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2013 Minnesota SBLO Training
“It takes more than the SBLO”
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Presenter’s Professional Biographies
U.S. Small Business Administration
Terri Billups
Procurement Center and Commercial Marketing Representative (PCR/CMR)
Office of Government Contracting
6501 E. Eleven Mile Road
Warren, MI 48397
Phone: 586-282-7387
Blackberry: 586-552-9027
terri.billups@sba.gov
Terri Billups is a Procurement Center Representative/Commercial Marketing Representative with the
U.S. Small Business Administration Area IV, Office of Government Contracting. Terri is assigned to the
TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC), Warren, MI where she is responsible for supporting
the acquisitions of the Army, Defense Logistics Agency Army Corp of Engineers and the Veterans
Administration. Prior to her move to the SBA in 2011, Terri was employed by the Army Contracting
Command, TACOM LCMC and worked on the Heavy Combat Team in Foreign Military Sales.
Prior to joining the Federal Government in 2009 as a Public Servant, her career began in the private
sector where she worked at LG International as an Account Executive and then Chrysler Corporation.
During her nine year Chrysler career, she worked as an Analyst in Information Technology, a Senior
Buyer in Non-production Purchasing and a Program Manager in Diversity Supplier Development.
Terri holds an MBA from Walsh College in Troy, MI with a specialization in International Business. She is
Level III Certified in Government Contracting from the Federal Acquisition Institute.
Randall O. Czaia
Supervisory Business Opportunity Specialist
Minnesota District SBA Office
100 North Sixth Street
610-C Butler Square
Minneapolis, MN 55403-1563
(612) 370-2314
randall.czaia@sba.gov
Randy Czaia is the Supervisory Business Opportunity Specialist for the 8(a) Business Development
Program at the Minnesota District SBA office. Prior to joining the SBA as a contracting officer for the
8(a) Business Development Program in 1997, Randy worked in procurement for 15 years with the DoD.
He spent 6 years with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command in Warren, MI. and 9 years at the Air
Force Research Lab in Albuquerque, N.M. Randy has experience as a contract cost/price analyst, a
procurement analyst, and as a contracting officer. He is also the Chair of the Federal Executive Board of
Minnesota’s Small and Disadvantaged Business Opportunity Council.

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Dwight A. Johnson
Commercial Market Representative – Minnesota
SBA Office of Government Contracting, Omaha
(402) 221-7206
dwight.johnson@sba.gov
At the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Government Contracting, Dwight A. Johnson uses his
statutory authority to see that small business receives its fair share of millions of dollars in federal prime
and subcontracts. Johnson’s question for federal agencies and primes reflects his passion for small
business. He asks, “Why not?”
To increase federal subcontracting dollars to small business, Johnson has become one of SBA’s strongest
advocates for including small business participation and past performance in small business
subcontracting as factors in federal contract source selection.
To increase access to federal contracts by small business, Johnson developed a series of monthly SBA
webinars for federal contracting staff from across the country. Up to 800 participate each month.
Considered a member of SBA’s Washington, D.C. staff, Johnson offices in Omaha and has coverage of
Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Community activities have included leadership roles with United Way of the Midlands and Omaha’s
Downtown Kiwanis Club. Johnson, a former business owner, has served as an adjunct business faculty
member at two colleges in Omaha and two in Kansas City. He maintains membership in the National
Contract Management Association.
Johnson holds and maintains Level III Federal Acquisition Certification in contracting. Johnson attended
the University of Missouri-Columbia and holds an undergraduate degree and an MBA from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.He grew up on a dairy farm in Iowa, milking Holsteins.
Medtronic, Inc.
Gretchen H. Ebert
Director Supplier Diversity
710 Medtronic Parkway NE - MS: LS240
Minneapolis, MN 55432
Gretchen.ebert@medtronic.com
Gretchen Ebert is the Director of Supplier Diversity at Medtronic, Inc., the global leader in medical
device technology.
As a supplier diversity professional since 1998, Ms. Ebert was pivotal in the formation of two successful
Supplier Diversity /Small Business Programs that significantly increased the utilization of minority and
women owned businesses.
Ms. Ebert is Vice Chair of the National Minority Supplier Development Council Healthcare Industry
Group, Co-chair of the Midwest Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) Corporate Roundtable
and serves on the Diversity Information Resources Board of Directors. She is past Chair and Vice Chair of
the MMSDC Board of Directors.

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Ms. Ebert has received several recognitions, including MMSDC and Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal
Minority Advocate Awards and played a key role in numerous recognitions of Medtronic’s Supplier
Diversity program, including the MMSDC’s 2006 and 2009 Corporation of the Year, the Metropolitan
Economic Development Association’s 2012 Corporation of the Year, the Women’s Business
Development Center’s Corporate Partner and MBNUSA’s Top 101 Corporations for Supplier Diversity.
Ms. Ebert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from St. Mary’s University.
Woodward, Inc.
Mark J. Schnorenberg
Global Sourcing Audit and Compliance Specialist
Woodward, Inc.
(815) 639-6500
mark.schnorenberg@woodward.com
Mark Schnorenberg is a graduate of Rockhurst College (now University) in Kansas City. Mark was a
Radio and TV Broadcasting major that has spent his entire professional life in Procurement/Sourcing-the
last 3 as a full-time Government Compliance Specialist. Mark’s career has been in aerospace and the
toy industry.
Mark is married, with an awesome grandson. Mark’s perfect day would be 82-degrees, spent with his
wife, grandson and dog on his pontoon boat floating the Mississippi River!
Cargill, Inc.
John Taylor, CDP
Director, Supplier Diversity
Cargill Strategic Sourcing
(952) 742-0255
15407 McGinty Road West MS#23 | P.O. Box 5623
Wayzata, MN 55391-2399
John_Taylor@cargill.com
John Taylor joined Cargill August 2010, and serves as director of supplier diversity. In this role, he is
responsible for increasing alignment and coordinating supplier diversity goals throughout Cargill. He
works closely with the Cargill Strategic Sourcing Team to support businesses owned by minorities,
women, disadvantaged groups and small businesses. Mr. Taylor is an active participant in local and
national organizations dedicated to stimulating the growth of minority-owned and woman-owned
businesses. He also focuses on mentoring activities with the leaders of disadvantaged businesses. His
advocacy includes developing and administering the Company’s diversity strategies and initiatives.
John received a Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness from “the” Ohio State University a Master of
Business Administration from Millikin University and his Certified Diversity Professional (CDP)
designation from Cornell University.
John serves as a board member for The MMSDC, Uptown Professional Magazine and Diversity
Information Resources.

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M. A. Mortenson Co.
Brenda Furst
Small Business Specialist
700 Meadow Lane N
Minneapolis, MN 55422
(763) 287-5371
brenda.furst@mortenson.com
Brenda has worked in the construction industry for over 20 years. She has held a variety of postions
focusing in Operations and Human Resources. Brenda started with Mortenson in March 2001 for the
Denver Office as the Office Manager working closely with the Director of Operations and Vice President.
In April 2005, Brenda transferred to the Minneapolis Office as a Human Resources Administrator for the
Human Resources Team and in 2006 was a Recruiter for Mortenson. Since 2009 Brenda has worked as
the Small Business Specialist for the Federal Contracting Group.
As Small Business Specialist, Brenda was instrumental in developing Mortenson's Small Business
Utilization program. Brenda works closely with Mortenson's Compliance Manager to ensure the
program is successful.
Michael Hommer
Compliance Manager
Mike Hommer is the Compliance Manager at Mortenson Company, a leader in the
Construction Industry with a dedicated market sector group specifically focused on Federal
Construction Projects.
As Compliance Manager, Mike is responsible for the management, implementation and
training of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) to it's project team members working
on Federal Government projects, inclusive of Small Business Utilization which has been
developed and lead by our Small Business Specialist.
Mike is an associate member of the Design Build Institute of America, a member of the
Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, a member of the Construction Industry Ethics
and Compliance Initiative, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the
University of Minnesota.