Founders

Charlie Weisman

Charlie Weisman

Charlie worked for six years as a civil engineer on several multi-million dollar construction projects, including the underpinning of South Station as part of the "Big Dig". He also worked on the West Side Highway restoration in New York City, and supervised the construction of a haul road from Ground Zero in the days following September 11th. Charlie went on to found NYC Midnight, an arts organization based in New York that has hosted over 100 competitions for writers and filmmakers around the world.

Nima Yadollahpour

Nima Yadollahpour

Nima has 14 years of experience in the architecture industry. He has held designer and project manager positions at several established, recognized architectural offices in Boston and Montreal. In 2005, Nima founded ONY Architecture, an award-winning firm in Boston that handles high-end contemporary projects for both residential and commercial markets. His experience also includes several multi-million dollar projects for large universities, including Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Iowa.

Our Consultants

Oficio provides a team of consultants with expertise in accounting, copywriting, graphic and web design, corporate law, public relations and marketing. They’re available to answer specific questions weekly, in one-on-one and group sessions with members. Accumulate six months of membership, and receive a complementary analysis of your business from the whole team.

Oficio Business Consultants
Mellinda Abbott

Mellinda Abbott / www.abbottandcompany.net/

Mellinda Abbott has over twenty years experience providing financial, tax, and consulting services to clients and over ten years of experience as a financial leader of two international Fortune 100 companies. Prior to establishing her own firm, Abbott was formerly with the Boston office of one of the top international public accounting firms where she managed many clients. In addition to her experience as a CPA and Business Consultant, Abbott is also a passionate college accounting professor. This passion for teaching is displayed in Abbott & Co.'s underlying goal to educate clients for the future.

Accounting

Founded
2003

Alison Pereto

Alison Pereto

Alison Pereto has written everything from restaurant guidebooks to fundraising materials, including the marketing book for a $1.7 million charity gala. She specializes in finding a narrative and creating a compelling story, whether for corporate, nonprofit, start-up, or arts organizations. When she's not copywriting, Alison enjoys baking, hula hooping, and reading about neuroscience.

Copywriting

Founded
2009

Be Better Studios

Amy Richard / www.bebetterstudios.com

Creative partner Amy Richard brings over 11 years of experience in the visual communications industry. Before starting Be Better Studios she has had the pleasure of working within a top educational design studio and a Boston-based annual report firm. During her career, Amy has created award-winning work and most recently won a Best of New England (BoNE) award. Her work ranges from identities and brand creation, web design, environmental graphic design, and packaging. Her passion has never waned and she enjoys sharing her inspiration with others.

Graphic Design, Environmental Design, Packaging Design

Founded
2010

Joseph O'Connell

Joseph O'Connell / www.counselor.com

Veteran attorney and Boston native Joe O’Connell is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, Texas and District of Columbia. After some years working with Fortune 500 corporate clients in the insurance and reinsurance industry where he had extensive experience with Lloyds and other London-market underwriters, he joined O'Connell & O'Connell in 1997 where he carries on the firm's traditional practice.  With an advanced degree in business administration in addition to his law degree, Joseph guides entrepreneurs with fresh and innovative ideas to bring their business ideas to the market place and help them execute a business plan.

Legal

Founded
1997

Chris Kelly

Chris Kelly / www.fifthhousepr.com

Chris Kelly founded Fifth House Public Relations in 2005. Since founding the agency, Kelly, formerly the senior publicist for the PBS series FRONTLINE, has continued to promote public television series and specials, including God in America, Bill Moyers Journal, History Detectives, and Saving the Ocean. He also works with numerous clients in the architecture/design/build industry as well as authors, musicians, and non-profit programs. He specializes in targeted and proactive media relations, marketing, and website content development. His clients are regularly featured in both local and national media outlets.

Public Relations/Marketing

Founded
2005

Be Better Studios

Ethan Sager / www.bebetterstudios.com

For Ethan Sager, a passion for programming developed from an 11 year love affair with synthesis and sound design. Before starting Be Better Studios he spent 3 years working for a successful software company serving the hospitality industry. His knowledge of programming grew exponentially as he became involved with the deployment, QA and maintenance of several complex web application systems. From this experience in the field his interest in web development sparked. Ethan has found the web and its technologies to be the ideal medium for synthesis of visual design. Ethan has a strong knowledge of PHP, MySQL, Javascript/jQuery and enjoys working with WordPress or SilverStripe as flexible CMS solutions.

Web Development and Sound Design

Founded
2010