Steve Weathers
President & CEO, 
Regional Growth Partnership and Rocket Ventures
Steve Weathers joined the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) as its President and CEO in September of 2005. In addition, Steve leads Rocket Ventures as its President & Managing Director. Under Steve’s direction, the RGP, working in conjunction with its many partners in the region, has worked to create more than 4,000 new high-paying, high-skilled jobs in the region. Steve also led the effort to create the region’s first ever pre-seed venture fund, Rocket Ventures, a $22.5 million early-state investment fund comprised of $7.5 million of private investment capital, as well as a $15 million grant from the State of Ohio.

Steve spent 11 years in San Diego, California as Vice President of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation and 5 years in Tucson, Arizona as President of the Greater Tucson Economic Corporation. There he was involved in the attraction, retention, growth and start-up of more than 500 companies. His most notable successes were the attraction of the Novartis Genomic Research Center, Gateway Computers headquarters, the LEGO Theme Park and the SPAWAR Defense headquarters to the San Diego region. In Tucson he worked to attract GEICO, Citigroup and Intuit Software national service centers to the region.

Steve is also actively involved with the venture capital community, having raised more than $75 million , as well as investing in numerous start-up companies over the years. He held senior management positions with the financial firms of Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo Bank at their west coast headquarters located in San Francisco and San Diego, California

Steve sits on numerous boards, including the International Economic Development Council, the CORENET Global Midwest Region Board of Directors, the State of Ohio Strategic Planning Committee and the Science & Technology Corridor Operating Committee.

He is a graduate of California State University at Chico and holds a National Certification in Economic Development (CEcD).

 Dan Slifko
Director, Launch
Dan Slifko brings a wealth of entrepreneurial experience to Launch and most recently worked for the venture capital arm of the Regional Growth Partnership as a business development manager for Rocket Ventures. Specializing in the Advanced and Alternative Energy field, Dan is dedicated to helping companies with their strategic and business development plans. A seasoned entrepreneur, he was Part-Owner, President, and General Manager of Alternative Services Inc., a direct supplier to the Automotive Industry.

Dan has been a statewide board member for the Ohio Peerspectives Program as well as a Business Advisor and Judge for both the Ohio Statewide Graduate Student Competition and the Bowling Green State University Entrepreneur Program. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Management and Marketing from Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, WV. You can contact Dan Slifko at slifko@rgp.org.

Blake Culver
Program Manager, Launch
Blake Culver is the senior member of the Regional Growth Partnership’s technology-based economic development team.  Blake is the architect of two RGP programs, the Ignite! Development Grant program and the Launch program, and since 2007 has led the writing of grants for these programs and others totaling $29 million in awards.  As Launch program manager, Blake directly provides business counseling and business planning services to technology-based start-up companies, including business concept development, market research, business plan writing, strategic planning, and funding development.  In addition to Launch, Blake works on a variety of special projects as RGP’s research writer and resident grant writer, and has cultivated industry cluster specialties in alternative energy and bioscience technologies.

Blake earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Toledo and has taught collegiate courses in political science and sociology.  He is coauthor of the instructor’s manual for Public Policy Continuity and Change, McGraw Hill 2006.  Blake is an avid woodworker and 10K runner, and plays trumpet in the Monroe Community Symphony and Concert Band. You can contact Blake Culver at culver@rgp.org.