Affordable housing organization board votes in SBDC-OC’s CIO

Eduardo Brugman, who joined the development corporation this summer as CIO said he is honored to serve as a board director for Aspire Community Housing Organization.

SANTA ANA, Calif. – On Nov. 21, the board of a Moreno Valley-based affordable housing organization voted into its membership the chief information officer of the Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County.

Eduardo Brugman, who joined the development corporation this summer as CIO said he is honored to serve as a board director for Aspire Community Housing Organization. The firm is a branch of the nonprofit Family Service Association which provides senior meals, after-school programs, counseling and other support services to California’s Inland Empire.

“As a longtime resident of the Inland Empire, I’ve grown a passion for community development and helping those in need through growing longtime relationships. Aspire gives me the ability to directly affect those with housing needs by assisting the board in finding ways to communicate an affording housing solution to a growing senior population,” Brugman said.

Michael A. Ocasio, president and chief executive officer of the Small Business Development Corporation of Orange County also serves as president of the eight-member Aspire Community Housing board.

“We’re very excited to welcome Eduardo on board to help promulgate the agency’s mission developing senior housing in the Inland Empire,” Ocasio said. “Eduardo brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the technology sector including the enhancement of our social media presence.”  

Bill Brown, Aspire board member and facilities, assets and project administrator for Family Service Association added, “Aspire Community Development is proud to add Eduardo Brugman as a member of the Board of Directors. Eduardo's background in business, marketing, and media services will have a profound influence as we reshape Aspire to meet the housing needs of the future.”

Family Service Association formed Aspire Community Housing in 2008 as a 501(c)3 Community Housing Development Organization, or CHDO. Aspire’s mission is to provide affordable housing opportunities for low and moderate-income families, veterans, seniors and individuals with special needs residing in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. 

Specifically, Aspire develops new housing projects and acquires and rehabilitates existing housing. Current properties and projects include the 37-unit, newly constructed Grandvillas Senior Apartments in Riverside, and funding to acquire and rehabilitate six apartments in San Bernardino County.

Serving with and helping to guide other nonprofit organizations is important, Ocasio says, as such involvement broadens the perspectives of SBDC-OC’s leadership on the needs of the populations the corporation serves and keeps them focused on the overarching goal of uplifting and strengthening these communities.  

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.