Richard J. Welke, Ph.D. with Georgia State University and Andrew Hamilton with Parkmobile

Posted on August 8, 2016August 8, 2016

Richard J. Welke, Ph.D. / Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute of the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University /
Director

Richard J. Welke has been an academic and professional entrepreneur (“pracademic”) throughout his professional career beginning in 1962 at General Motors Research Laboratories.

He was founder of Methodsworks, Inc. (in Burlington, ON) and owner/president of Meta Systems, Ltd. (Ann Arbor, MI), the first CASE (computer-aided software engineering) repository and interactive development environment for software development. Both were sold to LBMS, Inc. in the UK. Beyond this, he has been CIO/CTO at Atlanta-based companies including AMTEC, H.J. Russell & Company and Parkmobile, when it introduced its first mobile app.

Dr. Welke has been a professor or visiting professor at McMaster University (Hamilton/ON, CA), Erasmus University (NL), Delft University (NL), and Auckland University (NZ), among others, over the past 50 years of his academic career.

At Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Dr. Welke led the Department of Computer Information Systems (CIS) to national prominence, started a number of centers and institutes within the college including the e-Commerce Institute, Center for Process Innovation and now the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute. He initiated the business process management stream offered by the CIS Department along with other major modifications to its course offerings.

Outside the Robinson College of Business, Dr. Welke served as interim CIO for Law Companies Group, Inc. (the largest engineering and environmental services company in the U.S., now part of AMEC-Foster-Wheeler). He also co-founded Brainworks and AppsNmotion.

Dr. Welke received his Ph.D. in management systems from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Management, his MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his B.S.E. from the University of Michigan.

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Andrew Hamilton / Parkmobile
CTO

Andrew has over 20 years’ experience in Software Engineering and Executive Management most recently as CTO for Cardlytics, the leader in Transaction Based Marketing. He began his technology career as a Research Developer with IBM in 1988, progressing to the role of Senior Architect working on government and corporate projects in the USA, New Zealand and the UK. Andrew left IBM to join promising start-up WebMD. Andrew was WebMD’s Technical Director responsible for managing the development of the flagship consumer page content management and news syndication.

On a personal level he lives in Buckhead and is married to his beloved wife of 15 years and has 2 wonderful children.

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KSU Entrepreneurship Center Presents The Shrimp Tank

Posted on August 4, 2016

Podcast: Download

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.

Richard Howe / Howe & Associates Law Offices
Managing Partner

A native of Atlanta, Richard Howe is the owner and managing partner of Howe & Associates Law Offices. As lead counsel in over 9000 litigation cases, he is a seasoned attorney and entrepreneur who combines decades of business experience with a keen knowledge of complex litigation to provide cutting edge solutions to his many corporate and individual clients. Since 1985, Howe & Associates has provided experienced and skilled Debt Collection and Personal Injury representation on an affordable contingency basis to the marketplace. Richard has achieved an esteemed “AV Preeminent” rating from Martindale Hubbell, the nation’s oldest and most recognized legal directory. This rating – which is bestowed on a small percentage of attorneys nationwide, and those with over ten years of experience even being considered as candidates – is actually the highest rating available.
Richard is admitted to practice in the state, district and appellate courts in the state of Georgia and his memberships include the Georgia State Bar Association, The American Bar Association, The Commercial Law League of America, and the National Commercial Collectors Association. An Atlanta, Georgia native, he received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University and his Juris Doctor degree from John Marshall Law School.

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors Features Cheryl Legare with Legare, Attwood & Wolfe, LLC

Posted on August 4, 2016

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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.

Cheryl Legare / Legare, Attwood & Wolfe, LLC

Cheryl Legare’s practice focuses on representing employees in all aspects of employment law, including claims of disability discrimination and retaliation, sexual harassment, FMLA interference and retaliation, gender, pregnancy, race, religion, national origin, and age discrimination, and wage and hour disputes. She also represents individuals in contract negotiations and employment separation negotiations. Prior to founding Legare, Attwood Wolfe, Cheryl represented employees at one of the largest plaintiff employment law firms in the southeast for seven years and worked for two large national law firms counseling management on employment law issues and defending employers sued in employment-related lawsuits in federal and state courts.
Cheryl is active in the Atlanta Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia, and the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers. She currently serves as Founding Co-Chair of GAWL’s Solo/Small Firm Affinity Group and as GAWL’s Representative-at-Large. Cheryl is also a member of the National Employment Lawyers’ Association and serves on NELA-GA’s board.

Cheryl is admitted to practice law in Georgia and South Carolina. She is also admitted to the United States District Courts for the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth and Eleventh Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court.
Cheryl and her husband Brad live with their dog Catfish and cat Dixie in the Oakhurst neighborhood of Decatur, Georgia. In their spare time, Cheryl and Brad enjoy spending time with friends, listening to live music and going to the beach.

Tracy Neal with Tracy Neal and Company

Posted on August 3, 2016August 3, 2016

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Tracy Neal / Tracy Neal and Company
CEO

Tracy R. Neal is a mom, entrepreneur, innovator and author. With more than 23 years of experience in corporate America, she has worked in various roles from a consultant at a global consulting firm to a lead position at a Fortune 100 beverage company. She has two companies, Tracy Neal & Company (www.tracyneal.com) and TrustIntellect (www.trustintellect.com). She also has a non-profit organization, focused on helping single parent entrepreneurs, with a specific focus on single mothers, start businesses from ideation to launch. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University in Atlanta Ga., and a Masters of Science in Project Management from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. She currently resides in a suburb outside of Atlanta. She is an active member of On Board, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the number of females on Boards in the state of Georgia. In 2014, she was inducted into the National Association of Professional Womens VIP Woman of the Year Circle 2014-2015. She is also a member and active contributor to the Harvard Business Review Discussion Group, a member of the Technology Association of Georgia, a member of StartUp Atlanta, Atlanta Chapter Vice President of Women of Global Change. She also owns 2 Copyrights and 5 Patents.

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Tracy Neal and Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson

Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors Features Colin E. Blalock

Posted on July 21, 2016

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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.

Colin E. Blalock / JONES AND KOLB, CPA
Shareholder

A shareholder with Jones and Kolb since 1986, Colin's practice concentration is in tax controversy, nonprofit organizations, entrepreneurial businesses and individuals. His prior experience includes working with the Examination Division of the IRS in Atlanta. Colin is a member of the AICPA, the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Georgia Society of Association Executives, the Financial Planning Association and the

Atlanta Alumni of Revenue Agents. Colin is a Past President of the Georgia Society of CPAs and the Past Chair of the Gulf Coast Tax Exempt/Governmental Entities IRS Advisory Council. He currently serves as a Trustee (Past President) of the Georgia Federal Tax Conference. Colin is a prolific speaker on tax topics and facilitates several roundtable discussion groups. He is very active in his community serving on the Board of Directors of the Fowler YMCA and Chair of the Finance Committee at his church.

Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk (Co-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.

WIT Atlanta Features David Bingenheimer with Mohawk Industries

Posted on July 14, 2016

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David Bingenheimer / Mohawk Industries
CIO

Highly motivated self-directed leader , results driven in business operations and information technology, with extensive industry background spanning operations, manufacturing, sales, field service, and financial services. Enterprise system (SAP, Oracle, Siebel, Hybris, SiteCore, Sterling WMS, SAP CEC, SAP Cloud 4 Sales, SAP Cloud for Service) implementation and support experience in a global environment, hands on experience with application development, application support, enterprise application integration, and infrastructure analysis on multiple software platforms and technologies. Focused on delivering business value, developing high performing teams, and continuous improvement.

Extensive experience in aligning strategic business objectives with technology enablement and transformational change. Ability to create strategic plans and execute at all levels. In depth understanding of Six Sigma, CMMi, and various business operating systems to deliver customer quality and operational initiatives. Can successfully work within a global matrix organizational structure.

Sandy Welfare / WIT

Sandy 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.

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Aaron Aycock with UserIQ and Alma G. Davis with The Alma G. Davis Foundation

Posted on July 7, 2016July 8, 2016

Podcast: Download

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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Alma G. Davis / Alma G. Davis Foundation
CEO

Growing up in an environment of domestic violence and having to endure physical abuse from a boyfriend starting at age 14, Alma G. Davis, a world-renowned entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and visionary felt it only right at the height of her success to reach back and grab those who were pushing their way forward through domestic violence abuse. Emergent as a leader in the hearts of many through her desire and dedication to serving women and youth, Ms. Davis believes in the “E2C” philosophy of educating, empowering and celebrating domestic violence survivors. Through her foundation, participants are offered continuous, year-round programming providing them with opportunities to attain employment and work maturity skills, financial security, and gain the necessary resources to transition to lives of independence. Most recently, Ms. Davis’ work and expertise was acknowledged as she was selected to attend the “United State of Women” White House Summit. Additionally, she was a finalist for the 2016 Presidential Leadership Scholars Program and received a special invitation to the White House to give guidance on Violence against Women and discuss continued strategies to combat domestic violence. Ms. Davis’ credentials reach beyond the boundaries of the United States, as she has participated in four humanitarian trips to Ghana, Africa delivering advocacy care to over 40,000 people. A native of Albany, GA, Ms. Davis received certiﬁcation as a Victims Advocate and Crisis Interventionist from the University of Georgia. She also received her MS in Management from Troy State University and a BS in Computer Science from Albany State University. Booking inquiries: (678) 957-9464 or PR@almagdavisfoundation.org

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Christina Beyer / WIT
Director Of Programming

Founded in 1992, Women In Technology (WIT) serves as a passionate advocate for women and girls at every stage of their STEM careers – from the classroom to the boardroom. WIT utilizes its programs, connections, volunteer opportunities and events to enable the development of the WIT community through recognition, thought leadership and foundation efforts. WIT is driven to help women and girls write their own stories of success throughout the full lifecycle of their careers and continued evolution as STEM leaders.

The Episode is Sponsored in Part By:

Business Writers Conference 2016
www.business-writers-exchange.com

July 27-29 • Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa

Young Harris, GA

USE PROMO CODE “BWC 20”

Veterans Connect Radio Episode 09

Posted on June 21, 2016

Podcast: Download

Veterans Connect Radio

A spotlight episode of Atlanta Business Radio and powered by Business RadioX. Co-Hosted by Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson and Brandon Skolnick with Gathering Of Angels. Featuring veteran entrepreneurs, support organizations, outreach groups and more in the Atlanta area continuing to serve our families, our communities and our country.

#VetsConnect
@VetConnectRadio

Jason Sobczak, Chris Sims, Derek Smith, Phil Kuban, John Phillips

Derek Smith / Financial Advisor

Phil Kuban / FranNet of Atlanta
Advisor

I began my career as a marketing executive at 3M Company. In this role, I was exposed to independent entrepreneurs and gained a real sense of their work-life balance, something that I had never been exposed to even as a corporate executive. This led me to explore ways of starting my own business while recognizing that I was not an entrepreneur in the true sense. I had a young family to support and taking a high risk was not viable. I began my career in franchising in 1982 with VR Business Brokers. I soon realized that buying an independent small business was far more often, “the American nightmare” for people than “the American dream”. In 1985, I shifted my brokering practice to franchise area development. For more than 30 years, I have been helping people (almost a thousand of them) realize their dream of business ownership. Since 1999, I have been affiliated with the FranNet organization, the world’s original, premier network of franchise consultants. My proven track record in numerous franchise systems has been a key factor in my success as a FranNet consultant. Additionally, I have personal experience owning and operating retail and professional services businesses. I’ve been personally involved with master franchise development and have been able to use that experience in my consultations with first- time prospective franchise owners. I always suggest a client begin “with the end in mind”. I believe that the right franchise opportunity with the right exit strategy is the key to building equity wealth. My extensive experience is an asset for anyone looking for assistance with investing in a new or existing franchise opportunity. I am a principal owner and board member of FranNet, LLC, an international franchise company. I spend part of my time contributing to growth strategies for FranNet LLC, building the value of the company. My daughter Leslie and I recently celebrated our 16 th year as owners of FranNet of Georgia.

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Jason Sobczak / Crossfit East Cobb
Owner

Grew up in Orlando, FL. Served as a paratrooper in the 82^nd Airborne Division from 1991 to 1994
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of Florida, 1997. Long Range Surveillance Team Leader, H CO 121^st Infantry, Long Range Surveillance, GA Army National Guard 2001-2005 Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom Licensed Georgia Residential Mortgage Loan Officer since 2003. Co Owner and Coach of CrossFit East Cobb since 2009.

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Chris Sims / Crossfit East Cobb
Owner

Director – Fitness Fueling Awareness (501c3 dedicated to providing relief for Cystic Fibrosis). Married to my beautiful wife Jessica Sims, Daughter – Naomi 6yo, attends Mt Bethel and will attend Dickerson and Walton. Son – Sam 5yo, will follow sis starting Kindergarten next year at Mount Bethel. Moved to East Cobb in 1985. Mt. Bethel, Dickerson and Walton Graduate 1999. Favorite Teachers – Mrs Krosner and Mrs. Jedlica BA Social Science, Current MBA student at Thomas Edison State College. US Army Green Beret. US Army Ranger, 6 Combat deployments between Iraq (2003, 2015), Afghanistan (2009, 2010, 2012/13) and Colombia, South America (2007). Just hit 16 years service in the military.

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John Philips LTC, U.S. Army Retired / Boots To Loafers
Author, Speaker, Leader / Vice Chairman VETLANTA

John has had a distinguished career in both military and civilian service. John is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army where he served in the Field Artillery as well as a Financial Comptroller. With more than 20 years of service, he served in Corps Artillery, Division Artillery, Army Headquarters and Forces Command, the largest command and the generating force provider for combatant commanders – at home and abroad. He has served in Europe, throughout the Middle East and the United States. Among his awards and decorations are the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Assault Badge.

John is the Author of Boots to Loafers, Finding Your New True North which outlines a proven process of transitioning out of the military and into the private sector. He is also a contributing author to Paddling Guide to the Sunshine State and An American Crisis, Veteran Unemployment, Stand by Them/How You can Help/Solution. He has been featured on The Mike Huckabee Show, the Dennis Miller Show as well as a number of radio appearances across the country.

John is a finance executive at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia. In his spare time, John spends his time travelling with his wife, Sailing in the British Virgin Islands, remote wilderness trips in the western United States, and helping our nation’s military and veterans make the transition into society and finding a job in the private sector.

John holds a BS in Finance from University of Central Florida and an MBA from Syracuse University. He lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia with his wife, the former Melissa K. Smith and their Australian Shepherd, Bear.

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Steve Cesari with The Cesari Companies, Denise Adamson with BioIQ, Greg DeLoach with Developmental Disabilities Ministries and Walt Carter with Primary Capital Mortgage, LLC

Posted on June 20, 2016June 20, 2016

Podcast: Download

Walt Carter, Denise Adamson. Steve Cesari, Lettie Hernandez Ongie and Greg Deloach

Steven Cesari / The Cesari Companies
President & CEO

Steve has more than 40 years of business experience having started or owned 15 companies in many different industries.
In 1992 his company, Trillium Heath Products, marketers of the Juiceman Juicer, was ranked by Inc Magazine as one of the fastest growing, privately held companies in the US and in that same year Steve was nominated by Inc Magazine as Entrepreneur of the Year. As President of The Cesari Companies Steve uses his vast business experience to teach business leaders and entrepreneurs how to accelerate the growth of their companies by creating CLARITY at all levels of the organization.
He has been featured on TV and radio and has been the subject of numerous articles including, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine and Success Magazine to name a few. Steve served on the Board of the Leadership Companies and Pro Athletes Outreach. He is the co-author of, Success is not an Accident, Secrets of the Top 1%, along with his best selling book Clarity, How to Get it, How to Keep it, and How to use it to Balance your Life and is a sought after keynote speaker across the country. Steve is married to Indy, his wife of 35 years and has four grown children.

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Denise Adamson / BioIQ
Corporate Vice President

Denise Adamson is Corporate Vice President of Sales at BioIQ. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Denise has over 20 years of healthcare sales in diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare technology. She was one of 14 women chosen by Lead Star to attend their 2016 Women’s Leadership Forum. Denise also represents BioIQ on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, TechBridge and Technology Association of Georgia. Denise resides in Dallas, Georgia with her husband, Chaz.

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Greg DeLoach / Developmental Disabilities Ministries
President & CEO

Greg DeLoach is a native Georgian, who grew up on a dairy farm outside the small town of Eatonton. Before coming to serve DDM as President/CEO he was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Augusta. Greg is a graduate of Shorter College, the Southern Seminary Baptist Theological Seminary, and Columbia Theological Seminary, where he earned a Doctor of Ministry in Old Testament Theology. Amy and Greg were married on a hot July afternoon in Milledgeville in 1988 and are proud parents of two adult sons. When time permits, he enjoys oil painting and exploring the outdoors. It is not unusual that Greg can be found pitching a tent in the Appalachian Mountains and breathing in campfire smoke or paddling his kayak along one of Georgias many beautiful rivers.

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Walt Carter / Primary Capital Mortgage
CIO

With more than twenty-five years in technology leadership roles, Walt specializes in technology visionography. Before joining Primary Capital Mortgage, his team at Generation Mortgage received very positive press from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Bloomberg and MarketWatch for innovative use of technology as a key differentiator for the company. A proven technology executive, Walt is adept at working through complex business challenges and has successfully implemented several enterprise-wide packaged software solutions. Walt is frequently asked to speak to professional groups on the topics of leadership, governance, risk management and compliance.

After earning a BS in Physics from Guilford College, he began his career as a technical officer in the US Air Force, and over the years he has served in a variety of technology leadership roles with companies such as Fidelity, Gannett, BDM, TRW, and Ajilon Consulting. Walt earned a Master’s degree in Public and Private Administration from Central Michigan University in 1991. While at TRW, he won the President’s Award for his leadership on their largest commercial project. Recently, Walt was named winner of the prestigious Georgia CIO Leadership Association’s Corporate CIO of the year for 2014.