Dr. Phil Geist
Title: Senior Small Business Consultant, Rural Outreach Specialist
Specialties: Strategic planning, business management, business continuity, manufacturing, and agribusiness
Office Location: Ocala
Dr. Geist joined the UNF SBDC in 1996 to help the University of North Florida Small Business Development Center expand services into new areas. He provides services in Marion County (Ocala), as well as satellite operations in Citrus, Dixie, Gilchrist, and Levy counties.
In addition to a doctorate in adult education, he holds an MBA in management and finance and has seventeen years of experience with both U.S. and international management consultant firms serving Fortune 500 companies and several national and state governments. He also is a Certified Business Continuity Professional and is certified by George Washington University in strategic planning. He has lived and worked in five locations outside of the U.S. (England, Canada, Mexico, Italy, and Germany), and has experience in a wide range of industries. Prior to joining the University of North Florida, he founded and co-owned several companies of his own including a management consultancy and a manufacturing company.
Dr. Geist serves on the Mid-Florida Regional Manufacturers Association board, several economic development boards in the counties he serves, and boards of numerous civic and educational organizations.