When Lily was just 10 years old, she was having trouble finding her lip balm. She said, “Mom, where’s my lip blam?” Lip BLAM? Brilliant. Lily’s mom said that would make a great name for a lip balm company. BLAMtastic® Natural Lip Balm was born. Lily has a strong work ethic shared by few and she loves working to grow her company. She has a passion for riding horses and she loves drama and volleyball.
Melanie Sandler, 10
Company Founder & Blam Designer,
BLAMtastic® Natural Lip Balm
Melanie has a natural gift for creating amazing flavors. Kids go crazy for them. She has been doing so since the company began when Melanie was just 9 years old. Since launching the business in 2008, Melanie has balanced designing for BLAMtastic®, playing guitar and bass in her band, staying active in sports, and maintaining good grades in school.
Renee Sandler – Age – Young at Heart
President and Head Cheerleader,
BLAMtastic® Natural Lip Balm
As the mother of these two bright girls, it saddened her to read in 2007 that only 12 of the Fortune 500 CEO’s were women when more than 50% of the American workforce is made up by women. Not everyone is destined to run a corporation. However, Renee wanted her daughters to know that anything was within their reach. She suggested they start a business of their choosing. They not only started a business, but they set a standard by which businesses should be measured. They created BLAMtastic® Lip Balm. With great awareness of the ingredients they use, the economy they support (BLAMtastic® is always made in the USA) and the community in which they live and work, these young ladies have taken an idea and turned it into a popular international brand
Today, Sandler and her girls are the masterminds behind Blamtastic, a lip balm company with over 1,000 retail accounts.
Wellness programs have often been viewed as a nice extra, not a strategic imperative. New evidence tells a different story. A recent Harvard Business Review report identifies, “The Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs”, and the it reveals that the “ROI data will surprise you, and the softer evidence may inspire you”.
In preparing a Harvard Business Review report, published December 2010, our guest William Baun and two co-authors examined existing research and then studied 10 organizations whose wellness programs have systematically achieved measurable results. From their findings, they identified six essential pillars of a successful, strategically integrated wellness program – regardless of organization size.
Also, among his many professional experiences and accomplishments, Bill is presently the manager of the wellness program at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and serves as a director to the National Wellness Institute and to the International Association of Worksite Health Promotion.
To hear an outstanding interiew with Bill, as he describes not only the necessary ingredients of a successful wellness program; but also his unique and valuable approaches at the MD Anderson Cancer Center; click on this link: Good_Health_02152011_Interview.mp3.
The hosts also asked Bill what he felt was the most successful engagement strategy to get members to participate in health & wellness programs. Hear his thoughts at this link: Good_Health_02152011_Engagement.mp3 .
On today’s show Stone Payton co-hosted this Inside PR Special.
We opened the show with the announcement of the 7th Annual BMA Atlanta Charity Chocolate Tasting benefitting Cure Childhood Cancer. This event is being held at FAB Atlanta on February 24 from 6p-8p. Please go to the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter’s website to register www.bmaatlanta.com/events/
Our first guests were Chris Myles from Golin Harris with his client Krista Eberle from United Egg Producers. They discussed the role of a PR firm in handling a crisis. They shared the ways they worked together and had to move quickly and maintain one message through a recent crisis.
Next up we had on Drew Plant from Plant Communications with his client Charles Crawford from Private Bank of Buckhead. Drew has worked with Charles since the start of this venture and has helped his client stay ahead of the issues during these tough economic times.
Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show
On today’s show we opened with the announcement of the 7th Annual BMA Atlanta Charity Chocolate Tasting benefiting Cure Childhood Cancer. This event is being held at FAB Atlanta on February 24 from 6p-8p. Please go to the Business Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter’s website to register www.bmaatlanta.com/events/
Randy Merrill from Massage Heights came on to discuss his entrepreneurial career. He is now working with Massage Heights, the premium massage retreat service that offers spa services at affordable prices. To learn more please go to www.massageheightsatlanta.com
Next Abraham Xiong from the Government Contractors Association came on to explain how his group helps women owned business owners and all entrepreneurs learn how to acquire government contracts. It is very complicated to get government money and Abraham’s group helps you learn how to get your share. To learn more please go to www.govcontractors.org
Next Robert Meyring, attorney at law came on to explain the importance of estate planning. Did you know that most Atlantans are over insured but under estate planned? This could become a crisis for your children and a threat to your business. To learn more about getting your will and estate planning in order please go to www.meyringfirm.com
We closed the show with the folks from Mainstreet Technologies – Executive Vice President Johnathon Closs and CEO Dalton Sirmans. This innovative technology company has been leading the way in the financial management and government record management spaces for a long time. Managing data and documents is a challenge and Mainstreet Technologies has a lot of experience solving their clients problems. To learn more please go to www.mainstreet-tech.com
Also if you know of a business in Atlanta that we should know about please email Amy Otto at Amy @ atlantabusinessradio.com and we will try and get them on the show
Connie Certusi is the general manager of Sage Business Solutions’ Small Business Accounting Solutions (SBAS) business unit, which includes the Sage Peachtree and Sage Simply Accounting businesses. As general manager for Sage Peachtree, Connie is directly responsible for Sage’s entry level U.S. market strategy and business performance. In her broader role, leading the SBAS business unit, she oversees the Sage Simply Accounting business which operates from Richmond , British Columbia , Canada . Ms. Certusi’s efforts are focused heavily on ensuring that all aspects of the accounting solutions business unit deliver a premium customer experience to small businesses as well as to key recommenders, such as accountants.
Prior to joining Sage more than 12 years ago, Certusi gained comprehensive experience in the financial software industry at MSA/Dun & Bradstreet Software, SQL Financials, and Ross Systems. She spent 10 years with MSA/Dun & Bradstreet Software in various areas of product development, marketing, and management. Certusi holds a B.B.A. degree in management science from the University of Georgia.
Narsi is a Co-Founder and the CEO of Paalam, Inc., an Atlanta based offshore outsourcing firm that specializes in Software Services (software programming, applications maintenance, QA and testing), and Call Center/Business Process Outsourcing, using partners in India and other countries.
Narsi serves as the Chairman of Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC). He also serves on the Leadership Team of Kettering Executive Network, a networking group of more than 700 executives who meet certain criteria.
Narsi has served on the advisory boards of Add2Home (an online retailer), Buildspan (an ecommerce engine), Axiom Sales Force Development, SoftQuiz (online skills assessment) and Dilato (AI for process industry). He used to serve as Director on the Boards of BOSS, Inc. and Proalgen Biotech Limited (formerly ACL Chemicals Ltd.) in Chennai, India.
He obtained his Ph.D. (Management Science) degree from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1988. His undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering is from the Indian Institute of Technology (IT-BHU), Varanasi, India. Before becoming a consultant for major corporations such as MCI, Southwire, SynQuest and Edwards Baking Company, he served on the faculty of the School of Management, Georgia Tech for five years.
As a faculty member of Georgia Tech, in addition to teaching various courses in Management Science, Management Information Systems, and Systems Analysis & Design, he has published several research articles in scholarly journals such as Pattern Recognition, Opsearch, Social Choice and Welfare, and Manufacturing Review. He also co-advised a doctoral dissertation at Georgia Tech. In 1992, he was conferred the Full Member status by the Operations Research Society of America (ORSA). In addition, he has taught (as visiting professor of management) at University of Texas at Dallas and Rutgers University at Camden.
Narsi is very active in community service. He is the founder of the Indian Professionals Network (IPN), an informal networking group of over 3000 professionals in and around Metro Atlanta area.
Jay Tramonte is the founder of Savida Sangria which launched in Atlanta in July 2009. Savida Sangria is an all natural sangria that blends premium California wine with specialty fruits and no added sugar. The brand is available in GA, TN and NC with an additional 8-15 states scheduled for launch in 2011.
Jay is an experienced entrepreneur in the wine and spirits industry that has been interviewed by and featured in the New York Times, Atlanta Business Chronicle, Atlanta Journal Constitution and Forbes.com. Previously, he founded Excelsior Imports, which grew its Água Luca product into the nation’s leading brand of premium Brazilian rum within 18 months. In 2007 he sold Água Luca to Heaven Hill Distilleries, the largest privately held U.S. spirits company.
Before Jay entered the beverage industry he worked in investment management at JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley. He graduated summa cum laude from Georgia Tech with at B.S. in Management and a certificate in Finance.
To listen to Tony Mitchell’s PODCAST, click on the link player bar above. Or to download and save the podcast, RIGHT CLICK on the DOWNLOAD option above.
In today’s show, Tony Mitchell describes his path to being the CFO of a $1.5 billion company which is a subsidiary of one of the top twelve largest companies in the world, Compass PLC. From his early career with a Big 8 CPA firm and also being the CFO of two securities broker/dealer firms, Tony’s path led him to the food industry. He speaks of the challenges facing today’s CFO, needing to learn the “business” and motivating your finance staff. He also talks about being acquired by one of the largest companies in the world, and how successful this partnership has been, ten years running.
Listen to CFOradio.com as Tony Mitchell explores the aspects of being a CFO and leading the “business” and “people” of finance.
[From Mike Haberman] I have been in human resources for over 25 years, both as a practitioner and consultant. I am known as “THE HR COMPLIANCE GUY”. I am a cofounder of Omega HR Solutions, Inc., an HR and Benefits consulting firm which works primarily with small and midsize businesses. Our website is www.omegahrsolutions.com
Additionally, I am an instructor at Kennesaw State University College of Continuing Education, as well as University of Georgia and Emory University, teaching human resources management. I am available for consulting assignments, training classes on HR for Supervisors and Behavioral Interviewing; and speaking engagements on a varity of topics including, HR Fundamentals for Small Businesses, Networking for HR Professionals, Use of Social Media in HR and Strategic Alignment for HR.
