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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio





Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors: Why You Should Care about Social Security Planning

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Faye Sykes, Laurie Attaway and Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors interviews industry experts from in and around the Metro Atlanta Area. Our goal is to provide valuable information that all business owners and managers can use in their day-to-day work to help them succeed.

 

 

Faye Sykes / Social Security Benefit Planners
Retirement Planner NSSA, CLTC

Faye Sykes, NSSA, CLTC is a financial planner with 11 years of experience assisting clients view their financial life from a holistic approach. Faye’s company Social Security Benefit Planners is a flat fee social security planning firm that helps baby boomers understand and implement their optimal plan.  fsykes@socialsecuritybp.com 877-270-7727 to find out more.

 

 

Laurie Attaway / Attaway Linville
Partner

Laurie has been a real estate investor for more than 20 years.  She has purchased, rehabbed, managed, rented, and or sold single family homes, multi family structures, commercial properties and even trailers and trailer parks.  Laurie was frustrated with the CPA assistance that was out there for her and her partners.  So in the late 1990’s she became a CPA, retired from corporate America and began providing Entrepreneurial Services to Real Estate players.  In addition to being a CPA, Laurie has two business degrees from Mercer University and a Masters in Taxation from Georgia State University.

 

 

 

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host)/ bbr Marketing Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

 

 

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors: If you don’t take care of yourself, who’s going to run your company?

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors interviews industry experts from in and around the Metro Atlanta Area. Our goal is to provide valuable information that all business owners and managers can use in their day-to-day work to help them succeed.

 

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Kevin Kusinski, Samuel Mugavero, Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, Paris Campeau

 

 

Kevin Kusinski / Ksquaredmeals
Years ago, I was struggling with my weight. I learned, the hard way, that exercise alone was not going to help me lose the weight. I started to cook healthy meals, and tried to incorporate

principle of cooking that I had witnessed with my multiple years in the restaurant industry. I got really good at it! I decided to become a personal trainer because i wanted to help others change their life.

Years went on and I started this company because I wanted my personal training clients to see more results! I wanted to help them obtain their fitness goals quicker and maintain them for life. I love to cook and have a passion for experimentation. As the years have progressed, I decided to incorporate the ideals of paleo diet. The paleo diet, in my opinion, is an awesome way to eat all-natural, gluten-free meals that are high in protein and low in calories, salt and preservatives. I firmly believe that this diet can not only help you lose weight, but increase your energy and help you feel like you are doing good things for your body.
Samuel Mugavero, Ph.D / Smugs Fitness
Sam Mugavero is the owner of Smugs Fitness; a company providing individual and small group fitness training to people of all ages and abilities including businesspersons, full time Moms and Dads, and high school athletes seeking to participate in collegiate athletics. In addition to our individual and small group training, we also provide onsite fitness and health programs to assist businesses (small and large) in creating a healthy, strong, and productive workplace.
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Paris Campeau / Indigo Wellness
I am a licensed skin therapist, certified yoga instructor, and have a MA in Humanistic Psychology. I have recently opened Indigo Wellness, a full service day spa that will continue to grow into an urban holistic haven for both body and mind. I am a solo parent of an amazing 3 year old, who is my source of all inspiration.
 Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host)/ bbr Marketing Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

 

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors: Tax Tips for Small and Mid-Sized Business Owners

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors interviews industry experts from in and around the Metro Atlanta Area. Our goal is to provide valuable information that all business owners and managers can use in their day-to-day work to help them succeed.

 

 

Cathy Wright, Mark Fishman, Bonnie Boul Ruszczyk and Ryan Redhawk

Cathy Wright, Mark Fishman, Bonnie Boul Ruszczyk and Ryan Redhawk

 

 

Mark Fishman: Mark is a CPA and has a Masters in Taxation with several years of experience in public accounting. He joined Cain & David in 2005 as a Partner. Mark’s areas of practice include manufacturing, technology, telecommunications, distribution, entertainers and athletes, and services companies. He also is the Partner in charge of the firm’s state and local tax practice (SALT) with a specialty in multi-state tax planning, tax credits, nexus requirements, sales tax and ad valorem tax issues. He also advises the firm’s clients in international taxation.

 

 

Cathy Wright: Cathy Wright, owner of Wright Tax Solutions, LLC has over 20 years of experience in serving individuals and small businesses with their income tax needs.  Wright Tax Solutions, LLC is located in East Cobb.

 

 

 

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host)/ bbr Marketing Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

 

 

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors: Why HIPAA Is Important To You

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors interviews industry experts from in and around the Metro Atlanta Area. Our goal is to provide valuable information that all business owners and managers can use in their day-to-day work to help them succeed.

 

What Do You Mean I Have to Be HIPAA Compliant? 

While most of us are familiar with the term, HIPAA, that knowledge typically doesn’t extend past our signature on a form when we visit the doctor. Most people certainly don’t realize that being “HIPAA-compliant” stretches far beyond medical practices to anyone who has access to patient information. These companies are called “business associates” and include accountants, attorneys, HR professionals and more. On this show Donna Grindle of Kardon Compliance shares her expertise about what HIPAA is, how one can get, and remain, compliant. She is joined by Sean Joyce of Patientco who talks about his experience as a business associate as well.  
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Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host)/ bbr Marketing   

Bonnie Boul ruscyzkBonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

She is excited about the publication of her first book earlier this year, Take Your Marketing Online! Proven Ways to Grow Your Firm in the Digital Age. She was recognized in 2012 and 2013 as one of AccountingToday’s Top 100 Most Influential People and is in great demand as a consultant, speaker and leader at various industry events. She is a founding member of the Atlanta Independent Women’s Network and is the Atlanta chapter president of the Association for Accounting Marketing. She is also a regular contributor to a variety of websites, including Social Media Today, Accounting Today and other industry-related publications and has been quoted in Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, CPA Practice Advisor, and others. She was recently invited to join the CPA Consultants’ Alliance and is excited about being a part of this influential group.

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors hosted by Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk Matt Tovrog with Bell Oaks Excutive Search and Todd Stanton with Stanton Law LLC

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors interviews industry experts from in and around the Metro Atlanta Area. Our goal is to provide valuable information that all business owners and managers can use in their day-to-day work to help them succeed. 

 

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Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host)/ bbr Marketing   

Bonnie Boul ruscyzkBonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

She is excited about the publication of her first book earlier this year, Take Your Marketing Online! Proven Ways to Grow Your Firm in the Digital Age. She was recognized in 2012 and 2013 as one of AccountingToday’s Top 100 Most Influential People and is in great demand as a consultant, speaker and leader at various industry events. She is a founding member of the Atlanta Independent Women’s Network and is the Atlanta chapter president of the Association for Accounting Marketing. She is also a regular contributor to a variety of websites, including Social Media Today, Accounting Today and other industry-related publications and has been quoted in Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, CPA Practice Advisor, and others. She was recently invited to join the CPA Consultants’ Alliance and is excited about being a part of this influential group.

 

 

Matt Tovrog/ Bell Oaks Excutive Search

Matt TovrogAs a Partner at Bell Oaks Executive Search, Matt Tovrog has a passion for serving clients before and after the recruiting process and applies his experience in both sales and customer assurance to build long lasting relationships.

Matt joined Bell Oaks following his work with Cbeyond, an Atlanta-based communications provider for businesses. At Cbeyond, he thrived in a number of different roles focused on sales as well as account maintenance. His ability to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with his customers is what led him to Bell Oaks. As partner, Matt is quickly becoming a noted industry expert. He has been quoted and had guest articles appear in multiple industry and consumer publications, including WorkShifting.com, WorkAwesome.com, MediaBistro and LovetoKnow.com to name a few. He also serves as an expert contributor at TalentManagement.com in The Recruitment Revolution. A native Chicagoan, Matt moved to Georgia in the 90’s and is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in
Consumer Economics. He currently serves on the board of the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta, the only local organization of its kind with a mission to “make a house a home” by providing furniture items to families in need. As a board member, he is involved in the planning and execution of the organization’s fundraisers, including the annual Chairish the Future Gala and The Atlanta Mattress 500. He also works to develop strategic partnerships and alliances to further the mission of the organization. He and his wife Lindsey are active members of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Atlanta and currently reside in Alpharetta, Georgia with their twin daughters Emily and Avery.

Todd-Stanton-200x300Building upon his decade of “big law” experience with the reputable firms of Fisher & Phillips and Bryan Cave (formerly Powell Goldstein), and demonstrating the same entrepreneurial drive he admires in his clients, Todd founded Stanton Law LLC in Atlanta, Georgia. Seeking to combine the quality of large firm representation with the flexibility, responsiveness, and cost-effectiveness of a nimbler shop, Todd’s practice remains dedicated to the employer side of the employer-employee relationship. From on-boarding new talent and assisting with the development of workable job descriptions, personnel policies, and compensation plans, to guiding clients through sticky disciplinary, performance, and leave issues, to executing respectful and amicable separations, Todd provides practical bottom line-oriented legal advice to small and medium-sized employers.

When not working to represent the needs of employers, Todd enjoys hiking, landscaping, photography, and coaching youth baseball. He played NCAA baseball while at Washington & Lee University and his love of the game inspired him to coach the next generation of ball players. He’s active in the Georgia Bar Association’s Lawyers Assistance Program, serves as secretary for the board of directors of Buckhead Baseball, Inc. and president of the board of directors of Haygood United Methodist Church Weekday Children’s Ministries, and is a member of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Sports Network board.

Todd lives in the Atlanta neighborhood of Morningside with his wife, Ashley, their two sons, Parker and Griffin, and their rescue setter-collie mix, Hattie.

 

 

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Amy Merrill and Besty Pass with TrueWealth Management


Named the Best place in 2015 for Women to work in the US by Fortune Magazine


TrueWealth provides the advice that empowers clients to identify their personal financial priorities and make wise decisions about their money. To do that, we apply four guiding principles: TrueValues, TrueTalent, TruePlanning and TruePortfolios. These fundamentals enable us to positively impact the individuals and families we serve.

Betsy Pass and Amy Merrill with TrueWealth Management

Betsy Pass and Amy Merrill with TrueWealth Management

 

 

 

Amy MerrillAmy Merrill/TrueWealth Management
Principal

Amy has extensive experience spanning 20+ years in financial planning for corporate executives and directors. Her responsibilities as principal at TrueWealth Management include overseeing client relationships, developing comprehensive planning strategies, communicating with clients, preparing financial plans, and coordinating implementation. Amys strength in managing all facets of clients financial needs is critical to delivering the high level service clients deserve.

An effective leader within the business and beyond, Amy is married to Jonathan Merrill who is vice principal at Woodward Academy in Atlanta. They have three young boys, Jack, Davis and Will, and the family is actively involved in the Oak Grove United Methodist Church and the boys school foundation. Amy is from Charlotte, NC and she and her family live in the Oak Grove neighborhood of Atlanta.

 

 

 

www.truewealth.com    Twitter     Facebook     LinkedIn

Betsy PassBetsy Pass/TrueWealth Management
HR Support/Marketing

Betsy is TrueWealth’s operations coordinator. She diligently performs the tasks that ensure seamless firm operations and contributes to the successful delivery of wealth management services. A can-do professional with exceptional ability to tackle complex projects and add value, Betsy applies her more than 14 years of experience in accounting and finance environments to benefit clients, partners and fellow team members.

Betsy’s strong sense of commitment to others is evident in her involvement with the Junior League of Atlanta, Ten Thousand Villages and Team In Training. The Chattanooga native was a Peace Corps volunteer in Masasi, a small town in the Mtwara region of Tanzania, East Africa, where she taught chemistry and math. She lives in Decatur with her hubby and two dogs, Buddy and Lily, and loves to volunteer, read and exercise in her free time. Betsy’s favorite quote? “The sweetness of Southern women often conceals the secret deadliness of snakes” (Pat Conroy, Lords of Discipline).

 

www.truewealth.com   Twitter   Facebook 

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Ryan Redhawk and Amy Merrill

Ryan Redhawk and Amy Merrill

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk with bbr Marketing and David Klanac with Trustfuel

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Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk / bbr Marketing   

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has been a member of the creative and marketing services community for over 20 years and does not appear to be leaving it anytime soon. As president of bbr marketing, she has relished the challenges of entrepreneurship as she worked to grow and nurture a new business. Since the firm’s inception in 2009, Bonnie has led the young company to become widely recognized and respected within the professional services marketing niche, with award-winning client websites and an outstanding history of business success having worked with clients in 23 states and 2 Canadian provinces.

She is excited about the publication of her first book earlier this year, Take Your Marketing Online! Proven Ways to Grow Your Firm in the Digital Age. She was recognized in 2012 and 2013 as one of AccountingToday’s Top 100 Most Influential People and is in great demand as a consultant, speaker and leader at various industry events. She is a founding member of the Atlanta Independent Women’s Network and is the Atlanta chapter president of the Association for Accounting Marketing. She is also a regular contributor to a variety of websites, including Social Media Today, Accounting Today and other industry-related publications and has been quoted in Entrepreneur, U.S. News & World Report, CPA Practice Advisor, and others. She was recently invited to join the CPA Consultants’ Alliance and is excited about being a part of this influential group.

David Klanac / Trustfuel Linkedin Twitter Facebook

David has made a career in local Atlanta tech businesses. He led tech entrepreneur David Cummings’ first company, Hannon Hill, for several years and most recently headed up the European expansion for another one of Cummings’ portfolio successes, Pardot, in London before returning stateside to found Trustfuel.

 

 

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk with bbr Marketing, and Donna Grindle and Karla Kreitner with Kardon Technology

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk/bbr Marketing 

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk is the President and Founder of bbr marketing, a firm that 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. She attributes the awareness and growth of her firm to a number of things, one of the most effective has been making connections with others and actively networking among her peers. She is never hesitant to make introductions to colleagues with the hopes that they will eventually work together, refer business to each other or simply enjoy getting to know each other. She’s even been known to reach out to her competitors, and has made some lasting friendships and alliances because of this strategy. At the end of the day, she feels the good that can be done by connecting people far outweighs any negative impact. And who doesn’t enjoy meeting someone new?

Donna Grindle and Karla Kreitner/Kardon Technology 

Kardon Technology provides technology support and compliance services to small businesses. They specialize in businesses that are part of the medical industry.

Donna Grindle has been in the medical technology field at many levels for over 25 years. Donna is also a Certified HIPAA Privacy and Security Expert. Karla Kreitner has been in the customer service and training area of medical technology for over 30 years. Their combined expertise is what Kardon Technology is based upon.

 

Special Edition Atlanta Business Radio: Georgia Society of CPAs

Special Edition ABR today had a special guest co-host, Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk.

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk/bbr Marketing

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk is the President and Founder of bbr marketing, a firm that 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. She attributes the awareness and growth of her firm to a number of things, one of the most effective has been making connections with others and actively networking among her peers. She is never hesitant to make introductions to colleagues with the hopes that they will eventually work together, refer business to each other or simply enjoy getting to know each other. She’s even been known to reach out to her competitors, and has made some lasting friendships and alliances because of this strategy. At the end of the day, she feels the good that can be done by connecting people far outweighs any negative impact. And who doesn’t enjoy meeting someone new?

Boyd E. Search/The Georgia Society of CPAs

Boyd is the Chief Staff Executive of the Georgia Society of CPAs, he manages all staff in executing the activities, policies and strategic initiatives of the Society to the benefit of the membership. With 14 years of experience in association management, Boyd also manages the legislative efforts of the GSCPA and interacts nationally on behalf of the Society. As CEO, his work is focused on ensuring GSCPA delivers value to members by creating opportunities for CPAs to be leaders in their profession, directing legislative initiatives and advocating on behalf of the profession, communicating the most critical professional issues, delivering relevant high-quality CPE, safe-guarding the professions high professional standards, building community and developing engagement among members, and attracting the best and the brightest to careers as CPAs.

Previously Boyd worked as the Vice President of Education and Training for The Ohio Society of CPAs where he profitably managed the Society’s continuing professional education program of over 500 courses annually, as well as developed and managed events and sales.

Don Cook/The Georgia Society of CPAs

Don Cook is the Vice President of Membership and Business Development at the Georgia Society of CPAs, the premier professional organization for CPAs in the state of Georgia. His career includes 8 years in association management with an additional 8 years in government contracting and sales.

In his role with the GSCPA, Don is responsible for the member relations side of the business. Additionally, Don focuses on government relations and the issues facing the accounting profession while keeping an eye open for development of any new lines of business and opportunities that may arise. He is also a member of the American Society of Association Executives and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a minor in history from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

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

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.