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Atlanta Business Radio

ASTD Special on Nonprofit Training and Community Involvement with Jennifer Williams, Lanous Wright and Cindy Smith

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Today’s show focused on the partnerships that ASTD has developed between Georgia Center for Nonprofits and Goodwill of North Georgia. Nonprofit training and community involvement are two of the missions of the ASTD.

Jennifer Williams/Greater Atlanta Chapter of ASTD

Jennifer is the Vice President of Community Involvement at the Greater Atlanta Chapter of ASTD, American Society for Training and Development. ASTD is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. There are 130 U.S. Chapters and members of the ASTD come from over 100 different countries. The Atlanta Chapter is one of the largest in the Country and is thought to be one of the thought leaders with multiple awards.

The Community Involvement group is apart of the ASTD Chapter and is designed to give members the opportunity participate in community involvement activities around the city. The group supports metro Atlanta non-profits with Training & Development resources to increase the workplace readiness skills of their staffs and clients. They have developed partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Jennifer is also a Sales Force Effectiveness Trainer at Georgia Pacific. She is responsible for managing the entry-level sales professional new hire onboarding program as well as designing and developing e-learning platforms for external, distributor sales teams.

Lanous Wright/Georgia Center for Nonprofits

Lanous is the Nonprofit University Director at Georgia Center for Nonprofits.  The Georgia Center for Nonprofits’ mission is to improve the quality of life by making nonprofits more successful and their vision is to build the country’s highest performing state-focused resource center as well as to position Georgia as a national model for nonprofit excellence and achievement.

Cindy Smith/Designs to Perform

Cindy has been volunteering with the Goodwill of North Georgia for several years now teaching a basic computer skills course. Recently she has helped to join Goodwill of North Georgia and ASTD. She describes their working together as a partnership, seeing as GoodWill’s mission is  putting people back to work and ASTD Atlanta’s is about workplace learning and performance, the partnership has worked out very well. Their project is to create more courses for the Goodwill centers. She and her team are currently developing new courses for the Goodwill centers. Looking to sign up and help Cindy go here and check out their project.

In addition to her volunteer work she does instructional design

Real Estate Connections ATL Special with Peter Pasternack

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We are excited to announce that each month we will be doing a Special Edition of Atlanta Business Radio and spotlight one of Atlanta real estate community’s most popular business networking events – Real Estate Connections ATL – which is  held on the first Thursday of each month.  Real Estate Connections ATL is hosted by one of the stars of Flip This House, on one of television’s most recognized real estate investment and home renovation shows, Peter Pasternack from Foundation Designs. His company designs, builds, and renovates residential and commercial property.

Peter invited some of the past sponsors and attendees of this event to talk about what makes this event so special.

Tony Davis, Financial Center Leader in Small Business and Consumer Lending with BB&T talked about why his company sponsors this event. David Hixon with Property Inspectors of Atlanta talked about how he  met a great power partner at this event and how it helped him grow his business dramatically. Jeremiah Jarmin, Principal with The Jarmin Law Group explained how this is the real estate networking event he looks forward to most each month.

Everyone agreed that Peter does a great job making sure each attendee meets someone that is important to him or her.

If you are affiliated with real estate in any way please check out this event each month. The next event will be held at AJA at 3500 Lenox Road, across from Phipps Plaza on April 5, 2012 from 6-9pm.

A special shout out to our sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter.  Please go to their website to register for their monthly networking events www.bmaatlanta.com/events

Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.

 

Farm To Table Restaurant Special with Atlanta Chef Costanzo Astarita

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On today’s Farm to Table special edition of  Atlanta Business Radio we interviewed Constanzo Astarita and talked with him about the C&M Gastronomy Group that he started with friend Mario Maccarone.

Costanzo Astarita / C&M Gastronomy Group. Costanzo hails from the Island of Capri, off the coast of Italy, where he was born into a food-centric family. Steeped in a culture rich in fresh ingredients from land and sea, the long line of chefs practiced an innovative culinary lifestyle focused on quality and creativity.

When Astarita’s family immigrated to Bermuda, he honed his skills at The Bermuda Culinary School. During his education, Astarita cooked for a veritable who’s who of dignitaries and movers and shakers. From Princess Margaret and President George H. W. Bush to legendary music producer Robert Stigwood and others, leaders the world over have lauded Astarita’s skill.

Astarita continued his education in the United Kingdom where he immersed himself in a vigorous culinary environment. He then settled in Georgia in 1989 and became the food and beverage director at Chateau Elan.

After revamping the resort’s culinary efforts and establishing a new program, Astarita decided to bring his unique vision to the Atlanta dining scene when he realized his dream of becoming a business owner. Along with business partner and fellow countryman Mario Maccarone, Astarita launched C+M Gastronomy Group. For nearly two decades, C & M Gastronomy Group has brought unique and stylized restaurant concepts to the Atlanta restaurant market.

Astarita’s commitment to exemplary cuisine is behind some of the city’s most beloved restaurants, including Ciao Bella, Baraonda, Publik Draft House and his newest concept, Fig Jam Kitchen & Bar.  Among his various mentors and employers, Astarita counts his father among his most influential role models.

He still remembers his father’s mantra, and holds it dear to his heart today:

Serve the best and freshest, in-season ingredients available.  Keep the recipe simple, and let the ingredients stand out in each dish.

Astarita infuses these principles into his winning recipe for success, and he brings his passion for creative, quality cuisine to each plate he prepares.

 

Mary Waters: International Trade Opportunities For Georgia Businesses, And Christine Stadler Georgia Family Law Attorney

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Today we opened the show by exploring international trade opportunities for Georgia businesses with Mary Waters. And closed the show with our good friend family law attorney Christine Stadler.

Mary Waters/ Georgia Department of Economic Development

From 2008 Mary has been helping information technology, medical and life sciences companies export products/services to international markets as the international trade manager with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s global commerce division. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state’s sales and marketing arm and lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, developing new domestic and international markets, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.

Christine Stadler/ Stadler Law Group LLC

Christine Stadler is the President of the Stadler Law Group, a team of experienced, competent Georgia family law attorneys who serve the Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee and metro Atlanta areas. Their philosophy is to help you through your family law matter as quickly, easily and as cheaply as possible. They handle divorce, paternity, legal separation, child custody, visitation, child support, spousal support, division of property, domestic violence, and any other family law related issue. Her personal specialties are in Divorce and Bankruptcy. With an Emory law degree received in 1991, Christine is an excellent lawyer and comes highly recommended by her past clients.

 


 

 

Atlanta Connectors Special with Paul Terlemezian from iFive Alliances, Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk from BBR Marketing and Kenneth F Jones from Dynami Group

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We opened another edition of Atlanta Connectors with business alliances expert Paul Terlemezian with iFive Alliances.  Paul says the primary reason for a business to improve its ability to build connections is to increase its profits. Connections may lead to reduced costs or increased revenues – the work of iFive is focused on increasing the revenues of its clients by building strategic business to business alliances.

Next up we had on good friend Bonnie Buol Rusczyk with BBR Marketing. Her firm provides marketing strategy and services to professional services firms. By having such a narrow market, she has been able to create a name for herself and her company, and was recently named “One to Watch” by AccountingToday on their Top 100 Most Influential People of 2011

And we closed the show with Kenneth F Jones with Dynami Group. Dynami features seasoned professionals who are knowledgeable in all areas of meeting production services. We bring together the best team for your needs. We understand your need to produce a diverse array of meetings and events, domestic and international, often with little lead-time and always with a view to providing measurable cost saving.

A special shout out to our sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter.  Please go to their website to register for their monthly networking events www.bmaatlanta.com/events

Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.

 

Atlanta Real Estate Special with Flip This House Star Peter Pasternack, Melton Bennett from What’s Under Your Roof and Acopia Home Loans

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We opened our Atlanta Real Estate Special with one of the stars of Flip This House, on one of television’s most recognized real estate investment and home renovation shows, Peter Pasternack from Foundation Designs. His company designs, builds, and renovates residential and commercial property. Peter gives back to the Atlanta real estate community through his popular business networking events – Real Estate Connections ATL – you can check them out on the first Thursday of each month.

Next up we had on Melton Bennett with What’s Under Your Roof. Melton explained how a home or small business inventory can reduce the insurance claims process significantly since an itemized listing, with photographs, of all owned property can be turned over to an adjuster for settlement.

And we closed the show with Joe Dollar and Rick Fantucci with Acopia Home Loans. Through their knowledgeable sales force, prudent underwriting and experienced decision makers, Acopia has quickly developed a great reputation in the Atlanta real estate market.

A special shout out to our sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter.  Please go to their website to register for their monthly networking events www.bmaatlanta.com/events

Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.

 

Atlanta Food Scene Special With Chefs from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts

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An Atlanta food scene Farm to Table special edition featuring Chef Jae Gruber and Chef Kyle Reynolds from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. During her role as a Chef Instructor, Chef Gruber has taught more than ten different classes in culinary technique and general education. She is involved in numerous school activities and committees, in addition to serving as a Lead Instructor and Evening Dean.

Chefs Gruber and Reynolds discuss how and where your food is farmed, the route it takes to arrive onyour plate and why learning more about this topic is important to both Chefs and consumers. Le Cordon Bleu has over 1000 students and almost 40 instructors.  They teach the aspiring chef as well as the amateur. They also have classes to get kids involved in the kitchen as well. And don’t forget to check out their restaurant (one of the Atlanta food scene’s hidden gems) which serves the public on Tuesdays through Thursdays.

If you are interested in learning more about how to eat healthier food in Atlanta check out www.GeorgiaOrganics.org where you can find farmers markets, restaurants and grocery stores.

A special shout out to our sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter.  Please go to their website to register for their monthly networking events www.bmaatlanta.com/events

Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.

 

ASTD Atlanta Performance Consulting Special with Ben Roberts and Jonathan Keith From Coca-Cola Refreshments and Susan Greathead with Lead America Training

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Today we had another ASTD Atlanta Special. On today’s show we talked about Performance Consulting and featured Ben Roberts and Jonathan Keith with Coca-Cola Refreshments and Susan Greathead with Lead America Training.

Ben and Jonathan talked about the new Center of Excellence with the Coca-Cola system. And Susan shared some of her best performance enhancing tips.

A special shout out to our sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter.  Please go to their website to register for their monthly networking events www.bmaatlanta.com/events

Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.

 

Email Marketing Tips From Simms Jenkins. Plus Atlanta Networking Tips from Connectors Katy Gillis and Emile Paradis

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We opened the show with Simms Jenkins with BrightWave Marketing. He asked if email was dead yet? Hardly. With new business models centered on email as the “product”, the return on investmentstill surging and innovation occurring in the email channel, email marketing is the go to marketing platform for anydigital marketer. Simms spoke about the innovations of the hot again email channel and talked about where email is headed in the future. He is the author of “The Truth About Email Marketing”  which presented how top brands and technology are making email marketing go beyond customer retention, loyalty and sales.

Simms also covered how email plays a crucial role in emerging digital platforms, such associal and mobile. The questions of how email and social live together was not only addressed but real examplesof how to better leverage the channels for the sake of your brand and sales were demonstrated as well.

Next up we had on a couple of Atlanta’s Best Connectors Katy Gillis with eWomen Network. Katy serves the Atlanta business community as the Managing Director of the Atlanta Chapter of eWomen Network, where she not only does her own networking to the tune of 80% of her new business growth, but connects local women in business with the access to connections, resources, andopportunities to promote their services and in doing so, create more business transactions. She is serious about being a business connector, and schedules 5 hours each week specifically to connect people. Her personal mission is to meet and connect with 100 new people, both locally and nationally, every month to constantly add new value to her network base with new connections. Since accepting the role of Managing Director in February 2011, the Atlanta chapter has grown by 300%.

We closed the show with our good friend and legendary business connector Emile Paradis with Referral Institute Atlanta. Emile explained that networking and referrals have become an integral part of new business development strategy for most small businesses. Yet so many have been only marginally successful at tapping into the valuable resources they have developed. Learning some basic truths about utilizing your networks and developing key referral sources can make a huge difference in the amount of business you consistently obtain through referrals. Be sure to check out Emile’s monthly networking luncheons to learn more.

A special shout out to our sponsor – the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter.  Please go to their website to register for their monthly networking events www.bmaatlanta.com/events

Also . . . if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about, please email Amy Otto at Amy@ atlantabusinessradio.com and we’ll invite them to appear on the show.

 

Two Great Atlanta Connectors – Sanjay Parekh with Startup Riot and Stephen Brown with Cohn and Wolfe Public Relations

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We opened the show with Sanjay Parekh founder of Startup Riot. Startup Riot is a day long conference that started in 2008. The event focuses on giving entrepreneurs 3 minutes to present 4 slides in front of a large audience. The event has grown and expanded over the years. Last year, the event expanded to Seattle and we added career fairs as an additional way to help entrepreneurs succeed.

We closed the show with the first nominee in our “Atlanta Connectors” series –  Stephen Brown, Managing Director of Cohn & Wolfe.  Stephen was nominated by Cindi Kurczewski.atlanta connectors

Stephen is at the helm of one of Atlanta’s top public relations firms, Cohn & Wolfe, an international communications firm that was founded in 1970 right here in Atlanta. As managing director, Stephen is in charge of cultivating great talent in disciplines such as marketing, media relations, corporatecrisis and issues management and social media and serving national and local clients to achieve businessresults. Stephen prides himself on his tireless networking throughout town – be it with companies, nonprofit boards, professional associations, in affinity groups and of course on the newest frontiers ofsocial media. He will provide tips on networking – from working a room to reaching decision makers –and will share his own experiences of making matches between Cohn & Wolfe’s great products and services with companies in need of great sales and marketing results.