The Team
Behind the scenes at Start Garden.
Jorge Gonzalez
Director
A Grand Rapids native holding a degree in Public Administration and minors in both Business and Sociology from GVSU, Jorge joins the Start Garden team in 2017 from his time as Executive Director of the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that, he was at LINC UP as the Director of Economic Development for four years and has 15 years of experience in the banking industry. His last banking position was as VP of Community Development from 2005 to 2010. In his spare time he enjoys running, occasional golf, spending time with friends and family.
Paul Moore
Director
Paul loves stories. Every business tells one and some are great. His twenties started in art, then went to filmmaking and wound up in marketing, where he realized all along he was prototyping things he found socially interesting. He’s worked with Rick DeVos since 2005 when they started Spout.com, then ArtPrize, 5×5 Night, and Start Garden. As Marketing Director on the original ArtPrize team, he helped launch an event that both enamored and appalled the art world. He has a Masters of Design Methods from the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Laurie Supinski
Director
A native New Yorker who also spent time as a lobbyist in Washington D.C., Laurie eventually landed in the Midwest running a fly fishing business on the Muskegon River with her husband. They have just recently launched a new digital fly fishing magazine. Through her experience with the Newaygo County Economic Development Office, Laurie found her passion connecting entrepreneurs to the resources in West Michigan, leading to her previous role at Emerge WM. Now as a Director at Start Garden, her ability to connect people to the vast resources available within the community has proven to be her calling. In her spare time (when not busy doing layout and design for the magazine – LOL) you can find Laurie traveling to the East Coast to spend time visiting family and friends.
Darel Ross II
Director
Indicative of the rooted connection to the neighborhood where he was raised, Darel first began his entrepreneurial career opening an insurance agency in Southeast Grand Rapids. For more than nine years Darel served LINC’s Board of Directors as Treasurer, and most recently as the organization’s Co-Executive Director, serving a critical role that brings together housing, economic development, essential needs services, business incubation and real estate development serving Kent County. Through his leadership, Ross has helped secure over $67 million in funding for community improvement efforts resulting in over 300 families increasing their assets, training over 600 residents, improving over 750 homes and creating over 120 full-time jobs.
Erica Hooser
Grants Manager
As the Grant Manager, Erica manages and coordinates overall review of contracts and grant agreements. Erica brings a passion for engaging in efforts towards the renewal of human societies, participating in initiatives ranging from grassroots community nonprofit to organizing around human rights issues. She has worked over a decade in the nonprofit settings in various administrative roles. Erica enjoys connecting vision to results through a system of collaborative approaches, generating effective strategies. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, watching DIY shows and visiting different zoos.
Andrea “Dre” Wallace
Entrepreneur in Residence
Andrea is the CEO of Opnr, an all-in-one data-powered entertainment marketplace removing the time and friction associated with talent discovery & booking with the added benefit of fanbase-influenced, targeted ticket sales. Before Opnr, Dre founded another startup in the entertainment technology space called Fourtifeye which was acquired. Before that Dre worked as an operator at Mentavi Health as VP of Analytics and has been in multiple innovation roles in different industries including music, healthcare and utilities. She has experience in startup accelerators, various entrepreneurship programs as well as experience raising institutional capital.
Rosie Cusack
Office Manager
Rosie is a firm believer in the power of music, stories and the community that connects them. Her career has opened her to many experiences, from serving cocktails and playing princess at children’s parties to co-creating music courses for GRPS and advocating for youth access to housing, employment and healthcare. The common thread in every position has been the opportunity to foster connection. As Office Manager for Start Garden, Rosie applies her skills to support the West Michigan entrepreneurial ecosystem. Outside of the office, she is a voice-over artist and channels her energy into creative hobbies like reading, painting and singing.
Board Members:
Jeremy DeRoo, Dwelling Place
Luciano Hernandez, Tiger Studio Design
Rob Jandernoa, 42 North Partners
Joe Jones, The Hekima Group
Kyama Kitivi, Fair Food Network
Joe Lampen, Wakestream Ventures
Mary O’Neil, Atomic Object
Darel Ross, Start Garden
Renee Williams, Huntington Bank
