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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Sandy Springs Studio





Outsourced Mobile Divisions with Andrea Busse: IntelaText and The Dirty “D” Word with Mari LaScala and Sarah Levy: Divorce Concierge Service

Andrea Busse/IntelaText                                                                                

Andrea Busse is considered a global authority in mobile engagement technologies and continues to out-innovate the market with IntelaText’s un-matched combination of over 25 customer engagement technologies, easily adapted for any industry or company’s initiatives. Through her futuristic thinking, Andrea ensures that IntelaText remains the front runner in innovation while maintaining a solid set of proven business solutions for mobile engagement. Since founding the company in 2004, she has been responsible for the rapid growth and acquisition of major accounts including NASA, Sunglass Hut, ESPN, AT&T, Pantech, NCAA Football/Basketball, Coca-Cola and UPS. She also pioneered the first mobile platform capable of sending mobile communications world-wide in over 200 languages and dialects, and was awarded ‘Mobile Marketer of the Year’ at the Tech Marketing Awards in 2011.

 

Mari LaScala/ Divorce Concierge Service

Mari graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and earned her Law Degree from Loyola University New Orleans. Mari has practiced Family Law in Atlanta for the past nine years, compassionately guiding her clients through divorces, child custody disputes, child support disputes and other domestic legal actions. Mari also has served as a Guardian ad Litem in contested custody cases. Mari’s passion to help people through the divorce process led her to leave her thriving law practice and create Divorce Concierge Service. Although Mari no longer provides legal representation, she uses her legal knowledge and experience to successfully support clients at Divorce Concierge Service.

 

Sarah Levy/Divorce Concierge Service

Sarah Levy, co-owner of Divorce Concierge Service with Mari LaScala, graduated from WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis and began her career in advertising in New York City. She spent eight years working as an Account Supervisor at advertising agencies with high demand clients that included Mercedes- Benz, Diet Coke and Southwestern Bell. Since moving to Atlanta, Sarah has worked in advertising and launched a children’s website. Currently, she is a practicing life and logistics coach. Her ability to get things done is unmatched.

 

 

 

Stephanie Hill: Women in Technology and Dr. Marilyn Carroll with KSAP5i

Stephanie Hill/ Women in Technology

Prior to joining WIT as Executive Director, Stephanie Hill most recently served as managing principal, business development for Magellan Associates LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in helping companies transform organizations into sustainable models of collaboration and productivity. Prior to that, she served as chief financial officer for the IT Senior Management Forum (ITSMF), a national non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating executive talent among African-American IT professionals.

Hill has an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta School of Business, and obtained her BS in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh. Her previous roles have included serving as senior vice president of Debit Card Technology at Bank of America, Charlotte, as well as chief information officer at UPS Capital, Atlanta.

Founded in 2004, the WIT Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports the philanthropic aims of WIT, Inc. The WIT Foundation focuses on pre-career programs, awarding cash grants to area organizations and non-profits focusing on girls and STEM.

WIT starts early guiding women in technology toward success, and the WIT Foundation-created Girls Get IT program is a perfect example. WIT creates a community of female students of all ages, partners them with local professional women in technology, then helps them make informed decisions about careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

 

Dr. Marilyn Carroll/KSAP5i A Career Management Education Company

Marilyn Carroll, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of KSAP5i, Inc. A Career Management Education Company, Dr. Marilyn is responsible for developing and overseeing 21st century career management tools and educational programs and resources for institutional and retail clients. She serves as a Visiting Professor to several universities. She is the mother of two and an active community leader. Serving as board chairs for Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates and United Way’s Women Leadership Cabinet.

 

 

Meet Your Market with Shark Branding and Team Fenom – Featuring Expert Guests: Phillip Boykin, Antonia Newman and Charlotte Newman

Today we explored how to capitalize on existing markets and create new ones with Expert Guests from Shark Branding and Team Fenom . . .

 

Phillip Boykin / Shark Branding

Phillip Boykin is the Creative Director for Shark Branding, a New York based advertising and marketing firm founded by Daymond John, CEO of FUBU and one of the stars of the hit ABC entrepreneurial reality show, Shark Tank.

 

Antonia Newman / Team Fenom

Dissatisfied with the coverage of women’s sports, two sisters, Charlotte and Antonia Newman, founded Team Fenom, with a singular goal, to create the most recognizable brand in women’s sports.

Team Fenom is an online community connecting fans and a destination for women’s sports news and fitness information. They derived the name Fenom from combining female and phenomenal. Team Fenom is an expression of the global community of individuals who support women’s sports.

Antonia Newman is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Team Fenom. She graduated with honors from Florida Southern College, earning a B.S. and MBA. Her athletic achievements include being a two-time Kodak/WBCA All-America honorable mention, holding school records in rebounds and blocked shots, and leading her team to four seasons of post-season play. Antonia also played professional basketball in Europe, served on the Euro-American Women’s Council Executive Global Advisory Board and was selected to develop a sports program to mentor Greek youth.  Antonia has over five years of sports management experience.

She worked in Basketball Development with the Atlanta Hawks and in Marketing and Fan Development with the Hawks & Thrashers. Given her devotion to athletics and passion for women’s sports, Antonia has volunteered her services with Florida Southern College’s women’s basketball program, the Atlanta Beat of Women’s Professional Soccer, the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and the defunct Atlanta Glory of the American Basketball League (ABL).

 

Charlotte Newman / Team Fenom

CharlotteNewman is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Team Fenom. She is an entrepreneur with a penchant for communication. Charlotte holds a B.A. from Wellesley College and graduated from Harvard Business School (HBS). She is fascinated by digital media and has started two blogs, one a summary of the best stories in tech and digital. At HBS, she co-wrote a case on ProPublica, the first online news organization to win the Pulitzer Prize. Charlotte’s interest in digital media grew from communications experience as an advisor to two U.S. Congressmen, Chris Murphy and David Scott.

As the co-founder of Team Fenom, Charlotte draws on extensive experience writing opinion editorials, speeches, and policy statements on Capitol Hill. She sits on the board of the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta. In her spare time, Charlotte is an avid runner and huge sports fan. She formerly played basketball and ran track.

 

TAG Special Edition: CEO Tino Mantella, Robert Anderson from BrightWhistle and Jeffery Spence from Innovolt

Tino Mantella / Technology Association of Georgia

Tino Mantella is the president and CEO of the Technology Association of Georgia. Since coming to TAG in 2004, Mantella has worked with a team of dedicated volunteers and staff to: build a prestigious board made up of 60 technology stakeholders, grown membership by more than 500%, and added a series of programs and services that support TAG’s vision of educating, informing and uniting the technology community.

 

Robert Anderson / BrightWhistle

Robert Anderson is a Marketing and Sales Analyst at BrightWhistle. The recent UGA graduate started with BrightWhistle in 2011. Before that he held a Production Assistant Internship at Curent TV as well as an internship with Turner Broadcasting as a New Products Group Intern.

BrightWhistle was inspired by the passion both founders shared for the convergence of digital media and online marketing. Founders Chad Mallory and Greg Foster shared one core belief – relevant content has the power to connect businesses with their prospective customers. When combined with advanced marketing science and a scalable technology platform, the resulting solution addresses the digital marketer’s most compelling challenge – how to generate and convert qualified leads for their business.

 

Jeffery Spence / Innovolt

Jeffery Spence joined Innovolt as President and COO in 2010 after more than 15 years in executive and corporate development roles growing worldwide companies in the energy, finance, telecommunications and technology sectors across five continents and dozens of countries. In addition to his leadership roles with Innovolt, Spence continues to consult to the industry regarding sales, corporate finance, technology, business incubation and international business development. He is an active speaker across multiple industries and disciplines, having appeared at high-profile conferences including Comdex, Networld+Interop, The Homeland Security Summit, and the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE). In addition, Spence has counseled policy groups including the United Nations, the European Union, and a host of other government and business groups on subjects ranging from economic development, entrepreneurialism, sales and marketing to government intervention and monetary policy.

Spence holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both Electronic Engineering and Physics from California State University, Chico where he was a competitive decathlete. He currently serves on the board of a number of domestic and international companies and is actively involved in the financing and development of a number of charities and foundations.

Atlanta-based Innovolt is an electronics protection leader and first to bridge the gap between the power protection and asset service markets. Cost-effective, highly scalable and integratable, Innovolt’s proprietary and patented power protection technology is proven to significantly increase product lifespan and reliability.

Innovolt’s comprehensive technology platform is proven to help electronic equipment last longer, with fewer service interruptions, by keeping it safe from the common power disturbances that most often damage electronics. This patented electronics protection guards against damage from 99.5 percent of power interruptions, including infinite voltage and current variations. Innovolt’s technology also provides valuable real-time diagnostics recording both power levels and quality to help effectively manage electronic assets.

 

 

Special Edition Atlanta Real Estate Scene: Featuring Dan Forsman, Steve Palm, Mitch Kaminer, and Rick Darlington

Today’s Special Edition High Velocity Radio Show focused on the Atlanta Real Estate Scene, and was brought to you by Real Estate Connections ATL  . . .

 

Dan Forsman / Prudential Georgia Realty

Daniel T. Forsman is a visionary with a passion for success. His commitment to excellence, strong work ethic, tech savvy and innovative agent programs such as TeamBuilder and DreamBuilder combine to lead and grow Prudential Georgia Realty into the strongest, most agent-centric real estate company in Atlanta. Forsman previously held positions as executive vice president, CFO and COO before his installation as president in 1986. Since then, he has grown the company to 22 offices with over 1,200 agents, making Prudential Georgia Realty one of the largest and fastest growing real estate firms in the nation.

Forsman is widely recognized by his peers in the real estate and business  community. His many awards include being named one of the “Top 40 Businessmen Under the Age of 40”, the Gordon Brown Excellence Award for referrals and relocation, the coveted President’s Award and Five Star Circle of Service Award from the Atlanta Board of REALTORS and the Prudential Gibraltar Circle Award every year since 1992. In 2003, Forsman served as President of the Atlanta Board of REALTORS®, one of the largest boards in the Southeast. Forsman was recently named 2006 Broker of the Year for the entire Prudential Affiliates Network (1,600 offices).

Dan is committed to the company’s core values – To deliver service that exceeds expectations between each other and our customers, with an exemplary “We Care” spirit. That commitment earned Prudential Georgia Realty a Consumers’ Choice Award for Business Excellence five straight years. (2004-2008) Forsman and Prudential Georgia Realty associates believe in giving back to the communities they serve, supporting many worthwhile initiatives such as Habitat for Humanity, March of Dimes and The Sunshine Kids, an organization that helps children with cancer.

Dan Forsman lives what he believes… “Climb the ladder of success, take your family with you and enjoy the ride!” He is married with 4 children, and enjoys his active home life in the northern suburbs of Atlanta.

 

Steve Palm / Smartnumbers

Steve Palm is the President of Smartnumbers, which is an Atlanta based Company that provides information and reporting for the residential real estate market on 12 MSA’s (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) in the Southeast. His clientele include many Fortune 500 Companies. Some of these being: Pulte Homes, Wells Fargo, RE/MAX, and CB Richard Ellis. Smartnumbers also provides consulting  and data/information on a regular basis to the Federal Reserve, Wall Street Journal, and to Georgia State Economic Forecasting.

Steve has been a part of some major projects. These being Mall of Georgia Growth Analysis, Atlantic Station Marketing Analysis, and Keller Williams Franchise Territory Analysis. He has also been quoted on real estate in most major US publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

 

Mitch Kaminer / Atlanta Board of REALTORS® and RE/MAX Paramount Properties

New York transplant, Mitch Kaminer has been living in the Atlanta area since 1991 and has been in the real estate business since 1994.  Prior to that he was in the United States Air Force serving in Germany, then went through flight engineering school and flew on C-141’s in Desert Storm. Afterward he retired to seek a new career in civilian life.

Mitch’s first year in real estate was amazing.  He sold 28 homes and was hooked, and the numbers have only gotten better!   Mitch is the recipient of numerous real estate awards:  Atlanta Board of Realtors Million Dollar Club, 1994-2010; Atlanta Board of Realtors Platinum Club, 1998-2010; Re/Max Hall of Fame, 2002; and Re/Max of Georgia Top 25 Individuals, 2002-2010. He is also the owner of Kaminer Property Management, a full service property management business.

Mitch got involved with the Atlanta Board of REALTORS® in 2002 and went through their Leadership Development program.  Soon after, he became Vice President of the Board.  He enjoys giving back to the real estate community with his knowledge and experience.

Mitch, his wife, and three children live in Roswell.  When not keeping up with the latest trends and technologies in real estate, you can find him riding his bike around town or up in the sky flying an airplane.

 

Rick Darlington / Brand Mortgage

Rick is the Senior Vice President/Area Manager of Brand Mortgage. He is also the President of the Mortgage Bankers Association Atlanta Chapter.

The Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia is a trade association composed of mortgage lenders, brokers and affiliated industry associates. This Association is dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the mortgage banking correspondent system. The Board of Governors of this association encourages its members to use sound and ethical business practices in the making, marketing and servicing of mortgage loans.


Atlanta Real Estate: Kim Ordono and Kelly Kirchner with USA Mortgage, and Boh Bohorquez with Women’s Council of REALTORS Atlanta Chapter

Today we explored the Atlanta Real Estate market. We opened the show with USA Mortgage’s Kim Ordono & Kelly Kirchner, and then invited WCR Atlanta President Boh Bohorquez to join the conversation . . .

Kim Ordono and Kelly Kirchner / USA Mortgage

Kim Ordono and Kelly Kirchner have recently opened a Georgia Branch of USA Mortgage. They have over 27 years of experience in the mortgage industry with roles ranging from Loan Originator, Regional Vice President, Director of Training & Development to Branch Manager. Kim entered the mortgage industry in 1992 and Kelly in 2005. Kim and Kelly have worked together for the past 6+ years and have grown to love working as a team.

The team concept is rather unusual in the mortgage industry and it’s only one thing that sets Kim and Kelly apart from everyone else. Kim and Kelly have seen a lot of ups and downs in this industry, but one thing has never changed – their passion for helping people save money. Whether it is a refinance to help save money monthly or saving on costs for a first time home buyer, Kim and Kelly always strive to give their customers the best deal the market can offer.

 

C. Boh Bohorquez / Harry Norman Realtors / WCR Atlanta

Boh Bohorquez began his career in Real Estate in 1978 but left in 1982 when the interest rate climbed to 22%. He worked in Corporate America as a Regional Director of Quality and Customer Service. After 22 years of this he returned to Real Estate. Ten years ago he became a member of GAR, ABR and NAR. Currently he is a Director with the Atlanta Board of REALTORS and President of the Women’s Council of REALTORS Atlanta Chapter.

 

 

Wendy Kinney: Referral Based Marketing, Capp Scates: Performing Rights, plus Matt Liotta and Brad Bruckman: The Future Of Farming

Wendy Kinney/Ready… Set…Go Make Money

For more than a decade now, Wendy Kinney has focused on referral-based marketing and through this she has given sales people and entrepreneurs the tools they need to build their businesses. Wendy has developed a multi-layered approach for creating a network of relationships and shares the approach through lively, engaging and content-filled workshops and seminars. She can customize training courses, facilitate work sessions, and deliver keynote addresses for meeting planners who want to add more interactivity to their events.

Wendy has also accomplished the incredible feat of reading over 700 books on referral-marketing. To get her “Wendy Kinney Approved Referral Marketing Booklist”, e-mail her at Wendy@WendyKinney.com.

 

Capp Scates/SESAC

Cappriccieo M. Scates is Senior Director of Writer/Publisher Relations for SESAC. SESAC is a performing rights organization. This is an organization (SESAC being one of three in the U.S.) that represents songwriters and publishers and their right to be compensated for having their music performed in public. Prior to joining SESAC, he was Director of Operations for PM Music Group where he represented songwriters whose credits included: Michael Jackson and Beyonce. He is also former Director of National Radio Promotions for Ruffhouse Records and has been responsible for promoting the careers of artists such as: Fugees, and Boyz II Men. In addition, he is author of 10 Steps to Successfully     Managing Recording Artists. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration from Averett University where he was selected to the National Dean’s List for academic excellence.

 

Matt Liotta/PodPonics

Matt Liotta is the Founder and CEO of PodPonics. Matt combines his technological experience with his appreciation for organic products and a desire to source locally-grown produce from his hydroponic growing company. Liotta began developing his technological expertise at an early age, including taking college programming courses at the age of eight. He brings a wealth of knowledge garnered from years of experience in the software and telecommunications industries to his latest start-up organization, PodPonics, LLC.

PodPonics is the future of farming. The Atlanta-based company answers the growing consumer demand for local food by producing it in urban centers, using an approach that does not require arable land. PodPonics utilizes a proprietary system that integrates advanced hydroponics, proprietary lighting, irrigation and nutrient technology with process control. Their growing system reduces cost, improves product quality and creates local jobs while answering the strong and growing demand for locally produced, natural foods.

The PodPonics approach to next-generation urban agriculture provides a number of advantages over traditional farming, including year-round crop production, much higher crop density and predictable results, as well as the elimination of crop failures caused by weather or pests. PodPonics meets these goals using far less water and foreign oil than traditional agriculture and without employing harmful pesticides. The benefits of the approach include providing a healthy, natural product grown in a controlled environment at or near the point of consumption. PodPonics was recently named a Top 40 Innovative Technology Company in Georgia by the Technology Association of Georgia

 

Brad Bruckman/PodPonics

Brad is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of PodPonics. He has worked with a number of companies before starting with PodPonics, including Dominos, PesiCo Restaurants, and Krispy Kreme. The experience he gained working with Krispy Kreme as an Area Developer in northern California is a great addition to PodPonics as he was most successful with the wholesale business.

Mary O’Neill: The Value of Being Connected

On Today’s show, Mary O’Neill described the value of being connected and networking within the business world.

Mary O’Neill / Write2Market
Mary is an accomplished marketing and creative communications professional with extensive experience in consumer packaged goods, brand strategy and positioning, and advertising as well as retail activation and customer management.

She also has a combined organizational development and learning background that allows the broad strategic marketing perspective to be transformed into leadership that “Gets Things Done”, from concept to execution in beverages, food, service, retail and hospitality.

Mary has an integrated Brand/Channel and Consumer Marketing understanding that helps to create results in the marketplace. Her expertise is in Brand Planning from Positioning to Activation at the “street level”. Mary has a passion for building people, cultures and businesses. This passion naturally leads her to the global training programs that she designs, develops and pilots that are geared towards key leadership and personal development.

Presently Mary is the Strategic Account Director at Write2Market which is a business that creates recognizable Industry Leaders through what they call their “Triple A” methodology — Awards, Access, and Awareness. Write2Market’s goal is to help their clients strengthen their brand identities and market presence. Mary is also the founder of On Track Consulting LLC and serves as a board member of Synchronicity Theatre.

Building Business Relationships: Randy Gold With AGH, Al Meyers With TEDx Peachtree, David Duncan With EO Atlanta, and Speakeasy CEO Scott Weiss

Today's Broadcast Brought To You By Business Wise: Better Data, Better Decisions

Today's Broadcast Brought To You By Business Wise

Today we explored exactly what it takes to keep building business relationships, and consistently provide genuine value to the constituencies we serve.

Randy Gold/AGH- CPA and Business Advisory

AGH is one of the most respected boutique accounting and business advisory firms of the southeast. The Atlanta Business Chronicle claimed it to be the fastest growing accounting firm in the last five years as well as the Best Place to Work in Atlanta for the last three years. As a firm it has core values and a commitment to community involvement. Randy Gold brings talent and experience to this firm’s real estate and construction practice as the Principal and Chief Operating Advisor. He has an extensive background representing commercial and multifamily real estate developers and investors through purchase/sale transactions, deal structuring, consulting and reporting. Randy’s responsibilities lie in helping to create the strategy and tactics to support AGH’s long term vision of developing expert team members who provide the foremost client communication and service.

The Jewish Federation of North America named Randy Gold the Jewish Community Hero in 2011 most likely for his founding of  the Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen, a new project for the prevention of Jewish genetic diseases. The project is meant to build awareness of the current nineteen different life threatening, but preventable, genetic diseases affecting Ashkenazi Jews.

 

Al Meyers/ TEDxPeachtree

Al Meyers is the founder and official licensee of TEDxPeachtree which is an independently organized event held annually in Atlanta, Georgia.

TEDxPeachtree seeks to develop and share the TED experience on a regional level by bringing together inspiration leaders, innovators, artists, and entertainers in metropolitan Atlanta, all who believe in TED’s mission of “ideas worth spreading.”

Meyers also consults part time with Georgia Film Credit Consultants, is the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Atlanta Music Project and was previously the President of Saisei Consulting.

 

David Duncan/ EO & Paddywax

David Duncan and his wife Gretchen recently sold their interests in Paddywax, a business that creates and sells hand poured, fragrance infused, soy wax candles. David is now incoming President for Entrepreneurs’ Organization Atlanta, and was kind enough to introduce us to one of their newest members — Speakeasy CEO, Scott Weiss . . .

 

Scott Weiss/ Speakeasy

Scott Weiss is the president and CEO of Speakeasy. He started off as a client and his own experience as a senior executive in broadcast and cable industries was profound enough that he joined the company as an executive VP and later bought the company in 2003.

Whether it’s through sales presentations, speeches, and one-on-one meetings, or your annual report, your sales collateral, or your web presence… your ability to connect with your audience is the last critical link between you and the results you want. And, developing the communication skills you need to make that happen takes more than simple public speaking seminars or presentation training. It’s based on connection, and… it thrives on congruency. And both of those begin with you. With your connection to yourself…With your commitment to connect with others.

That’s where Speakeasy has established its value and reputation for more than 30 years. Communicating, inspiring, and connecting leaders in business: we can do the same for you.

 

Jim Beach, Jack Shaw, And Tammie Bailey-Fults: Three Of Atlanta’s Best Connectors

Today we continued our quest for Atlanta’s Best Connectors, and discovered three more professionals making all the right connections and producing Better Results In Less Time.

 

Jim Beach

Jim Beach’s first book, School for Startups, was published by McGraw-Hill in June 2011. Jim has started businesses and has taught entrepreneurship around the world. At the age of 25, Jim founded American Computer Experience.

From 1993 to 2000, Jim grew the company with no capital infusion to $12 million in annual revenue and to over 60 permanent and 700 temporary employees, operating in 39 states and in three countries. Jim taught entrepreneurship at Georgia State University for nine years and in 2009, Jim founded the School for Startups, www.SchoolforStartups.com, a web resource devoted to teaching his philosophy of low risk entrepreneurship.

Jim has presented in Japan, Korea, India, Dubai, and Egypt and for or on behalf of Wells Fargo, Toshiba, UPS, SunTrust and others on topics as diverse as the “Future of Oil Scarcity,” “How to Export in a Down Economy,” and“Getting to Number One on Google.”

 

Jack Shaw

Jack Shaw is President of Breakthrough Business Technologies and one of the most effective connectorsin Atlanta. He uses personal networking, social media, and web video to connect with clients, prospects, business partners, and to promote the many not-for-profit organizations he supports. Tune in to learnfrom his experience how you can expand your markets and extend your reach through more effective connecting.

During his decades of experience with business technology, Jack has developed deep expertise inmany areas. These include a wide array of industries, business processes, and technologies. He has provided advisory services to leading Technology Solution Providers including IBM, SAP, Oracle and others as well as providing expert guidance and best practices to Fortune 500 Companies such as General Electric, Coca Cola, Allstate, and many more.

 

Tammie Bailey-Fults

The phrase “take your business to the next level” has been popularized and over used. When mostpeople make this claim they are usually talking marketing or something similar. But how do nine (9)zeros sound to you? Sounds like another level right, one that peaks curiosity. Your business can go to the next level and participate in a billion industry called Federal government markets. Tammie Bailey-Fults and NAWOSB are here to show you how.