About Us

Federal Marketing, Mentor/Protégé Agreements, Market Research : Gregory James has extensive experience in federal contracting and contract financing. Mr. James currently serves as the Director of the Cross Timbers APEX Accelerator, located at the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to Cross Timbers, Mr. James was the Project Director of the Dallas/Fort Worth MBDA Business Center, in Dallas, TX, and the Minority Business Enterprise Center (MBEC), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency. Mr. James was an investor and former President/Chief Operations Officer of PAZ Energy LLC. The group of eleven minority investors negotiated a $125 Million loan from Silver Point Finance to acquire 11.03% in 114 natural gas wells, at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, operated by Chesapeake Energy. Mr. James graduated from the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Cox School of Business and has served on the SMU Alumni Board of Directors. Mr. James has published an eBook entitled “The James Guide to Developing a Federal Marketing Plan” which is available on Amazon.com.

Market Analysis Procurement Counseling: Phonthip Garringer is a Business Counselor at Cross Timbers APEX Accelerator. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a Minor in Finance. Prior to CTAA, she worked in management, financial, and hospitality industries for over 10 years.

Outreach Events DoD Information Security Requirements : Shelia Birdow earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Merchandising from Texas Christian University and certifications in Project Management, ITIL and Lean Six Sigma. She brings with her more than 15 years of experience in Information Technology network and desktop support. As a former business owner she also brings her experience and skills in business management and client relations.

Procurement Counseling and Bid Matching: James R. (Jim Bob) Rollins grew up in Longview, Texas. Entered the U.S. Army in 1972 and retired in 1997 after serving as an Armor Officer and Civil Affairs Officer in the U.S, Europe, Southwest Asia, and Australia. Upon retiring from the military, he moved to Lufkin, Texas, where his wife was raised and began a career with the Procurement Technical Assistance Program. He has worked as a Part-Time Procurement Counselor, Senior Procurement Counselor, and Director at the Angelina College Procurement Assistance Center. Then began working as a Procurement Counselor for the University of Texas at Arlington Cross Timbers Procurement Technical Assistance Center. James attended Australian Joint Service Staff College, Angelina College, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Market Analysis : Vineetha Uddaraju is a Graduate Research Assistant at Cross Timbers APEX Accelerator. She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Business Analytics at the University of Texas at Arlington. She has three years of work experience in Supply Chain, Logistics and Airline Management.