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Hanno Ekdahl with Big Sky Associates, Carrie Podber with Pass2Pros, and Michael Moore with Buckhedge

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Hanno Ekdahl/Big Sky Associates

Hanno Ekdahl, CEO of Big Sky Associates, Inc., is an entrepreneur with more than 10 years of experience as a managing partner and consulting principal. He has served on the EO Atlanta Board since 2009 and will become President of the EO Atlanta chapter in June 2013. He is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Big Sky Associates, Inc. Key engagements include the development of a new security clearance process for the U.S. Army, which dramatically reduced the time and cost to award security clearances. Based on the merits of this project, four Big Sky consultants, including Mr. Ekdahl, won the U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Public Service. During his career, Mr. Ekdahl has led a wide variety of engagements with major companies in the financial services, energy, manufacturing, retail and health care industries.

Prior to starting Big Sky Associates, Mr. Ekdahl worked at Novell and Cambridge Technology Partners. He holds an International MBA from University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Carrie Podber/Pass2Pros

Carrie founded Pass2Pros (P2P), soon to be the social network game where sports fans interact with their favorite professional athletes in a safe and secure online virtual environment.

She has experience in building operational foundations at start-up to expansion stage companies with a relevant background in the commercialization of e-commerce and software-related products.

Carrie also founded echain communities, llc., an online platform for facilitating introductions and building relationships in the business community. In addition it functioned as an online Social Marketing/PR/Media venue. Carrie co-founded eChainReaction, Inc., as an online collaboration and business networking platform for her existing network and client base within the start-up to expansion community. Carrie also was the founder of Flying Outsourcer, a comprehensive provider of outsourced business services to both pre and post-IPO companies and helped launch the Atlanta market for financial community events for both the private and public market.

Michael Moore/Buckhedge

With extensive experience consulting to new and established companies, Michael E. Moore is Co-Founder and CEO of Buckhedge. His work is centered on mentoring and coaching others in a variety of industries from IT and New Media, to service and distribution – always focused on creating value from connecting with others.

Over many years, Michael has become known as an effective and inspiring leader – planning, executing, managing, and troubleshooting second-stage strategic initiatives and complex projects of enterprise-wide consequence.

Mr. Moore has enjoyed career success in both staff and line functions in financial, manufacturing and service industries. His entrepreneurial endeavors have involved him in many leading-edge ideas and markets (transportation, logistics, design and sourcing). In the most recent decade he has contributed to capital mentoring and solutions education for angel and leveraged sources, (Gathering of Angels, Ritz Group and NBAI), and is a lifetime member of CEO Space.

Michael has served in many differing leadership positions – both faith and secular- based. His interests in the arts, education and the next generation have involved him in the Atlanta Dogwood Festival for many years and with Children’s Healthcare in community leadership. Michael currently serves as President of the Buckhead 50 Club, an 80 year old civic association, and is active in CEO Netweavers, a “pay-it- forward” association of seasoned executives. Mr. Moore has spoken on leadership and the responsibilities of position to boards and leadership teams in many areas during his 40-year professional career.


Michael Woodard with Return on People Development, ASTD Conference

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Michael Woodard joined us in the studio to highlight the ASTD upcoming conference on August 20th called ACE.   The 2012 Atlanta Conference & Exposition (ACE) will be held at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North.

ASTD (American Society for Training & Development)

ASTD is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTD’s members come from more than 100 countries and connect locally in more than 130 U.S. chapters and with more than 30 international partners. Members work in thousands of organizations of all sizes, in government, as independent consultants, and suppliers.

Michael Woodard/Return on People Development

Michael Woodard is a Learning & Development expert with more than 26 years of experience in sales, sales leadership and training and development, in the Retail and Food Service industries. Mike is known to be a thought-leader in Adult Learning and Sales and Corporate Leadership Development and is recognized for his contributions throughout the Learning community.

Michael spent the first 12 years of his career in various sales and leadership roles at Sweetheart Cup Company, Amoco Foam Products and Tenneco Packaging. In 1997, Mike made the move from Sales to Sales Training and Leadership Development. Over the past 14 years, he has served as the Director, Global Sales Training and Development for SC Johnson, Georgia-Pacific, PepsiCo and Gillette. Michael consistently developed high-impact Sales and Leadership Development curriculum to address strategic business issues, drive individual, team and organization performance, while maximizing ROI.

Michael earned a B.S.B.A in Economics and Finance from Aquinas College and an M.A. with emphasis in Management and Leadership Development from Webster University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Education with an emphasis in Leadership Development and the Harvard Business School of Executive Education with an emphasis in Negotiations and Critical Decision Making.

Married to Diane for the last twenty-five years, Michael is the father of three daughters. He is an avid golfer, scuba diver, traveler, and reader. When he is not with his family in Atlanta or traveling on business, Michael enjoys spending time down at the beach in Destin, FL.

 

Allyson Eman with Venture Atlanta, Bill Ramsey with China Business Consulting, and Michael Mogill with Crisp Media Group

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Allyson Eman/Venture Atlanta

Allyson Eman has 20 years of marketing, sales and communications experience. In 2007, Allyson took on the role of Executive Director for the newly created Venture Atlanta annual conference. Allyson has worked with key business leaders from Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta CEO Council and Technology Association of Georgia to build the premier venture capital conference in Georgia. The conference is now in its fifth year. Prior to joining Venture Atlanta, Allyson was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for SouthStar Funding, a wholesale mortgage lender headquartered in Atlanta. During her 9 year tenure with the firm, she helped the company grow from 8 employees to 800 with 30 nationwide offices. SouthStar Funding grew to be one of the most reputable, respected and trusted wholesale mortgage lenders in the country under Allyson’s leadership. SouthStar received many accolades including A+ Employer, Fastest Growing Privately Held Company in Georgia and was included on Inc. 500’s list of fastest growing privately held companies. Prior to joining SouthStar, Allyson worked for SouthTrust Bank as a branch marketing manager overseeing the marketing platform for 100 branches across Georgia. Allyson received a BS from the University of Florida and resides in Marietta with her husband and two children.

Bill Ramsey/ China Business Consulting, LLC

Bill Ramsey, CEO of China Business Consulting, is a respected and valued senior operations executive providing global experience with an emphasis on China and Hong Kong markets. During his 31 years in the legal industry and 8 years in healthcare, he has contributed to operational success through his expertise in general business management, mergers and acquisitions, global operations, national and international office start-ups, and project management. He has also successfully led finance, human resources, marketing, technology, facilities, leasing and construction.

During his 21 year career with Troutman Sanders, he performed due diligence and planning that led to establishing offices in Hong Kong (1997), London (2001), Shanghai (2006), Washington, D.C. and Portland. Mergers and acquisitions added offices in North Carolina, Virginia, New York City, Chicago and California.

Ironically, Bill lived in Japan in the early seventies and also traveled to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand. Those early experiences would prove to be beneficial later in his career when he returned to Hong Kong in 1997 to open Troutman Sanders’ first international office. He has been active in the Hong Kong Association of Atlanta since 1997 and became its president in 2007. He is also active in the Federation of Hong Kong Business Associations Worldwide and served on its Executive Committee since 2007.

In June of 2011, Mr. Ramsey retired from Troutman Sanders and founded China Business Consulting, LLC. CBC has focused on assisting small businesses determine whether a China strategy makes sense for them. They also work with their clients to implement their plan in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Michael Mogill/Crisp Media Group

Michael Mogill is the President and Founder of Crisp Media Group. Crisp Media Group creates media that sizzles on the screen, igniting your brand’s potential. Simply put, their team produces slick video solutions that clients love and customers share. Whether it’s a corporate video, small business video, or start-up demo, Crisp Media Group’s video production services are flexible for your needs, and they’ve been fortunate to work with a variety of industry-leading clients. From corporate videos to dental video, Crisp Media Group tailors their concept and execution to the needs of each project, taking into account timeline, audience, budget and distribution.

Michael Mogill is also the Owner & Founder of Atlanta’s leading multimedia marketing company, ATL Nightlife. He also founded Reboot Music, Atlanta’s leading electronic music brand, and has served as the Vice President of FIT Radio, an online (and mobile) streaming music service. He is firm believer in establishing rock-solid company culture — one that values loyalty and diligence, and is execution-focused, with a strong ability to take initiative over ideas to create tangible deliverables.

 

Dekalb Chamber Edition with Leonardo McClarty, Betsy Mercier, and Dar’Shun Kendrick

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Leonardo McClarty/ Dekalb Chamber of Commerce

As President of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, McClarty is charged with membership development, business advocacy, program implementation, and interfacing with local, state, and federal government officials and staff. Other duties and responsibilities include staff management, budgeting, and strategic planning.

Betsy Mercier/ CDC Federal Credit Union

Betsy has worked in financial services for 37 years, primarily serving the small business and consumer communities. Currently she is the President/CEO of CDC Federal Credit Union in Atlanta, GA. They are the 10th largest credit union in Georgia, providing membership eligibility to people from multiple employee groups and geographic regions, especially Dekalb County. Betsy serves as a Director on the Dekalb Chamber of Commerce and acts as Trustee on the Georgia Credit Union CUPAC/CULAC committee. Her special interests include public education, financial literacy, and legislative issues relevant to financial services.

Dar’shun Kendrick/Kendrick Law Practice, LLC

Rep. Kendrick currently is in her 1st term as a Member of the Georgia House of Representatives serving DeKalb and Rockdale counties, specifically the Cities of Lithonia and Conyers.

Rep. Kendrick serves on the Children & Youth, Interstate Cooperation and Special Rules Committee. She also serves as the ONLY FRESHMAN appointed by the House Minority Leader to the Reapportionment Committee and the ONLY FRESHMAN to Co-Chair a Committee, the Economic Security and Development Committee.

Larry Greene and Candice Crossfield: Meeting Professionals International Georgia Chapter, Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin: Tribe Inc., and Rob Davis: Sprout Baby Food

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Larry Greene/ Greene Classic Limousines/ GaMPI

Larry Greene is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Greene Classic Limousines. Larry is also the President of Meeting Professionals International Georgia Chapter (GaMPI). Meeting Professionals International Georgia Chapter has 800 members and is the largest source of education and networking opportunities for the hospitality industry in the southeast. Their annual Summer Educational Alliance is coming up this August and will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Candice Crossfield/ Georgia Economic Development Association (GEDA)

Candice Crossfield proudly serves as the Manager, Member Services at GEDA.  Candice was previously with Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG) and has been instrumental in event coordination and member services while at ECG.  Prior to ECG, Candice worked in hospitality sales for the Ritz-Carlton, Monte Carlo Productions and Disney Regional Entertainment.  Currently Candice is the President-Elect at Meeting Professionals International Georgia Chapter.

Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin/Tribe Inc.

Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin is the Founder and CEO of Tribe Inc., an internal communications agency working with national and global clients like UPS, Embassy Suites and Warnaco. She is a recognized thought leader in the field of internal communications, the author of several books and writes a weekly post called Monday Zen at www.goodcompanyblog.com.

Ron Davis/Sprout Baby Food

Ron, CEO of Sprout Baby Food, is a value-driven executive and proven leader with 30 years of experience in the Food Industry, including the past 20 years in Senior Management with large, medium and small size markets. His successful track record in leading an organization’s turnaround, growing existing business as well as creating new business development is quite impressive. He has extensive experience in strategic planning, brand building, business development, process improvement, supply chain management, operations, budget development & control and team building.

Ron served as CEO for The Wornick Company Prepared Foods (’99-’04) where the business grew five-fold over a 5-year period under his leadership, up through the sale of the Company. He started his career at HJ Heinz (’80-’91) and held various management positions. He also held senior management positions with Truitt Bros., Edwards Baking Company and Atlanta Cheesecake Company. Ron is a member of Sprout Foods Board of Directors as well as other businesses. Ron holds his BS/BA Business from Robert Morris College and Master’s Degree from Carnegie Mellon.

 

Chris Hendley with Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Aaron Zucker with LevelUp. Jason Hennessey with Everspark Interactive. Micah Porter with Minerva Planning Group

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Chris Hendley/Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau

Established in 1913, Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is a private, nonprofit organization created to favorably impact the Atlanta economy through conventions and tourism. ACVB is the liaison between meeting planners, tour operators and its 1,200-plus member organizations.

As the director of membership, Chris Hendley leads recruitment and retention programs for current and prospective ACVB members while managing the membership department.

Hendley brings 11 years of sports experience in sales, marketing and management to the ACVB, including positions with Georgia Force of the Arena Football League, The Arena at Gwinnett Center and Philips Arena.

In his time at The Arena at Gwinnett Center, Hendley served most recently as business and community development manager, responsible for implementing the sponsorship sales program. In addition, he functioned as arena manager, director of arena booking and marketing and media manager.

Chris was a founding member and the first President of Right to Hike, Inc., a non-profit organization started to celebrate the memory of Meredith Hope Emerson. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Sports Marketing Department of Gwinnett Technical College as well as the Advisory Board for the Hercules Council at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Chris grew up in Knightdale, NC, and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has been a proud Atlanta resident for 11 years and has been married to his wife, Leslie, for six years.

Aaron Zucker/LevelUp

Aaron Zucker is the Marketing & Public Relations manager for LevelUp in Atlanta. In addition to media appearances on behalf of the company, Aaron also handles event opportunities for LevelUp in the area. Aaron is originally from Charlotte, NC and received both his undergraduate and masters degrees from the University of Alabama. He can be reached via email at Aaron@thelevelup.com.

Jason Hennessey/Everspark Interactive

As CEO of Everspark Interactive, Jason oversees search marketing campaigns for companies in a wide variety of fields when they want to rank for extremely competitive terms in short periods of time. He is continually learning, teaching, and practicing all that goes into a successful SEO campaign.

Micah Porter/Minerva Planning Group

Micah Porter is President and CEO of Minerva Planning Group, a CFA charterholder, and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner. He began work at Minerva in 2003 with extensive experience in business planning and corporate finance. Micah enjoys working together with individual clients to formulate, implement and update their comprehensive financial plans. Additionally, as a CFA charterholder, he is responsible for establishing and implementing Minerva’s overall investment strategy. Micah is a NAPFA Registered Financial Advisor.



Workplace Learning Special – Atlanta Conference and Expo Preview: Align, Connect and Engage

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Today on our Workplace Learning Special Edition we interviewed with some of the presenters and organizers for the upcoming 2012 Greater Atlanta Chapter of ASTD Atlanta Conference and Expo happening on August 20th at the Westin Atlanta Perimeter North. The Theme of the conference this year is “Align, Connect, and Engage!” The Keynote speakers for this event are Jane Bozarth (opening) and Elliott Masie (closing).

Our guests today are Leigh Ann Lankford, Todd Wilmore, and Sarah Gilbert. Leigh Ann Lankford is an organizer for this event, as is Sarah Gilbert. Sarah is also one of the presenters along with Todd Wilmore. Their sessions are “Blended Learning: Driving the Virtual Classroom” presented by Sarah and “Storytelling and Talking Frogs” presented by Todd.


 

John Duisberg and Prem Bhatia from Cooleaf. David Schaeffer from Chilivis Cochran Larkins & Bever and Jared Lace and Chase Abernethy with CHASE Professionals

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John Duisberg and Prem Bhatia/Cooleaf

John Duisberg and Prem Bhatia are Co-Founders of Cooleaf, an Atlanta based company focused on building a health and wellness platform for individuals, employers, and fitness providers. Prior to Cooleaf, John spent eight years at Availity in the healthcare IT industry. During his tenure at Availity, John specialized in new product development and program management. Before Cooleaf, Prem lead business development and strategy initiatives at RelayHealth and has a background in health care payments and benefits from his time at American Express.

David N. Schaeffer/Chilivis Cochran Larkins & Bever, LLP

David Schaeffer earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1981.  He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 1978 with B.A. in Economics and Religion.  David started his legal career with the Atlanta firm of Kidd & Vaughan in 1981 and became a partner in 1987.  The firm changed its name to Holland Schaeffer Roddenbery Blitch, LLP, in 2008.  David joined the firm of Chilivis, Cochran, Larkins & Bever as a partner in January, 2011.

David served as President of the Atlanta Bar Association in 2009-2010 and Chair of its Litigation Section in 2003-2004.  In his year as President, the Atlanta Bar Association was awarded the State Bar’s President’s Cup as the best overall bar association in the State of Georgia.  David was awarded the Atlanta Bar’s Distinguished Service Award in 2004.  As a successful litigator and appellate advocate, he was a statewide candidate for the Georgia Court of Appeals in 2010, and has been selected on the short lists for several state and federal judicial positions.

During his thirty years as a civil litigator, David has handled a wide variety of business and personal injury matters for individuals and businesses, both for plaintiffs and defendants.  He has tried dozens of jury trials and argued almost twenty appeals in state and federal courts.  David considers himself especially qualified and experienced in business litigation matters involving non-compete and other restrictive covenants,  trade secrets,  business fraud, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and partnership disputes;  personal injury matters, including wrongful death claims and serious injuries such as amputations, paralysis and brain traumas; and school redistricting matters.  David also represented St. Joseph’s Hospital in defending medical and nursing malpractice claims for 12 years, and has also represented businesses, patients or their families in professional malpractice claims against a variety of entities and professionals.   He also assists professionals and managers in negotiating severance agreements and protecting employment rights.  Finally, David has participated in hundreds of mediations and arbitrations and is available to mediate business and personal injury/professional malpractice disputes.

Jared Lace and Chase Abernethy with CHASE Professionals

Jared Lace and Chase Abernathy handle staffing and recruiting at CHASE Professionals.

CHASE Professionals is a Nationwide contingency recruiting firm headquartered in Sandy Springs, GA. with 35 branches across the United States, It is our objective to present only the highest skilled professionals to our clients, tailored to your company’s unique needs.

 



 

DeKalb Chamber Special Edition with Greg Russell: Bank of North Georgia, Charles Blackmon: DeKalb Enterprise Business Corporation & Charles Green: Small Business Finance Institute

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Today we had a special edition of Atlanta Business Radio spotlighting the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. We featured several members of the Dekalb Chamber who spoke about their involvement in the Chamber of Commerce and the upcoming Capacity Building Series.

Greg Russell/Bank of North Georgia div of Synovus Bank

Greg Russell is a Senior Vice President and Community Executive for Bank of North Georgia. In this capacity, Mr. Russell is responsible for banking activity and operations in the Tucker and surrounding markets. His career in banking began in 1988 at C & S Bank now Bank of America as a Management Associate. Mr. Russell earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Georgia State University and a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from the same school. He’s also a graduate of Leadership Rockdale and Synovus Leadership Institute.

Mr. Russell has been very involved in his local community having served on the local boards for the Northlake Kiwanis, the Decatur-Dekalb YMCA and Dekalb Chamber of Commerce. He coached youth baseball and soccer for several years.

He is a native Atlantan and has lived in Dekalb County for the past 35 years. He and his wife, Carol, have one child; Gregory Russell, Jr. Gregory is a 10th grader attending Arabia Mountain High School’s Magnet Program. The Russells attend Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church where they have had some connection for the past 30+ years.

Charles Blackmon/DEBCO

Charles Blackmon is the Executive Director of the DeKalb Enterprise Business Corporation (DEBCO). Charles is a native of Atlanta and is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia.

Charles Green/Small Business Finance Institute

Charles Green began working in his parent’s small business at age 8 and attended many dinner hour “board meetings.” Today he is a recognized small business authority with over 30 years of advising, financing and investing in entrepreneurs. He regularly consults with business owners and bankers, writes about financial topics and teaches finance through seminars and conferences produced by a non-profit enterprise he founded, the Small Business Finance Institute (www.SBFI.org).

His experience as a commercial banker, venture capitalist and advisor yielded clients from more than 30 countries. He founded and served as President/CEO of Sunrise Bank of Atlanta. Charles has served as corporate director for several businesses in the U.S., Mexico and Europe including a NASDAQ-listed company. Presently he serves as Chair of the Governing Board at Atlanta Medical Center, a 460-bed for-profit hospital owned by Tenet Healthcare.

Charles authored several books and articles about business financing including bestselling The SBA Loan Book 3rd Edition (Adams Media, 2011), and Get Financing Now (McGraw-Hill, 2012).

He earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama and completed the Stonier National Graduate School of Banking at the Wharton School of Business. He serves as Chair of the Fulton County Arts Council. In 2005 he was named the Financial Services Champion by the Georgia District of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The Small Business Finance Institute is a vision to create a national education platform teaching business owners better financial management skills and how to navigate to funding through more informed preparation and search.

Charles Green & Co provides strategic advice on debt and equity financing, resource planning, cash flow forecasting, capital adequacy, business tactics, corporate governance, organizational planning, and big ideas to businesses and banks of all sizes. Hear him speak on Capital Management at the Dekalb Chamber Capacity Building Series on July 20.

Atlanta Dental Special Edition with Patrick O’Rourke: Solstice Dental and Vision, Dr Jason Eaglin: Eaglin Dental Group, and Benjamin Suggs: PracticePRM

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Today we had an Atlanta Dental Special Edition put together by Patrick O’Rourke from Solstice Dental and Vision. The focus of this special was Modern Dentistry.

Patrick O’Rourke/ Solstice Dental &Vision, Atlanta Office

Patrick O’Rourke began his career in the Insurance industry at just 19 years old with Paramount Dental as a Member Services Representative. Now, Patrick is the Regional Vice President with Solstice Dental & Vision, an ancillary insurance carrier based out of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. He is responsible for network development, branding, sales & marketing, plan designs, profitability, and overall strategy for the state of Georgia.

He sits on the board for both the Atlanta and Georgia state chapters of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU). He has also received an award for Outstanding Service for his involvement on AAHU Board this past year.

Patrick’s professional certificates include Dental Benefits Associate (DBA), Disability Insurance Associate (DIA), Professional, Health Insurance Advanced Studies (PHIAS), Also certified in Wellness, HIPAA, & Consumer Directed Healthcare (CDHC)

Dr Jason Eaglin/Eaglin Dental Group

Dr. Jason Eaglin received his DDS degree from Howard University College of Dentistry. For more than seven years he has provided dental services in private practice. Dr. Eaglin is an advocate of advanced dental technology to assist his patients in achieving optimal results. He is a member of numerous national and regional dental organizations. Visit their website at eaglindentalgroup.com to obtain more information about Dr. Eaglin and their multi-location practice in Metro-Atlanta.

Benjamin Suggs/PracticePRM – Dental Marketing

Ben Suggs is Managing Member of PracticePRM, a Dental, Medical and Veterinary marketing firm based in Atlanta, GA. PracticePRM provides Outsourced Chief Marketing Officer Services and Integrated Marketing Communications. Contact him today to schedule an initial consultation to discuss the opportunities to increase your practice’s new patient inflow!