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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors Features Donna Grindle

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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.

 

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Donna Grindle / Kardon Compliance
Founder & President

After 30 years in IT, Donna Grindle has seen a lot of changes.  As a self-professed techno-nerd, she has been thrilled to test out new tech as it has come along.  Donna started in Healthcare IT as a programmer for Atlanta based, Millard-Wayne, Inc. in 1987.  When the company was acquired in 1997, Donna was Vice President of Operations.  

In 1999, Donna formed the technology consulting firm, Kardon Group, LLC, with her now wife and business partner Karla Kreitner.   Today, doing business as Kardon Compliance, they help companies manage their HIPAA compliance programs.

Donna is also a speaker, blogger, and podcaster on topics concerning HIPAA compliance as well as technology and cybersecurity for small business.  Donna and Karla are active in a variety of community organizations such as For The Kid, Health Initiative, Atlanta Independent Women’s Network, and more.  They live in the Tucker area with their sheltie, Chantz.

 

 

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.

Clint Brewer with U.S. Commercial Service, Bettina Gardner with The City Of Atlanta, Angelica F. White with ZIPPYAR LLC,

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Clint Brewer / U.S. Commercial Service
U.S. Commercial Officer

After graduating from Syracuse University in May 2003 with a degree in International Relations
and Spanish, Clint Brewer moved to New York City where he started his career in international
business working with the second largest insurance broker in the world, Aon Risk Solutions. Soon after completing a two
year training program with Aon, Clint was selected to participate in a foreign exchange program that placed him in Madrid, Spain for a period of three years, where he acquired professional language proficiency in Spanish and obtained experience advising multinational clients on their commercial insurance needs in Spain.

 

 

 

Bettina Gardner / City Of Atlanta
Deputy Director Of International Affairs

A native of Stone Mountain, GA, Ms. Bettina Gardner is a proud alumna of Florida State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Multinational Business and Spanish. Shortly after undergrad, Ms. Gardner completed her MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona.

Ms. Gardner has taught English abroad in both Spain and Chile, as well as worked at the US Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal. She spent 6 months in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil studying Portuguese as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

Ms. Gardner has worked at the Georgia Department of Agriculture in the International Trade office,  managing inbound buyer delegations and planning trade missions for Georgia and southeastern agricultural companies. Her role included assisting Georgia food businesses in their exporting endeavors.

Prior to her current position, Ms. Gardner worked as a Global Business Meeting Consultant for the largest educational travel company in the US, WorldStrides Capstone. There she organized high level business meetings across the globe for top MBA programs and universities, serving as the liason to C-suite executives at companies such as Maersk, Coca-Cola, Port of Valparaiso, Gulfstream Aerospace, Bank of England, the London Stock Exchange, the Intercontinetal Exchange and many more.

As Deputy Director of International Affairs for Mayor Kasim Reed, Ms. Gardner organizes meetings with inbound/outbound delegations, coordinates overseas trips and interacts with the City of Atlanta’s global community, including the over 70 Consular offices located in the metro area. A few of the  key programs she has organized include: the  2014 Inaugural Americas Competitiveness Exchange, Mayor Reed’s trade mission to Brazil, FinTech Trade Mission to London, Mayor Reed’s Mission to the Inauguration of President Varela of Panama, Young African Leaders Initiative in Atlanta, and the annual export seminar. Ms. Gardner holds an MS in International Affairs from Georgia Tech. She has over ten years of experience in government, educational and corporate foreign exchange programs, speaks Spanish and Portuguese and has lived in both Europe and Latin America. She currently serves as Interim Director of International Affairs.

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Angelica Figueiredo White / ZIPPYAR LLC
Founder and CEO

“Angelica White is the founder and chief executive officer of ZIPPYAR, which enables products to directly stream unique video messages to consumers. We also allow consumers to respond in a crowdsourcing like platform using mobile devices. We believe customers are one of a kind and so is the message we empower brands to deliver. ZIPPYAR patent pending technology is at the intersection of Near Field Communication, QRCode, CLOUD, Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) augmenting the relationship of brands and consumers.

Angelica likes to identify herself as an inventor, entrepreneur, business consultant and mother.  She holds a bachelor of science in Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Executive MBA from Goizueta Business School. She is the 2010 class Entrepreneurship Award recipient and LaunchPad2X 2015 program graduate. Angelica has extensive experience delivering innovative solutions to companies such as Titleist, PepsiCo Brazil and Fidelity Investments. She is visionary, strategist, personable and determined.  Angelica relocated from Brazil to the US to immerse herself in an English program with final objective of attaining an MBA to starting her own business. She was awarded her first patent acting as her own patent lawyer, and is passionate about delivering social good while developing profitable businesses.

In September of this year,  ZIPPYAR was accepted into the Amazon AWS Activate Portfolio Program joining notable startups, including Airbnb, Lyft and Spotify, to name a few. Participation in this program will allow ZIPPYAR to accelerate its product development, and provide the infrastructure to quickly scale.”

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Independent We Stand Special Episode

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Andy Darnell / Howard Brothers Hardware
Director of Marketing and Communications

I am the Director of Marketing for Howard Brothers, a locally owned and independently run True Value Hardware store and Outdoor Power Equipment company with several locations in the Atlanta area. I’ve also had the opportunity to help develop and implement web content strategy with some of the largest hospitals and healthcare systems in the country.

On a personal level, I help small businesses develop and implement best practice web presence strategy. This involves architecture, design, content creation, web development, SEO, SEM, social media integration… Basically tell the story of who they are and why they are passionate about their business.

I live in Peachtree Corners, Georgia with my incredible wife and two amazing daughters.

 

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Atlanta’s Most Trusted Advisors Features Sarah Assalti

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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.

 

 

Sarah Assalti / Sage

Sarah Assalti has been a member of the marketing services community for almost 20 years. Her experience has run the gamut from nonprofit giants like American Cancer Society, to small startups, to Fortune 500 companies such as Sage. After leaving the nonprofit arena in 2008, Sarah dove into the world of marketing automation, exploring how technology can be a friend, not a foe, to marketing and sales teams. As the Manager for Marketing Automation at Sage, she has enjoyed creating processes where none existed and removing roadblocks so strategies can move forward effectively.

Outside of the marketing world, Sarah enjoys traveling, writing, and spending time with her husband, her young son and their three dogs. Sarah volunteers and raises money for several nonprofits throughout the year including Relay For Life and various humane charities. She hopes that someday soon she will finally understand string theory and master the Rubik’s cube.

 

 

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.

 

 

Jeffrey Keppen with CBRE, Dyron Dinsmore with Bank of America Plaza, Kevin Bray with Deputy and Bryan Stillwagon with Sherman and Howard

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Jeffrey Keppen / CBRE
Senior VP

As a Senior Vice President for CBRE’s Atlanta Brokerage Group, Jeff Keppen, oversees the marketing and leasing for a number of office projects located throughout the metro area including Piedmont Center 5-8, Wildwood Center, University Office Park, 201 17th Street, 271 17th Street, Royal Ridge and Peachtree Center.

Since joining Asset Services in 2005, he and his team have completed more than 3.5 million rentable square feet of office leasing consisting of more than 600 transactions. Clients include CBRE Global Investors – Strategic Partners (CBREGI), Parkway Properties, KBS Realty Advisors, Granite Properties and DRA Advisors.

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Dyron Dinsmore / Shorenstein Properties
General Manager Bank of America Plaza

Dyron’s career in the real estate industry spans almost three decades. He began his career just out of College in 1985, with Noble Properties-Aplomb; the firm that developed Lenox Square Mall in 1956. Shortly thereafter, Dyron joined Cadillac Fairview – now Prentiss Properties – in the development and opening of what was then referred to as the IBM Tower; known officially as One Atlantic Center. Still with Prentiss, he relocated to Irvine-Newport Beach, CA to join the Prentiss team in fee management for a portfolio of office properties run by The Irvine Co. Dyron’s next move brought him to Dallas, TX where he joined the management team for what was then First City Center, now 1700 Pacific. In 1990, he returned to Atlanta and joined Cousins Properties in the opening of 191 Peachtree Tower and what was then called C&S Plaza, now Bank of America Plaza. After a few years’ hiatus working in land brokerage, Dyron has returned to his former profession at Bank of America Plaza, some 20 years after having opened the project in 1992.

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Kevin Bray / Deputy
Director of Customer Success

Talented sales professional with a strong background in mobile Internet, telecommunications and information systems. Proven track record in developing high profile customer relationships and delivering creative solutions to complex business problems that result in positive ROI. Strong problem-solving, project management, communication, and negotiation skills.

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Bryan Stillwagon / Sherman & Howard
Labor & Employment Partner

Bryan Stillwagon is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department at Sherman & Howard. He is based in Atlanta. His experience covers a broad spectrum of issues affecting the employer-employee relationship. In addition to defending against numerous claims brought by plaintiffs and the EEOC under Title VII, the ADEA, and the ADA, Bryan has spent significant time advising and defending clients in exempt status and independent contractor matters under the FLSA on both an individual and collective action basis. His litigation experience also includes representation of companies and high-level executives in lawsuits involving the enforcement of employment agreements and restrictive covenants.

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Craig Apatov with Ascension and Donna Peeples with Pypestream

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Craig Apatov / Ascension Growth & Innovation Strategies
Managing Partner

As founder of Ascension and leader of the firm’s strategic marketing and consultative sales practice Craig plays a hands-on role on many of Ascension’s major client engagements. His firm Ascension boasts 27 consultants and helps companies drive revenue growth, market share improvement, new product impact, and profitable geographic expansion. A three time Chief Marketing Officer Apatov possesses 20+ years of accomplishment in a variety of strategic marketing, general management, and consultative business development roles for multiple Fortune 100 companies. At Ascension he is often responsible for the development and implementation of game changing strategies for the firm’s clients around the world which range across industries including healthcare, financial services, industrial manufacturing + distribution, media entertainment, and retail. Craig’s professional experience includes executive roles with multi-national companies including Con Agra Foods, Citibank, GM, Mattel Toys, Time Warner, and The Walt Disney Company where he helped develop and grow some of the world’s largest and most iconic brands. In total Apatov has developed and managed strategic alliances valued at over $350 million. Apatov led major digital initiatives for Citibank in the e-commerce area, the development of AutoTrader.com, and the creation/growth of one of the nation’s largest and most successful pure play online banks — The GMAC Bank (later renamed the Ally Bank).

 

 

Donna Peeples / Pypestream
Chief Customer Officer

Donna Peeples is chief customer officer at Pypestream, which enables companies to deliver exceptional customer service using real-time mobile chatbot technology. She was previously chief customer experience officer at AIG.
She is an accomplished senior executive with extensive P&L responsibility and verifiable results in a variety of industries and global markets. Peeples is a versatile strategist who combines her keen market sense and strong orientation in top-line growth and negotiations with her experience, entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen to transform innovative ideas into profits. A master communicator, Peeples works to define business objectives and articulate the corporate vision in a way that inspires imagination and compels action throughout the organization. Whether managing cost, influencing the top line or creating vibrant and productive partnerships, her focus is on blending business strategy with creativity – touching the heart and moving the mind. The result is: true paradigm shifts, sustainable change and the achievement of overall business objectives.
What sets Peeples apart is that she has charted her path by rising through a variety of leadership, operational and revenue-generating roles in highly regulated and uniquely challenging industries. Time and again, in financial services, energy as well as original equipment manufacturing, she has introduced category-changing thinking while guiding purposeful and adaptable practices with positive results.

 

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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

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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.

 

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

KSU Shrimp Tank with John Barber with SpeedPro Imaging

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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