Linda A. Hoitt
BUSINESS CONSULTANT

Linda Hoitt joined the Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in 1996 to provide business counseling services for business owners and entrepreneurs. With almost 20 years of business and management experience, she specializes in business development, marketing, financing, and state and local government contracting. She led the California Construction Contracting Program, a partnership between Caltrans and the CA SBDC Network, for the Orange County SBDC focusing on certification and contracting opportunities. She has assisted many small businesses become successful in doing business with the State of CA and other CA agencies.

In 2009, Linda received an Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to client services from the California SBDC Santa Ana Regional Network. In 2010, she was recognized by the national Association of Small Business Development Centers as one of six California “State Stars”. The award showcases individuals for their outstanding performance and contributions to the SBDC program and dedication to assisting small business.

Linda has been a successful business owner having operated two businesses since leaving the corporate arena in 1993 - a marketing communications and public relations firm and specialty gourmet retail and e-commerce business.

For two years, Linda served on the board of directors of the Orange County chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) as Program Director (2005/2006) and as Marketing Director (2006/2007). She was an active member of the Orange County Business Council for several years chairing several committees specifically targeting small businesses, and has been a mentor in the Small Business Administration's women's mentoring program. She has been included in various editions of Who's Who of American Women, including the categories of Advertising, Marketing Communications, and Business & Finance. She has won various awards for graphic design, public relations, and public speaking.

Linda's background working in high technology industries with international companies such as ITT Cannon Electric, and Courtaulds Performance Films, has enabled her to learn the marketing communications business from the client's perspective. Having been a principle manager with a small business start-up company - Andus Corporation, which was ultimately purchased by Courtaulds –  she understands the importance of strategic planning for small and Fortune 100 businesses alike, and knows how to deliver cost-effective and successful marketing communications campaigns.

Her roster of companies with which she has worked includes Lockheed, Rockwell, Northrop Grumman, Hughes, and Boeing. The experience as Facility Manager for Classified Government Contracts at Courtaulds has exposed her to various market segments including aerospace, defense, electronics, and transportation. As the Director of Marketing Communications at Courtaulds, Linda was responsible for all marketing activity of this $200 million U.S. division. Linda also chaired the company’s in-house ISO 9000 certification committee, which received certification in an unprecedented nine months.

Linda has written technical articles, which have appeared in such prestigious trade journals as Photonics Spectra, Electronic Packaging and Production, and Converting Technology International.

A native of New England, Linda lived in Boston for 10 years where she graduated from The School of Design in Boston, MA, and began her marketing career with AMP, Inc. and ITT Cannon. She moved to Orange County, CA to continue her advancement with ITT.