ADVISORY BOARD

Vall Iliev

President and CEO of Vallmar Co.

Directs the engineering department of Vallmar Studio.

Vall's training in engineering began in his grandfather's woodworking shop in Bulgaria, where Vall learned hands-on techniques for building three-dimensional objects. During his high school years he attended a school that focused on engineering and math. He went on to study at the University of Sofia, where he earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical and electrical engineering.

Vall held positions with Semperit AG and Feriot Inc. before starting his own company in 1984

Pepa Iliev

Vice President, Operations

Works with clients to manage their projects.

Pepa Iliev brings Vallmar and its customers a range of skills from operations to project management and customer relations. She has three years' experience as manager of an electrical contracting business and has directed operations at Vallmar since 1995. Pepa's voice is often the first one new customer hears when they phone the company, and those customers quickly learn that they can rely on Pepa for excellent customer service, skilled project support and a deep knowledge of the product development process.

Martin Iliev

Growing up with Vallmar Co.

Martin has a high level of computer analysis skills and a strong interest in what makes an invention work and gives it the potential for success in the marketplace. An A student, Martin works with Vallmar to evaluate new projects from a young person's point of view.

J. Thaddeus Kee, CPA

Uniontown, Ohio USA

Thad is the president of Kee, Huchok & Co., Inc. He received his CPA certificate in 1975. In 1983, Thad founded Kee & Associates, Inc., the predecessor of Kee, Huchok & Co., Inc. Throughout his career he has been helping privately owned and family businesses, providing them with the traditional CPA services of tax, accounting, and financial consulting. He has extensive knowledge and experience in corporate and personal taxes, real estate accounting and tax, accounting procedures, systems and controls. Thad is a member of the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

MARGARITA KRIVITSKI

Cambridge, MA USA

Margarita Krivitski is currently an undergraduate at Harvard College, expecting an A.B. in Applied Mathematics (Economics) with a secondary field in Chemistry. She has spent time working as a business analyst for BioEnterprise, a biotechnology consulting firm located in Cleveland, Ohio, and as a laboratory researcher at Weill Cornell Medical College in NYC, where she coauthored a paper on the molecular targets of anesthetics.

Dr. David Fero

Scottsdale, Arizona USA

David began working for the Veterans Health Administration in 1973. In1987 he left the VHA to practice privately founding the Meridia Huron Pain Management Center and becoming a founding Board Member of the Meridia Center for Rehabilitation and Pain Management. He returned to the VHA in 1996 became the Service Line Manager for Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences at the Northern AZ VA Healthcare System. An Army veteran with 36 years of experience in healthcare, David has worked in chronic pain management, rehabilitation and mental health. He is a graduate of the VHA's Health Care Leadership Institute.

Margarita D. Kokinova, PH.D

Kent, Ohio USA

Dr. Kokinova, is the executive director of institutional research at Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in Rootstown, Ohio. Her academic background has focused on evaluation and measurement. She is a member of many professional societies, serves as a grant reviewer for the American Hand Therapy Foundation and makes presentations at conferences nationwide.

Drew Kairis

Stow, Ohio USA

Drew Kairis has 10 years' experience in banking and has worked with thousands of small businesses and countless individuals. Drew is an assistant vice president at Fifth Third Bank, Ohio's largest bank. Prior to coming to Fifth Third, Drew managed at three other banks in the Cleveland/Akron area. Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Drew has a degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky and is currently working on his Master's of Business Administration from Baldwin-Wallace College.

Jason P. Kee, Esq.

Columbus, Ohio USA

Jason Kee is an attorney with a law firm in Newark, Ohio. Jason graduated from Kent State University in 2004 with a Bachelor's degree in political science and received a J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law. He has been a member of the Ohio Bar since 2007. He is currently a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Licking County Bar Association, the Licking County Chamber of Commerce and the Newark Kiwanis Club. He has advised several small businesses and several individuals interested in beginning a small business.

Richard Nemetz

Cleveland, Ohio USA

A retired civil/mechanical engineer with 45 years experience in industry and private practice, Richard has a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a M.S. in Engineering Mechanics from Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio. His industrial experience includes mechanical autopsy and failure analysis, component shock and vibration testing from procedure preparation to final report, electro-mechanical diagnostic tool design, investigation and development, material compatibility and corrosion investigations, and low-speed water lubricated wear and life studies. Richard's private practice focused on the ski lift industry, providing aerial tramway lift line designs including structural and foundation analysis for projects in Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and New York. He was appointed to the Ohio Tramway Board in 1981 and served for over 20 years as chairman and engineering member.

Ruth Dean, MA

Akron, Ohio USA

Ruth Dean, MA, has 25 years of experience in business writing, university teaching, research and tutoring. She is the president of the Writing Toolbox, a business writing company that produces corporate histories, marketing communications and training materials. Before establishing her own business she was senior technical writer with Ryerson Management Associates, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm in Akron, Ohio. A graduate of Leadership Akron, Class XIX, Ruth is a former president of the Women's Endowment Fund of Akron Community Foundation.

Shamirra Slayton, RN

Macedonia, Ohio USA

Shamirra is a 14-year veteran in the nursing field with experience in psychiatric, geriatric, respiratory and pediatrics healthcare. Currently she is a community health nurse for the State of Ohio. She is a patented innovator and successful entrepreneur.

Paul Rahmer

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin USA

Paul is a construction team supervisor, patented innovator and successful entrepreneur. He keeps coming up with practical solutions that are easy to use and suitable to the marketplace.

Catherine Y. Taras, M.D.

Stow, Ohio USA

Catherine was born in Youngstown, Ohio and received her medical degree from Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. She is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Practice.

Ken Campbell

Colorado Springs, USA

Ken has been a registered US Patent Practitioner since 2003. In addition to that, he has taken a leadership role while working as a senior mechanical design engineer for a number of progressive companies in the fields of transportation, communication, and product design. Ken is well versed in the primary facets of the product life cycle, including modern design engineering processes, volume manufacturing and quality assurance. He relies on his industrial experience and takes critical factors into account as early as possible in the evaluation of potential projects, with respect to the acquisition of intellectual property rights. Ken also remains aware of various alternative IP strategies that may become desirable or appropriate for a particular project.