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February Newsletter Article

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Sanjay Parekh with Startup Riot Visits Atlanta Business Radio

On January 24, 2013, co-hosts Lee Kantor and Stone Payton of BusinessRadioX®’s Atlanta Business Radio welcomed to the studio Sanjay Parekh to discuss the upcoming Startup Riot 2013 in Atlanta.

Sanjay Parekh is the Founder of Startup Riot, an all-day event which highlights 30 startups through three minute, four slide presentations given by the startups. The startups subsequently answer questions from a judging panel for three minutes. Startup Riot is open to all investors (institutional, corporate, and angels), entrepreneurs, and companies looking for partnerships and/or M&A opportunities. Also welcome are individuals representing governmental, academic, and non-profit organizations that support entrepreneurs.

Parekh founded Startup Riot several years ago to address the growing number of startups and entrepreneurs in the Atlanta area. According to Parekh, “I think the South and Atlanta specifically is a great place to be for a startup.”

Last year, Startup Riot expanded to the West Coast with events in California and Oregon. Parekh says that they are now exploring hosting events in Europe. Parekh went on to say, “The mission of Startup Riot is to help entrepreneurs wherever they are in whatever stage of the game they are at.”

This year’s event will be February 20th at The Tabernacle in Atlanta and features keynote speakers T.A. McCann and Adam Rich. T.A. McCann was the founder and CEO of Seattle-based Gist, Inc. and is now a Vice President at Research In Motion, which acquired Gist in February 2011. Adam Rich is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Thrillist.com, overseeing all editorial content for the leading men’s multi-platform digital lifestyle publication.

To learn more about Startup Riot and their upcoming event, listen to a rebroadcast of this episode at Atlanta Business Radio.

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

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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

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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

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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.

Emory Mulling with the Mulling Corporation, Justin Honaman – Author, Kathryne A. Pusch with ConsultKAP and Alan Ortiz with BizStrategies PC

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Emory Mulling/Mulling Corporation

Executive Coaching has become one of the most dominate methods of developing leaders in organizations of all sizes. Emory Mulling is a nationally recognized business leader in this area, having founded Mulling Corporation 26 years ago. He is currently serving on the Board of Governors for the Institute of Career Certification International (ICCI), the organization that determines the ethical standards for the Career Consulting Industry. Emory is also a published author and highly sought after keynote speaker.

Justin Honaman/Author

Justin Honaman is the author of Be Extraordinary! Crush Mediocrity. Spark Curiosity. This is Justin’s second book and a follow-up to Make It Happen! Live Out Your Personal Brand released in 2010. He is also a frequent speaker on all things leadership and personal development. His passions include singing and songwriting, with two albums – Saturday in the South! and Let Go & Let God – and multiple singles to his name. Additionally, Justin is an accomplished sales and marketing executive and a regular blogger. His background includes strategic business and technology leadership experience in the areas of retail operations, business intelligence, customer relationship management, integrated marketing, and business development.

Justin holds an Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Auburn University.

Kathryne Anne Pusch/ConsultKAP, Inc.

Kathryne A. Pusch, President of ConsultKAP, is a seasoned professional consultant and broker. Kathryne began her career consulting for a large international consulting firm in 1979. Since then, she has worked successfully within the framework of large corporations, and small enterprise, across a broad range of industries, private and public sector.

Kathryne has owned and managed two small businesses herself, in addition to her successful business enhancement, transitions, and brokerage practice. Her consulting work focuses primarily on preparing businesses for a successful sale, and exit and transition planning for owners. ConsultKAP intermediary services focus on helping individuals and companies who want to sell or acquire a business to do so with the greatest likelihood of success, as defined by the achievement of their unique objectives.

Kathryne is the 2003 past-President of GABB, the Georgia Association of Business Brokers, and has been active on Board and leadership positions in GABB since 1998. She has extensive formal education, including a BS in Marketing and Marketing Research and an MBA. Kathryne continues her education and certifications in many fields related to commercial real estate, business operations, business planning, negotiations, and business transfers as part of her passion for lifelong professional development. She is a Certified Negotiation Expert.

Kathryne is a licensed Real Estate Broker, a frequent public speaker, and a published author.

Alan Ortiz/BizStrategies PC

Alan Ortiz is an executive whose experience includes local to international service businesses and small business entrepreneurship. He has worked at executive levels for private, public and personally owned business enterprises. Focused on service models, he has demonstrated success in industries as diverse as engineering and construction, environmental sciences, management consulting, logistics and transportation.

Tanya Mack and Larry Small with HealthGate, Mike Caines with Marietta Business Coach, Jaime Benedetti and Bob Gucer with Benedetti, Gucer & Associates and Ameriprise Financial and Danita Harn with Harn and Associates

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Tanya Mack & Larry Small/HealthGate

HealthGate is a new, online healthcare community that partners with board certified physicians and specialists to offer healthcare savings to patients (insured or not). Almost everyone has a personal story in which they had to manage limited coverage, high deductibles or no HC coverage. People are spending more on healthcare out of pocket and pricing transparency is an issue as most patients are uninformed. HealthGate is a new website that bridges the gap between patients and doctors with pricing transparency. HealthGate and their affiliate physicians also offers “donated savings” opportunities in an effort to “give back” to the communities they serve.

Tanya Mack, President, has over 25 years of healthcare experience in the areas of operations and business transformation. She has worked with physicians, clinics, hospitals, and healthcare companies with such clients as Johnson and Johnson, HCA, National Medical Care, and Pediatrix.

Larry Small, Chief Marketing Officer, has over 20 years experience in both traditional media and digital marketing. Prior affiliations include Groupon, Turner Broadcasting, and Interactive Corporation.

Mike Caines/Marietta Business Coach

Mike Caines is with Marietta Business Coach.  Over the past 30 years he has been involved with helping companies both large and small, international and local, improve their processes. The impact of focusing on improving how they manage their processes has a dramatic affect on top and bottom lines. It also has a positive impact on internal employee job satisfaction. In Georgia they have resources available to help defray the cost of these efforts such that most or all of the cost is covered.

Jaime Benedetti & Bob Gucer/Benedetti, Gucer & Associates and Ameriprise Financial

Jaime Benedetti, CFP®, CRPC® and Bob Gucer, CFP®, CRPC®, ChFC® of Benedetti, Gucer & Associates and Ameriprise Financial, a full-service financial planning firm, share information that helps individuals prepare for life’s needs such as retirement, estate planning, tax management, investment management, retirement plan distribution and wealth preservation strategies.

Danita Harn/Harn and Associates

Harn and Associates team members have been providing high-quality work output for more than 15 years individually and nearly a century as a group. Their mission is to provide clients with professional business solutions for bookkeeping, payroll, HR, marketing and business consulting that are both practical and innovative.

Lisa Kennedy with the Bobby Dodd Institute, Gary Marshall and Trevor Smith with JCI Atlanta

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Lisa Kennedy/Bobby Dodd Institute

Lisa Kennedy is Chief Development Officer for Bobby Dodd Institute, a nonprofit organization that creates job opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantages in our community.  BDI achieves life-changing results for people with disabilities and disadvantages by helping them gain job skills, secure permanent jobs, and achieve financial self-sufficiency. BDI helps people success by identifying their strengths and interests and then tailoring job skills training with those strengths and interests – so that people can secure good jobs where they will excel.

Lisa joined BDI in 2009 and has been active in the nonprofit sector as a volunteer and staff member since 1999. Lisa is a Certified Fundraising Executive and is the current president of the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Gary Marshall/JCI Atlanta

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. With a little money that was saved, a general knowledge of the industry and a lot of sweat equity, Gary 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.

Trevor Smith/JCI Atlanta

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.

Tom DiGregorio with AquaGuard Foundation Solutions and Chancellor “CW” New with FIRE DOG Business Solutions

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Tom DiGregorio/AquaGuard Foundation Solutions

Tom DiGregorio, Owner & President of AquaGuard Foundation Solutions and FSI of Georgia has been in business in Georgia since 1995 doing residential & commercial waterproofing, crawlspace encapsulation and foundation and structural repair. AquaGuard Foundation Solutions is winner of 9 Better Business Bureau Torch Awards for Business Ethics and Integrity, Ebsco Research/Home Reports Best Pick for 10 years for Foundation Repair and 13 years for Waterproofing as well as Consumer’s Choice Award winner for 9 years. They are a member of the largest network of Foundation & Waterproofing Repair Companies in the world, Basement Systems.

Chancellor Winburn “CW” New/FIRE DOG Business Solutions

Chancellor “C.W.” New is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of FIRE DOG Business Solutions. C.W. began as a developer creating applications and managing network security for large companies in1990, long before anyone knew how much the Internet would change our lives. After half a decade of IT Consulting, Internet Security, and Application Development, he founded FIRE DOG Business Solutions to fill a specific need – to get involved in being proactive about a truly hands-on approach to delivering IT solutions to small businesses.

Kathryne Pusch with ConsultKAP, Inc., Allison Havill Todd with AHT Interiors and Keith Ivey with LegalShield

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Kathryne Pusch/ConsultKAP, Inc.

Kathryne Pusch, President of ConsultKAP, Inc., is a seasoned professional consultant and broker. Kathryne began her career consulting for a large international consulting firm in 1979. Since then, she has worked successfully within the framework of large corporations, and small enterprise, across a broad range of industries, private and public sector.

Kathryne has owned and managed two small businesses herself, in addition to her successful business enhancement, transitions, and brokerage practice. Her consulting work focuses primarily on preparing businesses for a successful sale, and exit and transition planning for owners. ConsultKAP intermediary services focus on helping individuals and companies who want to sell or acquire a business to do so with the greatest likelihood of success, as defined by the achievement of their unique objectives.

Kathryne is the 2003 past-President of GABB, the Georgia Association of Business Brokers, and has been active on Board and leadership positions in GABB since 1998. She has extensive formal education, including a BS in Marketing and Marketing Research and an MBA. Kathryne continues her education and certifications in many fields related to commercial real estate, business operations, business planning, negotiations, and business transfers as part of her passion for lifelong professional development.

Kathryne is a licensed Real Estate Broker, a frequent public speaker, and a published author.

Allison Havill Todd/AHT Interiors

Allison Havill Todd is the President and Director of Design of Allison Havill Todd Interiors (AHT Interiors) which is an established interior design firm with more than 15 years of experience designing fine interiors for the home and office. Her work has been featured numerous times in both local and national publications.

In addition to her demanding business, Allison is the creator & founder of Designing Dreams, a philanthropic community initiative dedicated to providing beautiful interior environments for those in physical, financial or emotional crisis. Allison donates her time and creative energy supporting this mission and continues to provide a charitable room makeover valued at $20,000 or more each year to a deserving recipient.

On a personal level, Allison volunteers her time visiting assisted living homes and other facilities with one of her trained therapy dogs as part of Forsyth County’s Humane Hearts program. She is an avid supporter of both the Forsyth County Humane Society as well as Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta where she adopted both of her beloved dogs.

Allison is also a recent graduate of Leadership Forsyth, a non-profit organization whose mission is to strengthen the community as a whole by enhancing and educating individual and collective leadership potential. She has committed to serve on the board of this organization and is a class coordinator for the 2013 program.

Keith Ivey/LegalShield

Keith Ivey is with LegalShield.  Although he has lived in Louisville, Los Angeles and on cruise ships, Keith calls Atlanta home. He is a father, a father-in-law and a grandfather. He has been a business owner for most of his adult life.


Angela Levy and Jason Riddle with NimbleWise Consulting and Phil Marleau with IOU Financial

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Angela Levy/NimbleWise Consulting

Angela A. H. Levy is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of NimbleWise Consulting. She has deep experience in Finance and Operations process design, audit, and improvement including Alignment of business rules to IT, revenue assurance, management reporting, and business intelligence.

Jason Riddle/NimbleWise Consulting

Jason is a Manager with NimbleWise Consulting. He has worked with a variety of organizations to enhance their business performance through risk management, operational effectiveness, and enhanced control around financial reporting. He has served both public and private clients in the manufacturing, telecommunications, and healthcare industries.

Phil Marleau/IOU Financial

Phil Marleau is the CEO of IOU Financial, the parent company of IOU Central, an Atlanta-based cash flow lender that provides successful small business owners access to the capital they need to seize growth opportunities quickly. By making loans of up to $100,000 in just a few business days, and at favorable, transparent charges with no hidden fees or markups, IOU Central is the premier alternative to banks. The company’s quick, online application process can accurately automate qualification according to cash flow and other health indicators, and render an approval decision within hours, not weeks or months. For business owners who qualify, IOU Central is the industry’s most trusted partner for quick and affordable cash, with many customers returning for additional loans when additional opportunities arise.