Dominic O'Dierno

Tips for Founders to Raise Funding during COVID-19

A cum laude graduate of the University of Oregon in finance and marketing, Dominic O’Dierno has more than 23 years’ experience in finance and is the co-founder and former senior vice president of Eid Passport, Inc. Currently the CEO of Amare, LLC, a consulting firm, Dominic O’Dierno has helped raise more than $100 million in funding for early stage companies and continues to consult with startups on funding opportunities.

Here are some tips for startups looking for funding during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Exhaust government support

Governments around the world have implemented measures to provide emergency funding and support to businesses. They vary considerably in their forms, ranging from rent exemptions to covering part of employee salaries. Startups should tap into such resources to stay afloat.

Leverage existing networks for funding

Many investors have limited their funding of new businesses during the pandemic. For startups that already have traction in the market, founders can talk to their existing investors, suppliers, creditors, and even customers for financing. These people all have a vested interest in the success of the startup, so they may be willing to help.

Pitch to active investors online

Not all investors have tucked their check books away. Some are still investing in promising ventures. Startup founders can pitch active investors online and present their cases for funding through Zoom calls. This will require that they invest in good audio and video equipment as well as software tools to enable sharing elaborate pitches.

How Does the Amber Alert System Protect Children?

Amare CEO Dominic O’Dierno has a history of supporting causes involving child welfare and safety. Over the years, Dominic O’Dierno has advocated for the work of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which uses the Amber Alert System as part of its protection services.

The Amber Alert System is a nationwide program managed by the U.S. Department of Justice used to notify the public of a dangerous situation involving a child. The system was first developed in 1996, after the abduction of a young girl in Texas. Since then, it has been adopted by all 50 states and more than two dozen countries. The system aids in the recovery of thousands of children every year.

To increase the likelihood that a kidnapped child will be found, the Amber Alert System sends identifiable information about the abductor over the radio, television, text message, and electronic billboard. Amber Alerts are issued if law enforcement believes that a minor has been abducted and is in grave danger. Since the system is integrated at the national level, alerts can be issued state or region-wide, which increases the likelihood that a child will be found.

A Look at Animal Welfare

Vet combing pekingese dog hair, doing cleansing procedures in veterinary clinic

Holding a BS in finance and marketing from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Dominic O’Dierno is the CEO of Amare, a consulting firm in Portland. Dominic O’Dierno has made charitable donations to various organizations including Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and he also supports animal welfare causes.

In its entirety, ensuring the welfare of animals under a person or group’s care is a human responsibility that encompasses all crucial considerations regarding the well-being of an animal such as nutrition, disease prevention and treatment, proper housing and management, humane handling and responsible care, and humane euthanasia (when necessary). Essentially, good animal welfare can be pointed out easily in animals – these expressions include comfort, safety, healthiness, and manifestation of innate behavior. Since animal welfare practice also includes on-time disease prevention and veterinary treatment when appropriate, well cared for animals are less likely to find themselves in unpleasant states like pain and distress.

Animal welfare practice protocols are created by balancing professional judgment and scientific knowledge with societal values and ethical considerations. The goal of these protocols is to guarantee a good life for every animal. While animal welfare is sometimes confused with animal rights, the two are different. The goal of animal welfare is to promote the responsible and humane use of animals, while animal rights typically promote the prohibition of any use of animals, regardless of the way they are treated.

Some Healthy Human Foods for Dogs

A member of the Mortar Board, Dominic O’Dierno serves as CEO of Amare. Outside of his professional activities at the consulting firm, Dominic O’Dierno is passionate about dogs and their health and nutrition.

While there are many brands that manufacture edible products for dogs, some dog owners are concerned about highly processed pellets that can increase the chances of cancer or obesity. The following are some of the healthy human foods that can provide health benefits to dogs when included in their diets:

1. Carrot – While chewing on this veggie alone can help remove plaques from pet’s teeth, carrot also contains a sufficient amount of fiber that will help prevent runny stool. In addition, carrots contain beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A which improves a dog’s eyesight in the same way it does to humans.

2. Green Bea – Perfect for obese dogs, green beans help reduce excess weight and contain vitamin A, C, and K that serve important roles in the eyes, blood, and immune system. Green beans must be prepared and served alone with no additives or spices.

3. Egg – Egg aids in tissue repair, strengthens fur and also helps build muscle. The shell also contains calcium (which fortifies bone and teeth) and can be given to dogs after the egg has been boiled and the shell ground.

The Effects of COVID-19 on Consumer Spending Behavior

The chief executive officer of Amare since 2012, Dominic O’Dierno provides consulting services to help early-stage businesses in areas such as finance, strategic planning, investor relations, and business development. Recently, Dominic O’Dierno has focused his efforts on helping businesses navigate changes in consumer spending due to COVID-19.

COVID-19 has represented a change in the way customers shop, with many of the changes predicted to endure long after the pandemic has ended. In March 2020, panic spending set in, and personal care items such as hand sanitizer, household cleaners, and toilet paper saw double digit growth in the first half of the year. As people grew increasingly aware of their health, vitamin and supplement sales climbed by 50 percent, while millions of employees working from home boosted sales in coffee from major brands by about a third.

Across all sectors, e-commerce enjoyed significant increases. According the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans spent $211.5 billion online during the second quarter, an increase of 31.8 percent. Online shopping now represents 16.1 percent of all U.S. sales, a figure predicted to hold steady even as brick-and-mortar stores reopen.

The Adam Program – Facilitating the Recovery of Missing Children

An Oregon resident and CEO of Amare, LLC, Dominic O’Dierno has nearly 30 years of experience in investing and helping start-ups with strategic planning. Outside of his business interests, Dominic O’Dierno supports nonprofit organizations such as the National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Since its inception in the mid-1980s, NCMEC has been committed to reducing childhood victimization and sexual exploitation by instituting the Adam Program which has revolutionized children’s recovery. Formally named the Automated Delivery of Alerts on Missing Children, the Adam Program was named after six-year-old Adam Walsh who was abducted in a Florida mall. In 1984, his parents, who decided to devote their lives to preventing the exploitation and victimization of children, established NCMEC.

With the help of technology company LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the organization has been able to recover children more quickly than in previous years. For 20 years, the Adam Program has safely recovered more than 200 children. The program integrates a few different technologies, such as geo-targeting and mapping tools, to find missing children. With these tools, the non-profit can disseminate photos more precisely and instantaneously.

WePROTECT Becomes Independent in 2020

A businessman from Portland, Oregon, Dominic O’Dierno is the CEO of Amare, LLC, a consulting firm that assists in launching startups. Outside of his professional pursuits, Dominic O’Dierno supports nonprofit organizations, such as WePROTECT, that are dedicated to protecting children from harm.

WePROTECT is an organization that aims to shield children from harm and exploitation. Since 2014, WePROTECT has initiated several activities such as providing governments with new technologies, facilitating the understanding of child sexual exploitation in the online world, and hosting international summits and Hackathons.

In the commission of these activities, the organization has also built up a following, allowing them to operate independently from the UK government. In April 2020, the organization-through the assistance of philanthropic organizations-was able to redefine its role and expand its mission to assist 97 governments, 27 technology companies, and 31 civil organizations.

Now operating as an alliance, WePROTECT plans to advance three major priorities. These initiatives include driving top decision-makers to take action, and thus empowering children and survivors, being a resource of knowledge, and establishing new networks, and facilitating collaboration globally, including establishing an enhanced online presence.

Benefits of Mixed-Use Development Projects

Dominic O’Dierno is the CEO at Amare, a Portland, Oregon company that provides managing advisory services on key financial concepts such as business development and strategic plan development. Having given donations to organizations like Pixie Project, Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action, and Oregon Children’s Theater, Dominic O’Dierno is also a member of the Royal Rosarians. He also serves as a chief financial officer at Cypress Development and oversees mixed-use projects in North Dakota.

Mixed-use projects feature buildings and utilities for residential and non-residential purposes. They combine pedestrian functions with utilities and public amenities on a broad selection of scales. Below are some of the benefits of mixed-use development projects:

1. Offers better use of space

Specific mixed-use development designs deliver optimum space occupation through function combination. Vertical-style mixed-use projects allow for multiple uses in a single unit, which means that public utilities could reside at the bottom half of a building. The top is reserved for residential purposes. Investors could benefit from the multiple income streams the efficient use of space avails.

2. Allows for complimentary services

Within the horizontal-styled mixed-use projects, there are discrete buildings for single purposes, positioned across and adjacent to one another over a piece of land. It creates a broad option of complimentary use cases that people can access within a walkable distance. The integration makes a sustainable ecosystem, with residential functions relying on non-residential ones and vice-versa.

3. Saves development costs

Mixed-use projects require intensive planning, but the cost of preparing a sustainable composite plan would be offset by the overall financial cost saving on the area’s actual development.

NCMEC Continues Partnership with Old Navy to Host Safety Events

Portland, Oregon resident Dominic O’Dierno is the CEO of Amare, LLC. Outside of managing the firm which assists start-ups, Dominic O’Dierno supports the advocacies of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Established in 1984, NCMEC aims to reduce child sexual exploitation and victimization and to find missing children. In a September 2020 release issued on its website, NCMEC announced its continued partnership with popular clothing retailer Old Navy to host safety events throughout the year.

The collaboration began 10 years ago and has expanded to places all around the US, Canada, and Mexico. These events can make for a fun, but informative trip to Old Navy. At the safety events, children are given child IDs, photos with local heroes, and coloring books. They also get to interact with K-9 units.

In addition to these safety events, the retailer is already a sponsor of one of NCMEC’s events, the Code Adam program which has established protocols for employees in the event that a child goes missing in a store.

DOJ Updates Amber Alert Site to Include America’s Indigenous Tribes

Dominic O’Dierno of Portland, Oregon oversees the operations of the consulting firm, Amare, LLC. Outside of this venture, Dominic O’Dierno supports efforts, such as the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Amber Alert program, to protect children from exploitation and victimization.

The Amber Alert program was launched in 1996 to help law enforcement, parents, and other social service agencies recover missing children after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted and then murdered. Since then, the program has expanded to include a website that disseminates communication, such as information and alerts, among public agencies all to coordinate efforts in the event a child goes missing.

In November 2020, the DOJ announced that it would update the Amber Alert website to include Native American and Alaskan Native communities. This effort also provides these communities with access to grants that can be used to integrate state or regional Amber Alert programs with tribes across the US, in addition to providing training and technical assistance. To date, 76 tribes participate in the Amber Alert program.

Alaska Native and Native American tribes experience a disproportionate amount of violent crimes, including missing women and children. The website upgrade will include indigenous tribes in the contiguous US and Alaska and was created after Ashlynne Mike, a child from Navajo Nation, went missing in 2018. At the time, tribal law enforcement could not notify residents living on the reservation because it had no plan in place, a major issue in other indigenous communities in other parts of the country as well.