Great Lakes Angels Names New Directors, Familiar President
The Bloomfield Hills-based angel investor group Great Lakes Angels Inc. Wednesday announced new directors.
Veteran serial entrepreneur Jeff Sloan has joined the organization in an open board of directors position.
Sloan currently spearheads Aria Ventures LLC, whose mission it is to "package" meritorious business opportunities and concepts into viable businesses. Specifically, Jeff and the Aria International team prepares the business plans, identifies the key team members, raises the seed financing, and provides ongoing strategic guidance throughout the development phase, the launch phase and the growth phase.
In 1990, Sloan co-founded Sloan Ventures LLC which developed, funded and launched a variety of startup companies with more than $80 million in private and institutional financing, including Clarity Technologies LLC, GeneGo LLC, VetGen LLC, and Rubicon Genomics, LLC.
Sloan was a founding member of the Michigan Venture Capital Association and was one of the first to serve on its board of directors. He has also served as a board member of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Current board member and Great Lakes Angels president Rick Galdi is stepping down. He has been appointed CEO and president of Essex Angel Capital Inc., a publicy held Canadian capital pool company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange ticker EXC.P.
Also taking an open board position is John Dourjalian.
Dourjalian possesses more than 20 years of broad-based experience in manufacturing, environmental and public health. He has a master's degree in industrial management as well as post-graduate studies from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Upon completing his academic endeavors he was employed in numerous technical positions as an environmental & manufacturing professional in both the public (EPA) and private (Fortune 500 companies) sectors. Recently, he transitioned to investing in angel and venture capital and private placement investments. He was appointed as a technical advisor for several start-up companies and currently uses his expertise and knowledge when screening potential investments opportunities. He sits on the Oakland University Incubator investment review board and is a member of the Ohio Tech Angels.
Current board chair and founder David Weaver, meanwhile, will once again take the president's spot.
Other board members are Don Baker of Safford & Baker PLLC and Tom Anderson of Automation Alley.
GLA monthly investor meetings will begin again in April or early May.
The Great Lakes Angels is a nonprofit corporation seeking serious, active investors. The mission of the Great Lakes Angels organization is to organize and mentor angels and provide a forum for them to grow in knowledge and wealth and foster more of the same -- to help invest in entrepreneurial companies in the region. Meetings feature high-level presentations by fundable companies.
More by emailing dweaver@glangels.org
