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2021 Small Business Virtual Forum - Speaker Bios

Moderator for The Modern Workplace Panel Discussion
 

Dawn Reshen-Doty: CEO of Benay Enterprises
Dawn Reshen-Doty is the CEO of Benay Enterprises, a 35-year-old business management and bookkeeping firm with offices in Danbury, CT and Portland, Maine. She is also the founding partner and publisher of For Beginners, LLC, and publisher of the For Beginners series, an internationally recognized graphically illustrated non-fiction book line.

She holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, was a White House intern during the Carter administration and serves on the boards of numerous organizations and nonprofits. She is the recipient of the 2016 CT SBA Minority Business of the Year award, Sage software’s 2019 Bookkeeper of the Year award and her company has 3 times been voted CT Law Tribune’s “Best General & Administrative Outsourcing” (2015-2017) and holds certificates from Georgetown School of Business and Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses.


Panelist for The Modern Workplace Panel Discussion
 

Lisa Whited: Founder & Chief Transformation Officer of Workplace Transformation Facilitation
Lisa Whited has a passion for improving workplaces and processes. She is a change management strategist who is driven to make a dent in the abysmal Gallup statistic that 87% of people worldwide are disengaged at work. Lisa works with leaders who want to make positive changes for their people and for the planet.

Lisa’s work focuses on ensuring all voices are heard in a change process so that they “own” the change and build stronger connections with each other as a result. She consults with companies large and small, local and global. Her recent engagements have been helping leaders figure out what the future of work will look like for their organization.

She is founder and chief transformation officer of Workplace Transformation Facilitation based in Portland, Maine and serves as a Senior Associate to UK-based Advanced Workplace Associates. Lisa’s first book, Working On Planet Earth: Creating Workplaces that Build Community + Save the Planet is to be published this summer.


Panelist for The Modern Workplace Panel Discussion
 

Sam LeGeyt: Broker at NAI The Dunham Group
Sam LeGeyt joined NAI The Dunham Group in 2018. Sam has worked in commercial real estate since 2014 and has successfully brokered transactions in all sectors of commercial real estate. He specializes in the industrial, office and investment markets. Sam also works with several local banks, providing valuation reports and market analysis consultations.

Sam is active in several Greater Portland not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Portland and Chairs the Land Development Committee. Sam also Co-Chairs the DevelopME committee of MEREDA (Maine Real Estate and Development Association).


Panelist for The Modern Workplace Panel Discussion
 

Matt McGrath: President and CEO of Systems Engineering
Matt McGrath joined Systems Engineering in 2013 and was promoted to Director of Engineering in 2014. In 2017, Matt became the third person to hold the title of President in Systems Engineering’s 30-year history. Prior to joining the company, Matt spent 13 years at WEX, Inc. holding a variety of positions including leading the CRM application practice, managing the Project Management Office, managing the New Zealand development arm at the company, and ultimately software development for the Americas.

Matt received his B.A. from Clark University, majoring in Spanish, and his Masters of Education from the University of Maine in Orono. He lives in Yarmouth, Maine with his wife, Sonia, and their four children. Matt is an avid sportsman who enjoys squash, coaching his children’s sports teams, fishing, boating, biking and hiking in the great outdoors.


5 ideas in 10 mins: Marketing Session
 

Cary Weston: President & Chief Marketing Officer of Sutherland Weston
Cary is the person that will cut through the trendy business-speak and help define what the real goal is. A fan of function over form, his charge is to ensure that creativity doesn’t mask the need and that the work is focused on results. Too honest at times, he believes the world could benefit from some more ‘old-fashioned’ and less ‘bright and shiny.’

Cary is active on several community boards and causes, including volunteering as a board member for little league and coaching youth basketball.

He was a founding member and the initial Chair of Fusion:Bangor, an organization developed to connect and inspire young professionals to become active and engaged in their community.
He has served as a multi-term city councilor and is a former Mayor of his hometown Bangor.


5 ideas in 10 mins: Finance Session
 

Tom Rainey: Executive Director of Maine Center for Entrepreneurs 
Prior to MCE, Thomas was President of Rainey & Associates; a consultancy specialized in planning and implementing innovation-based development initiatives. Mr. Rainey brings 25 years of experience in building and managing successful business incubators and accelerators for start-up companies in seven states. Mr. Rainey’s experience in rural business development, international trade, aerospace, defense and life sciences combined with a broad national and international business network provides unique capabilities.

Mr. Rainey holds a Master's Degree in Science and Technology Policy (March 1988) from Lund University, Sweden; a Graduate Degree in Social Sciences, (June 1986) from the University of Stockholm, Sweden; and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science (August 1985) from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.


5 ideas in 10 mins: DEI Session
 

Tae Chong: Director of Multicultural Markets and Strategies at The Maine State Chamber
Tae specializes in market research and strategies with multicultural and people of color communities in Maine and the Northeast. He has over twenty years’ experience working with the immigrant and refugee and people of color populations in Maine in economic development, business counseling, workforce development, education, and multicultural programming. He has consulted with Hannaford to expand their product lines to attract more immigrant, refugee, and people of color to shop at their stores and he also assisted them with community outreach and with employee recruitment and retention strategies. In his role as Director of Multicultural Markets and Strategies, his goal is to educate, advocate and outreach to Maine businesses interested in increasing sales and services to People of Color in Maine and Northern New England as well as businesses interested in hiring and retaining more People of color.