The Rome Floyd Chamber Small Business Spotlight – Amy Parrish with PAM Studios and Brent Bell with Darlington School
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TMB E58: Matt Hogg Executive Chef Joseph Erceg
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Matthew Hogg, Executive Chef
Serving Since: 2020
Phone Number: 520.621.5967
Email Matthew Hogg
Matthew Hogg is a former resident of Austin, Texas, where he found his calling to cuisine when he was five years old cooking with his dad.
His passion for Culinary Arts continued into high school and his friends where always more than happy to taste test his new menu creations. He says that the greatest compliment a chef can get is the silence a great meal brings, because everyone is too busy eating to talk.
Chef Hogg attended Texas Culinary Academy School of Le Cordon Bleu. After culinary school Matt quickly rose through the ranks and joined the Club Corp family in 2014 as an Executive Sous Chef at the Baylor Club in Waco, Texas.
His impressive skills and ability in the kitchen led to a promotion and relocation to the Plaza Club in San Antonio, Texas in 2017.
Now a Tucson Resident, we are excited to have Chef Hogg join us at the Arizona Sands Club as he brings with him many years of cuisine creativity and what is sure to be a pallet pleasing menu for the members of our club.
Joseph Erceg, Membership Director
Serving Since: 2020
Phone Number: 520.621.7674
Email Joseph Erceg
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a graduate of Iowa State University, Joseph Erceg began his professional career in Tucson at Gates Learjet Corporation, leaving to become a partner in Erceg, Sitton & Bratt Advertising.
For more than thirty years, Joe managed and marketed several ad agencies and worked in account management for local radio, television, and outdoor companies.
As a professional and as a volunteer, he has worked heavily in the event management & sports marketing arenas.
In 2015, Joe adapted his expertise in sales & marketing to association management when he became the director of the Arizona Small Business Association’s Southern Arizona office, then as president/CEO of the Green Valley Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce.
His love for amateur sports and dedication to our community has been demonstrated as a volunteer for a number of organizations including the Fiesta Bowl, Grand Canyon State Games, NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl, El Tour de Tucson, and Pima County Sports Authority.
Joe has been a passionate supporter of the University of Arizona Athletics – a passion shared by his wife, Dalena, who played and coached high school and college basketball.
His adult children, Sean, Alec, and Madi, have loved competing in sports and have been lifelong Wildcat fans! Next to his faith and family, Members at the Arizona Sands Club are Joe’s top priority!
Forty-Niner Golf & CC – Tucson’s Hidden Jewel
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Tom Wells with 10 Point Capital
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Tom Wells is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of 10 Point Capital, an investment firm that helps high growth, founder led brands become dominant national brands.
The firm has more than 75 years of experience in the franchise industry between them, and they have invested in over 40 franchise transactions, have been franchisees for 7 concepts, and have worked for 4 franchisors.
Tom brings over 10 years of private equity experience investing in a variety of industries and branded businesses. He focuses on building strong brands that resonate with customers, believing that is critical to the long-term success of a company. 
Tom is on the franchise team at BIP Capital and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Tropical Smoothie Café and Tin Drum Asian Kitchen.
Prior to joining BIP Capital, he worked for Century Park Capital Partners, a Los Angeles based private equity group focused on the lower middle market. Additionally, Tom previously worked in the San Francisco office of Harris Williams & Co, a leading middle market investment bank.
Follow 10 Point Capital on LinkedIn.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- About 10 Point Capital
- Brands they have worked with
- The role private equity is playing in the restaurant industry
- If now is a good time to consider an equity partner
- What brands should keep in mind when selecting an equity partner
- Strategies 10 Point Capital uses in the investment selection process
About Our Sponsor
OnPay’s
payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.
Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.
BRX Pro Tip: Optimize for Convenience
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BRX Pro Tip: Optimize for Convenience
Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to BRX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, let’s talk about optimizing for convenience.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:09] Yeah. In today’s world, your buyer wants more convenience. You’re seeing it more and more in your day-to-day life outside of your business. You want more convenience. You want to order now and it just show up at the door. So, we’re kind of getting bombarded by this convenience in our day-to-day life. So, it’s going to, at some point – and I think that point is now – transfer to your business life as well.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:33] So, you better be thinking about ways to make working with you more convenient. Just like Amazon, Netflix, DoorDash, Robin Hood, Uber, all of these folks are doing making it easier to do business with them. You better be doing the same thing for you. So, the more hassles and problems that you can solve for on behalf of your client, the better. The shorter you can shrink the time it takes to benefit from your service, the better. So, you should be continuing to optimize the convenience you deliver to your clients if you want them to be your client down the road.
American Samoan Surfer Liam Wilson
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Liam Wilson is the first American Samoan Surfer to be a member of the WSL as a QS/Jr. Pros. His goal is to participate in the 2021 Summer Olympics and continue moving up the ranks.
Coached by Jason Shibata, a VOLCOM – Hawaii Surf Team Manager, Liam’s goal has long been to be a member of the ISA with the hopes of one day qualifying for the Olympic Games and continue to represent all Samoans and Polynesians in the Surfing world.
Liam is from Laie, HI and born on Oct. 10, 2002, his father (Joe Wilson) was born in Alao, American Samoa and his mother (Melissa Meyers) was born in Molokai, Hawaii. He is very proud to represent his cultures, Samoan, Hawaiian, and Japanese.
Connect with Liam on Facebook and Instagram.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
About Liam, his parents, and where they’re from
What school’s Liam attended
How Liam got into surfing
His goals in surfing
Qualifying for the Olympics
Why Liam is surfing for American Samoa instead of Hawaii
About Liam’s sponsors and how you can help support his journey by donating via Venmo at LiamWilson@Liam-Wilson-26
Nia Darville with Per Scholas
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Nia Darville was appointed to the position of Per Scholas’ Director of Diverse by Design in January 2021. In her role, she is responsible for providing vision and leadership, fiscal responsibility and sustainability, alliance cultivation, strategic thinking, and event management for Diverse by Design.
Prior to her promotion, Nia served in various capacities in Per Scholas’ training organization bringing innovation and efficiency to each role she held. Nia obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Andrews University and is currently pursuing her Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Management at Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.
Connect with Nia on LinkedIn.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- About Nia’s background and how she got involved with Per Scholas
- Diverse by Design
- Nia’s view on the Atlanta job market
- Where Atlanta ranks when it comes to tech job growth and diversity in the workplace
- Why DEI is such a hot topic within the private sector
- The biggest barriers people face when trying to get into the tech industry
- The gap in opportunities for tech roles in certain communities over others and how we can course correct
About Our Sponsor
OnPay’s payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.
Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.
Clement Pepe with Power Technology
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Clement Pepe’s Power Technology is a company that has been in business since 1992. This success/life coaching program has assisted many people just like you in taking their lives to a whole new level with less effort and much less struggle. We humans are sometimes blind to our own actions. By having a professional success coach committed to you and your goals, dreams, and aspirations, you increase your power and effectiveness.
Most effective people have coaches, and recognize the value their coaches provide in taking them to the next level in all areas important to them. If you are not making the amount of money you want, or if you are not achieving your highest potential in any area of your life, call us for a free consultation to find out if success coaching is a way for you to enhance your effectiveness. The sessions are performed either via telephone or in the office. Either way, the results will astound you.
Connect with Clement on LinkedIn and Facebook.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- What Power Technology specializes in
- What makes Power Technology’s coaching program different
- The key to Clement’s success
- What clients can expect
BRX Pro Tip: Insight from Charlie Munger
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BRX Pro Tip: Insight from Charlie Munger
Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to BRX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, you know how much I personally enjoy getting your perspective on any variety of topics. But today, let’s get some insight from Charlie Munger.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:15] Well, Charlie Munger, for those who don’t know, is Warren Buffett’s right hand man. They’ve been working together for years and years. And if you haven’t been following his work, you’re missing out. He is a smart guy, knows a ton, and really helped Warren Buffett get to where he is. And he’s a behind the scenes guy and he doesn’t really chew this horn as much. And he’s obviously not as well known as Warren Buffett, but he’s definitely somebody you should be following.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:43] So, a few of his kind of fundamentals about life that I wanted to share with you are, number one, to get what you want, then you got to deserve what you want. So, you got to really earn the right to get what you want. So, keep that in mind. And trust, success, and admiration are all earned. So, if you spend more time working on that, then everything takes care of itself.
Lee Kantor: [00:01:11] Another thing he suggests is, to learn to think through problems backwards as well as forwards. A lot of times when you’re stuck on a problem, you’re looking at it one way. So then, something you can do is look at it the opposite way. And sometimes that unlocks the heart of the problem and help you solve it. And then, another piece of advice from him is, to just be reliable. If you’re not reliable, it’s going to cancel out a lot of your other virtues. So, if you make a promise, then deliver on that promise. And even better, over deliver on that promise.
Lee Kantor: [00:01:51] But being reliable is one of these non-negotiable values that if you’re somebody who’s reliable, who can be trusted, then a lot of doors are going to open for you. So, those are three tips from Charlie Munger. I recommend reading his work. He has books. He writes a ton. So, find him and study up on him. And, hopefully, that will help you grow your business.
Eboni Thamavong and Mathew Varghese with Hustle Funds
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As Co-Founder of Hustle Funds–the virtual business incubator dedicated to making entrepreneurship accessible and attainable for all–Eboni Thamavong is responsible for Business Operations and Alliances. Throughout her career, she has been at the forefront of transformation in cybersecurity operations, analysis, and strategy.
She focuses on identifying areas of development and growth to move organizations forward. Known for her insights, observations, and ability to develop and lead high-performing teams, she helped to start Hustle Funds to address the gaps in education and information that plague start-up founders, leading to inequity in success rates among minorities and women.
In her career, Eboni served as a US intelligence officer for ten years and wrote for the Presidential Daily Briefing during the Obama administration. She led highly decorated analytic teams that informed the US Government by blending geopolitics, technical analysis, and cybersecurity policy. She is also a cybersecurity consultant for Fortune 50 companies, building cyber threat intelligence programs guided by her experience in cyber operations and threat analysis for the US government.
She holds BA in Japanese Studies and an MBA from the University of Maryland Smith School of Business. She also holds an MA in International Studies from Morgan State University.
As Co-Founder of Hustle Funds–the virtual business incubator dedicated to making entrepreneurship accessible and attainable for all– Mathew Varghese is responsible for Product Management and Design.
Mathew has spent over 20 years in tech and is also an angel investor. He has built and shipped several successful technology products. Matt’s areas of functional expertise include cutting-edge technologies like Cloud Computing, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
Matt’s life’s mission is to enable ordinary people to achieve extraordinary success at seemingly mundane things like personal finance, nutrition, and health. He plans to do this by using big data analytics to help people make objective decisions and change behaviors.
Hustle Funds is, hopefully, the first in a series of initiatives to fulfill his life’s mission. Through Hustle Funds, Matt plans to use Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to help small businesses and emerging entrepreneurs to build, scale and pivot rapidly saving time and money.
Matt has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Calicut University (India) and an MBA from University of Maryland. He also had certifications in Design Thinking, Business Analytics and General Management from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Wharton School of Business and Indian Institute of Management respectively.
Follow Hustle Funds on LinkedIn.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Co-Founders stories
- About Hustle Funds
- The Hustle Funds way explained
