Technology business leader named head of MI-SBDC

Local business leader and entrepreneur Keith Brophy has been named state executive director of the Michigan Small Business Development Center (MI-SBDC), which is housed in the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University.

He succeeds Carol Lopucki, who served as state director for 14 years before retiring in December.

Brophy has served on the MI-SBDC advisory board for many years. A past West Michigan Entrepreneur of the Year, he has spent much of his career as a business builder across the state and nation. He launched his first business, Sagestone Consulting, with assistance from the SBDC, and has since been a longtime advocate for SBDC services and programs.

“I am excited to join an organization that has such a positive impact on small businesses across our state and contributes to the continued building of our state’s economy,” said Brophy. “The SBDC provided vital guidance when I launched my first business, as well as in subsequent business growth activities. I directly experienced the high value the SBDC provides in stewarding high-impact small businesses. I look forward to working with the talented team of SBDC counselors.”

Brophy has served as CEO of Ideomed, a care-team connected mobile health company; president of Business Development at NuSoft Solutions; and CEO/co-founder of Sagestone Consulting. NuSoft and Sagestone built sophisticated technology solutions for various industries including manufacturing, health care, education, finance and other sectors.

Brophy began his career at IBM Federal Systems and Systems Integration divisions in Washington D.C. working on a wide variety of forward looking technologies. He has been a frequent speaker on future trends in regional and national venues, including testimony before a U.S. Congressional subcommittee on mobile health innovation. He earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Michigan and an M.S.I.S. degree from Strayer University.

Brophy’s insights and predictions are highly anticipated each year at the Tech Trends event in Grand Rapids. He will be sharing at this year’s event March 18, at 6 p.m. at City Flats in Grand Rapids.

The Michigan Small Business Development Center™ (MI-SBDC™) provides counseling, training, research and advocacy for new business ventures, existing small businesses and innovative technology companies. The state headquarters, located at Grand Valley State University, supports 12 regional offices and more than 30 satellite offices, each providing counseling and training to small business owners and entrepreneurs in all 83 counties in Michigan through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.