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Digital Marketing Series Episode 05

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Karyn Mullins / JobsinSports.com
EVP and GM

 

Michele P. Dambach /  JobsinSports.com
Manager Digital Marketing

 

Thomas Harpointner (Co Host) / AIS Media

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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Tony Merendino with ServIT and Chris Markl with Georgia State University

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Tony Merendino / ServIT
CEO

Tony Meredino has over 20 years of experience in Executive level positions in the arena of technology. Tony is the former owner/CEO of BMC Solution and is also a former athlete, playing NFL football with the NY Jets. Tony is a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and has recently acquired an all organic farm with is producing organic hay and organic angus beef.

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Chris Markl / Georgia State University
Visiting Instructor of Social Entrepreneurship

Chris Markl is a Visiting Instructor of Social Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Prior to joining Georgia State, he was a Social Entrepreneur Residence at Florida State University’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement. A social entrepreneur, Markl founded Kourage Athletics which leveraged the storied tradition of Kenyan runners to create authentically Kenyan running apparel. Kourage sold products to over 20-countries and worked with Kenyan Olympians. Markl also founded and led two charity cross-country bicycle rides. Outside of entrepreneurship experience he has worked as an economic analyst in emerging economies.

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Natalie Barrow and Pam Hubby with ArtsBridge Foundation

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ArtsBridge Foundation is dedicated to providing quality arts education and community programs that engage, motivate, inspire, and elevate the next generation of artists and arts supporters. ArtsBridge provides arts education opportunities to students in grades K-12 through programs at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre including Field Trips, Master Classes, a Family Series, and the annual Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – The Shuler Hensley Awards. Since inception in 2007, ArtsBridge has served more than 300,000 students and educators from 54 Georgia counties, plus students from Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina. ArtsBridge Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. To learn more, visit artsbridgega.org.

 

Natalie Barrow / ArtsBridge Foundation
Director of Arts Education & Community Outreach

Natalie Barrow serves as the Director of Arts Education & Community Outreach for ArtsBridge Foundation, the arts education outreach arm of Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Natalie is responsible for the development, design, implementation and delivery of quality arts education programs targeted to students K-12 and related community audiences. Natalie manages four types of programs including: Field Trips, Master Classes, Family Series Performances & the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards. In addition, Natalie produces and directs the annual competition for the Shuler Awards, including the selection and training of the qualified adjudicators that evaluate these school performances.

Prior to joining the ArtsBridge team, Natalie served as the Artist Partnerships Manager at Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center. Before joining Woodruff, she served as the Manager on Duty at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre in the Cobb County Civic Center complex.

Natalie has a performance background in musical theatre and received a BA in Theatre & Performance Studies from Kennesaw State University’s College of the Arts. Natalie was recently selected for the inaugural 30 Under 30 program with the International Association of Venue Managers, she was a member of the 2014 Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta class and was a member of the 2016 Leadership Cobb class.

Natalie is passionate about arts education programs designed to engage, motivate and elevate the next generation of artists and arts supporters, which is always her goal through ArtsBridge programs!

 

Pam Hubby / ArtsBridge Foundation
Director of Development

Pam Hubby is Director of Development for ArtsBridge Foundation, the arts education outreach arm of Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. In this role, Pam is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the foundation as well as fundraising, donor cultivation, special events and community relations.  Prior to joining ArtsBridge, she was the Director of Corporate Relations for Kennesaw State University and before that worked extensively in the banking industry including at Citizens & Southern National Bank (Bank of America), Bank of North Georgia and Georgian Bank.  Currently, Pam is a member of Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta(ALMA)’s Class of 2015, ARC’s Regional Leadership Institute Class of 2015 and Cobb Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Club.

 

KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring David Gould

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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, Ted Jenkin and Lee Heisman

 

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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KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Joe English

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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, Ted Jenkin and Lee Heisman

 

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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Biz Radio U Featuring Ty Booyzen with nürltec

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Biz Radio U

Hosted by Adam Wozniak and Darren Parkinson

 

Ty Booyzen / nürltec
Co-founder

nürltec is the first company Ty Booyzen co-founded at the age of 20. Ty began the journey at nürltec with his research professor and head of Kennesaw State University’s BrainLab,  Dr. Adriane Randolph, the Director of Innovation at the BrainLab, Steve Krontz, and his personal mentor and serial entrepreneur, Chris Michael Harris. Although nürltec is just getting off the ground they’ve seen enormous interest, indicating that nürltec may be on the frontier of a revolution in the marketing research industry.

nürltec aims to deliver this revolution through advanced neurophysiological tools like EEGs, Galvanic Skin Response, Facial Expression Analysis, and many more advanced techniques that, to date, have only been used in academic research.

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors Features Halsey G. Knapp, Jr. and Jonathan Hawkins

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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.

 

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.

Rob Brawner with Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, Will Egwu and Jeremy Fox with LawnTap, Skye Estroff with Taste of Atlanta, and Jason Sheetz with Under the Cork Tree

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Rob Brawner / Atlanta Beltline Partnership
Executive Director

Rob Brawner is the Executive Director for the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership. Leveraging the Partnership’s staff and consultants, and working closely with the Board of Directors and other stakeholders, Rob leads the Partnership in its broad-based, collaborative focus on ensuring the promise of stronger communities and equitable, sustainable benefit to the 45 Atlanta BeltLine neighborhoods and beyond. His responsibilities include the development and implementation of the Partnership’s strategic plan, as well as capital and operational fundraising – and stewardship of the private and philanthropic funds that support of the construction of the project. He has lived in a BeltLine neighborhood for more than 15 years and has served the Partnership in a leadership capacity since its inception in 2006, rising to Executive Director in July 2016.

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Will Egwu / LawnTap
Founder and CEO

Wilkinson Egwu is the Founder and CEO of LawnTap, where he is responsible for the growth and management of the company. Previously, he was an advisor to OpenAirplane.com, a startup that allows you to find, book, fly, and pay for aircraft rental online or with a mobile device. Prior to that Wilkinson was the COO of ShowClix, an online events ticketing company which grosses well over $50 million in sales to date. A visionary and entrepreneur at heart.

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Jeremy Fox / LawnTap
CoFounder and CTO

Jeremy loves mobile development and his guitar. The only cool nerd with tattoos all over. Enjoys staying up to date on cutting edge technology and has nightmares of Will calling him at 3am.

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Skye Estroff / Taste of Atlanta
Marketing and Media Manager

Taste of AtlantaSkye was born with a propensity for the culinary arts, food and every relatable topic. Her close-knit family always has food as the focus of gatherings. Every tradition they keep circulates around recipes that have been passed down for generations or new experimental dishes.

Skye is a fourth generation University of Georgia graduate who majored in Dietetics and minored in Human Development and Family Science. She considers herself a culinary expert after taking a variety of incredible classes ranging from culinary labs, Food Science and Nutrition Education to Organic Chemistry and Microbiology to Intimate Relationships and Issues in The Family.

Skye wants to share her extensive food knowledge through TV. Her first appearance on WTOC-Savannah in 2010 she was quoted, “I just really like eating”. From there, she aspired to make TV an integral part of her career in food. She sharpened her skills in college by performing food demonstrations at the local senior center. Then, she transitioned to a role with Atlanta’s local food TV show, Atlanta Eats. Skye worked for 2 ½ years with the company as the Marketing Manager. She planned all digital content, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat), wrote articles and managed contributors. Skye also restaurant- scouted for the show and worked in sales. After a few months with Atlanta Eats, Skye began co-hosting weekly restaurant segments on Atlanta Plugged In (CBS). She has been featured as a “food expert” to recommend restaurants for Public Affairs (Peachtree TV) and hosted regional TV show, Dish Worth The Drive, when they explored the Athens, GA food scene (aired in 48 southeastern markets). Now Skye is Marketing and Media Manager for Taste of Atlanta, Atlanta’s largest food festival.

Whether promoting restaurants, healthy eating, travel or her southern roots, Skye strives to show people the delicacies of life and brings positivity and entertainment on screen.

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Jason Sheetz / Under the Cork Tree / Hammocks Trading Company
Owner

Jason Sheetz is an Atlanta native, growing up right here in Sandy Springs.  His love for the area and its neighborhood charm is what drew him back here to open Hammocks Trading Company and Under The Cork Tree.

After graduating from the University of Georgia, Jason began his management career with Chequers       Seafood Grill at age 23.  Shortly after, he accepted a position managing for the Liberty House Restaurant Group.  Working at Atlanta’s highly acclaimed fine dining establishments, Blue Ridge Grill and Bones,  Jason gained invaluable knowledge and experience.  At 26, Jason took an opportunity to work for Master Chef Tom Catherall, (owner of Here to Serve Restaurants) at Goldfish Restaurant. Catherall moved  Jason into the General Manager position quickly.  In 2008 Jason became the General Manager at Twist,  and then the Area Director for Here to Serve Restaurants in 2010.

While working for Here to Serve, Jason met and immediately befriended Chef William Sigley. They  shared  a vision: To open a local establishments where guests could sit back and relax while enjoying  exceptional  service and dine on dishes prepared flawlessly with the freshest ingredients. From this idea,  Hammocks Trading  Company and Under The Cork Tree were born.

Jason and his wife, Lake, reside in Kennesaw with their two children, Colton and Piper.  They all share a love for travel and adventure.  Spelunking, hiking and camping are family favorite activities.

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KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Ric Zampatti

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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, Ted Jenkin and Lee Heisman

 

Ric Zampatti / The Barter Company
President and CEO

Ric ZampattiExceptional Success

Ric is a career Georgia business owner and entrepreneur and has been a leader in the barter industry for more than 20 years. In 1996, Ric started The Barter Company in Kennesaw, GA.  Since that time, Ric has grown the company into the leading force in the barter industry throughout the Southeast with offices in Georgia and Florida. Ric currently serves as the CEO of The Barter Company, one of the premier business-to-business trade exchanges in the country serving more than 2,500 clients.

Background

Ric is a seasoned entrepreneur working with businesses that provide services in media buying, new business development, and growth. His passion is helping start-ups and small businesses grow and prosper through barter as well as sound fiscal management and common sense cash flow strategies. Ric is a four-time past president and board member on and off for the past 20 years for the National Association of Trade Exchanges (NATE). He is a member of the International Reciprocal Trade Association, The Brain Trust (a CEO Think Tank), and Optimist International.

The Barter Company provides businesses with an alternative currency network by using barter dollars instead of cash to handle transactions. The Barter Company actively manages the network with highly skilled trade coordinators making the barter experience simple and smooth. In 2016, The Barter Company was selected as one of the “Top 25” Small Businesses of the Year by the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce.

When he’s not at The Barter Company, Ric is in the sky. He is an instrument-rated pilot with over 1,000 hours of flying time.

Ric attended Ohio University with a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management.

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Digital Marketing Series Episode 04

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Daniel Jape / Reliable Heating & Air
President

Daniel began his career with Reliable in 2001 in the back warehouse stocking shelves. He then moved into the install department where he started as an assistant and later graduated to a lead install technician. Daniel is currently one of our lead Comfort Consultants where he designs heating and cooling systems to increase the comfort levels in homes and businesses. Daniel and his wife live in North Cherokee County with their darling two little girls. In his spare time he enjoys weightlifting, boating, baseball and playing with his two daughters.

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Lea Anne Davis / Reliable Heating & Air
Director of Marketing

Lea Anne Davis started her digital related career in the early 2000’s. Davis is proud to have helped launch several start ups and digital divisions such as Creative Loafing’s online classified advertising division, and Kudzu.com for Cox Enterprises. From 2010 to 2015, Lea Anne worked as an independent internet marketing consultant with ReachLocal. She has personally managed the digital strategy for over 45 local Atlanta based businesses, most of them being in the home services related industries.

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