Listen Now!

Business Talk 24-7

Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio





Atlanta Business Radio

Uncategorized

Sandeep Dadlani with Infosys, Mara Davis, Co-Host of Atlanta Eats and Jane Turner with The Children’s Museum of Atlanta

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Sandeep Dadlani/Infosys 

Sandeep Dadlani is Vice-President and Head of the Retail, CPG and Logistics Unit, Americas at Infosys. Sandeep runs a portfolio P&L of approximately $1 Billion today across USA, Canada and Latin America.

Sandeep has over 15 years of  operations,  consulting and product management experience between Citigroup and Infosys. He has helped Infosys’ Retail & CPG clients become more competitive by embracing new emerging trends across digital consumers and emerging markets. He sits on the advisory and steering committee boards on several transformation programs at global multinational retailers and CPG companies.

He has authored several white papers in the areas of Innovation, Business Transformation and Shared Services. He has been often quoted in publications like Forbes, Business Week, CGT, Stores, etc. He regularly speaks at industry forums like Consumer Goods Technology , NRF, Emerging Markets forums and at Infosys Investor/Analyst meetings.

Sandeep holds an MBA (Finance) and an Electronics Engineering degree. He is a resident of Kennesaw, GA and also is on  Advisory Boards at Georgia Tech Ciber and Kennesaw State University Asian Studies Advisory Board. Sandeep  featured for consecutive years on the UN Global Compact Supply Chain Sustainability Advisory Board and co-authored their report on supply chain sustainability. He currently is on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Ethics and Values.

Mara Davis/Atlanta Eats 

Mara Davis is a Media Personality and co-host of Atlanta Eats. She is a frequent panelist on CNN & HLN, and an 18 year radio host at Z93 and Dave FM in Atlanta.

Jane Turner/The Children’s Museum of Atlanta 

Jane Turner has held the position of Executive Director for The Children’s Museum of Atlanta since September 2004. During that time she has led the work of the museum to become a key organization reaching approximately 200,000 visitors each year, and thousands of additional children and families through extensive outreach into the community. Under her leadership, the Museum has enhanced its physical exhibits and expanded programs addressing cognitive, social, and emotional development of children ages 0-8.

Prior to joining The Children’s Museum of Atlanta, Jane served as President of the Board of Directors of Georgia Shakespeare Festival, one of the largest non-profit theaters in Atlanta. Her previous experience includes fifteen years at National Data Corporation, Washington, D.C., where she worked in the healthcare technology division as Director of Institutional Pharmacy Systems.

Jane graduated from Kenyon College and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Jane currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Junior League of Atlanta and Advisory Board of Georgia Shakespeare.


 

 

 

Dave Ford with Sharethrough, Matt Friedman with Wing Zone, Larry Myricks with Atlanta Corporate Challenge and Brad VanBuskirk with Stars and Strikes

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Dave Ford/Sharethrough 

After starting his career in traditional media, Dave has spent the last 6 years working in the emerging media space in sales, marketing, and business development functions. He opened up the New York City office for Sharethrough and works in a sales function serving the New York, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. markets (while dabbling in biz dev from time to time). At Sharethrough he also gets to represent the company at industry networking events (like SXSW and Cannes), speaks on occasion, and hosts a monthly breakfast networking group.

Dave graduated with a marketing degree from the University of Maryland, but received his real education traveling throughout South America and Africa for 18 months in 2007 and 2008.

Matt Friedman/Wing Zone

Matt Friedman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wing Zone, an authentic Buffalo Wings delivery service. Based in Atlanta, Wing Zone is a franchise company with over 100 locations opened or set to open.

Larry Myricks/Atlanta Corporate Challenge 

Larry Myricks, 4-Time Olympian, 1988 Olympic Bronze Medalist, is the Director of the Atlanta Corporate Challenge and the Corporate Challenge Network.

The Atlanta Corporate Challenge – is 5 weeks and 23 tournaments (sports & games) that make up the largest and most effective teambuilding, company pride and morale boosting event for businesses in the metro Atlanta area. It is “Where Work Comes to Play”.

Brad VanBuskirk/Stars and Strikes 

Brad VanBuskirk is the Manager of the Stone Mountain location of Stars and Strikes, a locally owned business that started in 2005 and has quickly grown to 4 locations with a 5th project underway.

With over 50,000 square feet they feature bowling, a mega arcade, lazer tag, bumper cars, lazer maze, balladium, a sports bar, and even event/meeting rooms. They are the perfect destination to hold any event whether it be for 10 people or 1,000 people. They offer birthday parties, school events, lock ins, daycare parties, sports parties, church events, corporate outings, teambuilding events, holiday parties, and so much more.

Stars and Strikes newest addition next to its Dacula location is the Event Gallery where they have hosted weddings, family reunions, rehearsal dinners, company events, etc. Their big summer push is the Kids Bowl Free Program. Children 15 and under are eligible for the program and can be enrolled through a link on the website. The program offers 2 free games of bowling each day Monday through Saturday all summer long.

 

 

 

Special Edition: “Speaking Insights” with the National Speakers Association Georgia

Posted on

Podcast: Download

The Georgia chapter of the National Speakers Association mission is simply this: We are a supportive community that inspires, educates and provides networking opportunities to those who want to develop their speaking careers or use speaking to enhance their businesses. Our members include professional speakers, aspiring speakers, authors, consultants, salespeople, trainers and vendors for the speaking industry. We meet in the Atlanta area the third Saturday morning each month. You can learn more at www.nsageorgia.org.

“Speaking Insights” is a quarterly program of the Georgia chapter of the National Speakers Association. Each show will feature professional speakers who share their insights on how to succeed in the speaking business.

Our Co-Hosts:

NSA Georgia president (2012-13) Diane Bogino is president of Performance Strategies, Inc. and hosts the GBDN.tv show. A behavior scientist and an executive and business coach, Diane speaks on workplace behaviors and business strategies. She can be reached at 404-320-7834 or diane@performstrat.com.

NSA Georgia president (2013-14) Desmond “Dez” Thornton is an idea enthusiast with a natural ability to transform complex ideas into simple, sequential steps. His passion for words and commitment to service led him to discover his labor of love, professional speaking. He spreads this love by dedicating himself to the advancement of professional and beginner speakers who strive to articulate their vision with the clarity and enthusiasm necessary to inspire action. Dez can be reached at dez@desmondthornton.com.

Our Guests:

In an attention-deficient, entertain-me-now, wait-while-I-post-that-on-my-Facebook kind of world, the typical business presentation doesn’t measure up. NSA Georgia president (2014-15) Kelly Vandever works with organizations and individuals whose presentations need to get results. An award-winning speaker herself, Kelly helps clients improve their presentations using old school and hi-tech techniques, all while annihilating bullet points and making this world a better place for business audiences everywhere. You can reach Kelly at SpeakingPractically.com, at 770-597- 1108, tweet @KellyVandever, or www.facebook.com/speakingpractically.

NSA Georgia vice president of programs (2013-14) Corey Perlman is an entrepreneur, author and nationally-recognized social media expert. His book, eBoot Camp, became an Amazon.com bestseller in every major business category and received global attention with distribution in both China and India. Corey’s company, eBoot Camp, Inc., provides digital marketing services to small and mid-size businesses. He’s the proud father of a 3-year-old daughter who has already tweeted, has a YouTube channel and asked for a Mark Zuckerberg doll for her birthday. The apple truly doesn’t fall far from the tree! Visit www.ebootcamp.com or contact: Jessica Duke at 855-eboot- now.

 

Special Edition: TiE Atlanta

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Madhu Madhusudan/VectorSpan, Inc.

Raj Rajan/TiE Atlanta 

Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan is currently the co-founder, Chairman & CEO of Virima Technologies, Inc., an IT Operations and Datacenter software developer serving the fortune 5000 companies. He brings more than 15 years experience in the technology industry and combines a deep understanding of current technologies with the ability to articulate the application of these technologies in various business contexts and models. A highly versatile and proven entrepreneur, he has co-founded several ventures including, Vigilar, Inc, a leading network security technology firm; eLaunchpad, LLC, an early stage venture capital firm/incubator focusing on Internet infrastructure and network security technologies; and Resourcis, an executive recruiting firm. During his tenure at Vigilar, he conceived the company’s business plan and methodology, raised venture capital funding, recruited a talented management team and grew annual revenues from $0 in 2000 to $32M in 2005 in probably the most difficult technology industry climate. Another previous success, VerticalOne, a financial aggregator; was sold to S1 in 1999 in a deal valued at $166 million. Mr. Rajan serves on the Board of Directors of the above companies and as well on the advisory boards of several early stage technology firms around the country. A leader in the business community, he is also involved in several professional and community related organizations. Mr. Rajan was instrumental in establishing the Atlanta CEO Council, a non-profit networking group of more than 1000 CEOs, CxOs, and investors in the Southeast. Mr. Rajan served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CEO council from 1999 through 2011 and is currently one of its Board members. Mr. Rajan also co-founded and serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE), a national mentoring organization for entrepreneurs.

TiE supports entrepreneurs at all stages of the entrepreneurial life cycle with the goal to create over $100 million in new wealth by 2017. This is in line with Forward Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s plan to help ignite the region’s economy.

Katie Elizabeth/TiE X 

 

 

 

Sue McCart with HFI Event Services, Gavin McGuire and Rashad Cain with Usher’s New Look Foundation and Monty Hamilton with Rural Sourcing

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Sue McCart/HFI Event Services

Gavin McGuire and Rashad Cain/Usher’s New Look Foundation

Monty Hamilton/Rural Sourcing Inc.

Rural Sourcing Inc. (RSI) provides a competitive onshore alternative to the traditional answers of IT outsourcing. Mr. Hamilton is the CEO responsible for leading the strategic direction and the growth of RSI to launch 15 new high-tech hubs with 200 colleagues in each center across the US. He is a sought after speaker on the outsourcing topic having recently been featured on CNBC, NPR radio and at various industry conferences. In addition, recent articles depicting RSI’s innovative outsourcing model have appeared in Business Week, CNN Money magazine, CFO magazine, and CIO magazine.

Hamilton began his IT career in 1988 with Accenture. In 1995 he joined four other colleagues to build their own consulting firm – Clarkston Consulting. He was instrumental in growing Clarkston into a global strategic and systems integration firm with offices across the US and Europe. After Clarkston’s acquisition of RSI he became the CEO in 2009.

Mr. Hamilton holds an M.B.A. from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University and a B.B.A. in business from Millsaps College.

 

 


 

Garth Lyerly and Chris Merkle with RAZUR, Danielle Jackson and Nicole Williams with Little PINK Book, and Mike Bautsch with PomumPro

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Garth Lyerly and Chris Merkle/RAZUR 

Born as a digital agency in 2008, RAZUR advises clients on digital strategy across social, mobile and web channels. By analyzing hundreds of thousands of user events across these channels, RAZUR is able to help clients make better marketing decisions through global insights. Unlike traditional ad agencies or marketing firms, RAZUR not only offers strategy and consulting, but can also design and develop interactive applications in-house.

Danielle Jackson/Little PINK Book 

Danielle Jackson serves as the Client Relationships and EventManager of Little PINK Book – America’s #1 digital resource for career women. In this role, she is responsible for managing and nurturing current and future business relationships for the company. She also facilitates and manages all the company’s events.

Nicole Williams/Little PINK Book 

Nicole Williams is the Senior Editor at Little PINK Book, America’s leading resource for leading women into a beautiful career and a beautiful life, where she manages content strategy and development and interviews some of the top women in business. She also appears on CBS Atlanta’s Women Working segment regularly.

Mike Bautsch/PomumPro 

At PomumPro, their technical staff consists of skilled Apple Certified Technicians who are capable of handling any problem a client may encounter. From the full array of Macintosh computers and iDevices, to server and networks, their consultants can assist clients at every level. Whether in need of repair or regularly scheduled preventive maintenance, PomumPro can keep Macs and iDevices running at optimum speed.

 

 

 

Sandra Wright with Moaney Wright and Associates, Alice and Kyu Park with Alice Park Photography, Diane Bloodworth with Competitive Sports Analysis and Michael Farris with The Aspire Group

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Dr. Sandra Wright/Moaney Wright and Associates

Dr. Sandra Wright is CEO of Moaney Wright & Associates, LLC which is a boutique consulting firm specializing in performance improvement, professional development and business/life coaching. Its subsidiary, Possibilities Unlimited for Women is a forum for women that want to grow globally through business and personal ventures. Possibilities Unlimited for Women offers coaching, assistance with starting new businesses (i.e. business plans), and a quarterly event that includes presenters that speak on various topics such as finances, healthcare, that are thought-provoking with cutting-edge content. Jointly, the two companies offer one-stop shopping for improving performance within the workplace.

Alice and Kyu Park/Alice Park Photography 

Kyu and Alice Park founded The National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) in 2009 with hopes of building a community to promote and support child photographers. One of the most well-respected child photography teams in Atlanta, Kyu and Alice started their journey in the industry by founding Alice Park Photography in 2005. Although many organizations existed to support the general art of photography, Kyu and Alice noted that the child photography industry lacked its own resources that could help its professionals develop their unique skills, their artistry and their business. To help fill the void, they decided to create a formal association for professional child photographers.

In founding and maintaining NAPCP, Kyu’s and Alice’s main goals have always been to help their fellow child photographers and to serve as a valuable resource for their parent readers. Kyu and Alice agree that their favorite aspects of the association center around their members and the community – Kyu most enjoys seeing their Image Competition winners receive the recognition they deserve, and Alice loves to plan the annual retreats for their photographer members. As NAPCP continues to grow, Kyu and Alice strive to continue to raise industry standards, provide useful information to parents and support child photographers around the world.

Diane Bloodworth/Competitive Sports Analysis 

In 2010, Diane Bloodworth founded Competitive Sports Analysis (CSA), a cutting-edge sports analytics company, and subsequently launched leading fantasy sports tool, scoutPROTM. Diane is a serial entrepreneur and previous founder of an IT process improvement consulting firm that was acquired in 2003. She has more than 25 years of experience in the technology industry with experience at Fortune 500 companies, government and small businesses. Through CSA she is able to combine her love of sports and expert knowledge of technology to make the sports industry more competitive and efficient into the future.

Recently, Competitive Sports Analysis (CSA), creator of one of the sport industry’s most accurate predictive tools for fantasy football players, selected The Aspire Group to develop its go-to-market strategy and research for its highly analytical fantasy sports tool – scoutPROTM. The two Atlanta companies are currently conducting an innovative study that will expand current research in the $1 billion fantasy sport industry that has largely focused on participation elements and spending habits of fantasy users. The research will support CSA’s sales approach and provide insights into how predictive analytics can make the sports industry more competitive into the future.

Michael Farris/The Aspire Group 

As Manager of Strategic Consulting and Market Research with The Aspire Group, Michael is chartered with creating unique and innovative research solutions catered to client needs that will drive incremental revenue while teaching key decision makers how to utilize data to further the growth of their brand. He is responsible for all client servicing and acquisition relative to research initiatives. Within this role, Michael utilizes Aspire’s research skill set to design and implement research solutions focusing on Consumer Research (profiling), Strategic Plan Analysis, New Business Development, Yield Management Studies, Brand and Fan Identification studies, and CMR Evaluations.

Michael received his bachelor’s in Sport Business from the Haile/US Bank College of Business at Northern Kentucky University and received his MBA and Master’s in Sport Business Management from the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. Before joining Aspire, Michael was the Research and Innovation Coordinator at Game Day Communications where he implemented research design and benchmarking methodologies to address client needs. He has presented research on fan identification at NCAA Division II institutions at the Sport Marketing Association Conference and has worked on diverse research initiatives across a wide range of the sport industry including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, ESPN Wide World of Sports, the Flying Pig Marathon, and the University of Central Florida Athletics Association.

 

 

 

David Duncan with The Entrepreneurs’ Organization and George Mashini with Catavolt

Posted on

Podcast: Download

David Duncan/The Entrepreneurs’ Organization 

Never satisfied with the status quo, David is constantly seeking new experiences and learning opportunities. In 2004, his desire to learn and grow led him to the Atlanta chapter of The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a dynamic, global network of more than 8,000 business owners in 40 countries. After only one year of membership, his natural leadership ability earned David a role on the chapter’s board of directors. For the last eight years, David has served in various leadership roles at the local, regional and global levels for EO, and has been instrumental in building EO Atlanta to be one of the organization’s benchmark chapters. David was voted president of EO Atlanta for the 2007-2008 term, and then appointed as the Area Director for the Southern US, from 2008 to 2010, where he chaired the Eastern U.S. Presidents Summit, a leadership conference for EO presidents and presidents-elects. Ever the trailblazer, David went on to address problems for other small businesses in growing economic uncertainty as one of the three founding committee members of EO’s Global Policy Summit. This annual, three-day summit in Washington, D.C. focuses on opening dialogue between EO members and top political figures to discuss the needs of the entrepreneurial community. In 2010, David was appointed as a Global Communications Committee Co-Chair, where he was the principle architect in developing a comprehensive communications plan that addressed the language and cultural sensitivity needs of members in more than 40 countries, speaking 13 different languages. David accepted his second nomination as EO Atlanta’s chapter president and recently has begun his term for the 2012/2013 year.

George Mashini/Catavolt 

George has been in the enterprise software field for 13 years with experience in software development, project management, professional services organizations, product management and executive management. In his previous leadership role at Paragon Software, George experienced all phases of enterprise software growth as part of the core management team. In 2005, George was part of a core team at Paragon that led the company to a successful exit for its investors via a sale to Infor Global Solutions. George has helped establish Catavolt as a market innovator in the areas of hybrid cloud computing and mobile business applications by creating software that leverages existing systems along with new technology. As Chief Executive Officer, George is focused on applying new techniques and technologies in innovative ways that bring business value to Catavolt’s customers.

 

 


Clarissa Bradstock with Any Lab Test Now, and Danielle Jackson and Nicole Williams with Little PINK Book

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Clarissa Bradstock/Any Lab Test Now 

Clarissa Bradstock is the COO with ANY LAB TEST NOW, the first direct access lab testing services company, allowing individuals to take control of their health.  On September 20, 2007, Any Test Franchising, Inc. acquired the rights to franchise the ANY LAB TEST NOW concept.  They are 150+ stores strong across the U.S. and growing.

Clarissa has served as a VP of Client Services, COO, VP of Operations and CEO of both private and publicly held organizations. She has extensive experience with healthcare related organizations focused on physicians, insurance carriers, nursing professionals and dental practices. In addition to managing operations, she has also served as a senior executive managing the acquisition and integration of over 30 companies within an 18 month period.

From 2007 to the present, Ms. Bradstock has served as Chief Operating Officer, located at Any Test Franchising, Inc.’s primary business location in Alpharetta, Georgia. She and her team are responsible for making the franchisees successful in reaching their operational and financial goals.

Danielle Jackson/Little PINK Book 

Danielle Jackson serves as the Client Relationships and EventManager of Little PINK Book – America’s #1 digital resource for career women. In this role, she is responsible for managing and nurturing current and future business relationships for the company. She also facilitates and manages all the company’s events.

On May 13, 2013, America’s most successful and fascinating women owners will convene in Atlanta to celebrate rising entrepreneurs at the Spring Into Ownership Event. Participants will learn from educational, inspiring and hands-on breakout sessions on topics ranging from motivating your staff, social media, marketing and the five things that keep owners up at night!

Registration is still open – listeners to today’s show can use the code RADIO for a special discount!

Nicole Williams/Little PINK Book 

Nicole Williams is the Senior Editor at Little PINK Book, America’s leading resource for leading women into a beautiful career and a beautiful life, where she manages content strategy and development and interviews some of the top women in business. She also appears on CBS Atlanta’s Women Working segment regularly.

 

 


Special Edition: Divorce Money Matters

Posted on

Podcast: Download

Lisa Decker/Divorce Money Matters 

Lisa C. Decker – referred to by her clients as Miss Money Matters® – is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and the CEO and founder of Divorce Money Matters®, and Speed Divorcing Workshops, as well as the soon to launch online community, DivorceTownUSA.com.

Ms. Decker is a frequent radio show guest and has also been interviewed by CNBC, NY Times, ForbesWomen.com, Business Week, and Oprah magazines. Lisa is an expert in divorce financial matters, and a discreet problem-solver who guides her clients to “Divorce Your Spouse, Not Your Money®.”

She is also a Breast Cancer Survivor, married for more than 30 years and mom to three daughters, and a new granddaughter, as well as, an active volunteer in her community.

Marquita Johnson/HOPE Counseling LLC 

Marquita is a graduate of Mercer University with a M.S. in Community Counseling and a Master of Divinity. Marquita has almost seven years’ experience in the social services fields. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgia State University in psychology & sociology. She believes in counseling the “whole” person. Integrating the physical, mental, and spiritual taking into account the life paths and showing how they connect. She is very dedicated about working within the community and bringing awareness about the importance of tending to mental health needs. Marquita creates an atmosphere for healing to take place. Marquita enjoys working with those in transition and helping to discover that healing can occur if we are willing to reach deep within ourselves. She invites others on a journey to discover ways to become “whole” again.

Eric John/ECJ Tax & Financial Services

Damon Bivek/Bivek Brubaker & Prescott LLC

Damon is a founding partner of Bivek Brubaker & Prescott LLC. Damon has clerked for the Supreme Court of Georgia, and is trained as a Guardian Ad Litem. He recently served, from 2010- 2011, as the President of the Family Law Section of the Cobb County Bar Association, and has also served on the Cobb County Bar Association’s Board of Trustees. When Damon is not in the courtroom or serving the legal community, he enjoys spending time with his wife, golfing, traveling, and playing with his Labrador Retriever, Cocoa.

Suzanne Prescott/Bivek Brubaker & Prescott LLC

Suzanne T. Prescott is a founding partner of the family law firm Bivek Brubaker & Prescott LLC. Suzanne is trained in Collaborative Law, and handles all types of family law cases throughout Georgia. Suzanne grew up in Connecticut, but headed south for college where she graduated cum laude from Emory University before graduating from University of Georgia School of Law. When Suzanne is not advocating for her clients she is an avid runner with 2 marathons and countless half-marathons under her belt. She is a food and wine enthusiast who enjoys cooking, and she reserves her Fall Saturdays for Bulldog football and tailgating in Athens. Suzanne and her husband Ryan live in Smyrna, Georgia with their son, Conner, and their black lab, Bailey.