Individualized Business Advising

Lorri Brown is a business advisor and program director with CEI Women’s Business Center in Farmington, providing one-on-one counseling and support to women-owned start-ups and existing businesses throughout central and western Maine. She comes to CEI with an extensive knowledge rural community development and passion for helping entrepreneurs leverage digital media to grow their business. She holds a B.A. in history from the University of Maine at Farmington and a M.A. in communications from Southern New Hampshire University.

As Program Director at the CEI Women’s Business Center in Southern Maine, Grace helps entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs start and grow their business, with a special mission to support the ethnically and socially underserved groups.  Grace previously worked in the consumer goods industry, where she was a product developer and marketer of trend-right products that were sold in major national retail stores, such as Walmart, Macy’s, and Pottery Barn. She has worked in a variety of business settings, from small companies to large public corporations.  With a strong background in international trade, Grace started her exporting company in 2014 -- Belle Cove, LLC, which focuses on selling frozen seafood from the Americas to Asia and Europe.  Grace holds an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and International Business from Minnesota State University.  Grace has earned the Certified Global Business Professional designation in Maine from North American Small Business International Trade Educators (NASBITE). 

As the Program Director, Certified Business Advisor of the Women's Business Center at CEI in rural Maine, Ruth provides technical assistance to new and existing small businesses, with a focus on women-owned businesses. Ruth’s background includes many years in the restaurant business which she then translated into her vast experience in the non-profit sector. She has been an independent consultant and executive director for organizations focused on the environment, community development, education and the arts. Ruth has been a Fulbright Scholar in the Czech Republic, Peace Corps Volunteer in Small Business in the former Soviet Union and holds a B.A. from Hampshire College, Diplome Culinare from New England Culinary Institute and a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

As the Director of the CEI Women’s Business Centers, Sarah oversees the strategic direction of the centers, as well as maintaining stakeholder relationships. Additionally, Sarah provides one on one business advising, with a focus on access to capital.  Originally from Bangor, Maine, Sarah has worked with small business owners both in Boston and in Ecuador, where she lived for five+ years. Sarah holds a B.S. from the University of Maine and an M.B.A. from Boston University.