Best New Business’ in Oregon by Mainstreet America. Michael lives with his wife, daughter and dog in Rathdrum where he is busy making mistakes learning permaculture practices.