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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio





Biz Radio U Featuring Ryan Claterbaugh with Mr. Mister Mosquito Control

Mr. Mister Mosquito Control
KSUEntrepreneurship
Biz Radio U
Hosted by Adam Wozniak and Darren Parkinson

 

Ryan Claterbaugh / Mr. Mister Mosquito Control
CEO

Ryan Claterbaugh is an entrepreneur from a small town in West Texas. At a very young age Ryan dreamed of owning his own company. He started Mr. Mister four years ago, and has since grown it into the largest mosquito control company in the state of Georgia. Ryan also owns a sister company, Peoples Pest Control, that was founded in 2016 to keep up with the growing demand to add household pest control for their current customer base.

Ryan moved to Atlanta in 2008 from Austin, TX. He and his wife married in 2013, and they had their first child last year.

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KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Tara Murphy

Shrimptank1

KSUEntrepreneurship

Where can a young entrepreneur figure out how to turn their dreams into reality? Just take a step into the Shrimp Tank. The Shrimp Tank brings you interviews with some of the most successful business owners in the United States to learn the do’s and don’ts of starting and running a successful business. Then, the fun really starts when we bring in high school and college students to pitch their business ideas to the Shrimp Tank. We don’t fund any business, but we do teach kids how to turn their business ideas into a successful business.

Hosts of The Shrimp Tank Chris Hanks, Ted Jenkin and Lee Heisman

 

Tara Murphy / 360 Media
Founder

Tara MurphyTara Murphy is the definition of a self-made woman. As founder and president of 360 Media, a leading Atlanta-based public relations boutique, she started on her own and now has a flourishing media and marketing company serving top-name clients. Since establishing the firm in 1996, Tara has become well-known as one of Atlanta’s foremost public relations and media mavens, having launched many of city’s top events including Music Midtown and Peach Drop. Renowned events like these, plus her dedicated work ethic and overall knowledge of what works, makes Tara a prominent in voice Atlanta’s entertainment, lifestyle and hospitality industries.

Earning her stripes as a successful public relations practitioner in the music industry, Tara headed up PR for notable companies including Ichiban Records, NMC Records and Concert Southern, where she successfully managed PR and promotions as an independent contractor for what would become Atlanta’s largest outdoor entertainment event, Music Midtown. Out of a simple need for space and a business name rather than an entrepreneurial plan, 360 Media was born in her former boss’s basement. Her reputation for creativity and integrity spread quickly and soon additional clients and projects came her way out of natural, authentic relationships.

From its humble beginnings as a one-person shop, now 21 years later, Tara has grown 360 to seven employees and expanded the agency’s services by adding culinary, lifestyle and hospitality clients to its roster. With clients and connections that span the globe, 360 Media represents some of the best culinary personalities, hotels, brands, bands, non-profits and food and wine events. Some notable 360 clients have included Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Music Midtown, Voodoo Music Experience, BottleRock Napa Valley, Lakewood Amphitheatre, Charlotte Marriott City Center Hotel, Krog Street Market, Netherworld Haunted House, Miracle On Monroe Christmas Pop Up, ADAC, Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel, Jennifer Nettles/Sugarland, 10th Anniversary of the Olympics, The Atlanta Jazz Festival, W Atlanta Downtown, Cousins Properties, The Lawrence, radio personality Bert Weiss of Q100, Eight Sushi Lounge and non-profits such as Bert’s Big Adventure, The Frank Ski Kids Foundation, Grady Health Foundation and March of Dimes.

Tara has spoken to groups at many conferences including the Winter Music Dance Conference, Atlantis Music Conference, GA Chapter of PRSSA, Georgia State University, other universities and the International Festivals and Events Association Southeast Conference. Tara is also the recipient of several professional awards, including the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Best in Atlanta Real Estate – Retail, for Underground Atlanta (Public Relations mention); and a nomination for the National Leadership Award. She was also named as “One of the 25 Power Women to Watch,” and was nominated as one of Atlanta’s Top 25 Women by Rolling Out Magazine and has received leadership accolades by the MS Society and March of Dimes and has been featured in Styleblueprint, Jezebel, Rolling Out, Piedmont Review, The Atlanta Journal and Women’s Business Daily. Tara is also an active member in the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), was featured in the 2014 digital curriculum for Usher’s New Look Foundation about entertainment PR and landed on the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Book of Lists for “Top 25 PR Firms” in 2015.

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Neighborhood Business Radio Episode 4

Neighborhood1

 

Vyasa Palffy / Simply Heavenly Meals
CEO

Vyasa is a 23 yr old graduate, traveler and entrepreneur currently building his startup SimplyHeavenly in Atlanta, GA.  SimplyHeavenly is the future of fast food – healthy, mixed cuisine for only $6 with free delivery. All meals are prepared fresh and mostly from scratch that morning and ingredients are sourced fresh and organic.

Vyasa went to school and studied Ayurveda & nutrition. He incorporates his love for nutrition at SimplyHeavenly to create well rounded and tasty meals. He traveled around the world, learning to prepare dishes as he went and is using this knowledge to incorporate authentic cuisine into the meal plans.

SimplyHeavenly has been currently servicing Marietta and Kennesaw and is beginning expansion into Atlanta this week. With a focus on servicing businesses and universities we aim to make SimplyHeavenly the healthy alternative to fast food around the globe. Check out SimplyHeavenly further at simplyheavenlymeals.com to find special referral deals and join in on events we will soon be hosting around Atlanta!

LinkedIn   Facebook

 

Chrissy Brimmage / CHRISSYBRIMMAGE.COM
Artist

Chrissy Brimmage is a self-taught artist currently living, and working, out of Atlanta, GA. Her line-art style was inspired by a dream she had in 2014, following a self-exploration trip to Thailand. The dream consisted of a world of wire-frame figures, prompting her to title her style “Wireframing”. Over time, her style has evolved from mimicking wire-renderings, to her current geometric and crystallized style.

Since her dream, she has used her art as an experimental world to explore her thoughts and feelings on everything from daily occurrences, to emotions and current events.

Twitter

 

Culinary Atlanta Series Featuring Joe Kelly with TalentServed and Aaron Avers with Establishment

Joe Kelly and Chef Aaron Avers

 

Joe Kelly / TalentServed
Vice President of Recruiting

Joe Kelly is a professional recruiter bringing six years experience of restaurant management recruiting. Prior to obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado, Joe worked for several seasons with his family’s fishing fleet in the Bering Sea. As a result, Joe has one of the best work ethics in the business.

Joe’s tenacity has made him successful at doing the heavy lifting necessary to match the right person with our client’s demanding requirements. Joe lives in the metropolitan Atlanta area and helps many of the city’s top restaurateurs and emerging concepts to find strong leaders. He also works with several regional and national organizations, where he helps to source top talent at many levels.

LinkedIn   Twitter   Facebook

 

 

Aaron Avers / Establishment
Chef

Chef Aaron Avers is a culinary “Master of Meat” with 20+ years of experience ranging from gourmet fine dining to private catering. As a native of Columbus, Ohio, Chef Aaron started his career at McDonalds, slinging burgers at the age of 15. Smarter than R. Kroc, his passion transformed into a partnership with the City of Columbus to provide nutrition and cooking education to elementary school children. His drive to provide real food to the masses grew stronger when he received his first grant to have live chickens in coops he built at the school.

From Columbus, Chef Aaron ventured to D.C. to expand his culinary style and technique. After learning from several great minds in the area, he decided culinary school would give him an opportunity to truly fine tune to his art. He and his wife relocated to Charleston, South Carolina where he earned his degree in Culinary Arts from the Art Institute of Charleston.

Chef Aaron is Executive Chef and Partner at Establishment. Additionally, he is Executive Chef, Owner and Meat Master of Braizing Saddles & Chef-in-a-Box.

Website   LinkedIn   Facebook

 

Georgia Logistics Special

Jannine Miller and Robb Dillon

 

Jannine Miller / Georgia Department of Economic Development
Director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics

Jannine Miller is the Director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the states leading resource for fueling logistics industry growth and global competitiveness. The Center provides technical industry expertise, collaborative research and partnerships to help the states logistics industry connect, compete and grow. The Center also hosts the annual Georgia Logistics Summit, which had over 1,000 attendees in 2016.

Previously, Ms. Miller served as the Senior Manager of Finance for The Home Depot; the Executive Director of the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA), Transportation Policy Advisor to Governor Purdue, Policy and Programs Consultant for the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority, and as Senior Transportation Planner with the Atlanta Regional Commission.

LinkedIn   Twitter

 

Robb Dillon / 2017 Georgia Logistics Summit
Executive Committee Chairman

Robb Dillon is the Business Development Manager of Champion Logistics Group and the Executive Committee Chairman for the 2017 Georgia Logistics Summit.

Website  LinkedIn 

 

Biz Radio U Featuring Thad Oviatt with ParkENT Cycles

 

KSUEntrepreneurship
Biz Radio U

 

Hosted by Adam Wozniak and Darren Parkinson

 

 

Thad Oviatt / ParkENT Cycles
Founder and CEO

Thad OviattThad Oviatt got the idea for ParkENT Cycles back in college when a friend had two bicycles stolen in one week. The idea was his college senior design project and paid for two masters degrees. For the past four years, Thad has bootstrapped the product development, working out of his parent’s garage.

Thad now has a commercial ready, publicly tested product and is currently looking to move his work space to another location.

LinkedIn   Twitter   Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Suprit Patel with The Bestige Group

Suprit Patel
KSUEntrepreneurship

Where can a young entrepreneur figure out how to turn their dreams into reality? Just take a step into the Shrimp Tank. The Shrimp Tank brings you interviews with some of the most successful business owners in the United States to learn the do’s and don’ts of starting and running a successful business. Then, the fun really starts when we bring in high school and college students to pitch their business ideas to the Shrimp Tank. We don’t fund any business, but we do teach kids how to turn their business ideas into a successful business.

Hosts of The Shrimp Tank Chris Hanks, Ted Jenkin and Lee Heisman

 

Suprit Patel / The Bestige Group
CEO

Suprit Patel Headshot

Suprit Patel: As CEO, Suprit drives The Bestige Group’s Strategy, Vision, and Growth. Formerly a Management Consultant for leading companies such as Ernst & Young and The Advisory Board Company, Suprit helped Healthcare Providers improve processes, deliver better patient experiences, and sustain improvements through the use of Analytics. He brings deep experience in the Healthcare Industry to our clients and is passionate about helping Providers develop effective strategies to grow in the evolving Healthcare landscape. Suprit received his BS in Economics from Duke University.

LinkedIn

 

Skye Estroff with Taste of Atlanta and John Smith with Rize Artisan Pizza

Skye Estroff and John Smith
Taste of Atlanta Food that Rocks

 

Skye Estroff / Taste of Atlanta / Food that Rocks
Marketing and Media Manager

Skye Estroff is the marketing and media manager for Atlanta’s largest food festival, Taste of Atlanta. Skye manages all TV, radio and print media relationships, as well as strategizing and planning all social media. She is an Atlanta native, a University of Georgia graduate and an expert in Atlanta’s best food.

Twitter   Facebook

Food that Rocks: For one night only, more than 20 of Sandy Springs’ favorite restaurants will be rocking the big tent in Hammond Park, in the heart of Sandy Springs. This all-inclusive event will provide you with food, wine, beer and cocktail tastes from local mixologists, local musicians and will benefit Sandy Springs-based charities Second Helpings, Ian’s Friends Foundation and the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for more information.

 

John Smith / Rize Artisan Pizza
Founder and CEO

The idea for the Rize concept was born from John Smith’s passion for pizza and a desire to build a great company. Smith was used to moving frequently during a nomadic childhood. “My father was in the Air Force, and I lived overseas as a kid and in 15 different states as an adult,” he says. “Everywhere I’ve moved, I would look for a great pizza place. Although it was frustrating to have to find a new favorite every few years, it made me realize there was an opportunity nationally to create the Rize concept.”

This desire to find a little slice of home no matter where he traveled stuck with Smith as he went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Temple University, catapulting him into an extraordinary professional progression.

John’s career experience began with companies such as General Electric, IBM and McKinsey & Co. After heading up another private equity-backed retail venture, Smith went on to be a senior principal for Diamond Cluster International and executive vice president of marketing and sales at HealthAxis Corporation.  He then became the director of corporate strategy and store operations for Target Corporation. After four years with Target, he joined Collective Brands, Inc., the $4 billion parent company for Payless Shoesource, Striderite, Saucony and Sperry Topsider brands, where he progressed rapidly from heading corporate strategy to leading the global store development and procurement organization with over 5,000 locations across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.  He eventually was tasked to run all retail operations for one of the key divisions, leading the turnaround of a critical $250 million retail business that encompassed 400 stores across multiple brands, e-commerce and 2,200 team members. Smith’s next leadership role would take him into the hospitality industry, beginning a six-year career at Caesars Entertainment Corporation as regional president.

Smith’s skill set lies in his ability to relate to everyone at every level of the organization.  When joining Caesars, Smith decided to work in every aspect of the business and beside his team so he could hear their frustrations firsthand.  He then set out to address those frustrations. This is precisely how he was able to turn Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, which was the second largest Caesars casino outside of Vegas, improving profitability in a declining market while achieving the highest customer service scores in the company’s 30-year history.

Now, he finds inspiration for the culture he hopes to build at Rize by reflecting on these past career experiences. As the entrepreneurial spark that started the concept, Smith has always been the one to ask “why not?” Although he is leading the effort to build the brand and company from soup to nuts, his vision for Rize begins with his perspective on how to build a great service-based company.  To his mind, it starts with the culture and how team members should be treated. “Hospitality comes from the heart,” he says. “We are selective in who we extend an offer to join the Rize Nation to ensure each team member sincerely cares for and wants to serve others. That sincerity gives our staff a different energy and spirit than someone who is simply going through the motions of preparing or delivering food.”

John currently lives in the Sandy Springs area of Atlanta with his wife and four children, and dedicates his spare time to the Muhammad Ali Center and the Boys and Girls Club of America. As a past devoted board member for both organizations, Smith infuses Ali’s humility and desire to serve others into his business acumen at Rize and sees local involvement as a way to give back to the community.

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Adam Rabinowitz with Maven, Author David Nour and Nick Friedrich with Instacart

Nick Friedrich David Nour Adam Rabinowitz

 

Adam Rabinowitz / Maven
Maven City General Manager – Atlanta

Adam is a fifth generation Atlantan, who closely monitors the time difference between his biking commute and his driving commute to work (he typically saves at least a minute riding his bike). After living in Atlanta for most of his life, Adam is aware of the city’s heavy car culture and he doesn’t expect to change that with Maven. However, he is also very aware of the city’s renaissance over the last decade and the progress that may allow residents to rely a bit less on personally owned vehicles. That’s where he thinks Maven can fill a great need.

Adam manages GM’s Maven brand in Atlanta, which includes the public car sharing offering: Maven City and Lyft Express Drive, which provides prospective Lyft drivers with GM vehicles allowing them to earn extra income through the ridesharing service.

While his responsibilities change every day, Adam’s tasks range from establishing new Maven locations to negotiating with city officials to analyzing what vehicle mix will best meet his customers’ needs. He oversees a small team, all of whom manage all facets of the on-the-ground operations no matter what time of day or night.

Adam fully embraces the sharing economy. He uses an internet-based grocery delivery service, stays at shared residential properties when traveling and uses ridesharing apps like Lyft. He’s purposefully positioned Maven’s Atlanta offices in Industrious, a co-working space in Atlanta that fosters community and collaboration in the rejuvenated Ponce City Market development.

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David Nour / CO-CREATE: How Your Business Will Profit from Innovative and Strategic Collaboration
Relationship Economics Expert and Autho

David Nour has spent the past two decades being a student of business relationships. In the process, he has developed Relationship Economics® – the art and science of becoming more intentional and strategic in the relationships one chooses to invest in. In a global economy that is becoming increasingly disconnected, The Nour Group, Inc. has worked with clients such as Hilton, ThyssenKrupp, Disney, KPMG and over 100 other marquee organizations in driving profitable growth through unique return on their strategic relationships.

Nour has pioneered the phenomenon that relationships are the greatest off balance sheet asset any organization possesses, large and small, public and private. He is the author of ten books translated in eight languages, including the best selling Relationship Economics – Revised (Wiley), ConnectAbility (McGraw-Hill), The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Raising Capital (Praeger), Return on Impact (Jossey-Bass), and the forthcoming CO-CREATE: (St. Martin’s Press), an essential guide showing C-level leaders how to optimize relationships, create market gravity, and greatly increase revenue.

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Nick Friedrich / Instacart
General Manager

Nick has been with Instacart since May 2015 and is working with the company to grow and launch new territories. He resides in Atlanta and covers the Southeast region and the New York market for Instacart.

LinkedIn   Twitter   Facebook

 

 

Biz Radio U Featuring Bryan Keller with Keller Guitars

Bryan Keller

KSUEntrepreneurship

Biz Radio U

Hosted by Adam Wozniak and Darren Parkinson

 

Bryan Keller / Keller Guitars
Owner

Bryan Keller is a Senior at Kennesaw State University and will be graduating in May with a degree in Business Management. Bryan’s passion is music, specifically guitar, and he enjoys utilizing that passion for worship. Because of this passion, Bryan started Keller Guitars, which sells acoustic and electric guitars that have bible verses burned, or foil pressed, onto the face of the guitar.

Bryan recently began the venture, and will be launching the first line of acoustic guitars, called The Carpenter Series, in March, 2017. The line will display Psalms 95 on the guitar.

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