Fernando V. Galaviz

Fernando Galaviz is the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Centech Group, Inc., which he founded in 1988.

"Mr. Galaviz serves on the board of Versar, Inc., a publicly traded company, and is a member of the advisory board for epipeline inc., board member of ECNV, and the National Federation of 8(a) Companies.

"He has served in the Federal Government as Chief of Industry Trade and Market Development for the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency, and Chief of Direct Contracting and Financial Assistance programs under the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation.

"Prior to establishing The Centech Group, he was executive vice president of a government contracting firm and founder and president of a manufacturing firm. Mr. Galaviz has held senior-level management positions with major national retail, wholesale, and import-export firms such as May Co., SHOPKO, Fedmart, Handyman, International Mercantile Corporation, and DAYLIN.

"Mr. Galaviz has been an advocate of small business since the 1960s. As a volunteer, he helped establish one of the first minority business development programs in corporate America. In the 1970s, Mr. Galaviz worked as a volunteer to assist in the development of the National Minority Purchasing Council and the Office of Minority Business Enterprise (OMBE). The council is now known as the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC). Mr. Galaviz is co-founder of the National Federation of 8(a) Companies and the U.S. Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and was Chairman of the Board for Community Investment Opportunity Group, a community-based organization founded to encourage self-investment by minorities in community projects.

"Mr. Galaviz has supported the economic development of the Native American Community by establishing formal business agreements with the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma, which has created jobs and fostered economic development in the Choctaw Nation community. The Centech Group operates its manufacturing business at the Choctaw Nations facility, which is a HUB ZONE.

"Mr. Galaviz is a lecturer on small and minority business issues, particularly addressing the challenges facing the small disadvantaged business community. He has served on the board of United Way in Orange County, California, and was the Fundraising Chairman for the American Cancer Society chapter in Los Angeles. He served as Vice Chairman of the Anaheim City Council Advisory Committee and was a member of the Orange County Housing Authority Advisory Board. Mr. Galaviz has testified before Congressional committees as an advocate of small business programs.

"Born in Mexico City, Mr. Galaviz is an American citizen by choice."

Source: Centech, Inc., web site --