Small Business Funding Options

Gwendolyn is Project Manager/Supplier Diversity Liaison at Engaging Solutions, LLC, a minority-owned management consulting firm located in Indianapolis IN.    Gwen has led the stakeholder and public engagement efforts for several high-profile projects such as the Broad Ripple Park Master Plan, White River Vision Plan, and Thrive Indianapolis.   She also currently serves as Supplier Diversity Liaison on projects including IU Health Bloomington, Community Justice Campus, and Bottleworks where she works diligently to increase participation and contract attainment of minority-owned firms.  She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Western Michigan University and a Master of Business Administration In Applied Management from Indiana Wesleyan University

Dan Drexler serves as the Regional Director of the Central Indiana Small Business Development Center hosted by Butler University, Lacy School of Business, in partnership with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC).  Prior to joining ISBDC earlier this year, Dan spent twenty years in the private industry most recently as Senior Vice President with an Indiana manufacturer of industrial HVAC systems.  He has previously worked with both the Indiana and US Department of Commerce, primarily focused on export marketing and business counseling. As both a director in a small company and a counselor to businesses, Dan is uniquely positioned to understand small business client needs from a hands-on perspective.

Caldwell started his banking career in 1990 as a part-time teller.  He came up through the branch environment prior to transitioning into commercial lending.  The main emphasis of his banking career over the last 20 years has been commercial lending and management.  He currently serves as Northwest Bank’s Senior Vice President Head of Commercial and Business Banking, Indiana.

He started his career with Mutual Federal Savings Bank in Athens OH (now Century National Bank – part of the Park National corporation).  In 2005 he joined MutualBank (formerly Mutual Federal Savings Bank – not the same as the one in Ohio) in the commercial lending department in various capacities until they were acquired by Northwest Bank in 2020 where he currently works.

As Executive Director of BOI, Proctor oversees the organization’s day-to-day operations, which includes services like free one-on-one business coaching, workshops, and small business loans to over 1,400 entrepreneurs in the Indy Region annually. Proctor provides leadership, vision, and strategic direction for BOI, with an emphasis on growing BOI’s small business loan program. Prior to joining the Indy Chamber team, Proctor served as Vice President at BMO Harris Bank. In addition to his success in the banking and finance industry, Proctor has demonstrated extensive leadership skills through his community development efforts on Indianapolis’ west side. Most notably, Proctor founded the West Side Chamber of Commerce in 2010 and served as the organization’s president until 2018.