With experience in everything from business development and management to operations and technology, Danielle Putnam handles the day to day operations, marketing, advertising and quality control for The New Flat Rate. Danielle loves to help companies grow by turning ideas into action plans. She also enjoys snowboarding and soaking up sunshine.
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Jill Luber is vice president of technology for LexisNexis Risk Solutions since 2003.
Shane King is the President, CEO & co-founder of three squared, a digital agency based in Atlanta, Georgia and established in 1999. Shane started the business with the creative vision of an agency model that would provide truly integrated media services to B2B and consumer brands. The core model of the company focuses on combining Internet professional services (UX, design & web/app development) with media production (video & content) in order to provide clients with powerful experiences that effectively engage, inform and convert audiences. Over the years Shane has been instrumental in developing an award-winning digital team that has established itself as a creative force in the Southeast. Along the way, three squared has introduced integrated forms of media into notable brands like D.R. Horton, TOTO USA, The Home Depot, Shaw Floors, AFLAC, Eaton Lighting and Goodwill of North Georgia. The team has received numerous awards in both the digital and production fields and was also recently named one of iMedia’s Top 25 East Coast Agencies to Watch. Today, Shane and the three squared team are working to help clients continually think forward and innovate. This includes how to best utilize the quickly expanding world of Immersive Media where 360 Video, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) will play vital roles in brands abilities to tell their respective stories like never before. Prior to three squared Shane was an early part of one of the first Internet digital service and consultation companies in the country (Atlanta-based iXL) and he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree from the University of Alabama (1993). In his free time, he enjoys spending it on adventures with his two children (John & Laney), his wife Ginny and Tanner (the family dog).
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Dean Monteleone, MS, LPC, CAADC, CCDP, NCC, Clinical Director of Caron Atlanta, will oversee clinical services at the facility. Over the course of his career, he has worked directly with adults, teens and families affected by addiction, mental health issues and intellectual developmental disabilities.
M3 President and Partner Allen Read began his career as a Certified Hotel Administrator at a Best Western Hotel in Natchez, MS after graduating from Mississippi State University’s College of Engineering in 1986. He relocated to Georgia and joined McKibbon Brothers as a Front Desk Associate at the Thomasville Holiday Inn in 1990. During his time at McKibbon Brothers, Allen broadened his knowledge of the industry by serving a variety of roles and was a General Manager at several McKibbon-owned hotels throughout Georgia before transitioning to Director of Information Services in 1999. Once Mckibbon Brothers developed its new company M3, Allen became one of the first employees as Business Manager. A few years later, he was promoted to Vice President of Operations and became a Partner at M3. After a successful stint in that role, Allen eventually assumed his current title as President and Chief Operating Officer. Built by hoteliers, exclusively for hoteliers, M3 is a powerful cloud-based financial platform and services company serving the hospitality industry that drives cost savings, revenue enhancement and business insight. Nearing 20 years in business without increasing prices, M3 touts a 95 percent customer retention rate without contracts. Used by management groups and hotels of all sizes, the platform works seamlessly with other key systems and tools in the hospitality industry and offers robust accounting and financial analysis across entire portfolios with optional operations and time management features. M3’s professional services team provides on-demand support for hotels of any size by offering a full range of customized accounting solutions to scale with a hotel’s needs. Privately held and employee owned, M3 also includes a proprietary hotel benchmarking index that combines data from more than 3,500 properties into a single accessible data set to compare hotels.
Debra Ruh is a Global Disability Inclusion Strategist, Market Influencer, internationally recognized keynote speaker, published author, branding expert, successful entrepreneur, and an exceptional mother. Debra Ruh received her call to action when she was told by so-called “experts” that her daughter, Sara, who was born with Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21), would never walk or talk. She refused to accept the prognosis and perception of this condition. Driven by her unshakeable faith in the power of human potential and the love for her daughter, Debra was determined to dedicate her life to create a path to empowerment and the success for all those with disabilities. By 2010, Debra had built a multi-million dollar firm focused on accessible technologies, but realized that her vision was not yet complete. Debra who was convinced that “the real disability is being unable to see human potential” formed Ruh Global Communications. This new firm focuses on Global Disability Inclusion Strategies, Digital Marketing, and Branding among many other services. Debra consults with Fortune 100 companies and nations including Kenya, Oman, Saudi Arabia and China. Debra and her daughter Sara are now internationally renowned global keynote speakers and travel the world inspiring and advocating for governments and corporations to include people with disabilities.
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Dave Ward joined Tommy Nobis Center in October 2015 as President & CEO. Dave is a servant leader with more than 29 years of experience in the nonprofit field. He has a proven history of programmatic and organizational success with a strong focus on building new programs from the ground up, and he is passionate about changing lives and advancing the mission of Tommy Nobis Center. Prior to joining Tommy Nobis Center, Dave served as Executive Vice President of Mental Health and Family Services for the Wounded Warrior Project after serving as Warriors To Work Director and Economic Empowerment Executive Vice President. In addition, Dave has held roles as Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Regional Director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Regional Vice President of Best Buddies International. Dave spent six years with the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities in Ohio and was once a licensed psychotherapist providing home-based counseling to at-risk youth. He is also a board member of GATES (Georgia Association of Training, Employment and Support). Dave’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice from Bluffton College and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Bowling Green State University. A native of Bowling Green, Ohio, Dave now resides in Acworth with his wife, Priscilla, their son Cohen, their daughter Callie and their Saint Bernard, Mitchell. During football season, Dave can be found passionately cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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R. Lamar Wakefield is a Principal with NELSON Worldwide, LLC.
Dr. Tao-Yang Han is the Chairman of Board and President of IronCAD, LLC. He co-founded IronCAD in 2001 to focus in providing the best innovative and collaborative design solutions software for manufacturing industry. Since its incorporation IronCAD has grown business in the world-wide market through its 50+ distributors cross America, Europe, and Asia. Following its success in 3D design solutions for manufacturing industry IronCAD is expanding its solution offers to factory automation. Prior to founding IronCAD, Dr. Han was the Chief Technology Officer of Alventive, where he defined corporate technology strategy and designed the overall architecture for supply chain design collaboration solutions. Dr. Han is the inventor of several patented key technologies in the Compute-Aided Design (CAD) industry. Dr. Han was a visiting professor at National Taiwan University from 1987 – 1989. He received a PhD degree in Structural Engineering from Cornell University in 1984.
On this CEO Exclusive we talk with Chris Smith and Chris Patterson with CB Smith and Associates about trends in accounting, including changes in tax law and it’s implications on business owners.
Chris Smith is a CPA and owner of CB Smith & Associates. He and his staff of nine employees offer accounting and tax services along with business management guidance to small and midsize businesses. With more than 22 years of financial experience, he is passionate about his work.
He founded his accounting firm in 2003 and has provided service to businesses in various industries, including hospitality. He enjoys sharing his expertise and has published articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Business Chronicle and Appen Newspapers and has been featured as an expert on Fox 5’s “Good Day Atlanta” and 11Alive News.
Prior to starting his own firm, Chris was a corporate controller. He earned a degree in accounting from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business, is active in local community groups such as the Rotary Club and numerous CPA groups.
Chris Peterson, CPA, MTX – Chris joined CB Smith & Associates in July 2017 as Tax Manager. He has more than 20 years’ experience in tax planning and compliance for businesses and business owners. Chris helps to achieve results for clients by improving cash flow and income, lowering tax burdens through proactive planning and reducing debt.
Chris received a Master of Taxation with specialization in corporate and partnership taxation and a Master of Professional Accountancy with specialization in accounting information systems from Georgia State University, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration in public accounting and finance from Georgia Southern University.
Supply Chain Now Radio brought to you by APICS Atlanta and TalentStream.
Amari Ruff is CEO, Co-Founder and Board Member at Sudu. Amari started Sudu Logistics in 2015 after realizing the challenges diverse (minority, women, and veteran owned) carriers had competing and obtaining large contract opportunities from large corporations. Amari most recently was CEO and founder of Global Optic Telco, a residential and commercial telecommunications services provider for Comcast, Charter, Time Warner, Cox, and Southern Link among other large corporations. Amari started Global Optic with one technician truck and scaled it to 200+ trucks and five offices across the US in 3.5 years at which point it was acquired. Amari articulates the Sudu vision and leads business development as he excels at acquiring large contract opportunities and providing high service standards. An avid sports fan, Amari brings a competitive and positive attitude always finding win-win solutions for everyone. Connect with Amari on LinkedIn and learn more about Sudu here: www.sudu.io
Sean Henry is Founder and CEO of STORD, an integrated warehousing & logistics network helping companies distribute products globally. He was featured in the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 list, in INC.com as one of the Global Top 50 Emerging Entrepreneurs of 2017, and America’s Top 30 Emerging Startups of 2017. Connect with Sean on LinkedIn and learn more about STORD here: www.stord.co
Will Haraway is Founder & CEO of Backbeat Marketing. Will has 20 years of executive experience in B2B Technology Marketing. Will is a certified analyst relations practitioner by the Knowledge Capital Group and has helped companies including Manhattan Associates, Aptos, Atlantix Global Systems, American Software and Rubicon Global improve their brand reputations with marketing results that help increase sales. The Backbeat team includes lead generation, digital marketing, media relations and content marketing specialists with a combined 50 years of experience in their chosen disciplines. Connect with Will on LinkedIn and learn more about Backbeat Marketing here: www.backbeatmarketing.com
Ben Harris is Director of Supply Chain Ecosystem Expansion for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Ben comes to the Metro Atlanta Chamber after serving as Senior Manager, Market Development for Manhattan Associates. There, Ben was responsible for developing Manhattan’s sales pipeline and overall Americas supply chain marketing strategy. Ben oversaw market positioning, messaging and campaign execution to build awareness and drive new pipeline growth. Prior to joining Manhattan, Ben spent four years with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Logistics where he played a key role in establishing the Center as a go-to industry resource for information, support, partnership building, and investment development. Additionally, he became a key SME for all logistics and supply chain-focused projects. Ben began his career at Page International, Inc. where he drove continuous improvement in complex global supply chain operations for a wide variety of businesses and Fortune 500 companies. An APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Ben holds an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration (EMBA) and bachelor’s degree in International Business (BBA) from the Terry College at the University of Georgia. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn and learn more about the Metro Atlanta Chamber here: www.metroatlantachamber.com
Scott W. Luton is founder of Supply Chain Now Radio and also serves as Managing Partner for TalentStream. He has worked extensively in the end-to-end Supply Chain industry for more than 15 years, appearing in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Dice and Quality Progress Magazine. Scott currently serves as Executive Vice President of APICS Atlanta and was also named to the 2018 Georgia Logistics Summit Executive Committee. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and holds the APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) credential. As a Veteran of the United States Air Force, Scott also volunteers as Co-Chair of the Business Pillar for VETLANTA, and maintains active membership in the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance & CSCMP Atlanta Roundtable. Connect with Scott Luton on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter at @ScottWLuton. Learn more about TalentStream here: www.talentstreamstaffing.com
Desheen L. Evans is a graduate of Yeshiva University with a Master of Social Work degree and a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Master of Public Administration. She has over 3 decades in the field of trauma informed-care working with families, institutions and organizations providing emergency crisis, international trauma recovery, behavioral management and executive coaching. She also creates and co-facilitate workshops, senior-level trainings, class lectures and research. In her life, she has come to wear many hats that have given her both the personal and professional expertise / insights needed to surpass the many hurdles in our forever changing society. Additionally, it offers her the ability to shift her mind-set for authentic and in-depth discussions about the true journeys of her soul in search of her desired lifestyle, while at the same time fostering a deeper awareness of emotions allowing her to continuously heal and share her skills with others so that they may do the same. Lastly, As CEO and Founder of “Eyes of Power” the mission is creating visions for others to take leaps in their personal and professional lives. In her expertise as a visionarypreneur and master of connections with City/State government entities and global stakeholders, she identified a 6 million dollar opportunity and welcomed a team of four to embark on the journey with her to win the 6 million dollar contract…and we did. Desheen also pride herself for being a co-author of two number one international best sellers “My Creative Thoughts Journal and Are You the Missing Piece”. Stay-tuned for her new book “Inspirational You” that goes in-depth on the topics covered in the interview.
Kelly Roach with Kelly Roach International is a highly sought after business growth strategist on a mission to help 1,000,000 entrepreneurs launch, monetize, and scale their dream business… without compromising their quality of life or going broke in the process. From NFL Cheerleader to Fortune 500 exec and now million dollar mogul, Kelly is the author of the #1 international bestselling book, Unstoppable:9 Principles For Unlimited Success In Business And In Life, and the upcoming book, Bigger Than You: The Business Owner’s Guide to Building an Unstoppable Dream Team (to be released October 2018) Kelly has been featured in Inc, Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, Entrepreneur On Fire, ABC Good Day, and hundreds of podcasts.
