Executive Bios

About Leili McKinley
Managing Partner

Leili McKinley lends 15 years of successful entrepreneurial experience to help small businesses meet the challenges of the complex business world.

Leili completed her BFA at Parsons School of Design while beginning her career in the design department of D. Porthault in Paris. She soon discovered her passion for business. Combined with her creativity, that passion grew into success.

For seven years Leili independently developed an internationally licensed luxury home furnishings company. A basement operation with a single sewing machine grew into a multi-million dollar company, manufacturing in the far east, with clients ranging from Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Stroud’s, Garnet Hill and Spiegel based solely on her personal designs and business acumen.

While operating her company, she attended Harvard University’s General Management OPM program. She sold this business and started her next venture. Leili raised over three quarters of a million dollars in venture capital to start a partnership designing and mass marketing curtains. After her second success, she sold the firmly-established company three years later and decided to retire to Maui.

Many of the women entrepreneurs she encountered on Maui asked for Leili’s expertise in resolving their business issues. It expanded into Soaring Phoenix, LLC; Leili’s current passion. She understands well the needs of entrepreneurs and the dynamic environment unique to small businesses. Clients from New England to New Zealand have reached their business goals with her guidance.

Leili is the Editor in Chief of The Early Bird, a newsletter for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Associations and Memberships

Pomaika’I Women’s Business Forum, Founder. www.pomaikai.org
Maui Chamber of Commerce, Member. www.mauichamber.com
Maui Young Business Roundtable, Member. www.mauiyoungbusiness.com
Maui Executives Association, Board of Directors. www.meamaui.com

Awards and Acknowledgments

The prestigious Home Textiles Today’s Design Excellence Award (1993 and 1994)
Nomination for the Federal Small Business Administration’s Entrepreneur of the Year “Under 30” category (1995)
The National Independent Textile Retailers Organization 1996 Innovative Product Development Award
Feature in LDB Magazine (May 1997)
Product featured in LDB Magazine (June 1998)
Feature in Women’s Business newspaper (June 1998)

About Roger K. P. Mckinley
Partner
Roger K. P. McKinley brings to his clients; 20 years of business experience. This experience includes such highlights as:

Inventory Management - Famous Barr’s warehouse, Saint Louis (May Co. Stores)
Supply Coordinator – U.S. Navy, SEAL Team 3 Command Coronado
Senior Change Management Consultant – Accenture, Washington D.C.
(global leader in Business Consulting)
Clients while with Accenture included:
BP /Amoco
Defense Logistical Agency
The U.S. Department of State
Department of Education Federal Student Aid
Caterpillar Inc.
The U.S. Navy Commander Naval Installations
This strong professional experience coupled with 2 Bachelors degrees (Saint Louis University) and a Masters in International Relations (University of San Diego) allows him to provide insight and practical solutions that have already helped a variety of smaller businesses since his joining Soaring Phoenix in 2004.

His proven track record includes:

Helping develop practical business strategies and plans to have better control over the companies progress
Identifying process improvements and opportunities to lower costs, increase productivity, and improve work conditions
Designing streamlined organizations to support new or improved business efforts
Developing human resource tools and practices to find and keep the best people
Developing metrics to track the business and make better management decisions
Helping businesses identify the right technical systems to support business needs
Creating effective knowledge management practices and systems, to effectively organize, protect and use knowledge to gain competitive advantage
Designing and developing effective training to support the business, increase productivity, and reduce losses.
Roger’s personal goal is to provide the small business owner and local non profits with the same kind of competitive advantages and leading practices that the large companies use to prosper. This goal is built on the strong belief that the local economies and the community is best served by diversifying and strengthening its local economic base.