Brian Barquilla

Brian Barquilla, founder and publisher of Jacksonville Small Business Advantage: the Handbook for Small Business, is an expert in privately owned small businesses. In addition to being publisher of Advantage, he also is the chief facilitator of Executive Advantage, a professional- and business-development group for area CEOs. The Executive Advantage provides a forum for growth through coordinated discussion and exposure to expert speakers.

To further help business owners and presidents achieve maximum business and personal success, Brian has also developed the BMLS (Business Metrics Learning System), a user-friendly, peer-reviewed roadmap for success.

Because of his expertise in small business, Brian has been asked to serve on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Florida District Advisory Council. He is also a judge to select the SBA’s 2010 Small Bsiness Week Awards. 

Brian taps into his expertise to speak at many events and has been featured in a number of business publications. An entrepreneur with a drive for success, his forte is starting companies from scratch, refining business models, recruiting top talent, and ultimately executing his exit plan. To date, all of the businesses Brian has created are still thriving.

A self-made entrepreneur with more than 15 years of business CEO experience, Brian is excited to be sharing his passion for business building with others. He holds degrees in marketing and management from Jacksonville University. He lives in North Florida with his wife Robin and their two children. In his leisure time, he enjoys boating, fishing, and personal fitness.
 

Jessica Thomas

Jessica Thomas, client advertising coordinator,began her career in marketing just a short time ago.  Trained in New York City and Paris, France, she has been around some of the most creative minds in the world.  As a standout at the University of Florida, she was  recognized by the Gainesville Advertising Federation, where she was awarded the prestigous Susan Dixon Memorial Scholarship. Jessica resides in Mandarin, Fla., and is active with the Cystic Fybrosis Foundation and the Woodside Aviary. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree  in Advertising with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Linda Segall

Linda Segall, editor of Jacksonville Small Business Advantage, is a seasoned journalist with a unique background. Prior to focusing her skills on business publishing, she spent 20 years in human resources management/training and organizational development with divisions of Miller Brewing Co., Alcoa, Ball Corporation, and Tenneco Automotive. She has worked with employees and management in sales and distribution and manufacturing, as well as in corporate environments, to improve organizational effectiveness.

In 1998 Linda left Dartnell and Chicago to move to Florida, where she took on the challenges of editorial director for LRP Publications, a major business-information publisher. In 2001, she moved to the Jacksonville area to assume the responsibilities of editor-in-chief of Chiropractic Economics, a business magazine for practicing chiropractors. There, with only a small staff, she helped take the publication from 13 to 20 issues a year. She also helped increase Web traffic significantly by improving the amount and quality of content published on the magazine’s Web site. Under her leadership, the magazine won several recognitions, including Best Editorial from the Florida Magazine Association.

Linda’s accomplishments also include co-authoring two business books and a consumer healthcare book. In her spare time, she and her husband enjoy the outdoors, especially on the golf course.

Robyn Friedman

Robyn A. Friedman, a contributing editor to Advantage, is an award-winning journalist with more than two decades of professional experience. She also has a unique background.
Prior to embarking on a full-time career as a journalist, she was a business and real estate attorney in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She graduated from Duke University and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. After associating with some of the largest firms in New Jersey, she started her own practice and grew it in less than two years to a six-figure business.

Robyn decided to leave law and follow her passion for writing. Her background in real estate and business has armed her with the knowledge to write insightfully about business issues. Her publication credits include Business Week Online, Bankrate.com, The Real Deal, the Robb Report, the New York Post, Realtor.com, Florida Realtor, Florida Trend, CBS HealthWatch, CNNfn.com, and the Chicago Tribune.

She is a member of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, National Association of Real Estate Editors, National Federation of Press Women and Florida Freelance Writers Association. RAFWriter@att.net

Ashley Cisneros

Ashley Cisneros, a contributing editor to Advantage, is an entrepreneur and communications professional. She has worked for Florida Trend, a business magazine published by the St. Petersburg Times, and Florida Trend’s NEXT, a publication that helps Florida high school students prepare for life after graduation. Cisneros has also worked as a staff writer for the Lake City Reporter in Lake City, Fla.

Cisneros earned a B.S. in journalism and an M.S. in entrepreneurship from the University of Florida. She received a national award in organizational leadership in 2008. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Bay Young Professionals, and the Orlando Young Professionals.
ashleycisneros@gmail.com.