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Mary Elizabeth Sadd with Pinnacle Search Partners, Larry Nemeth and Kevin Kinzler with Unishippers Global Logistics, Kevin Johnson with Johnson Media and Steven Pohl with Novelis

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Mary Elizabeth Sadd/Pinnacle Search Partners

Pinnacle Search Partners is a Global Executive Recruiting firm based in Alpharetta, GA. Since forming in 2010, Pinnacle Search Partners has grown into a leading niche Executive recruiting firm in the U.S. and abroad. The company focuses on partnering with market leaders who are motivated to hire only top talent and who are dedicated to continuous improvement.

The Pinnacle team is comprised of award-winning leaders, possessing years of top level industry experience. Professional, results-driven, and dedicated, Pinnacle takes pride in thoroughly understanding it’s clients needs in order to deliver high quality results. Unique in its ability to focus on it’s client’s culture, goals, and market drivers, PInnacle has established an excellent industry reputation.

Pinnacle was recently certified as a “Women’s Business Enterprise” (WBE) by National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC). To be certified, a company must have an active primary female owner and executive that controls both the daily and long-term effects of the organization.

Larry Nemeth and Kevin Kinzler/Unishippers Global Logistics

Local business owners and franchisees Larry Nemeth and Kevin Kinzler started their Unishippers business three years ago to complement their existing transportation business that launched in 2000. With over 20 years of experience in the transportation logistics industry, the two decided to invest in a Unishippers franchise for two reasons: 1) Unishippers is one of two resellers for UPS, which is the world’s largest package delivery company and global leader in transportation and logistics, and 2) Unishippers has gone to great lengths to establish partnerships with 40 plus freight suppliers, establishing itself as the largest reseller of shipping services in the nation with the ability to offer the best deals and discounted rates for small to mid-sized businesses.

Kevin Johnson/Johnson Media, Inc. 

Kevin D. Johnson is president of Johnson Media Inc. As a serial entrepreneur, he has over 13 years of experience leading his multimillion-dollar marketing and communications company that serves many of the most notable Fortune 100 businesses. As an innovative leader, he has appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS, Oprah Radio, and in Forbes, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Moreover, he has appeared on CNN frequently. He also the best-selling author of The Entrepreneur Mind: 100 Essential Beliefs, Characteristics, and Habits of Elite Entrepreneurs. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and son.

Steven Pohl/Novelis, Inc. 

Steven Pohl, VP, Financial Planning and Analysis, Novelis, Inc., named inaugural member of the La Roche College Distinguished Alumni Circle, 2013.

Steven is an international executive with a successful track record of contributing to business performance through strategic direction with a hands-on approach, delivering excellent financial performance and business development results. He has a multi-cultural and cross-functional career spanning a progression of operational and corporate roles including general management, strategy development, mergers & acquisitions, and organizational restructuring. Steven has strong communication and negotiation skills, is a recognized leader in coaching and personnel development and a trusted business partner with a high level of integrity, commitment, and team spirit.

 

 

 

Carol McKown with RAISE Global Services and Ruksana Hussain with RuksanaWrites

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Carol McKown/RAISE Global Services 

Carol McKown is the Founder and Chief Solutions Officer at RAISE Global Services and RAISE Global Partners. Carol is a visionary whose goal is to change the world by inspiring business leaders to make positive change in their community an equal priority to profitability. She sees the need to bring groups of people together from business, government, non-profits, and citizens to strategically develop solutions to big world problems. Carol partners with companies to create strategies that add social innovation to the DNA of their business model to elevate their brands, increase profitability, and ensure social impact. Carol creates a unified effort to solve community and global problems. She believes that this act of strategic synergy (SOLUTIONISM) is the catalyst for change we need in our world.

Carol believes purpose will change your life and give you great joy. Even though Carol has a head for business, she also has a heart for humanity. She is also the founder of Fallen Sparrow Foundation, which has provided services to Cambodian orphans for three years and is now expanding into the Dominican Republic. Carol has been the founder and CEO of several organizations, including Action Sports International, ASI Photos and Action International Marketing, where she formed successful, creative partnership and distribution programs with the Walt Disney Company, the Eastman Kodak Company, the Heisman Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame as well as over 1000 International Event organizations.

Ruksana Hussain/RuksanaWrites 

Ruksana Hussain is an independent communications professional working with several local and national print and online media outlets through her business RuksanaWrites. She offers copy and content management services, specializing in proofreading and copy editing, as well as writing and reporting as per client requirements. Ruksana has a background in corporate communications and 12+ years’ experience working with the written word. Born in India, raised in the Middle East and now living in the United States with her husband, she believes communications across cultures is vital. Ruksana covers topics ranging from business and travel to food and social media, covering community events and interviewing celebrities. She is the chapter President of Ed2010 Atlanta, and was a finalist for a 2012 Atlanta Press Club Award of Excellence in the Print non-daily category.

 

 

John Warren with Lima One Capital, Larry Myricks with Atlanta Corporate Challenge, Walter Mann with ZONOsanitech and Wendy Alpine with Alpine Communications

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John Warren/Lima One Capital 

John Warren is founder and President of Lima One Capital, a hard money lending company for residential real estate investors and homebuilders. He has raised over $25M for Lima One Capital and has grown the company into Atlanta’s largest private lender. John is an expert at real estate finance and works with hundreds of U.S. and foreign investors. As a former, decorated infantry officer in the Marine Corps, John also speaks regularly on counter-insurgency and leadership. John attended Washington and Lee University for his undergraduate degree and New York University’s Stern School of Business for post-graduate.

Larry Myricks/Atlanta Corporate Challenge 

Larry Myricks, 4-Time Olympian, 1988 Olympic Bronze Medalist, is the Director of the Atlanta Corporate Challenge and the Corporate Challenge Network.

The Atlanta Corporate Challenge – is 5 weeks and 23 tournaments (sports & games) that make up the largest and most effective teambuilding, company pride and morale boosting event for businesses in the metro Atlanta area. It is “Where Work Comes to Play”.

Walter Mann/ZONOsanitech 

ZONOsanitech founder Walter Mann is an entrepreneur who kills germs. Walter utilized his training as a mechanical engineer and experience manufacturing medical devices for Kimberly Clark to build the ZONO at the urging of his wife when they realized that there was no good option for sanitizing their four children’s athletic gear. After a friend’s son contracted an antibiotic-resistant staph infection from sports equipment, he built the first ZONO and began sanitizing athletic gear from his children and their friends. He soon learned that the preschool classroom was ground zero in the fight to protect children by eliminating bacteria and viruses without chemicals.

Wendy Alpine/Alpine Communications 

Wendy Alpine, president of Alpine Communications Inc., has run her own PR firm for the past 13 years. Alpine Communications helps large and small business create brand awareness, establish thought leadership and generate demand for a company’s products and services. Her firm has worked with companies and organizations in the healthcare, technology, manufacturing and non-profit industries.

 

 

Gary Brooks with Cortera, Lori Dubuc with Infinite Strategies Group, Sue Johnson SPHR, Candace Klein with SoMoLend, Jonathan Wilson with Taylor English and Maurice Lopes with EarlyShares

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Gary Brooks/Cortera 

Gary Brooks is the Chief Marketing Officer for Cortera. A B2B marketing addict, born leader, innovator and change agent with an entrepreneurial spirit and a proven track record of delivering measurable business value and enabling positive change.

Gary is a revenue focused marketing executive with a passion for marketing accountability and a reputation for delivering breakthrough performance, revenue scalability and building highly successful businesses.

Gary was bitten by the start-up bug when joined a group of internet visionaries that started AltaVista (acquired by Compaq) which became the number one Internet search engine in 1996. Since then, he has fueled his passion for marketing innovation and revenue acceleration by serving in executive leadership roles at Ariba, Fortress Technologies, TRADEX (acquired by Ariba), KnowledgeStorm (acquired by TechTarget), Servigistics (acquired by Marlin Equity Partners) and Bomgar Corporation. At TRADEX, he developed and executed the strategic market positioning that led to the company’s acquisition by Ariba for $5.6 billion in Ariba stock. At Servigistics, he repositioned the company and re-engineered the company’s sales and marketing process which accelerated revenue growth and led to the sale of the company in 2009. At Bomgar, he completely transformed the company’s marketing strategy and processes to enable the company to achieve double-digit, year over year revenue growth in 2010 and emerge as a recognized enterprise remote support market leader.

Gary has also served in consulting and advisory roles with MarketPro, KnowledgeStorm (acquired by Techtarget), Performance PR, Abovo Group, DWL (acquired by IBM), TORAD Engineering and Emcien.

Gary earned his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University and a M.S. from Leslie University. In 2006, the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) named Gary the Technology Marketing Executive of the Year.

Specialties:B2B marketing, sales pipeline development and nurturing, revenue scalability, sales process development and managment, strategic market positioning and message development, marketing accountability and sale enablement.

Lori Dubuc/Infinite Strategies Group 

As the Managing Partner of Infinite Strategies Group, LLC, Lori Dubuc heads the company’s strategy and business development operations and personally provides leadership training, workshops, and executive development for individuals and organizations. Lori’s unique understanding of business allows her to offer practical and creative strategies to optimize human potential. Her 20 years of experience with both Fortune 500 and start-up companies includes leadership positions in human resources across a variety of industries. Lori also serves as a coach and mentor, incorporating art and science into her approach.

Lori’s areas of expertise include organizational design, coaching, training and development for executives and mid- level leaders; strategic human capital optimization; identification and development of high performers; cross- functional project management; and talent restructuring. Lori facilitates workshops, groups, and leads multi- functional leadership teams. Her expertise in large companies spans organizational transformation, strategic human capital positioning, and restructuring talent for retention and deliverables. She has also led the evaluation of mentoring program effectiveness for high potential employees within Fortune 500 companies.

Lori graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the University of Missouri. She also has a master’s degree in human resources and management from Webster University.

Sue Johnson, SPHR 

Sue Johnson is a senior Human Resources leader currently working as an independent consultant. She has extensive strategic human resources experience focusing in the areas of Change Management, Talent Management, Team Effectiveness, Succession Planning, Executive Coaching and Employee Engagement. She has experience in successfully leading corporate changes, building/rebuilding and leading teams, project management, coaching for performance, and linking business and human capital strategies.

Sue supplements her education from Indiana University and 25+ years practical business experiences with the following: designation as a Senior Professional In Human Resources (SPHR); certified practitioner of: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); PDI (Personnel Decisions International)–360 Profiler;  Resilience Alliance–Personal Resilience Profile; DDI (Development Dimensions International)–360 Profiler;  DiSC Communications Style Facilitator; executive Coaching specialized training

An Atlanta resident for over 10 years, Sue has one son who is a senior in college.

Candace Klein/SoMoLend

Candace Klein is the founder and CEO of two successful startup companies: Bad Girl Ventures and SoMoLend. Bad Girl Ventures is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating and investing in woman-owned startup companies. SoMoLend is new technology platform that connects business borrowers seeking loans with lenders looking to make a return on investment. Candace has six years of lobbying experience, with the Northern Kentucky Chamber and United Way and four years of legal experience. Candace continues to practice as an attorney with Ulmer & Berne LLP with a focus on corporate matters, business advocacy and government relations for startup companies and small business clients. Candace led the Communities Practice at Property Advisors, with the title of “Maven” and the job description, “run and think.” She is actively committed to her neighborhood, Over the Rhine, where she lives and has based both of her businesses.

Candace is a 2008 graduate of Salmon P. Chase College of Law where she earned her J.D. She also received her bachelor degrees from Northern Kentucky University. Candace is the co-chair of CFIRA. She works diligently with other CFIRA members to be the voice of the crowdfunding industry. CFIRA works closely with the SEC and FINRA to establish industry standards and best practices.

Maurice Lopes/EarlyShares

Maurice Lopes is a co-founder of EarlyShares. He previously served as CEO and founder of Hotbrick Network Solutions, an international network security appliance manufacturer with offices across the globe. In addition, he has held a variety of management positions at Motorola, MCI-Worldcom, GICC and Bellsouth. Today, Maurice is considered an expert on capital formation and crowdfunding legislation, he has dedicated the last year to educating America on the JOBS Act. And how it will change all businesses in America. Maurice is a frequent guest at universities such as: Georgetown University, MIT, Columbia University, Ai School of Entrepreneurship, Nova, and Harvard Business School. He is on the governing board of the Crowdfunding Professional Association (CfPA).

Jonathan Wilson/Taylor English

Jonathan B. Wilson is a member of Taylor English’s Corporate & Business practice group and his practice includes corporate securities, corporate finance and governance, mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property. He has represented both Fortune 100, middle-market and start-up companies in transactional matters for roughly 20 years. Jonathan was the general counsel or chief legal officer of Interland, Inc. (NASDAQ: INLD), Web.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: WWWW) and EasyLink Services International Corporation (NASDAQ: ESIC) where he advised senior management and the board of directors on SEC reporting, NASDAQ compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley matters, corporate governance, governmental affairs, contracts, litigation, intellectual property and mergers and acquisitions. Jonathan led Web.com’s legal department through its growth and merger with Website Pros, Inc. (NASDAQ: WSPI) in September 2007, at various times acting as the corporate secretary and the executive in charge of Corporate Development. He spent the first ten years of his career in private practice with large Atlanta firms, including Paul Hastings, LLP and King & Spalding. Jonathan has represented both large and small companies in outsourcing, patent licensing, software licensing, distribution and strategic alliance agreements. In 2009. he founded the Renewable Energy Committee of the ABA’s Public Utility Section and he continues to chair that Committee, writing and speaking frequently on renewable energy and clean technology development.

 

 

Karen Houghton with Atlanta Tech Village, Daniel Flores with Visual Art Werks, Adam Wexler with Insightpool, Imaad Rashied with BluMenlo, Alok Deshpande with Umenta and Kurt Uhlir with Sideqik

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Karen Houghton/Atlanta Tech Village 

The Atlanta Tech Village, established in 2012, is a community of innovation powered by a 103,000 square foot building located in Buckhead. The ATV is designed to service technology and technology-related companies that have a unique set of needs in their quest to change the world. Physical space should provide much more than just a desk and a place to hang your hat — it should bring the community together, promote serendipitous interactions, and be a powerful tool for recruiting the best talent.

Their mission is to support and inspire entrepreneurs to achieve success through a community that promotes faster connections between talent, ideas and capital. Together, they will fuel Atlanta’s rise to a top five tech startup center in the U.S.

Daniel Flores/Visual Art Werks 

Visual Art Werks creates mobile games featuring original characters and stories designed and drawn by artists with the help of developers to bring to every platform.

VAW first game is called Art Life and features a cast of 7 characters designed by DTM- dacreativegenius. Players pick a character to begin the game and can switch up at any time. Art Life storyline takes a look into the starving artist life by having the character first live on the street and build up their standard a living by progressing thru the game and leveling up.

Gameplay is simple and entertaining, the chosen character has to battle thru the levels against debris thrown at them all the while trying to draw on art materials that fly by. Game graphics are 2D and are intricate enough to give the characters fluid movement.

VAW looking for more artists to help create original content and developers for Windows8, iOS, Android and BlackBerry.

Adam Wexler/Insightpool 

Adam Wexler is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Insightpool, social marketing automation software. Insightpool was spawned from the creative social media marketing tactics Wexler employed on his prior startup, GoRankem, where they sought to reach a wide audience on a non-existent marketing budget (outside of being the first successful startup to successfully raise money via Kickstarter’s crowdfunding platform).

Over the years, Wexler has been invited to speak in front of thousands of students and event attendees about social media and entrepreneurship. At different times, Adam has also been the voice behind numerous brands on social media including Sprite, NCAA March Madness and the band Cracker.

Wexler graduated from The University of Georgia with a focus in Leadership studies.

Imaad Rashied/BluMenlo

Imaad Rashied is a graduate of UGA (Philosophy, Economics). Imaad was born in North Carolina and raised in Georgia. He is currently working for third startup. Imaad previously worked for import/export companies and a large consulting firm.

Alok Deshpande/Umenta 

Alok Deshpande is the President and CEO of Umenta, an application that makes it easy to share life stories. Prior to starting Umenta, Alok served in various leadership roles with Bain & Company, SmartPath Financial, Actis Capital and Kurt Salmon Associates. Alok holds a BBA with highest distinction from Emory University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Kurt Uhlir/Sideqik 

Kurt Uhlir is Founder and CEO at Sideqik. Kurt has led teams in social, location and mobile across six continents. He drove corporate development and strategic partnerships at Vitrue, the social relationship management, through the sale of the company to Oracle. Prior to Vitrue, Kurt was on the front lines at NAVTEQ — with an IPO and a subsequent $8.1 Billion sale to Nokia. In addition, he founded Southern Technology Leaders (So.Tech), several private ecomm companies and several for-profit and caused-based organizations. Kurt is also the lead inventor on more than 10 patents fundamental to all check-in services and mobile advertising, in addition to video game design and others.

 

 

ABR Special Edition: ProWIN Atlanta

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Catherine Anne Graham/CAG, Inc. 

Catherine Graham, a Professional Coach and Recruiting Specialist, recently left her corporate career to launch her companies; CAG Coaching and CAG Recruiting. Combining her talents and experience she is helping individuals and small, emerging companies connect and grow. A certified coach since 2008 she has been working with people of all ages to move forward in their lives by creating vision, purpose and passion. Using a model she designed to be C.O.M.P.L.E.T.E. (clarity, opportunity, motivation, purpose, liberation, empowerment, triumph and ease) Catherine has merged this with her recruiting mission to match the best and brightest employees with growing companies, maximizing Human Capital ROI.

Catherine has been in Atlanta since 1993 and has enjoyed a successful path as a Sales Professional and Entrepreneur. Beginning in Retail management for Sunglass Hut, Inc., she then partnered with two other entrepreneurs to launch the New Yorker Deli and Butcher Shop on Pharr Road in 2004. They were an approved vendor in the 2006 Olympics, which was an incredible experience in working with city government and massive crowds. “These early experiences helped me develop a strong work ethic, dedication to outstanding customer service and a need to really enjoy my work!” Since then, Catherine has a 15 year track record for success in the Retail, Wholesale Trade Show and Staffing industries.

Patty Farinola/The Awareness Studio

Patty Farinola with The Awareness Studio is a relationship expert who works with individuals and couples, helping people to create fulfilling lives through powerfully-connected relationships.

She has been professionally certified through the International Coach Federation and now holds a License in Sacred Theology. Patty has been trained in Pesso-Boyden System Psychomotor and the STAR process, two very powerful therapeutic modalities. Other relevant education includes personal development and leadership training through Landmark Education Corporation, Turknett Leadership Group, the Karin Kabalah Center, and the St. Thomas Christian Church. This rich and varied background provides a strong foundation for the work she does with clients, which includes personal counseling, life and business coaching, and spiritual direction.

Patty’s corporate history includes twenty-five years of diverse experience with industry leading Fortune 100 corporations and privately held firms. She has worked for such companies as Coca-Cola, Bank South (now part of Bank of America), and S1 Corporation, and her last position was Managing Director of Marketing for Georgia Natural Gas where she was the highest ranking female managing a multi-million dollar budget that encompassed advertising, event management, sales support and market research.

Anita Paul/The Write Image 

A communications specialist, Anita Paul is known as “The Author’s Midwife.” She coaches and mentors corporate professionals and successful entrepreneurs to become published authors. Through her Write Your Life program, she shares strategies for writing, publishing, and marketing a book … and then leveraging it to upsell your expertise.

A 20-year veteran of the marketing communications industry, Anita started The Write Image in 1997. A corporate communications company, The Write Image develops marketing and public relations programs for mid-size businesses and organizations. She uses her extensive planning, organizing, and strategic marketing skills to help clients develop effective communications strategies and public relations campaigns throughout the U.S.

After years of working with decision makers in various industries she realized one thing they had in common — they were “secret agents.” These super intelligent, well respected, knowledgeable leaders were experts in their fields, but nobody knew it. She wondered, what would help these experts get noticed? The answer: Every expert needs a book of her own. So she developed a program to help professionals upsell their expertise.

“Women (and men) in business need a calling card, a defining brand, a product to demonstrate their knowledge and their expertise,” says Anita. “A well-written book is one of the best tools to brand professionals as experts in their field so they can gain the visibility, recognition, and opportunities to take their careers and their businesses to a higher level and to earn more money.” Over the years, her passion for mentoring authors to overcome obstacles to their publishing success became her focus, and thus, Write Your Life was created.

Designed to reinforce a business platform for existing authors, and to establish and support a budding brand for aspiring authors, Write Your Life is a unique, comprehensive program for establishing your expertise and leveraging your book as part of your brand. “It’s bigger than the book,” says Anita. “You have an idea, a business objective, a career goal, a brand, or a grand vision. We work to create a book that will support that platform, brand you as an expert, and get you going in the right direction.” In 90 days or less, Write Your Life will change your life!

 

 

Lance Weatherby with nCrowd, Lisa Decker with Divorce Money Matters, Bob Littell with Netweaving and Bob Van Orden with Clearleap

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Lance Weatherby/nCrowd

Lance Weatherby is the COO of nCrowd, Inc. Previously Lance was a Startup Catalyst with the Advanced Technology Development Center, a startup accelerator at Georgia Tech. Lance has experience with both early stage and high growth startups. He has held executive business development, marketing and general management positions at CipherTrust, EarthLink, and MindSpring. He can be found online at Force of Good, a popular blog covering Atlanta startup and technology news.

nCrowd provides online customer acquisition for local merchants. With over 2 million consumer members across America, nCrowd expands online reach and improves retention for local merchants by leveraging its proprietary Automated Internet Marketing engine. nCrowd has demonstrated its ability to play the role of consolidator in the growing online local marketing industry. Based in Atlanta, nCrowd is funded by Noro-Moseley Partners, BLH Venture Partners, and Linch Capital.

Lisa Decker/Divorce Money Matters

Lisa C. Decker, Strategic Divorce Advisor™ is a woman who has overcome the overwhelming in her own life and as a result, she really understands what her clients are going through and how to best serve them.

As a discreet problem-solver she helps clients move from confusion to clarity in their divorce guiding them — step-by-step — from contemplation through completion while helping them save their money and their sanity in the process.

As the Founder and CEO of Divorce Financial Insight, LLC d/b/a Divorce Money Matters, her passion and intense desire to help guide and inspire others has led her to create innovative ways to help people through the challenges of divorce in a better, not bitter way, while steering them to a superior outcome in the end.

Bob Littell/Netweaving

A significant number of Business Executives, Owners, Professionals, Coaches, Consultants and Advisors, as well as Community Leaders, who have already experienced the power of a concept known as “NetWeaving”, have joined forces to celebrate the 4th Annual “NetWeaving – Pay It Forward Week” in Atlanta and now expanded to all of Georgia  – April 15-19, and especially Thursday, April 18 which is now being celebrated around the world as “International Pay It Forward Day”.

The key action step of NetWeaving involves ’hosting’ meetings to introduce two people who the NetWeaver believes would benefit knowing each other with their needs and interests in mind.  Then instead of looking to have the favor returned, the NetWeaver host asks each to simply  ‘pay it forward’ and agree to  host a subsequent meeting introducing two others.

Bob Van Orden/Clearleap

Bob Van Orden is Vice President, Corporate and Business Development, for Clearleap, an innovative leader providing new choices in technology and technology services to Video Content Providers, Video Service Providers, and other companies in the multiscreen video space.

Clearleap is the emerging leader in digital video logistics for multiscreen TV. Clearleap offers a best in class, data center driven software and services platform with fully featured workflow management, media processing, and distribution solution, plus authentication and services management to enable and accelerate the delivery of IP multiscreen services.

Bob secures partnerships and new customer deals that strategically position Clearleap as a technology and business leader in this space. Partnerships include technology / technology services solutions, cable and television networks, advertising companies,  service providers, device and apps innovators, as well as potential investment opportunities.


 

 

Gary Wheeler with The Virtual HR Director, Michelle Matthews with Matthews Consulting Group, Graham Taylor with VoiceNation, and Cristina Lara and Sofia Lazaro with AIESEC

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Gary Wheeler/The Virtual HR Director, LLC 

Gary is the founder and owner of The Virtual HR Director, LLC. The Virtual HR Director delivers strategic and tactical HR solutions at affordable rates for small and midsize organizations.

Gary is a 24-year veteran of United Parcel Service (UPS) where he held various assignments in Operations, Industrial Engineering and Human Resources.

Gary received a B.S in Human Resources and an MBA from the University of Maryland University College (UMUC). He also holds a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University and several HR certifications.

Gary has served as a director on the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), WorldatWork Compensation, the SHRM-Atlanta, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank Boards.

Michelle Matthews/Matthews Consulting Group 

Michelle Matthews is a trusted advisor with more than 25 years of experience in organizational development, change management and consulting. Michelle’s guidance has enabled non-profit organizations, such as Families First, the Task Force for Global Health, and Communities in Schools of Atlanta; educational institutions, such as Spelman College and Atlanta Public Schools; and numerous Fortune 500 companies, such as Delta Air Lines, Kimberly Clark and Georgia Pacific to implement strategic change and improve individual, team and organizational performance.

Before founding Matthews Consulting Group more than a decade ago, Michelle was a senior manager for IBM, KPMG Consulting and Accenture. In these positions, Michelle effectively led teams through engagements requiring strategic planning, group facilitation, organizational change management, executive coaching and business process redesign.

Michelle is a member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), and the Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Strategic Planning. She is also a board member for the Quality Care for Children. Michelle graduated summa cum laude from Spelman College, with an economics degree.

Graham Taylor/VoiceNation 

Graham Taylor is Vice President of VoiceNation, America’s telecommunications leader in virtual PBX, voicemail, and innovative live answering solutions. Named “Top Provider in Industry” by PC World, VoiceNation provides live answering services and call center solutions utilizing the latest in proprietary technology to deliver high quality call answering services at the lowest cost to their customers. In this way, VoiceNation enables businesses of all sizes to compete in the marketplace with 24-hour availability that adapts to any situation.

Founded in 2002, VoiceNation is a privately held company that serves more than 40,000 customers including FEMA, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Dell, AIG and the U.S. Coast Guard. The company also provides qualified non-profit, tax-exempt charities with access to voicemail, faxmail and other specialized communication services at reduced cost through their Care2Call outreach program.

Cristina Lara and Sofia Lazaro/AIESEC

The AIESEC Georgia Tech Chapter is an entirely student-run, non-profit organization with university chapters around the world. AIESEC provides meaningful paid internships in 103 countries in business, economics, international affairs, and engineering disciplines, as well as language teaching and developmental work. AIESEC is the world’s largest student-run exchange organization. The overall aim is to promote international and cultural understanding through the student work exchange program and to develop leadership for the future generation.

 

Atlanta Business Radio Goes Inside Turner Field

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Ryan Magnon/Chick-Fil-A

Ryan Magnon is a Senior Manager of Hospitality and Service Design at Chick-fil-A Corporate.  He has expertise in the following improvement and business excellence practices over the past 15 years. Hospitality Industry: Customer and Client Experience, Quality Management Implementation, Service Excellence Training, Leadership Best Practices, Employee Selection and Onboarding, Customer and Employee Engagement, Business Metrics Analysis, Survey Feedback Design and Implementation, Process Improvement Team Facilitation and Excecution, Problem Resolution and Service Recovery Certification, and Strategic Planning.

As a US Air Force Officer: Operational, Logistics, and Health Care Quality Improvement Initiatives including Six Sigma projects and manpower optimization.

With E-Business Internet and Technology Companies: Supply Chain Technology Implementation, Supply Chain Process Improvement Consulting, Inventory Management, E-Procurement Major Account Management.

Matt Lynch/Atlanta Braves

Matt Lynch is the Director of Guest Services for the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Matt is a high performing operations-management executive with 10+ years of expertise in building/optimizing organizational process, measurement systems, programs and support systems to maximize business results in the hospitality and broadcast industry.

Matt has established success in the Guest Experience sector with 5+ years of experience designing the guest experience for a professional sports team including the oversight of all selection, training and empowerment processes for all staff. He also has extensive experience in the coaching of senior leaders on the processes and systems behind high performing organizations including a focus on strategic planning, customer focus, people and leadership development and results.

Mary Blackmon/USA Farm Stars

USA Farm Stars CEO and founder Mary Blackmon is a 3rd generation farmer from Arkansas. She has lived in New York City, Los Angeles and Atlanta and pursued a successful career in publishing and advertising, working for Wired, Walt Disney Internet Group and Vivendi-Universal Internet Group. She founded the first national discount site for the spa & wellness industry, Spa-Addicts.com in 2002.

In 2008, she learned her family farm that bordered Arkansas and Louisiana would be sold. Adamant to preserve her family heritage and the farmland that her family had cherished, Mary moved from Los Angeles back to the south in order to sustain and operate the farm. She discovered that ‘saving the family farm’ had changed her life forever, and for the better. Today she admits that she is happier than ever — inspired, loving the farming business and now launching USA FARM STARS, which she felt compelled to create for the good of farming and the people she has met along her new path.

Sky Lee and Brianna Smith/Georgia State University

Sky Lee and Brianna Smith are students at Georgia State University – J. Mack Robinson School of Business.

The School of Hospitality at GSU and the students organize The Annual National Hospitality Championship event. This event will take place at the GWCC on April 12th 8:30am-1:30pm. All fees collected for the event will go towards a scholarship fund.

There are two parts in the event. One is a team/moral building competition where different companies’ employees compete doing various relay games in order to get the trophy and bragging rights. These team building challenges have been immensely popular over the years with repeat participants like World of Coca Cola and The Hyatt.

The second part of the event is a vendor competition where different restaurants in the Atlanta area compete in “A Southern Paradise” competition which includes Battle of the Biscuits, BBQ sauce off, Country Cupcake Challenge and many more!

 

 

Randy Hain with Bell Oaks Executive Search, Attorney Konny Light and Ben Mancuso with Money Mailer

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Randy Hain/Bell Oaks Executive Search

As the Managing Partner and a shareholder of Bell Oaks Executive Search, Mr. Hain has an established track record of leading successful searches and building teams in a broad diversity of industries and functional specializations. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team at Bell Oaks, Mr. Hain has played the lead role in hiring, training and developing of one of the most successful Search Consultant teams in Atlanta.

Mr. Hain’s clients range from venture backed technology companies to established, multi-billion dollar corporations. With a strong specialization in helping his clients fill critical needs at all levels of their organizations, Mr. Hain’s recruitment consulting focus includes searches for C-Level leadership, Vice Presidents, Directors, Managers and specialized individual contributors.

Mr. Hain has developed a stellar reputation in the Atlanta executive recruitment industry for integrity, thought leadership, successful execution, innovative talent strategy and passion for what he calls his “true calling”.

Mr. Hain is a board member of Growing Leaders, an international non-profit focused on developing leadership and character in young people and an advisory board member for the Catholic Charities Atlanta Leadership Class. He is also a co-founder of the Atlanta Catholic Business Conference and the Integrated Catholic Life eMagazine.

He is the author of The Catholic Briefcase: Tools for Integrating Faith and Work for Liguori Publications which was published in 2011 and voted the Best Catholic Book of 2011 in the About.com Reader’s Choice Awards. His new book, Along the Way: Lessons for an Authentic Journey of Faith, was released in November 2012.

His third book, Something More:The Professional’s Pursuit of a Meaningful Life, was released February 23rd, 2013 and is now available on Amazon.

Konny Light, J.D.

Konny Light, J.D. has extensive business experience, expanding four continents. She was General Counsel and Acting COO for a group of US public bio-tech companies, developed joint ventures in Asia for a international construction firm, and was VP for Strategic Development for a European financial services firm. Her expertise in problem solving ensures both a healthier work environment and an enhanced bottom line.

* Business/Revenue Development: Developed financial software company’s business model from one revenue stream to three+.

* Global Legal/Commercial: Structured and drafted international joint venture, merger and acquisition agreements. Negotiated and drafted licensing and distribution agreements in countries worldwide. Drafted NATO telecommunications contracts.

* Compliance: Developed, Implemented and structured Audit system for compliance issues (AML, privacy, U.S. Patriot Act, SEC, FDA, FCPA, BaFin, FINRA, BSA, SOX, Frank Dodd Act, computer and anti-trust laws) in US. and Europe for both public and private companies.

* Strategist: Developed, with division presidents, more strategies in three days than their billion dollar supply chain company had accomplished in three years.

* Negotiator/Mediator: Negotiated the acquisition of a leading aviation software company for 98% less cash than budgeted. Negotiated licensing/distribution worldwide.

Specialties: Commercial transactions, strategic analysis/assessment/planning, strategic alliances–planning, development, negotiation and contract drafting (distribution, licensing, mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures), all aspects of business in an international context, compliance/regulatory oversight and joyful collaboration with others.

Konny can be reached at (404) 704-0964.

Ben Mancuso/Money Mailer

Ben Mancuso is the owner of Money Mailer of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody. After a 33 year career with IBM in financial and business operations, Ben decided to leave the corporate world and start his own business at the age of 58. Today he works tirelessly to help area businesses deliver savings to their customers every day.