Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio
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Brian Miller / Sprint
Regional President GA, AL & TN
Brian is responsible for sales strategy, network oversight, customer service, marketing communications and general operations supporting the full portfolio of Sprint products and services from enterprise to consumer in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
Fred Burke / Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition
Vice-Chairman
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Lucia Smeal / Georgia State University
Lucia Smeal, a native Atlantan, is an attorney, a tax Professor with Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, and former editor of Tax Notes Today, published by noted think-tank Tax Analysts. Smeal also worked as a legislative analyst for the Congressional Research Service and is a former member of the U.S. House Periodical Press Corps.
She is a frequent speaker on current tax developments, including federal tax reform.
Joel Pascaner / Jones and Kolb 
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 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.
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Chris Dull / Global Franchise Group
President and CEO
Chris Dull is the President and CEO of Global Franchise Group – the strategic brand management company behind four popular QSR brands – Great American Cookies®, Pretzelmaker®, Marble Slab Creamery/MaggieMoo’s® and Hot Dog on a Stick®. He began his career in franchise management more than 20 years ago when he started as a store manager with Marble Slab Creamery. He quickly rose to the position of Executive Vice President and directed an extensive franchise development program that resulted in the opening of more than 300 domestic Marble Slab Creamery units. He also took the brand international – implementing a master franchising program that resulted in the brand’s expansion into Canada, the Middle East and Korea. Most recently, Chris was the champion behind GFG’s acquisition of Hot Dog on a Stick, pulling the famous brand out of bankruptcy and opening new stores across the country.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s from Baylor University, is an active member of the International Franchise Association (IFA), and has received the distinction of Certified Franchise Executive (CFE). He is also a two time Iron Man.
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Bryan Keller
Bryan Keller is a senior at KSU, graduating in May with a business management degree and finance minor. Bryan’s passion is music, specifically guitar, and he enjoys utilizing that passion for worship. Because of this passion, Bryan decided to start a company called Keller Guitars, which sells acoustic/electric guitars with different bible verses burned or foil pressed onto the face of the piece. Bryan began the venture only 3 months ago, so it is very new, but will be launching its first line of acoustic guitars in March, 2017. This line will be called The Carpenter Series and will display Psalms 95 on the guitar.
Rotey
Rotey was born in a relatively small town named Waterloo, Iowa, where he spent his early childhood. When Rotey was 9 years old, he moved south to the metro Atlanta area. It was shortly after the move, when Rotey’s parents split up, and his Father moved back north to Chicago, leaving his mother to provide for the two of them, and a young Rotey with plenty of time alone. It was during this isolation that his passion for hip hop was born. Rotey bought his first “rhyme book” in high school, and hasn’t looked back since. What started out as just a way to express himself, has since blossomed into a full-blown career as both an artist and producer, sweeping across college campuses in the southeast. Fueled by a relentless ambition, Rotey’s fast paced wordplay and emotionally packed memoirs, coupled with his charming charisma and sharp wit, ensure the young MC is not only here to stay, but to thrive.
Joey Ruse
Joey Ruse is a junior at Kennesaw State in the Entrepreneurship Program. He is the Vice President of Kennesaw State’s Enactus team, an organization dedicated to economic empowerment through sustainable, entrepreneurial action. He is also the Project Manager for Art’NspirED, a business which fulfills the Enactus principles by creating American markets for handmade goods from artisans in developing countries. In addition to serving as the Vice President of External Affairs for the Epsilon Nu Tau Entrepreneurship Fraternity which is starting at Kennesaw State. Joey is the marketing intern at AquaGuard Foundation Solutions in Marietta, GA.
In his free time, Joey works on his first novel, The Freedom Initiative, consults aspiring college entrepreneurs, and tries to keep a consistent gym schedule.
Elise Akin
Elise Akin is a senior at Kennesaw State University. Elise loves baking and the entire atmosphere of surfing, so she’s opening a half-bakery, half-longboarding shop called Bake and Skate. Elise has lived on every continent except Australia. Her heart aches for the women she’s lived with who create beautiful hand-crafted goods, but don’t get nearly as much as they deserve for their products. Elise has plans to incorporate her not-for-profit, Sew The World Knows, and will sell the products in her shop. Profits from sales will go back to their villages.
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Tony Marzullo / Gas Motorcars, Inc.
Founder
Founded in 2011 by lifelong automotive enthusiast and Atlanta native Tony Marzullo, Gas Motorcars, Inc. is a family-owned and operated car dealership with headquarters located in Marietta, Ga. After spending several years in retail sales with AM General and Hummer, Marzullo decided in 2000 to open Global Auto Solutions, a full-service automotive concierge. Global’s mission was to help private individuals buy and sell vehicles. Acting as an independent broker allowed Marzullo to use his informed automotive knowledge in an objective fashion. Global never pressured a prospective buyer toward any specific product. Instead, Global’s mission was to find the right fit for the customer. This principled set of values, still maintained today, results in customers purchasing only what they need.
For over 12 years, Global Auto Solutions, and now Gas Motorcars, Inc., transformed the car purchase and sale into the business of helping people save time and save money. Gas Motorcars’ clients consist of professional athletes, business owners, executives of Fortune 500 companies, doctors, attorneys, accountants, school teachers, housewives, and anyone who recognizes that their time is valuable and that the task of finding the proper vehicle is one that is best delegated to Gas Motorcars. Gas Motorcars, Inc. is a fully licensed and bonded car dealer in the state of Georgia. Gas Motorcars goal is to sell vehicles of only the highest quality. We do not sell cars with mystery stories. We do not charge extra fees. We do not waste our clients’ time. We provide a comfortable experience, free of hassle, with an honest approach to buying and selling cars. We know what we sell: the majority of the vehicles listed for sale are on consignment from existing clients, friends, and family. What we do: Pre-owned vehicle sales Pre-owned vehicle consignment sales Vehicle purchasing assistance Vehicle reconditioning Vehicle repair Wheel and tire repair Automotive shipping (both domestic and international).
Robyn Marzullo / Norcross Gun Club & Range/ Sandy Springs Gun Club & Range
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Stan Friedman / FRM Solutions
President
Stan Friedman, CFE is President of FRMSolutions a “franchise-centric: technology company that enables franchisors to better manage relationships with prospective and existing franchisees.
Stan is a Board Member of the Southeast Franchise Forum and a founding board member of the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Diversity Institute, In 2011, the IFA honored Friedman with its Ronald E. Harrison Diversity Award, previously awarded only seven times in IFA’s 5o+ year history.
Stan is also co-founder and Advisory Board Chair of (PAFI) The Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative. PAFI is a collaborative that educates twilight year professional athletes to the potential of franchise ownership, as a follow-up to their athletic careers.
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Derrick Meek / The GreenSeason Group
Founder
Derrick founded The GreenSeason Group because he wanted to do business differently. His family, particularly his mother, influenced his old school way of doing business. There’s no snake oil here – for Derrick, business is about honesty, helping others succeed and a passion for excellence. Calling himself a landscape evangelist, Derrick believes there’s something magical about a beautiful landscape and being able to deliver beauty coupled with an awesome client experience is what it’s all about.
Growing up, Derrick’s entrepreneurial talents were always encouraged by his mother and father – something he’s very grateful for as, he laughs, “I never imagined mowing the neighbor’s grass in middle school to support his fishing habit would later develop into a calling”.
If he’s not spending time with his wonderful wife, or chasing his four boys around, he’s nose-deep in a book, or working on what seems like an ever growing honey-do list. He’ll tell you his inspiration comes from his faith, his family, and a never ending desire to win.
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David Gould / Thermopro
President/CEO
David Gould has been a business owner and entrepreneur for 40 years. Originally from Long Island, NY, David joined his family’s business, Gould Products, in 1977, selling plastic storage containers to the material handling industry. The family moved the business to Boynton Beach, FL in 1978, where sales began to grow rapidly through expanded distribution of our products. In 1982, David’s brother Michael joined the business to spearhead sales and marketing. To gain a stronger foothold in the marketplace, we decided to move the business to a more strategic, centralized location in Metro Atlanta in 1992.
Shortly thereafter, we expanded a budding product line of clear, wall hanging magazine and pamphlet racks sold to the office products industry. The company soon focused on the office products line rather than the materials handling products, due to less completion and better profit margins. In 1998, we moved our facility from Lawrenceville to Duluth, GA, where we began to manufacture what we sold through a process called plastic vacuum forming. (We had previously contracted the manufacturing to other companies.) So by changing what we sold and by manufacturing our own products, we completely reinvented our business. This proved fortuitous as office product sales grew for several years.
In 2005, we introduced a new product, the Prize Wheel, which was sold through promotional products dealers. A year later, in 2005, we sold our office products to a company from Minneapolis who, to this day, still contracts us to manufacture the products for them. Additionally, we began to contract other custom vacuum forming business from a variety of companies to supplement our proprietary promotional products. In the same year, we renamed our parent company, “Thermopro”, promoted for contract manufacturing, with a DBA, “Games People Play” for our proprietary products. For the past several years, we’ve enjoyed steady sales at good gross margins and very positive cash flow.
David has a BA in Biology from the State University of NY at Buffalo and an MS in Microbiology at Long Island University.
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Joe English / Taylor English
Partner
Joe English works in close partnership with his clients to provide practical and cost-effective business solutions to employment law issues. Mr. English has earned a reputation as a trusted counselor for his business clients, providing day-to-day advice on general employment-related matters, including risk management and preventative practices. When clients are faced with a legal claim arising from employment practices, Mr. English is an effective advocate for management, regularly defending employers in employment litigation and arbitration cases. Mr. English’s litigation practice has included restrictive covenant claims, complex class-action litigation, employee benefits lawsuits, wage and hour matters, and the spectrum of employment discrimination and retaliation claims. Mr. English has nearly 20 years of experience representing clients in claims that trigger an employer’s Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) coverage, working with clients and insurance carriers to coordinate the defense of insured employment-related claims in a cost-effective and efficient manner.
Mr. English enjoys working with early-stage companies, and helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses while developing best practices and legal safeguards in employment and related areas. At the same time, Mr. English is able to work with human resources professionals and in-house attorneys at more established employers, assisting them in remaining legally compliant despite an ever-changing landscape of laws and regulations at the federal, state and local levels.
Mr. English is a founding member of the Executive Advisory Council for the KSU Entrepreneurship Center, and a participating member with the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs.
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Halsey G. Knapp, Jr. / Krevolin & Horst, LLC
Partner
Halsey is described as an “aggressive and attentive litigator with good trial experience and a strong reputation for business break up cases (Chambers).” Halsey has been recognized by his peers as a top 100 Lawyer in Georgia since 2009 and as a Super Lawyer since 2004, which suitably fits the pre-eminent business litigation practice of Krevolin Horst. Halsey received his undergraduate degree in 1977 from Cornell University before earning his law degree in 1980 from Emory University School of Law, where he received the Best Brief Award in the Law Day Competition and served as President of the Student Bar Association. His association with Emory continues to this day as a Master, Executive Committee Member and former President of the Lamar Inn of Court and a member of its Board of Law Advisors.
Halsey frequently speaks on jury selection, business litigation and alternate dispute resolution topics. He is also a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal’s Risk & Compliance Journal. Halsey Knapp regularly advises clients on crisis management and best practices with particular emphasis on business arrangements, limited liability entity operating agreements, graceful employment departures, and more antagonistic, high stakes, “bet the company” business divorces and litigation.
Jonathan Hawkins / Krevolin & Horst, LLC
Partner
Jonathan E. Hawkins is a partner at the law firm of Krevolin & Horst, LLC. Whether it be as trusted advisor, outside general counsel, or as a litigator, he provides guidance where legal issues, risk management, and business strategy intersect. Jonathan also serves as outside general, business, and ethics counsel to lawyers and law firms and assists them in risk management, law firm structuring, partnership agreements, employment agreements, of counsel agreements, lateral moves, separation agreements, law firm dissolutions, attorney fee disputes, employment issues, and ethics advice. Jonathan maintains a robust trial practice and represents clients in numerous business sectors in high-stakes complex commercial litigation. His cases typically involve significant and complex business fraud, tort, contract, and fiduciary duty claims. He also publishes a blog dedicated to discussing the business and law of lawyering at www.alawyershandbook.com.
Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Host) / bbr Marketing
President
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.
