AUGUSTA — New Ventures Maine has hired three new staff members to its microenterprise development team: Oyebanjo Ogunlela, Dion Olmstead and Destin DeCambre.

The three advisors join a team of experienced instructors, coaches and business owners that serves existing and would-be entrepreneurs across the state.

“We are delighted to welcome these talented advisors to our staff,” said NVME Executive Director Janet Smith, according to a news release from the statewide education and economic development program of the University of Maine at Augusta. “We’re not only excited about the breadth and depth of their experience, but also their genuine enthusiasm for helping Maine people start and grow small businesses.”

Microenterprise specialist Ogunlela, of Orono, will work as a small business advisor and offer classes online to entrepreneurs who are planning and launching new businesses in north central and Down East Maine.

Ogunlela recently completed his Master of Arts degree in Global Policy at the University of Maine where he worked as a graduate teaching assistant and lecturer. Previously, he served on the faculty of business and management sciences at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa, where he lectured and conducted research on business administration, entrepreneurship, public procurement, green supply chain, and disruptive innovation.

He also brings 17 years of information technology operations and training experience from professional posts with the United Nations World Food Program (in South Africa), Shell Petroleum Development Co. (Nigeria), and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Co.

Olmstead joins the NVME staff as a microenterprise specialist based in Lewiston where he will provide business and asset development services and individual coaching to Maine start-up and early-stage entrepreneurs.

When asked about the experience he will draw upon in his new position, Olmstead said, “I am especially interested in both natural-resource and trades-based businesses. I also have a great deal of experience running a business. I believe all of these experiences will help me to be effective as an advisor to small business owners.”

Olmstead’s business experience spans careers in farming and building renovation. As the owner of Franklin Restoration Co. in Farmington from 2004-16, he managed residential, commercial, military and municipal building contracts, specializing in high-efficiency restoration of historic buildings across Maine.

Over the same time period, he owned and managed a small jersey herd and ran Maine Mountain Creamery in New Sharon. Olmstead’s work as a farmer began at UMaine’s Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, a 278-acre center for research and development for Maine’s fruit and vegetable growers, where he worked as a research assistant and assistant farm manager.

“People in Maine have great ideas. I look forward to helping people to turn their ideas into viable businesses,” he said.

Olmstead earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Design from College of the Atlantic and a graduate certificate in Business from the University of Maine. He is a current Master of Business Administration candidate with a concentration in Food Technology Industry Management at the University of Maine. He lives in New Sharon.

Microenterprise Specialist DeCambre, of Presque Isle, joins the New Ventures Maine staff as a small business advisor in Northern Maine. A family business owner, she runs DeCambre National Inc., a trucking company, with her husband.

“I have worked for primarily small, family-owned businesses and have seen the impact they make on the community,” she said. “When I saw this job opportunity and realized it would allow me to not only utilize my degree, but also help me bring businesses to the community, I knew it would be a win-win situation.”

DeCambre earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship from Southern New Hampshire University and an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from University of Maine at Presque Isle.