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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio





Special Edition: Georgia Society of CPA’s

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Lynne T. Riley / Georgia Department Of Revenue
State Revenue Commissioner

Lynne Riley was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve as the State Revenue Commissioner in January, 2015. Lynne comes to the Department of Revenue most recently from the Georgia General Assembly, where she served four years in office as the House District 50 (Johns Creek) Representative. She served as one of Governor Deal’s floor leaders in 2014, and as a member of the Ways and Means, Natural Resources and Environment, Retirement and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Oversight committees.lynneriley

Commissioner Riley previously served as the Fulton County Commissioner for District 3 from July 2004 to December 2010. Riley served on the Fulton County Employees Retirement Board and the Fulton County Defined Contribution Retirement Plan Committee. She was a Board Member of the Atlanta/Fulton County Water Resources Commission, and the Chair of the Fulton County Building Authority. In 2008, she was appointed by Governor Perdue to the Georgia Public Defender Supervisory Council for the Atlanta Judicial Circuit. Lynne worked with the North Fulton Legislative Delegation in the creation of the new cities of Sandy Springs, Johns Creek and Milton.

Commissioner Riley has long been involved with an extensive group of community and civic organizations. Riley is a member of the Class of 2005 of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Regional Leadership Institute and an alumnus of the Coverdell Leadership Institute.  Riley is a Board member of the Johns Creek Economic Development Corporation, and is currently participating in the “Johns Creek Advantage” economic development initiative. Riley also serves on the Board of the Great Promise Partnership in Georgia.

Lynne Riley is a professional accountant and was Principal of Riley Accounting Services for over 30 years. Lynne is married to Mike Riley, Equipment Innovation Manager for The Coca-Cola Company. They have three adult children and one grand-daughter. The Riley family has lived in the Johns Creek community for 27 years.

 

 

 

Joel Pascaner/Jones and Kolb Linkedin

Joel L. Pascaner is a tax principal specializing in high net worth individuals, privately held entities, partnerships, S corporations, estates and trusts, not-for-profit organizations, and state and local tax matters. He also has extensive experience representing taxpayers before the IRS as well as numerous other taxing jurisdictions.

Joel is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, and The Leaderhship Team of the Tax Section of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has been an at-large member of the GSCPA Council. In addition, he has served as the Chairman of the Tax Section of the GSCPA as well as both the Federal Tax Legislation and the Georgia Tax Legislation Subcommittees of the GSCPA Tax Section, where he was involved in the drafting and introduction of proposed legislation. He is also a Past Chairman of the Depreciation Committee and the Tax Accounting Problems Committee of the NYSSCPA. Mr. Pascaner was a member of the GSCPA 2006 Tax Forum Planning Committee and served as Moderator at the Forum’s Luncheons with Georgia Tax Commissioner Bart Graham. He was awarded “2006 Distinguished Section Leader” by the GSCPA and served on their Task Force on Employment. Joel is a member of the Atlanta Tax Forum and the Atlanta Estate Planning Council. He is a graduate of the Philanthropic Advisor Leadership Institute and was awarded the “Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager” by Atlanta Magazine for years 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014.

Joel has authored numerous articles in professional and industry publications including the CPA Journal and the Taxation for Accountants.

He has served on the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Disabilities Network and the Board of Trustees of Georgia Shakespeare. He is currently on the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Finance Committee of the Atlanta Film Festival.

Prior to joining Jones and Kolb, Joel practiced as a tax professional with Stephen M. Berman & Associates, L.L.C, Laventhol & Horwath and Peat Marwick.

Joel is a CPA and received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as well as his Masters of Science in Taxation at the Long Island University.

 

John Masters, CPA, PC Linkedin

John Masters earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1969, followed by his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1975, and finally his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1979. During this period he was employed eight years in the Computer, Aerospace, and Electronics industries. During 1979 he was admitted to the Georgia Bar and received his certificate to practice as a Certified Public Accountant in Georgia and Alabama.

John has been active in professional, civic, and political activities throughout his career. He presently serves on the Georgia Society of Certified Pubic Accountants Professional Ethics Committee, and recently completed his term as Chairman of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants Tax Section. He has served as a SBA Score/Ace Volunteer Consultant, taught in the Junior Achievement Program and been a Future Business Leaders of America sponsor. He administered the “Call the Expert” on taxation program for 21 years at WGST News Radio where he also appeared as Tax Series Guest/Host. He has participated in various other radio and television tax related programs, testified at administrative hearings including the Georgia Special Council on Taxation, and held positions in other organizations.

John has taught courses at Oglethorpe University, Clayton Junior College (now Clayton State College) and the Becker CPA Review Course. For the last several years he has been an active member of the Dekalb Peachtree Squadron, Georgia Wing, of the Civil Air Patrol where he currently holds the rank of Major, and has been an active member of the Northside Atlanta Jaycees and the Decatur Dekalb Kiwanis Club. His is currently a member of the American Bar Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Georgia Bar Association, Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

John practices in Atlanta, Georgia principally in the areas of taxation and accounting, taxpayer representation before administrative bodies and tax tribunals, and related fields.

UHY Advisors

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Frank Fenello / UHY Advisors
Managing Director

Frank Fenello is managing director of the UHY Atlanta office, and leads the national management consulting practice. He has more than 20 years of experience in management and professional consulting in the finance, audit and accounting professional services industries.
UHY Advisors, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest professional services firms in the U.S., delivering financial, tax and business consulting services to companies ranging from mid-sized to the Fortune 500. The firm’s innovative Management & Technology Consulting practice provides a one-stop solution for a company’s financial and operational functions, with a full suite of services to transform a company’s performance and profitability.

 

 

David Barton / UHY Advisors
Managing Director

David Barton is a Managing Director with the firm in the Southeast and serves as leader in the Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance and Management & Technology Consulting groups. He has more than 25 years of practical experience in information systems and technology risk and controls.

 

 

Brad Baer / UHY Advisors
Managing Director

Brad Baer is a Managing Director in the Management & Technology Consulting group of the firm in the Southeast, which provides high-value consultative services to help clients meet their business, accounting and finance objectives. He is responsible for client service, client management, solution creation and delivering process improvement expertise to help clients enhance and sustain gains in their businesses. Brad has more than 20 years of experience in all facets of finance and accounting, management, client service and operations.

 

 

Cindy Hannafey / UHY Advisors
Managing Director

Cynthia Hannafey is a Managing Director with UHY Advisors’ Management & Technology Consulting group, providing portfolio, program, and project management; software selection services; and operational and financial process optimization services to client companies. She is a results focused executive with more than 20 years’ experience in analyzing existing operations and implementing the strategies, processes and technologies to address enterprise-wide challenges. Cynthia provides management consulting excelling in the aggressive execution of projects that impact a client’s internal operations.

 

 

Amy Gallagher / UHY Advisors
Principal

Amy Gallagher is a Principal with the firm’s Resource Solutions Group in the Southeast, which provides high-value custom project services to help clients meet their business, accounting and finance objectives. Amy brings over 14 years of experience in recruitment leadership and talent management for national and international professional services firms.

 

 

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors Features Jerry Jones and Kelvin Moy

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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Kelvin Moy and Jerry Jones

 

Jerry Jones / Ad Information Technology (“AdIT”) / Baseology

Jerry Jones helps manage AdIT’s advisory and IT consulting services as well as Baseology’s custom SaaS development. Jerry has over eighteen years of experience in accounting, audit and information technology consulting including eight years of public accounting experience. Audit and advisory service industry experience includes distribution, financial services, health care, high-tech, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing, not-for- profit, real estate service and transportation. Jerry’s certifications include CPA, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC.

 

 

Kelvin Moy / Ad Information Technology (“AdIT”) / Baseology

Kelvin Moy has over sixteen years of experience in information technology risk management, strategic planning, governance, operations and consulting. His information technology services portfolio includes manufacturing, financial institutions, high-tech, marketing, real-estate, construction, transportation and logistics, education, government, and not-for- profits. In addition to assisting with the firm’s compliance services, he also manages AdIT’s IT consulting projects and outsourced CIO services. Kelvin specializes in working with executive teams and decision makers to remediate business gaps with practical and scalable enterprise information technology solutions.

 

Additional Resources:

See AdIT Baseology Firm Presentation and Baseology Baseline Builder Flyer

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Cumming/Forsyth Business RadioX Episode 1: Bruce Longmore with Lenny’s Subs and Tim Campbell with Big Frog T-Shirts & More

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 Cumming / Forsyth Business RadioX spotlighting , celebrating, and advertising businesses and entrepreneurs  in Cumming and Forsyth County.

Hosted by Alex Gossett Shifflet 

Powered by Business RadioX, Lee Kantor and Stone Payton 

Welcome to the very first episode of CFBRX!!!   I hope this is the first of many shows spotlighting all types of businesses in Forsyth county.  It was such a pleasure sitting down and chatting with Bruce  and Tim.   Both men are excellent examples of successful, family run businesses that make giving back to the community, they call home, a priority.   From Bruce providing 120 free lunches for the Leukemia Society or Tim coaching the North Forsyth freshman football team, they truly personify what is best about local business in our community.   I could go on and on telling you all the ways these two and their businesses give back to the community.  They also were kind enough to come to the interview bearing gifts.  Bruce brought a dozen delicious cookies from Lenny’s  Subs.  Tim was kind enough to make a few T-Shirts with our Business RaidoX logo on the front.  Thanks Gentlemen! It was a true honor to meet and interview you.  Please come back soon and talk about the progress you have made with Lenny’s Subs and Big Frog T-Shirts and More.  Now sit back press play and enjoy the show.

 Alex

alexgshifflet@businessradiox.com 

    Alex G. Shifflet (@AlexGShifflet) | Twitter

(843) 858-2277

Please get in touch with Alex if you would like to be a guest, sponsor or host your own show on Cumming/Forsyth Business RadioX.

RadioShowSponsor.com

 

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Tim Campbell & Bruce Longmore

Bruce Longmore / Lenny’s Subs
Owner / Operator

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Bruce Longmore

From the moment we purchased Lenny’s Sub Shop we chose to be a community minded business. We are fortunate that as a restaurant we can use food to support many different causes. We have learned that one key to small business success is concentrating efforts on what business owners can do for the community and not the other way around. Please find a partial list of contributions below.

Lenny’s separates itself from the competition by offering delicious food, generous food portions, service like a full service restaurant, great catering model and a happy smile and greeting every time you visit.

Lenny’s separates itself from other Lenny’s by community involvement, networking, marketing, social media and active involvement in the restaurant. Customers enjoy coming into Lenny’s and seeing the owners actively participating in the business…not just Donna and Bruce…children David, Ashley and Jack. We are a family run business that is also community minded.

One of our goals at Lenny’s is to use Fortune 500 skills and techniques in a small business. We strive to do that every day.

These efforts have resulted in impressive sales growth through an economic crisis and recovery:
Lenny’s has grown 174% since 2008

Lenny’s has won numerous awards from Lenny’s Franchiser including:
Franchisee of the Year 2010
Million Dollar Sales Store Top 5: 2010, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Best Customer Satisfaction: Taste of Food: 2011, 12
Best Customer Satisfaction: Order Accuracy: 2010, 11
Best Customer Satisfaction: Speed of Service: 2011, 2012
Best Customer Satisfaction: Overall Satisfaction: 2010, 11
Top % Sales Growth Top Five: 2008, 09, 10, 11
Top $ Sales Growth Top Five: 2008, 09, 10, 11

Other Awards:
Business Person of the Year, Forsyth County Chamber 2011
Small Business of the Year, Forsyth County Chamber 2012

Lenny’s in Cumming has been featured in articles in the following national and local publications:
Wall Street Journal
Atlanta Business Chronicle
Forsyth County News
Horizons
John’s Creek Herald
Alpharetta Revenue and News
Around About Cumming
Forsyth Herald

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Bruce Longmore

 Get in touch with Lenny’s Subs

Facebook:  Lennys Atlanta

Twitter:  LennysAtlanta

 Website:  Lenny’s Subs

Lenny’s Sub Shop

Cumming Marketplace

1040 Market Pl Blvd

(678) 947-0336

Open until 6:00 PM

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Tim Campbell / Big Frog T-Shirts & More
Owner/ Operator / Principal Frog

 

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Tim Campbell

Timothy ‘Tim’ Campbell is Founder and Managing Partner of Bright Sky Enterprises, LLC, a family owned and operated holding company consisting of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts of Cumming, Georgia, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of Suwanee/Johns Creek and PTC Strategies.  Big Frog is a locally owned and operated professional custom garment decorating business with offerings ranging from Direct To Garment “Vintage” printing, Screen Printing, Embroidery and Vinyl applied to a wide variety of apparel and gifts ranging from t-shirts and tanks to hoodies, polos, oxfords, caps and jackets.  PTC Strategies is a management consulting and executive coaching firm whose objective is to help leaders of small and medium sized organizations develop and execute strategies to ensure sustainable growth and success through sound business planning and organizational alignment. As a growth strategist, you can find Tim at the intersection of Coach, Engineer and Builder – with the unique skill to envision it, teach it and help leaders make it come to life.  His experience gained through nearly 30 years in roles that include Vice President Quality Improvement, Vice President Human Resources, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, President and CEO of leading U.S. businesses give Tim a very unique broad-based perspective of what makes and sustains success in any enterprise.

Prior to founding Bright Sky Enterprises, LLC, Tim was Chief Executive Officer and Board member of SecurAmerica, LLC, an Atlanta, Georgia based security services firm providing a suite of security related services in over 500 commercial, light industrial, distribution, healthcare and higher education properties across the United States. There Tim developed the firm’s first strategic plan refining the firm’s value proposition and targeting both organic and acquisitive growth goals, restructured the operational infrastructure while adding new executive talent, improved cash flow and eliminated external debt resulting in improved YOY revenue by 24% and gross contribution by 25% in the first 12 months.

Prior to joining SecurAmerica, Tim spent 12 years at the ARAMARK Corporation where he served as President of two ARAMARK operating companies and was a member of the executive leadership team at ARAMARK that orchestrated a unique management led LBO to take ARAMARK private in January, 2007.  As President, ARAMARK Healthcare, Tim led the turnaround of this multi-billion dollar business segment that provides Clinical Equipment Maintenance & Engineering, Plant Management & Engineering, Capital Project Management and Food and Patient Nutrition services in over 1,200 acute care hospitals across North America.  Prior to ARAMARK Healthcare, Tim was President, ARAMARK Correctional Services providing a similar suite of services to over 600 state, county and municipal correctional facilities in North America, where he and his team grew the business to over $500 million and became the significant market share leader in their industry.  In addition to these leadership roles, Tim helped lead the assimilation of the $800 million acquisition of Service Master as Executive Vice President of ARAMARK Healthcare and served as Region Vice President.  Prior to ARAMARK, Tim led new business acquisition in the Education business unit at Sodexo as Sr. Vice President Sales & Business Development.  Tim began his business career at Atlanta based Rollins, Inc. (Orkin Pest Control) where he progressed through a number of positions over his ten year tenure there including Rollins first Vice President Quality, Vice President Human Resources and Vice President Administration/Operations of Rollins Protective Services.

With nearly 30 years of service industry experience, Campbell has shared his expertise through directorship of a number of boards of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations including the former Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Quality Resource Center, the American Hospital Association Institute for Diversity and currently The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management & Education (CAHME) and Advisory Board Member for the new University of Georgia College of Engineering.  He is closely affiliated with a number of trade organizations including the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), The American College of Healthcare Executives, The American Correctional Association, The National Sheriff’s Association, The International Facility Management Association and the National Association of College & University Business Officers.  Led by (then) Senator Sam Brownback and Congressman Danny Davis, Tim provided input to and lobbied for the Second Chance Act, which was passed by Congress in 2008.  He later attended the formal signing of the law by President George W. Bush in the Oval Office.

Tim earned both a B.S.A.E. degree and M.S. in Engineering from the University of Georgia where he graduated Cum Laude, was a walk-on member of the Georgia Bulldog football team, was Gamma Sigma Delta, and was the University’s first K.K. Barnes National Award Winner in 1984.  Since then Tim has guest lectured at several universities, been an invited speaker at 20 professional conferences and has authored or co-authored 17 published articles on topics ranging from food safety to leadership development.  

Tim is a volunteer Assistant High School Football Coach at North Forsyth High School, A volunteer guest musician with Musicians On Call at the VA Hospital in Decatur, Georgia, a guitarist/singer/songwriter, avid runner, whitewater kayaker and holds a Second Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate.  His wife Sandi, and their two children live in Cumming, Georgia.

 Get in touch with Big Frog T-Shirts & More

         Tim Campbell/Pond Owner & Principal Frog

Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of Cumming, GA: (770) 889-3764

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Tim, Alex & Bruce

KSU Shrimp Tank with John Barber with SpeedPro Imaging

Feeding Young Entrepreneurial Minds & Businesses Plans Entrepreneurs come to the Shrimp Tank to compete for funding to grow their dreams.

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

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Ted Jenkin, John Barber, Chris Hanks

John Barber / SpeedPro Imaging 

John T. Barber Biography  Franchise Development, General Management Executive, Entrepreneur  A proven executive, Mr. Barber has a diverse background in strategic management, sales and  franchise development, acquisitions, and organizational leadership. He began his career with The  Procter and Gamble Distributing Company, gaining a solid foundation in disciplined sales  techniques, execution of existing and new product management, managing key accounts, and  motivating sales teams. He quickly advanced to Unit Sales Manager in one of the largest retail  markets in the United States. (1982-1985)

Recruited by the Pepsi-Cola Company, he progressed on a fast-track progression through  increasingly responsible sales, business development, and leadership roles in both the retail and  food service industries over a fourteen year period. As a Market Unit General Manager, Mr.  Barber managed all aspects of sales and operations in union and non union facilities, where he  positioned the organization as a gold standard operation in the U.S. While at Pepsi Cola’s North  American headquarters in New York, as Vice President of Marketing Equipment Management for  the United States and Canada, he led an organization of 3000 employees, improving productivity  by double digits, with annual cash flow responsibility of $1.5 Billion USD. (1985-1998)

Mr. Barber was recruited by the Manitowoc Company to form a new operating division created  through acquisition. As Executive Vice President and General Manager, with full financial  responsibility for Manitowoc Beverage Systems, Inc, he was challenged with completing the  acquisition, assimilation and roll-up of formerly entrepreneurial organizations into a common  corporate sales/technology/distribution platform, while maintaining full customer service and  product distribution integrity. The Company exceeded $100 million in year 1 revenue (1998-  2000)

He then joined a technology start up company with a suite of POS-based wireless transaction  payment solutions for the food service, vending, and retail segments. As Chief Operating Officer  of Wirca Inc, the scope of responsibilities included establishment of operating infrastructure,  business development, partnership opportunities, recruiting, and active participation in the capital  raise process. He was challenged with gaining market share for technically advanced products in  development with high commercialization costs, during capital market decline. (2001-2003)

As the capital markets declined, Mr. Barber was hired as the Vice President of Member  Development and Member Services for Foodbuy LLC, a Foodservice Group Purchasing  Organization and operating division of the Compass Group PLC in London. His responsibilities  included leading the team in all aspects of member management including business development,  staffing, member relations, opportunity analysis, and negotiating member agreements. During his  tenure with Foodbuy, the represented purchasing volume doubled to $1.4 Billion USD by adding  new members and organically growing the existing client base. (2003-2006)

In 2006, he joined Hot Stuff Foods, a prior business partner, who had just completed a  management led buyout in partnership with business development corporation Allied Capital.  Mr. Barber’s first assignment as Executive Vice President of Development was to build a high  performing franchise development team. In 2007 and 2008, the team signed and opened twice as  many franchise convenience store locations as in any of the previous four years. Mr. Barber was  then promoted in October 2008 to Executive Vice President Sales and Development for a wholly  owned operating division, Lettieri’s Inc, while maintaining his current responsibilities at Hot  Stuff Foods. Effective January 2009, Mr. Barber was promoted to Chief Customer Officer and  Executive Vice President for Hot Stuff Foods Lettieri’s, adding the functional departments of  R&D, Innovation, Brand Marketing & Advertising, and Franchise Store Operations for 1100  locations in six countries, Equipment Installation & Service, and all Sales functions for the  consolidated company. In 2009, Hot Stuff Foods Lettieri’s doubled EBITDA. Allied Capital sold  the portfolio of companies in 2010. (2006 to 2010)

John T Barber Bio, continued page 2  In 2010, Mr. Barber focused his efforts on delivering rapid growth for numerous Quick  Serve/Quick Casual restaurant brands in the franchising industry. He was the Senior Vice  President for Focus Brands in Atlanta, owned by Private Equity firm Roark Capital. The Focus  portfolio included Moe’s Southwest Grill, Schlotzky’s, Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, and  Carvel Ice Cream. Mr. Barber was on the executive committee with the Brand President’s and  reported directly to the CEO of the 3300 unit franchise parent.

In late 2011, Mr. Barber was recruited to the position of Chief Development Officer Worldwide  for Global Franchise Group based in Norcross Georgia. His responsibilities included franchisee  acquisition and contract negotiation, real estate development, store construction, project  management & build out, and franchisee relations. Under Mr. Barber’s leadership, the portfolio  of brands (3000 plus store locations in 36 countries) including Great American Cookies,  PretzelMaker, Maggie Moo’s Treatery, Marble Slab Creamery, and The Athlete’s Foot Shoe  Stores grew franchise deals signed by 300% and store openings worldwide by over 250%.

In 2013, the founder of Paratus Health Systems contracted Mr. Barber to assist in reacquiring the  company and to build operational capabilities and profitability. 2014 was a record sales year for  Paratus increasing net profit by over 800%. He currently serves as a Board Member and Advisor  to Paratus Health Systems.  In 2014, Mr. Barber, after several years of requests, joined privately held Chester’s International  as Senior Vice President of Franchise Development. On behalf of ownership, he resurrected and  completed negotiations for International Master Franchise agreements in Europe and the GCC  countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE/Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman).  Since 2015, Mr. Barber founded Rapid Growth Partners, a growth consultancy firm to the Food &  Beverage Industries (currently serves as the President and CDO), he is the President, Treasurer,  and Director of H&J Resources Inc. in Midland Texas, and he is a Partner/Owner and the CCO of  SpeedPro Imaging of NorCross Georgia.

Mr. Barber is a current Board Member of The United Intentions Foundation, a Board member of  Hedgehog Lacrosse, a Board member of Paratus Health Systems, a past Board member of Studio  RG Technologies, and a Committee Member of the 2016 Azalea Festival to benefit the  Endowment Fund of The Cottage School in Roswell Georgia. He has held licenses in Real Estate  since 2003 and is a 2011 graduate of the Alpharetta Public Safety Citizens Academy.  Mr. Barber has also been a past member of The International Franchise Association, The  Association of Healthcare Foodservice Management, The International Council of Shopping  Centers, The National Association of Convenience Stores Hunter’s Club, The National  Association of College & University Food Service, and the National Association of College and  Auxiliary Services. He is a recent inductee (2016) in the Southeast Chapter of BNI.

John Barber graduated from the University of Minnesota and holds a Bachelor of Science degree  in Business Administration from the Carlson School of Management and an Associate in Liberal  Arts degree.

Contact information:  John T Barber  Alpharetta, Georgia, USA
Domestic: 770.712.7708
International: 001 770.712.7708
Email: rapidgrowthpartners@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https:www.linkedin.com/in/johntbarber
Skype:john.barber9090

 

WIT Atlanta features David Rodriguez with Fiserv

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David Rodriguez / Fiserv
VP of Quality and Release Management, Electronic Payments

David Rodriguez is Vice President, Quality and Release Management, Electronic Payments at Fiserv. He has almost 30 years of experience in software quality assurance, systems analysis and software development.  David graduated from California State Polytechnic University with a Bachelor of Computer Information Systems & Business Administration.

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) is a leading global provider of information management and electronic commerce systems for the financial services industry, providing integrated technology and services that create value and results for our clients. Fiserv drives innovations that transform experiences for more than 13,000 clients worldwide.

LinkedIn

 

 

Sandy Welfare /  WIT 

Sandy D. Welfare is the Executive Director of Women In Technology (WIT). Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of Cool Girls Inc, an award-winning early intervention after-school program dedicated to the empowerment of girls (2009-2015).

Sandy’s career began in 1989 in Greenwich, Connecticut where she joined Rand Insurance as the Controller. Six years later, she accepted a position with Lucent Technologies, an international telecommunications leader, holding a number of positions including serving as Accounting and Treasury Manager in Singapore (1999-2000) and then as Senior Manager in Australia and New Zealand (2000-2002). Sandy returned to Atlanta in 2002 as Senior Manager of Global Financial Services.

In 2003, Sandy accepted a position as Director of Operations for Xchanging, a business processing outsourcing company. In 2006, her career took her to London, England as Managing Director for professional services, where she managed global business processing services for bank financial transactions, insurance and retail.

Sandy received her undergraduate degree from St. John’s University in New York, and a Master of Business Administration from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. She serves on the board of several non-profits, including Kiwanis Club of Atlanta. Sandy resides in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, Cliff and son, Soloman.

Twitter     Twitter(Sandy)      LinkedIn

KSU Entrepreneurship Center Presents The Shrimp Tank

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 and Ted Jenkin.

 

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Zach Zelner / Penny Delivers

In 2012, Zach dropped out of his freshman year at Florida State University and launched a cookie delivery startup out of his apartment with $124 in capital. In the years following, Zach independently bootstrapped company growth to 3 retail locations across Florida and over 100 employees making 30,000+ deliveries/month. 
His background in delivery was the inspiration to launch Penny, a 1¢ restaurant delivery startup and full-service delivery outsourcing system. Since June 2015, Penny has exploded into a team of 185 drivers and $8MM in revenue. When Penny expanded to Atlanta in 2016, Zach and his team relocated from Florida and set up HQ in Midtown where they currently operate.

Twitter

Digital Marketing Series Episode 01

Dr. Jeff Semel / Atlanta Medical Institute

Optimum health is no longer as simple as being born with a good set of genes. It’s a proactive choice each person has to make. Living in a toxic environment requires an aggressive program, and a visionary captain at the helm. Dr. Jeff Semel, one of Atlanta’s leading physicians and pioneer of wellness, is realizing his holistic vision for health by offering advanced anti-aging medicine at Atlanta Medical Institute. Dr. Semel is a graduate of Life College and a post-graduate of The National College of Chiropractic specializing in Physiological Therapeutics, along with a license to practice in both Georgia and New York. He is specialized in holistic medicine as well as an expert in anti-aging medicine.  Throughout his career, Dr. Semel has worked extensively within the community to raise awareness of prevention and natural alternatives to wellness designed to retard the aging process. Dr. Semel is a board-certified member of the American Chiropractic Association for the past 16 years as well as a preferred physician for Fulton County. He is a well-known national speaker in the field of anti-aging medicine. Dr. Semel is one of the first doctors in Georgia to complete a fellowship and diplomate in anti-aging. He is also currently pursuing a master’s in functional medicine/anti-aging. He is considered one of the leading authorities on bioidentical hormone balancing, anti-aging medicine, and wellness in Georgia.

 

 

 

Thomas Harpointner (Co Host) / AIS Media
CEO

Thomas Harpointner is founder & CEO of AIS Media, Inc., an Atlanta-based, award-winning digital marketing firm. Thomas is a recognized subject matter expert on digital marketing strategy development and execution.

Thomas has served as a keynote speaker at trade organizations, conferences, and corporate events. He has appeared on Fox Business, Bloomberg Television, CNN Radio, CNBC, The Advertising Show, The Today Show and many other TV and radio programs. He’s been featured in publications such as Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Forbes, CFO, AJC, Fortune, and Wired.

At AIS Media, Thomas consults executives at leading companies on digital strategy. He’s led hundreds of digital marketing initiatives for clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations such as AT&T, Synovus Financial, Emory Healthcare, Wake Forest Innovations, Pfizer, and Maui Jim Sunglasses. Under his leadership, AIS Media has been recognized with dozens of prestigious industry awards.

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SaaS Spotlight Episode Featuring User IQ and QASymphony

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Aaron Aycock / User IQ
CEO & Founder

Nominated for the 2013 Georgia CIO of the Year, Aaron Aycock has an unmatched passion for building the worlds best SaaS products. With more than 15 years of experience leading technical teams that have built and launched highly sophisticated software applications, Aaron is a true leader in his field. Aaron received his MBA from Duke University.

Currently, Aaron is CEO and Founder of UserIQ, a Customer Growth Platform that works with B2B SaaS companies to help them retain and expand revenue while mitigating churn and increasing referrals. In March 2016, UserIQ was designated as a Top 10 Most Innovative Technology Startup by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG).

Prior to founding UserIQ, Aycock was the CIO of TRX, a public company that was sold to Concur. At TRX, Aaron experienced first-hand the difficulty many SaaS companies have in effectively engaging with their users. That was when he first realized that there was a major opportunity to help SaaS companies interact more effectively with their customers. He knew that there needed to be a solution to pick up where other marketing automation tools left off during the customer journey. Thats why UserIQ was developed: to help SaaS companies grow profitable revenue by engaging with the right user at the right time with the right message – and all without any custom coding.

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Kyle Cochran / QA Symphony
VP of Operations

Kyle Cochran is the Vice President of Product Management and Success at QASymphony. Kyle has over 17 years of software product management and strategy experience in mobile, cloud, software-as-a-service (SaaS) and traditional client-server software development environments. Over the last 6 years, Kyle has been using the latest in agile and software delivery to optimize software delivery.

Previous to QASymphony, Kyle joined Firethorn in 2005 as the 3rd full-time employee. He worked with top wireless partners to launch the first domestic Mobile Banking applications for key Financial Institutions. After the company was acquired by Qualcomm in 2007, Kyle continued to lead product strategy for Firethorn in the Mobile Payment and Commerce domain.

Prior to joining Firethorn, Cochran managed the technical vision and roadmap for Employease, now a Division of ADP. He began his career with Andersen Consulting specializing in Human Resources, Benefits and Payroll systems consulting for clients including major financial institutions and state governments.

Mr. Cochran holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

 

 

 

Terri Denison with U.S. Small Business Administration, Kris Vaughn with GeorgiaForward and Josh Stephens with Georgia Department of Economic Development

 

Terri Denison / U.S. Small Business Administration
District Director

Terri Denison is the Georgia District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In this role since May 2002, she is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the SBA’s financial, counseling/training and business development programs for small businesses throughout Georgia. Terri began her SBA career in 1987 as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Agency’s Washington, D. C. District and Headquarter Offices. Other positions included working with the Agency’s Minority Enterprise Development and One Stop Capital Shop programs and Office of Field Operations. In 1994, she served as the SBA representative on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community Interagency Task Force. In the fall of 2000, she was one of seven individuals nationwide selected for the SBA’s District Director’s Candidate Development Program. Assignments included serving as the Acting Deputy District Director in the Los Angeles District Office and the Acting District Director in Wisconsin. As Georgia District Director, Terri has been recognized by the Atlanta Business League, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Microenterprise Network, Greater Atlanta Economic Alliance, Atlanta Business Chronicle and Who’s Who in Black Atlanta. Terri holds a B.A. Degree in American Government from Cornell University and an M.A. Degree in Urban Studies from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. A native of Corpus Christi, Texas, Terri currently serves as the Vice President of the Cornell Alumni Association of Atlanta and a member of the Cornell University Council. Other personal interests include ballroom dancing and travel.

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Kris Vaughn / GeorgiaForward
Executive Director

Kris Hattaway Vaughn serves as the Executive Director of GeorgiaForward, a statewide nonprofit working to unite Georgia through strengthened young leadership focused on community and economic development. Kris is no stranger to GeorgiaForward and its leading program, Young Gamechangers. She was in the inaugural class of Young Gamechangers and served as Program Director for its second class. Prior to joining GeorgiaForward, she served Senior Executive Assistant of Strategic Planning at the Macon Water Authority, an award winning water and sewer utility in Macon, Georgia. For five and half years before that she was the Director of Place for NewTown Macon as a leading member of the development team transforming downtown Macon. Kris is an active volunteer with the Junior League of Macon and the Macon Rotary Club. Kris is a 2008 graduate of the University of Georgia’s Grady School of Journalism. She is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Macon as well as the Georgia Academy of Regional Economic and Leadership Development.

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Josh Stephens / Georgia Department of Economic Development 
Project Manager

Enterprising and service-minded professional with experience in economic development, public relations and policy, project management, relationship building and business development.

Specialties: Leadership, Sales, Marketing, Economic Development, Business Development, Project Management, Relationship Building, Public Relations, Public Policy, Government Relations

 

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