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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio





Atlanta Business Radio

Month: January 2017

Lara O’Connor Hodgson with NOW Corp

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Lara OConnor

Lara O’Connor Hodgson / NOW Corp

Lara O’Connor Hodgson is a founder of NOW Corp and has served as its President and CEO since its inception.

Lara has launched both product and service businesses, raised capital, and served in executive management roles with Nourish (a patented consumer product for children), Insomnia Consulting LLC (an infrastructure development company), Dewberry Capital Corporation, DCH (a $400M private equity firm in which she was a founding principal), Dunk (a performance footwear and apparel brand), and iXL, an Internet development company. With extensive experience in brand development, corporate strategy, business development, marketing, and operations, Lara has worked with companies such as Nike, Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Keds, and others.

A member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2004 and the Leadership Georgia Class of 2005, she was recently honored by the Georgia Tech Athletic Association with the Total Person Alumnus Award and by the Georgia Tech Women in Engineering as Alumnus of the Year. Lara is a member of the Georgia Tech Young Alumnus Hall of Fame and is an internationally recognized speaker on innovation and creativity.

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KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Tony Marzullo

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Tony Marzullo

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

 

Tony Marzullo / Gas Motorcars, Inc.
Founder

Tony Marzullo Founded in 2011 by lifelong automotive enthusiast and Atlanta native Tony Marzullo, Gas Motorcars, Inc. is a family-owned and operated car dealership with headquarters located in Marietta, Ga. After spending several years in retail sales with AM General and Hummer, Marzullo decided in 2000 to open Global Auto Solutions, a full-service automotive concierge. Global’s mission was to help private individuals buy and sell vehicles. Acting as an independent broker allowed Marzullo to use his informed automotive knowledge in an objective fashion. Global never pressured a prospective buyer toward any specific product. Instead, Global’s mission was to find the right fit for the customer. This principled set of values, still maintained today, results in customers purchasing only what they need.

For over 12 years, Global Auto Solutions, and now Gas Motorcars, Inc., transformed the car purchase and sale into the business of helping people save time and save money. Gas Motorcars’ clients consist of professional athletes, business owners, executives of Fortune 500 companies, doctors, attorneys, accountants, school teachers, housewives, and anyone who recognizes that their time is valuable and that the task of finding the proper vehicle is one that is best delegated to Gas Motorcars. Gas Motorcars, Inc. is a fully licensed and bonded car dealer in the state of Georgia. Gas Motorcars goal is to sell vehicles of only the highest quality. We do not sell cars with mystery stories. We do not charge extra fees. We do not waste our clients’ time. We provide a comfortable experience, free of hassle, with an honest approach to buying and selling cars. We know what we sell: the majority of the vehicles listed for sale are on consignment from existing clients, friends, and family. What we do: Pre-owned vehicle sales Pre-owned vehicle consignment sales Vehicle purchasing assistance Vehicle reconditioning Vehicle repair Wheel and tire repair Automotive shipping (both domestic and international).

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Robyn Marzullo / Norcross Gun Club & Range/ Sandy Springs Gun Club & Range

Robin Marzullo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Peters with Citizens Bank, Jay Jhun with AIMA and RJ Harrington with Twenty and 3

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Citizens Bank

 

Brian Peters / Citizens Bank
Southeast Regional Executive

Brian Peters joins Citizens following a successful 20-year career at SunTrust, where he most recently served as Head of National Corporate Banking, leading a geographic expansion that included the opening of seven new offices. Peters has a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Western Kentucky University and a Master of Business Administration (Finance) from Indiana University. He will be based in Atlanta, where he has served clients and the community since 1991.

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Jay Jhun / Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association
President

Jay Jhun was elected to serve as AIMA’s 2017 President after serving in multiple capacities as a volunteer and board member over the course of the last 6 years. An Atlanta transplant from the SF Bay Area, He has worked at some of Atlanta’s top digital marketing agencies and is now an IBMer working in the Watson Marketing group.

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Amanda Sparks / Response Mine Interactive
Director of New Client Development

RMI specializes in acquiring customers through content marketing, social media, SEO and PPC and focuses on enlarging the client bases of companies providing e-commerce, home services and health, wellness and fitness services.

Amanda Sparks’ transition into this position came at the end of three years guiding the recruiting processes of RMI. Many of the prospecting and closing techniques she employed in that capacity adapt well to identifying viable prospects and presenting them with clear, concise convincing descriptions of the benefits our services provide.

In Amanda’s free time, she volunteers as a board member of the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association to plan their social programming events.

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RJ Harrington / Twenty and 3
Lead Creative

RJ Harrington is the Lead Creative at Twenty and 3 – a one-stop creative shop, providing the services required to build alluring brands including brand strategy, photography, and graphic design. Twenty and 3 serves entrepreneurs just starting their business venture, as well as established companies wanting to elevate an existing brand. Success is achieved through simplicity, integrity and innovation.

In addition to her creative work, RJ enjoys helping both large and small audiences improve their personal brand. ‘Brand Talks’ cover first impressions, color theory, and how to magnify your strengths. These discussions improve productivity, boost morale, and encourage participants to move forward in excellence.

RJ is an advocate for community service and sits on the board of Integrity Mentors girls program and serves as a remote Triple M mentor for the Irving, Texas Independent School District. RJ is based in Atlanta and available for world-wide travel.

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Biz Radio U Featuring Rusty Barringer and Andrew Wilkin with HHCard

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Andrew Wilkin

KSUEntrepreneurship

Biz Radio U

Hosted by Adam Wozniak and Darren Parkinson

 

Andrew Wilkin / Bigger Vision of Athens
Executive Director

Andrew Wilkin is the Executive Director of Bigger Vision of Athens and the Founder of Homeless Help Card. Andrew graduated from the University of Georgia and is making huge waves within the Nonprofit Industry.

 

Rusty Barringer / Homeless Help Card
Co-Founder / Managing Partner

Rusty Barringer is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Homeless Help Card. Rusty is a Senior Management Major at Kennesaw State University and has been involved with the Entrepreneur Center at Kennesaw State from its birth.

 

KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Stan Friedman

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Stan Friedman

KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring

 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

 

 

Stan Friedman / FRM Solutions
President

StanFriedmanStan Friedman, CFE is President of FRMSolutions a “franchise-centric: technology company that enables franchisors to better manage relationships with prospective and existing franchisees.

Stan is a Board Member of the Southeast Franchise Forum and a founding board member of the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Diversity Institute, In 2011, the IFA honored Friedman with its Ronald E. Harrison Diversity Award, previously awarded only seven times in IFA’s 5o+ year history.

Stan is also co-founder and Advisory Board Chair of (PAFI) The Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative. PAFI is a collaborative that educates twilight year professional athletes to the potential of franchise ownership, as a follow-up to their athletic careers.

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Storytelling in Business

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Ria Story

 

Ria Story / Top Story Leadership
Leadership / Resilience Expert

Like many, Ria faced adversity in life. Raised on an isolated farm in Alabama, she was sexually abused by her father from age 12 – 19. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma. Ria learned to be resilient, and not just survive, but thrive. She went on worked her way through school, an MBA, and a successful career in the corporate world of administrative healthcare.
Now a motivational speaker, coach, and author of 7 books, she co-founded Top Story Leadership, which offers leadership development, speaking, training, coaching, and consulting.

 

Natalie Joy / Defining Your Joy
Strategic Business Growth Coach

In 2014 Natalie Joy began her journey pursuing her God-sized Dream to help women find more Joy in their personal & professional lives. Six years prior she had been forced to start her life over after a failed marriage involving infidelity and emotional abuse. She took on the last name Joy as a daily reminder that each day we have the ability to choose to have Joy in our lives.

Prior to launching, Defining Your Joy, Natalie Joy worked in the corporate world as a Top Level Strategic Coach and Traveling Corporate Trainer-helping businesses grow at a rapid rate of 20% each year in a market of only an average of 3% growth. Speaking & Coaching others are Natalie’s passions but after 13 years in this industry she desired to make a much bigger impact in the lives of women.

 

Denard Ash / Ash Training & Consulting
Project Management Lead

 

Paul Johnson with Displayit, Kris Casariego with Predictable Success and Casey Graham with CaseyGraham.com

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Predictable Success

 

Paul Johnson / Displayit
Chief Marketing and Product Officer

Paul Johnson joined Displayit in 2014 as head of the Marketing Advantage team. He’s responsible for determining clients’ needs, ensuring Displayit has the right products and services, and making it easy for Displayit Clients to buy.

After working in numerous sales roles – from account manager to vice president of sales and marketing – Paul discovered that true sales success is achieved with a healthy combination of effective product management, smart marketing and consultative selling. Thus, he began his unending pursuit of the “question behind the question,” developing a knack for hearing what others aren’t saying, connecting the dots, and helping people make decisions that solve their problems.

Paul’s never met a Hawaiian shirt he didn’t like. On any given day, there’s a 76% chance you’ll see him sporting one around Displayit’s offices. After work, he enjoys playing guitar, bicycling or learning something new. Paul has a degree in electrical engineering, and once rebuilt a manual transmission with only 4 part left over.

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Kris Casariego / Predictable Success
Marketing Director

Kris is responsible for the development and implementation of the marketing strategy for Predictable Success. Before joining the Predictable Success team, she was Marketing Director for meeting facilitation training and consulting firm, Leadership Strategies, where she helped lead the company to more than 40% growth during her tenure.

With a focus on hitting goals, Kris’s areas of expertise include inbound marketing, lead generation, strategic planning and team leadership.

As a thank you for tuning in, you can save 15% on our Public Acceleration Workshop in Atlanta on May 16, 2017. Find out more here! 

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Casey Graham / CaseyGraham.com 
Founder / CEO

Casey Graham is a fired-up entrepreneur with a tremendous passion for helping other business owners. Casey’s transparency and high-energy leadership style have made him the go-to voice in the small business community. As CEO and Founder of The Rocket Company, Casey has developed the 5 P’s of a 7-Figure Business as a template of his success to share with other corporations.

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Biz Radio U Featuring Zach Sergio with Zurly

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Zurly

KSUEntrepreneurship

Biz Radio U

Hosted by Adam Wozniak and Darren Parkinson

 

Zach Sergio / Zurly
CEO

Zach is a recently graduated alumni of Kennesaw State University’s class of 2016 with a degree in Marketing & Professional Sales from the prestigious Michael J. Coles College of Business.

Currently, he works with innovative companies to change the way companies create quality software with QASymphony, and also disrupt the fundraising industry with the Zurly team.

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KSU Entrepreneurship Center The Shrimp Tank Featuring Derrick Meek

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GreenSeasonGroup

 

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

 

Derrick Meek / The GreenSeason Group
Founder

Derrick founded The GreenSeason Group because he wanted to do business differently.  His family, particularly his mother, influenced his old school way of doing business.  There’s no snake oil here – for Derrick, business is about honesty, helping others succeed and a passion for excellence.  Calling himself a landscape evangelist, Derrick believes there’s something magical about a beautiful landscape and being able to deliver beauty coupled with an awesome client experience is what it’s all about.

Growing up, Derrick’s entrepreneurial talents were always encouraged by his mother and father – something he’s very grateful for as, he laughs, “I never imagined mowing the neighbor’s grass in middle school to support his fishing habit would later develop into a calling”.

If he’s not spending time with his wonderful wife, or chasing his four boys around, he’s nose-deep in a book, or working on what seems like an ever growing honey-do list.  He’ll tell you his inspiration comes from his faith, his family, and a never ending desire to win.

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