Carlos Morales
If
it weren't for Carlos Morales, NBIA
as we know it might not exist today. Morales was the founding
executive director and led the Association through its first three
years, from 1985-1988.
Although he didn't have a background in business incubation, he
was able to put NBIA on a path to success. From the very beginning,
he knew how to get the right people involved in the organization.
At about the same time he was rounding up business incubator managers
to form the Association, another group began to discuss doing
the same thing. Morales knew exactly how to handle the situation.
He published his membership information with the names of the
industry's leaders — including June Lavelle,
David Allen and Randall
Whaley — on his letterhead. Without a doubt, anyone
involved with business incubation wanted to be affiliated with
the likes of those people. The other group received virtually
no interest.
Morales formed NBIA with only a handful of members — about
40 in the first year — and it was strapped for cash. Despite
that, Morales, a big promoter who was able to speak eloquently
on business incubation, talked up the Association at the early
business incubation conferences (held by the U.S. Small Business
Administration). He signed up the organization's first sponsors,
including Control Data Corp. and Coopers & Lybrand. Morales
managed to put on two national conferences and publish the first
NBIA directories of incubators and the first issues of NBIA
Review. He also organized training institutes held around
the country.
After leaving NBIA in 1988, Morales remained committed to the
industry. He established an independent consulting practice, Business
Incubation International, serving clients from business and government.
In 1995 Morales moved to Brussels, Belgium, and formed Carlos
Morales/International Trade, providing consulting services in
Western and Eastern Europe. He guided non-U.S. government and
private-sector feasibility studies for targeted business incubation
and economic development programs in Asia, the Caribbean and Europe.
Also, he counseled various for-profit and nonprofit business incubators
in the United States and foreign countries. As a development specialist
he conducted seminars and research in business incubator development
for a variety of international organizations. Morales currently
runs an import/export firm.
