Northeast Indiana SBDC
Northeast SBDC Staff
- Wes Shie - Regional Director
- Billie Wunderlich - Associate Regional Director
- Alice Robinson - Business Advisor
- Nicole Heffelfinger - Business Advisor
- Karen Koester - Office Administrator
- Lynne Koepper - Ecosystem Navigator
Wesley Shie
Regional Director
Wes Shie joined the Northeast Indiana SBDC staff as a business advisor in 2010 and has served as the Regional Director since 2014. He came to the center with years of experience in banking and financial services from previously working as a relationship manager for Wells Fargo and Chase Bank. Prior to working in commercial banking, Shie also served as a finance specialist for the Community Development Corporation (CDC) of Fort Wayne. The Fort Wayne native is a graduate of Northrop High School and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision, with a minor in General Business.
Billie Wunderlich
Associate Regional Director
Billie Wunderlich is office manager of the Northeast ISBDC. She has been with the center since November 2002. Among her many responsibilities are record keeping, data entry, supply management, and the scheduling of workshops and courses. She also works closely with the Division of Continuing Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), which hosts the NE-ISBDC, and the ISBDC headquarters in Indianapolis. Wunderlich is a Fort Wayne native and a graduate of Elmhurst High School. She holds a certificate in medical billing, which she received in 2003, and currently is working on a bachelor’s degree in General Studies at IPFW.
Alice Robinson
Business Advisor
Alice Robinson is a business advisor at Northeast Indiana SBDC. In this position, she meets with small business owners offering guidance and support on marketing, budgeting, and strategy. She is a small business owner herself and brings the experience of navigating those waters to her clients. Before owning her own business, she was an executive in healthcare marketing for over 20 years. She also worked as a producer in television news for several years. She holds a master's degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan University and was a double major in journalism and political science at Indiana University-Bloomington. Alice enjoys being an amateur photographer and spending time with her family.
Nicole Heffelfinger
Business Advisor
Nicole Heffelfinger joined the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center as a business advisor in January 2015 serving DeKalb, Steuben and LaGrange counties. She previously served as an economic development specialist for the Allen County Department of Planning Services (DPS) from 2010 to 2014, where she was project manager of the extended sewer project for the 1.5-million-square-foot General Mills facility. She also worked with members of the Allen County Council and other elected officials, and participated in budget management, commercial real estate inventory management, economic development research and public presentations.
Karen KoesterOffice Administrator
Lynne Koepper
Ecosystem Navigator
Northeast Small Business Spotlight
Game Plan for Success
Williams Distributing, LLC, an independent distributor based in Fort Wayne, operates a route delivery business for Pepperidge Farms/Campbell’s. Williams Distributing distinguishes its services by setting the standard for customer service in the grocery retail industry.
Hosted by Purdue University Fort Wayne
Richard T. Doermer School of Business
