Volunteer Story: Anna Kendall

Anna Kendall, a Senior Consultant at Ernst & Young (EY), joined the Business Advising team as a volunteer advisor in the spring of 2020. She first learned about the opportunity from her employer after EY shared Pacific Community Ventures in their company newsletter and encouraged readers to give back in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anna joined us in that April and was eager to share her professional experience in topics like finance, marketing, strategy, vision and leadership.

Anna’s first match occurred in June of 2020 with Beverly Lyles, owner of Scuba Center & Outdoor Rec in Maryland. Like many business owners, Beverly and her husband had faced challenges due to the restrictions placed on their business as a result from the pandemic, and they were looking for some guidance on how to survive the year and return to profitability. Over the course of their partnership, Anna helped Beverly understand the key drivers of their profitability and evaluate strategies to improve their financial position. She also connected Beverly with a friend of her father-in-law’s, who happened to have experience owning a dive shop of his own. Beverly shared that “Anna has been very helpful in giving us insight on the cost of goods sold. She has given us tremendous insight on looking at our business with more purpose and knowledge.”

In February of 2021, Anna took on her second match with Evan Weber, owner of Nakee & Co, and held a presentation with her team at Ernst & Young to share her positive experience as a volunteer advisor helping small business owners. So far, Anna has helped Evan analyze the key drivers of their profitability, forecast a pro forma P&L,  and begin to evaluate cost reduction strategies. 

Anna is passionate about supporting small businesses and getting others involved in the Business Advising program at PCV. In July of 2020, Anna encouraged her father-in-law to join Business Advising as a volunteer advisor and he has now connected with multiple small business owners himself. In September of 2020, Anna was a panelist on our “How to be a Super Star Advisor” webinar and shared her experience as a relatively new advisor using her skills to give back in a meaningful way. Finally, in February of 2021, Anna held a presentation with her team at Ernst & Young to share her positive experience as a volunteer advisor helping small business owners.

In addition to Anna’s work at Ernst & Young and her volunteerism here at PCV, she is also an MBA candidate at University of Michigan Ross School of Business, a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), and a candidate for the Graduate Certificate in Community Action and Research from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Anna is truly an asset to the Business Advising team, and we are grateful for the hours she has committed to volunteering small business owners.