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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio





Gary Marshall with POP Dynamics, Yuliya Bila and Ayaka Matsumura with AIESEC University of Georgia, and Rick Meekins with Aepiphanni Business Consulting

Gary Marshall/POP Dynamics

Adept at combining his business acumen with a little Southern charm, Gary Marshall has paved the way for anyone to succeed in the extremely competitive milieu of marketing and advertising. Gary got his first taste of entrepreneurship in his early twenties, running a direct wholesaling business for about five years. Exceptionally hard working, over the next few years he carved out a string of successful corporate jobs.

Never feeling quite satisfied working for others, eventually Gary created Write Here Right Now, Inc., an ad specialties distributorship. With a little money that was saved, a general knowledge of the industry and a lot of sweat equity, he grew that company into a successful multi-channel national organization.  He quickly learned the distributor and supplier nuances of the ad specialties industry. Capitalizing on an opportunity to turn an ordinary piece of real estate into an extraordinary advertising vehicle, Gary created POP DynamicsTM which offers a new, innovative outdoor advertising solution. Gary now serves as CEO of POP DynamicsTM, tirelessly building the PromoPolesTM brand.

When not working his businesses, Gary enjoys spending time with his family, serving as President of JCI Atlanta, helping other young professionals and giving back to the community.

Yuliya Bila and Ayaka Matsumura/AIESEC University of Georgia

AIESEC is a global student-run organization that connects local businesses to international talent from the top universities around the world. Through the Global Internship Program and a partnership with the US Department of State, AIESEC provides a direct link between growing companies and highly-qualified young professionals from more than 110 countries. Along the way, AIESEC sponsors visas, provides health insurance and housing arrangements and maintains administrative support for the entire duration of the interns’ stay in the United States.

Yuliya Bila is an undergraduate at the University of Georgia majoring in International Affairs, Russian and Spanish. A native of Ukraine, she has been involved at her local chapter of AIESEC for two years and was elected to run the organization in 2013. AIESEC has taken her around the country (Chicago, New York, Phoenix etc.) as well as to an international conference in Cluj-Napoca, Romania she is excited to help create further opportunities to travel for young people around the world.

Ayaka Matsumura is also an undergraduate at the University of Georgia. She is majoring in Exercise and Sports Science and aspires to become a physical therapist. She’s been involved in AIESEC for a semester and the developments within AIESEC has inspired her to become the Director of Business Development. She plans to go on an internship this upcoming summer.

Rick Meekins/Aepiphanni Business Consulting

Rick Meekins is CEO and principle advisor with Aepiphanni Business Consulting. Rick is an operations and strategy professional that focuses on helping business pursue extraordinary goals. He is a trusted advisor to small business leaders to help them create, design or build businesses that operate better, are more profitable and organized for sustainability and growth.

He enjoys working with younger, entrepreneurial companies that are seeking or experiencing expansion, and his best role is that of support for organizational leadership. Industries he enjoys working with include IT, Healthcare, Professional Services and Upscale Restaurants and restaurant groups. He has extensive background in management, leadership, marketing management, project management, development of strategic plans, marketing strategies, sales strategies and has a natural knack for learning and working with new software solutions.

Due to his accomplishments in business as an entrepreneur, he has the talents and abilities necessary to become an operations manager at a young company in IT, Healthcare, Professional Services or a restaurant or restaurant group or related industries.

Tom Wesley and Trevor Smith with The Wesley Company and Harris Konter with Raymond James

Tom Wesley/The Wesley Company

Founded in 1983, The Wesley Company builds upon a tradition of over 100 years of active involvement in Atlanta’s and Georgia’s commercial real estate industry. The company specializes in Tenant Representation, representing companies with the acquisition-by lease, purchase or development-and disposition of facilities for their business activities. Through a network of preferred service providers in the field of design, construction, legal, furnishings, communications/technology and relocation, The Wesley Company further simplifies the process of establishing its clients’ real estate facilities.

Because they do not represent landlords in the leasing or management of their properties and are not active in income property sales, they assure their clients of the uncompromised loyalty which is essential to the effectiveness of the Tenant Representative.

Tom Wesley is a 3rd generation commercial real estate broker. Born in Atlanta, he has been actively involved in the commercial real estate business in Atlanta and Georgia since 1969. Tom has received numerous awards in recognition of his achievements in his field, having consistently operated among the top producers in the Metropolitan Atlanta area.

Trevor Smith/The Wesley Company

Trevor Smith is a native of Hernando, Mississippi. At a young age, he learned what hard work and ingenuity can bring to any business enterprise.  He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2009 with a degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Real Estate Finance.

Trevor currently  works as a Commercial Real Estate Agent for The Wesley Company and is pursuing his CCIM designation.  He represents companies such as Viacom, Paramount Pictures and MTV by consulting their real estate needs; whether it’s office, retail or industrial space.

Trevor is actively involved in the Atlanta Junior Chamber of Commerce.  He served as Executive Vice President in 2012 and will serve as President of the organization in 2013.  He is also an active member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

In his spare time, Trevor enjoys the thrill of motocross racing, cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels, and sharing spontaneous adventures with his friends.

Harris Konter/Raymond James & Associates

Harris Konter is a Financial Advisor with Vidal & Whitley Wealth Advisors of Raymond James. Originally from Savannah, GA he received his B.S.B.A. from the University of Florida in the field of Decision Information Sciences. He started his career at Aaron Rents Inc. in their Audit Department and left after 2 years as their Lead Mergers and Acquisitions Auditor. In 2006 Harris started his own Financial Advisory practice with Raymond James & Associates and was named a Rising Star in 2008. He continued to better himself through education and received his Wealth Management Specialization in 2010 and became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) in 2011.

When Harris isn’t working he’s helping his community by serving on various non-profit boards throughout the city; he is currently the Co-Chair of ACCESS, the Young Professional’s arm of American Jewish Committee. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ which it awards to individuals who successfully complete initial and ongoing certification requirements.

 

ABR Special Edition: ProWIN Atlanta

Linda Zuk/FocusFive Consulting

Linda Zuk is an award winning Registered Corporate Coach, consultant and facilitator, who has worked with teams and individuals for more than 20 years. Prior to working in the business arena, Linda counseled couples and adults. Her years of experience working in both the personal and business realm have led Linda to realize that when clear, positive communication is missing relationships will break down.

From this realization, FocusFive Consulting was born. FocusFive’s work centers on Building Strong Relationships, Communicating Effectively and Growing Successful Businesses for executives, teams and individuals.

In 2005, Linda was a driving force in establishing a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, Fast Forward Restart, which has helped restart over 200 small businesses that were affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans.

Linda has worked with numerous small business owners, non-profits and government organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, State of Georgia Department of Tobacco Use Prevention, National Association of Women Business Owners, Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Crisis Management International, as an executive coach, consultant and facilitator.

Continuing her commitment to strengthening communication for businesses and individuals, Linda facilitates a monthly Brainstorming Roundtable for ProWin Atlanta that serves as a ‘Board of Directors’ for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Karen C. Hughes/Image Assets

Karen C. Hughes knows what it means to “keep it simple”. She has been teaching women how to overcome “what not to wear”, the power of color and how to maximize what’s already in their closets for over a decade.

Karen is President of Image Assets, and creator of StyleYOUniversity.com an online learning community that focuses on education, training and support for women and emerging stylists.

A graduate of Auburn University’s College of Human Sciences in Apparel Merchandising, Karen had an unlikely start to her career. Upon graduation, she was hired by a Fortune 100 company to manage and support new product installations and training. Little did she know that she was honing her skills that today have lead her to developing powerful learning opportunities for her clients and colleagues.

Having moved and lived in numerous places throughout the United States as an adult, she calls Georgia her home today. Karen is a wife and mother of 3 children and enjoys creative cooking, walking, and reading. She currently is in the process of finishing her first book which of course is all about achieving Great Style!

Ronna M. Woodruff/Woodruff Law LLC

Ronna Woodruff is an experienced bankruptcy attorney in Marietta, Georgia. Woodruff Law always offers free consultations where the client’s questions never go unanswered or ignored. Client commitment is a top priority at Woodruff Law, as they take all measures necessary to ensure that the client receives the care and attention that they deserve from start to finish.

Elisha Fields/Free Range Art, LLC

Elisha Fields is an artist affiliated with Free Range Art, LLC. Free Range Art deals in Fine Art. They sell original paintings and some prints, and are marketing the new drawing tool: SketchGenie. They have published a 21st century art book: Chiselism and the Evolution of an Artist, available at www.chiselism.com. Currently they are looking for venues in major cities for national exhibits and book signings. Having exclusively represented Elisha Fields in the past, they now plan to expand to connect art lovers with the right artists. Another project for the coming year is to find the right company to license SketchGenie.