Western Staff

Sandy Mehalko

Regional Director,
Western Region

Sandy is a native western Pennsylvanian but has lived in several Maryland cities. She has over 20 years of experience starting and running small businesses, has a B.S. in biology/medical technology and worked in several clinical laboratories. She then got involved in the business side of health care and earned an MBA and then helped people create marketing materials in the health care field. She then began a direct mail advertising franchise. She has been buying and selling her own businesses for years, and then became a business broker to help others sell their businesses. She completed her MBA from Frostburg and her Doctorate in Management at the University of Maryland University College. She is the regional director for the Small business development center’s western region, which helps people start and grow their businesses. She is a professor in the MBA program at Walden University, teaching creativity, innovation, and business sustainability. She also teaches evidence-based Management in the MBA program at Frostburg State University.

Diane McFarland

Training and Marketing,
Western Region

Diane comes to us with an educational background having been a teacher and an administrator. Her educational background includes a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Having worked in real estate services and sales, Diane has a varied background of experiences that compliments the Training, Marketing, and Intake Coordinator position. She is setting up a variety of training classes to help business owners and future business owners.

Herb Melrath

Business Consultant,
Washington County - Western Region

Herb comes to the SBDC after running a successful coffee business for 13 years. As part of that success, Herb has enjoyed helping other business owners in getting started, marketing and growing. He now does this for the SBDC and is a passionate advocate for small business owners. Prior to coffee business, Herb worked 20 years in the in-vitro diagnostic industry in a variety of roles from Quality Assurance to Manager of Product Development. Herb has an MBA from Frostburg State University.

Mark Prave

Business Consultant,
Western Region

Mark is an entrepreneur and former business broker. He has an accounting degree from St. Francis University and owns a merchant credit card processing company. He was hired to help businesses in the Allegany, Garrett, Somerset (PA), Bedford (PA) and Mineral (WV)  that want to transition ownership either due to COVID-19 or retirement.

Details about the program are on the left menu of this page.

Pat McCormick

Business Consultant,
Garrett County - Western Region

-Lifelong resident of Allegany County, MD

-A.A. Degree in Business Administration from Allegany College of Maryland

-Worked in the banking industry for 45 years in Allegany and Garrett Counties in Maryland

-Graduate of the American Bankers Association National Consumer Lending School, and National Commercial Lending and Graduate Schools

-Assumed many rolls working in banking including assisting new and existing small and medium sized businesses with their banking needs.

-Also worked in the Credit Quality area of the bank as a Senior Credit Officer and in the Compliance area as the bank’s Community Reinvestment Officer

-While in the Lending area of the bank, worked with SBDC to assist existing business owners and start-up businesses.

Mark Malec

Business Consultant,
Allegany County - Western Region

Mark has been assisting business owners for over 28 years in a variety of service capacities. He has an MBA, and has taught several courses in the MBA program at Frostburg State University. He has owned his own consulting company, and has helped thousands in his specialty areas, which includes financing, planning, and marketing.