Financial advisor joins OC economic development corporation board

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Newport Beach investment professional is bringing his expertise in financial management to the Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County Board of Directors. 

Eric Bell, a financial advisor with Pacific Advisors’ Newport Beach office joined the Orange County corporation’s board in June, bringing its membership to 11. 

Bell brings more than 30 years of experience in the financial management industry. Prior to joining Pacific Advisors, he held positions with several firms including State Street Global Advisors, BNP Paribas Wealth Management US (Bank of the West), and BNY Mellon. 

Pacific Advisors has 11 offices throughout California and one in Oregon. Bell specializes in investment management, tax mitigation and wealth-building strategies for individuals, businesses, foundations and endowments. He helps his clients build and protect their assets through team collaboration with accountants, attorneys and other key advisors. 

“We are thrilled that Eric has joined the board,” said Michael A. Ocasio, president and chief executive officer of the Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County. “His knowledge of the financial markets, strategic focus on the future, and his insight are all prerequisites for directors charged with governance while managing uncertainty and exercising influence over the volatility of credit markets. These valuable assets will help the organization deploy capital and access to credit for small and emerging business owners. Eric’s exceptionalism is contagious.”      

Bell has served on several boards including the Boys and Girls Club San Juan Capistrano, Orange County Uplift Foundation, Habitat for Humanity in Orange County, and the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business Advisory Board.

ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OF ORANGE COUNTY

SBDC of Orange County (http://sbfdoc.org) is a quasi-public/private 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public benefit corporation, which operates under the state’s public municipal bank, The California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (iBank). SBDC of Orange County is not affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

The corporation, established in 2001, is a mission driven organization dedicated to assisting small business owners secure operating capital through its capital access programs including California’s State Loan Guarantee Program, Export Lines of Credit, bond conduit and Green Energy Initiatives to support small business access to credit.