Michael J. Donnelly, C.A. Principal Consultant

Prior to opening Beacon Management's office in Florida in 1985, Mr. Donnelly held the positions of: Chief Financial Officer - advertising sales and franchising; General Manager - specialty retail sales and franchising; and, Corporate Controller - real estate development, property management and hotels.  Mr. Donnelly entered industry in 1979 after a career in public accounting that began in 1973.  While in public accounting he provided accounting, auditing, tax and management advisory services to a wide range of businesses with both a local and national public accounting firm.

Mr. Donnelly has taught accounting and information systems, small business management and entrepreneurship, strategic management and business policy at the state university level, and computer auditing to professional accounting students.  He has given seminars locally, regionally and nationally on topics including business planning, strategic planning, franchising, corporate finance, information management and turnaround management.  He has provided in-house training for senior executives and has given seminars to entrepreneurs from the Caribbean and Israel and to government officials from Russia and China.  He has been a workshop leader in programs sponsored by HUD to help public housing residents start their own business.  He has authored many articles on management, finance, franchising and planning.  He has appeared on television and radio.

Mr. Donnelly has been active in the South Florida business community.  He has held the following positions:

• Chair, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
• Chair, Enterprise Ambassador Program (founded by R. David Thomas, founder of Wendy's International, to teach high school juniors and seniors about the rights, responsibilities and opportunities of America's free enterprise system)
• Chair, CEO Advisory Council (Uptown Business Association)
• Chair, Uptown Business Council (an operating council of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce)
• President, Gold Coast Venture Capital Club
• President, Canadian American Business Alliance of South Florida
  (now known as the Canadian American Chamber of Commerce of South Florida)
• President, Uptown Business Association
• Chair, Government Affairs, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
• Chair, Chamber Rewards Card, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
• Director, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
• Director, Association for Corporate Growth (South Florida Chapter)
• Director, National Association of Accountants (Fort Lauderdale Chapter)
• Member, Executive Advisory Board, Florida Atlantic University, College of Business
• Member, Enterprise Development Corp. of  South Florida - Client Advisory Panel (a program of Entreprise Florida)
• Member, Gold Coast Venture Forum Executive Committee
• Trustee, Board of Trade Political Action Committee (Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce)
• Editor, Gold Coast Venture Capital Club Newsletter
• Chair, Statewide Advisory Board, Florida Small Business Development Center Network
  (A statewide service network funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the
  U.S. Small Business Administration, the program successfully links the state's education system with community outreach to aid in the development and education of the state's entrepreneurs and small business community. The Florida SBDC network is an accredited member of the national Association of SBDCs.)
• Chair, Florida Atlantic University SBDC Advisory Board.