Buz Sutherland
Buz Sutherland is the former director of the Small Business and Technology Development Center and retired from Southeast University after serving in that capacity for almost 17 years. He is currently working as a First Step facilitator for the Douglas C. Greene Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and is a part-time counselor.
Sutherland has been an advocate of small businesses and of entrepreneurship most of his life, having served in various leadership roles with the State of Missouri and most recently as Executive Director of the Southeast Missouri Economic Development Alliance in Portageville.
Sutherland grew up on a farm near Charleston, Mo. and and continues to reside in Charleston with his wife and, depending upon the month, his herd of various abandoned cats and dogs, he said.
"We've been without any dogs for almost a year now," Sutherland said, "but I saw three running down the highway the other day and I told my wife, Tammy, that we almost had some new pets. But they kept running unfortunately."
Gina Harper, CIE project coordinator, said, "Our Center is glad to have Buz's talents in the classroom. As a former business owner, he has real-world experience and tips to share with start-up entrepreneurs."