André Walters is the Chairman and CEO of The A. Shawn Group and majority owners of Duck Donuts in Atlanta.
Connect with Duck Donuts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Fitzgerald “Financial Fitz” Hall the Bitcoin Expert
Brett Stephens with LIFE Leadership
Brett Stephens was raised in a self employed family and learned at a very young age the value and reward of hard work and service to others. He has used that knowledge by holding multiple sales and leadership positions in Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 Companies, and currently serves on a team that is #1 in sales out of 3,500 retail stores nationwide. Although Brett has loved sales, he is an entrepreneur at his core and has been involved in many entrepreneurial endeavors to include music promotions and independent film production, where he and his production teams won several awards. Brett was introduced to LIFE Leadership by his father, Tim, and his mentor Paul Bragenzer. Through reading, listening, and associating with the correct information and people, Brett has found more than just financial results, but personal and professional results beyond what he could have ever imagined in the corporate world, or otherwise. Brett and his wife Stephanie have paid off over $55,000 of debt in a little over 3 years through the Financial Fitness Program, and his largest vision is to create a legacy his son, Jack, and many other men can utilize to restore the foundation of homes, businesses, churches, and communities all over the world.
Connect with Brett on LinkedIn.
2017 Year in Review
If 2017 had a theme at CEO Exclusive, it’s the concept of conscious capitalism as the newest business trend. Listen as host Soyini Coke discusses this and more in our year end wrap up.
Let’s Talk!
This week’s podcast is a bit different from our other shows. Instead of the standard format, where we discuss emerging trends with noted business leaders as part of an ongoing dialogue, host Soyini Coke is making this week’s show more personal. It’s important for us at CEO Exclusive to do a better job of engaging with our listeners and readers—to really listen to what you have to say and address your needs and your goals. Enjoy!
Connect with Soyini on LinkedIn and Twitter or through our website.
The Pulse Featuring Ryan Boon with DaVinci’s Donuts, Giulio Adriani with The Local Pizzaiolo, and Melissa Hergert with Be Wellness Center
Ryan Boon is the Executive Creative Director for a publishing company in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2016, he had a creative itch. So, he and his wife decided they might need more to do other than raise two kids under the age of 5 (one not even a year old), work a full-time job, travel extensively, and and and. So, in November of that year they opened the first DaVinci’s Donuts franchise in Dunwoody, GA. It was a little harder than they thought it might be, gave them a few more headaches, and a couple of sleepless nights, but they’re overwhelmed with the impact they’ve been able to make in peoples lives and in the Dunwoody community. It’s only been a year and they can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next!
Connect with Ryan on Twitter and Facebook.
Certified as an authentic Neapolitan Pizza Master by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) and the Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (APN), Giulio Adriana is considered one of the world’s leading pizza experts. His status in the global pizza community and his love for teaching aspiring pizzaiolos has him frequently traveling across Europe, Asia and Latin America to instruct on proper Neapolitan techniques. In 2008, he even became the head instructor at AVPN. Giulio has a unique vision for innovative flavors while remaining true to the authenticity of pizzamaking taught to him by his Neapolitan grandmother “Nonna Maria” and master pizzaiolos, Gaetano Fazio and Antonio Starita. In 2011, his signature pizza – the ‘Montanara’ which has a flash fried crust, was so unique in the culinary field, it was the documented reason his green card to the US was approved. Giulio grew up in Rome and has owned and operated successful restaurants including the well-loved and critically-acclaimed Forcella in NYC and the 400-seat, full-service “Alla Corte dei Borboni”, now run by his Uncle and located in Ostia near Rome. A four-time World Pizza Making Award Winner, he even has the coveted Gold Medal from the 2010 World Pizza Championship in Salsomaggiore, Italy. Now, Giulio is taking on the challenge to scale his love of teaching and Neapolitan pizza into a pizza legacy via “The Local Pizzaiolo”.
Connect with Giulio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Melissa Hergert is the founder of Be Wellness Center. Melissa’s love of health and wellness led her to work to provide several health and wellness services under one roof, creating a true wellness center. Melissa provides neurofeedback therapy at Be Wellness, other services are essential oils education, massage therapy, acupuncture and infrared sauna therapy. She has opened a second office in San Diego, where she is originally from with her business partner Taina Danahy. They together also founded a non profit Healing Our Heroes, which provide cost free neurofeedback therapy for veterans diagnosed with PTSD.
David Thomas with Evident
David Thomas is the CEO at Evident. He is an accomplished cybersecurity entrepreneur, having held key leadership roles at market pioneers Motorola, AirDefense, VeriSign, and SecureIT. He has a history of introducing innovative technologies, establishing them in the market, and driving growth – with each early-stage company emerging as the market leader. After being recruited by the Department of Defense at 14 years old, David has been at the forefront of cybersecurity, including – firewalls as corporations began connecting to the Internet, web security as online shopping emerged, wireless security as Wi-Fi and smart-phones became ubiquitous, and security sensing networks as analytic technology became mainstream. His expertise has been featured in CNN, The Wall Street Journal and other leading publications. David sees security as the key ingredient to enable trustworthy and fast interconnectivity between the billions of people and devices that will soon be constantly connected. He is currently looking for ambitious, innovative professionals interested in joining a startup that is transforming security and trust on the Internet.
Connect with David on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn.
Culinary Atlanta Series Featuring Evangeline George with UberEATS and Evana Oli with Honey Baked Ham
This episode of Culinary Atlanta is brought to you by SignStream.net
Daniel K. Shub, Co-Owner of SignStream.net, is a creative marketer that is making it easy and exciting for businesses to communicate on TV screens and in the digital world. Follow SignStream on LinkedIn.
UberEATS is Uber’s stand-alone meal delivery app that makes getting food as easy as requesting a ride, whether you’re at home, the office, or the park. Uber is leveraging its technology and expanding its driver partner network to deliver food to hungry customers who can track their order, get an upfront delivery time, and use the same account they use to take rides. UberEATS is available globally in more than 100 cities, bringing millions of people the right food, for right now–at the tap of a button.
Connect with UberEATS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Founded in 1957, The Honey Baked Ham Company, LLC is a premium food retailer with 400 locations nationwide as well as an e-commerce site. Over the years, serving Honey Baked Ham has become a tradition for millions of families. Best known for its signature spiral-sliced Honey Baked Ham with the famous sweet, crunchy glaze, The Honey Baked Ham Company offers delicious, fully-cooked, presentation-ready hams, turkey breasts and other premium meats, as well as deli side items, heat-and-serve dishes and desserts.
Connect with HoneyBaked Ham on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Al Otto and Doug Field with Veriphy Analytics, and Tim and Steph O’Connor with DangChicks
Al Otto is the Co-Founder and CEO of Veriphy Analytics℠, a 35-year veteran of the financial services industry and has spent the majority of his career as an independent RIA. As a serial entrepreneur, he has built four financial service companies. He is a nationally recognized author and speaker in the financial industry and is a federally recognized expert on 401(k) fiduciary matters.
Doug Field is the Chief Growth Officer of Veriphy Analytics℠ and is a highly-seasoned business growth executive who has spent 35 years growing businesses and communities serving the Employee Benefit / Retirement Plan market. “We have known Doug for years and have seen first-hand the innovative work he has done in the market” said Al Otto, Veriphy Analytics CEO/Co-Founder. “He is an energetic and transformative thought leader who will no doubt make a huge and immediate impact on the Plan Sponsor and Investment Advisor Community as we change the game for retirement plan committees.
Connect with Veriphy on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tim and Steph O’Connor are the founders of DangChicks. In 2009, Stephanie O’Connor walked into the room that her husband was in and declared that she wanted to start a women’s apparel company. As Tim recalls, the conversation went something like this:
Tim: OK. What do you want to call the company?
Steph: I don’t know.
Tim: How about “Dang Chicks”?
Steph: That’s stupid.
Tim: (walks out, rejected)
The next morning the conversation resumed.
Steph: Why “Dang Chicks?”
Tim: What do you want your customers to hear when they walk into a room wearing your products?
Steph: “Dang, Chick!”
Tim: Exactly.
Steph: I’m a genius.
Since then, tens of thousands of women across the globe have found their inner Dang Chick and decided to wear their heart on their sleeves…and head, neck, and home or wherever they want to tell the world what they are all about. Their customers want to have fun, be encouraged, and also reminded that they are beautiful and worthy of pursuit.
In 2016, Kara Hoekwater joined the dang party as a partner and together, Steph and Kara are the dynamic duo behind the Dang Chicks brand.
