Franchise Marketing Radio: Ricky Richardson and Mike McClure with Eggs Up Grill

October 24, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Franchise Marketing Radio: Ricky Richardson and Mike McClure with Eggs Up Grill

00:00 /

Brought To You By SEO SAMBA . . . Comprehensive, High Performing Marketing Solutions For Mature And Emerging Franchise Brands . . . To Supercharge Your Franchise Marketing, Go To SEO SAMBA.com

Eggs Up Grill is home to the whole neighborhood, serving smiles from sunup thru lunch. The aromas of freshly brewed coffee, savory bacon and hand-cracked, farm-fresh eggs on the griddle and warm, attentive team members will make you feel right at home. We are “neighbors serving neighbors” daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Originally founded in Pawleys Island, S.C. in 1997 by restaurateur Chris Skodras, Eggs Up Grill has grown to more than 35 locations across the Southeast and is headquartered in Spartanburg, S.C. With strong AUVs and consistent comp sales momentum, it’s no wonder existing franchisees are reinvesting in the brand, accounting for half of its projected 40% growth in 2019.

In 2018, private equity firm WJ Partners acquired Eggs Up Grill, building the team and priming the brand to rapidly grow in more communities across the US with plans underway to reach the 100-location mark by 2022. For more information, visit https://www.eggsupgrill.com/franchise.

Ricky Richardson was tapped to lead the breakfast, brunch and lunch concept in July 2018 after private investment firm WJ Partners acquired the brand. Under Richardson’s leadership, the brand has since grown to 36 open locations, six more set to open before year-end and 18 locations slated to open in 2020. Richardson has primed Eggs Up Grill for growth with plans underway for the concept to reach the 100-location mark by mid-2022.

Richardson has over 30 years of industry experience across multi-unit and franchise operations. Prior to joining Eggs Up Grill, Richardson served as U.S. president and chief operating officer of Dallas-based TGI Fridays. Richardson’s background includes more than 20 years with TGI Fridays in both the US and International businesses. He also headed operations when Fridays’ then-parent Carlson Restaurant Group Worldwide acquired the California-based Pick Up Stix.

At Eggs Up Grill, Richardson led the development of the first company-owned and operated restaurant which opened in July 2019. It is the brand’s Training Center and innovation lab. The restaurant features a new prototype design aimed at enhancing the guest experience while testing revenue generating concepts including a coffee bar and a grab-and-go counter to drive incremental sales results. These efforts will enhance the guest experience, grow topline sales and improve franchisees’ business results. Richardson recognizes that in the restaurant business, it is always the quality of the guest experience that matters most and it takes the right team and right culture to make that happen. Eggs Up Grill is also fully focused on investing in the right resources and business insight to support franchisees and help them grow top-line sales and profitability at the local level.

Mike McClure, former IHOP executive and owner of the Roswell and Alpharetta Eggs Up Grill restaurants is coming up on his 5th anniversary with the brand – and the success he’s had that is fueling the company’s plans to add an additional 15 Eggs Up Grill restaurants in the greater Atlanta area in the next 5-10 years.

Mike and his wife, Judy, opened their Alpharetta location (near the intersection of Crabapple Road and Rucker Road) in November of 2014 and their Roswell location (not far, near the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Shallowford Road) in December of 2016. After graduating from Western Carolina University, Mike moved to Atlanta and started working in the restaurant business as a bartender and a bouncer. After marrying Judy, he worked with IHOP corporate serving as liaison between corporate and the franchise team and eventually overseeing 7 IHOP locations. Mike had always dreamed of owning his own breakfast restaurant and found the opportunity by leaving IHOP to become a franchisee and realize that dream with Eggs Up Grill five years ago.

Now, on the heels of acquisition by private equity and a year after Eggs Up Grill CEO Ricky Richardson took on leadership of the brand after serving as President of TGI Friday’s for years, the company is planning to build on the success Mike and Judy have driven with a plan to open 15 more Eggs Up Grill locations in the next 5-10 years.

Franchise Marketing Radio: Justin Beatty with Cheba Hut

October 24, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Franchise Marketing Radio: Justin Beatty with Cheba Hut

00:00 /

Brought To You By SEO SAMBA . . . Comprehensive, High Performing Marketing Solutions For Mature And Emerging Franchise Brands . . . To Supercharge Your Franchise Marketing, Go To SEO SAMBA.com

Justin Beatty comes from a music and entertainment-meets-law background and currently operates as beverage manager for Fifth Group restaurants, the pinnacle of hospitality groups in Atlanta.

Josh Burdick is a hospitality industry veteran who has most recently spent time in the bar tending space. Their shared love of restaurant culture and genuine desire to facilitate meaningful and memorable experiences to guests through food, beverage, ambience, and service is what drove them to Cheba Hut.

The two plan to leverage their respective connections to Atlanta’s music and brewery scenes to turn their Cheba Hut locations into go-to spots that not only bring guests in for the comfort food, but keep them lounging in a comfortable-cool atmosphere.

Follow Cheba Hut on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Tech of the Town: David McKenna with Axway, Patrick Gilbert with Compendia

October 24, 2019 by angishields

Valley Business Radio

Tech of the Town: David McKenna with Axway, Patrick Gilbert with Compendia

00:00 /

David McKenna

David McKenna is SVP R&D at Axway. Axway empowers customers to compete and thrive in dynamic marketplaces using hybrid integration solutions to better connect their people, systems, businesses and digital ecosystems. Axway’s hybrid integration platform, AMPLIFY™, enables enterprise power users, IT specialists, developers and partners to accelerate their digital transformation, create captivating customer experiences and unleash data to innovate new business services. AMPLIFY speeds the discovery, use and deployment of integrations by combining traditional integration patterns – B2B Integration, Managed File Transfer and Content Collaboration – with API Management and Application Integration (providing over 150 prebuilt API connectors). More than 11,000 organizations in 100 countries rely on Axway to solve their data integration challenges. Axway employs over 1,800 people in 18 countries.

A senior executive, manager and architect with 20+ years of experience in the software industry leading a variety of security, integration and governance software technologies for Cloud and on-premise enterprise customers, David McKenna began his career in 1996 as a software engineer developing Telecom Network Management systems. In 2001 David joined Vordel where he grew to be VP Engineering responsible for the design and delivery of Vordel’s API product line. In 2012 Axway acquired Vordel, and David has continued to work in a technical capacity leading the R&D activity for architecture and delivery of AMPLIFY platform. David is responsible for R&D locally in Phoenix and in Europe (Dublin, Ireland and Sofia, Bulgaria). He works closely with enterprise architects, CIOs and security professionals, providing best-practice architecture for engaging with the API economy, including API design, API security strategy and full life cycle API management.

Connect with David McKenna on LinkedIn, and follow Axway on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Patrick Gilbert

Patrick Gilbert is Founder & Chief Innovator at Compendia, a custom software development and integration firm, specialized in complex mobile/cloud and IoT products. Compendia delivers custom software solutions, including design, development, integration and deployment services.

Patrick has more than 25 years of experience in innovation and product development in IT, Mobile Technology, Apps & Services, and in Telecommunications, as a Senior Executive or an entrepreneur. Prior to founding Compendia, he was CTO of Railway Technologies (dba Juuice) where he oversaw the development of a mobile & cloud marketplace platform designed to improve the online discovery of products and services offered by small retailers, and using IoT to aggregate customer analytics, and improve transactions. Prior to that Patrick founded Presence IT, a custom software, system integration and IT solutions company that developed and deployed many innovative custom products in various fields including online videoconferencing, remote process monitoring, solar system design, cloud migration tools, and interactive Media & TV. He also spun off a mobile & Enterprise hosting company, 4SmartPhone, which invented in 2004 a new method pertaining to the ordering and provisioning of services on mobile devices from the mobile itself, for which Patrick was granted 2 patents.

Prior to that, Patrick was executive vice president of Isaac Newton Technologies, for which he raised more than $4 million, and under his watch opened sales offices across the US and released its first wireless software radio product in 2000. Prior to INT, Patrick was the senior vice president and CTO for the WAVO Corporation, where he spearheaded the partnership of WAVO and Virgin Entertainment Corporation to develop VirginJamCast, a unique Internet-based secure digital music distribution system and e-commerce service. As V-P Business Development of WAVO, Patrick also established key strategic partnerships and technology licensing agreements with Microsoft, Compaq, PBS and Intel, some including multi-million dollars investments. Patrick is also credited with the development of WaveTop, the first nationwide data broadcasting consumer product included in Windows 98 Operating System.

Prior to WAVO Corporation, Patrick co-founded BleuMont Telecom, which pioneered PC-based data broadcasting, before he sold it to WAVO. Prior to BleuMont Telecom, Patrick was project manager for DTI Telecom, an Engineering consulting firm based in Montreal, QC. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the École Polytechnique, University of Montreal.

Connect with Patrick Gilbert on LinkedIn.

Atlanta Cares Radio: Kristi Porter with Signify, Philip Coven with Pollock Commercial and Kitti Murray with Refuge Coffee

October 24, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Atlanta Cares Radio: Kristi Porter with Signify, Philip Coven with Pollock Commercial and Kitti Murray with Refuge Coffee

00:00 /

Kristi Porter, Chief Do-Gooder with Signify, helps nonprofits and for-profits with a social mission get noticed and grow through effective marketing and communications.

She also teaches solopreneurs and small businesses how to incorporate easy philanthropy strategies. Essentially, Kristi makes cause-focused organizations look and sound more professional so they can build a larger audience, increase sales or donations, and do more good.

Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn and Twitter and follow Signify on Facebook.

As Vice President of Pollock Commercial, Philip Coven specializes in intown Atlanta commercial real estate sales and leasing, specifically office tenant representation. With proven success in identifying and exceeding client goals, Philip is known for providing one-on-one service with a keen attention to detail.

Mr. Covin grew up in Blackshear, Georgia and graduated from The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business in 1995 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Real Estate. He is an active member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors where he has served on numerous committees and has been honored multiple times as the Board’s Member of the Month, as well as being a Life Member of the Million Dollar Club.

In the past, he has served as a Board Trustee for the Atlanta Preservation Center where he chaired its advocacy committee for seven years. He currently serves on the Boards of Freedom Park Conservancy and Easements Atlanta and resides in Inman Park with his wife Amy and son.

Connect with Philip on LinkedIn and follow Pollock Commercial on Facebook and Twitter.

Kitti Murray and her husband Bill live on the edge of Atlanta in a refugee community that has been called the most diverse square mile in the world. This has been the most intense and inviting neighborhood in their experience, and it has taught them to dream big and love even bigger. One expression of that love has been Refuge Coffee Co., a non-profit Kitti founded as a way to join hands with neighbors near and far to create opportunity and true refuge through coffee and community service.

Refuge has been featured on CNN, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Senator Bill Bradley’s radio show, American Voices, Food & Wine magazine, and NPR’s The Salt. Kitti has spoken about Refuge at Creative Mornings, the Q Commons, Leadercast Women, Google Atlanta, and at other venues where people come to hear stories about justice and mercy.

Connect with Kitti on LinkedIn and follow Refuge Coffee on Facebook and Twitter.

About Your Host

Grace Hayden is dedicated to building comprehensive wealth management strategies to suit each of her clients’ financial paths. By establishing and maintaining good relationships with her clients, Grace is able to set up her clients’ accounts based on their needs, goals, and objectives.

In addition to being a familiar face around Atlanta Planning Group, after obtaining two bachelor’s degrees in Economics from the University of Venice – Ca’ Foscari and Georgia State University, Grace went on to work for some of the most well-known names in the financial industry, including Jackson National and Invesco, a global asset manager headquartered in Atlanta.

In Grace’s spare time she enjoys hiking, rock climbing, traveling and exploring Atlanta’s culinary scene.

Christina Morse with RebelHR, Alex Cushman with ProKure Solutions, Ed Chaney with Cannafyl CBD

October 24, 2019 by angishields

The Cannabis Industry in Arizona

Christina Morse with RebelHR, Alex Cushman with ProKure Solutions, and Ed Chaney with Cannafyl CBD broadcasting live from the Valley Business Radio studio in Phoenix, Arizona

Valley Business Radio

Christina Morse with RebelHR, Alex Cushman with ProKure Solutions, Ed Chaney with Cannafyl CBD

00:00 /

Christina Morse, RebelHR

Christina Morse is COO of RebelHR, where she brings innovative outsourced HR solutions into cannabis-based businesses. RebelHR was developed in response to an identified need, not only for outsourced HR solutions, but for solutions that are designed and developed specific to the needs of the cannabis industry. RebelHR provides subscription or project-based support in a wide range of areas, from employee benefits or talent management, to policy manuals and employee relations.

Christina graduated Magna Cum Laude from Grand Canyon University with a degree in Management and Human Resources. Immediately following, she obtained her PHR certification and began a now 20 year long career in Human Resources. She enjoys thinking and living “outside the box”. After her daughter graduated from college, Christina decided to work remotely while traveling and proceeded to live in 14 countries over 18 months. She is a Phoenix native and this is her home, where she spends time volunteering with pit bull rescues and with the DisruptHR Phoenix chapter.

Connect with Christina Morse on LinkedIn, and follow RebelHR on LinkedIn.

Alex Cushman, ProKure Solutions

Alex Cushman is President of ProKure Solutions. This Phoenix-based company’s patented products and patent-pending protocols allow cultivation professionals to safely and cost-effectively produce any quantity of chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) on-site, in both gas and liquid forms. Utilizing products like ProKure V, the ProKure protocol is developing a reputation in the industry as an effective way of disinfecting and deodorizing grow facilities and has become a staple in Integrated Pest Management programs for major cultivators.

Alex leads the company’s operations and executes on a vision of bringing ClO₂ to the cultivation market for a cleaner, safer, and more transparent end-result product. Alex joined ProKure in 2017, having been introduced to ProKure as a consultant to a company invested in the product.

Prior to working with ProKure, Alex launched an energy drink from the ground up, leveraging his entrepreneurial skill and private equity experience to drive results that included distribution deals with Whole Foods, Costco, Wal- Mart, Sprouts, Albertsons and other retailers. Alex began his career in finance, spending seven years in mergers and acquisitions for buy-side private equity. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College, and currently resides in Phoenix with his family.

Connect with Alex Cushman on LinkedIn, and follow ProKure Solutions on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Ed Chaney, Cannafyl CBD

Ed Chaney is CEO of Cannafyl, a Phoenix-based manufacturer of full-spectrum, CBD-infused products. Current products made by Cannafyl include tinctures, topical lotions and salves, cartridges and pet food additives, each of which goes through a rigorous testing process. The company, which began manufacturing in 2017, has a retail location near Tatum and Greenway, open seven days a week.

Ed is a serial entrepreneur, having launched more than a dozen successful startups during his career. He has a passion for leadership and the thick skin needed to weather the growth cycles inherent in business development—qualities he acquired over the past 30 years in business. Ed studied Business at Arizona State University, Executive Leadership at MIT and spent over twenty years as an active member of Arizona’s elite Entrepreneur Organization (EO). Ed hails from Maryland as the son of a farmer, served six years in the U.S. Navy, and currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Kim, and their three children.

Connect with Ed Chaney on LinkedIn, and follow Cannafyl on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

BRX Pro Tip: Why a CPA Should be a Studio Partner

October 24, 2019 by angishields

BRX Pro Tips

BRX Pro Tip: Why a CPA Should be a Studio Partner

00:00 /

BRX Pro Tip: Why a CPA Should be a Studio Partner Transcript

Stone Payton: [00:00:02] And we are back with BRX Pro Tips. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you, Lee, there are several kinds of professionals that we believe really fit the profile, people who would do well by being a studio partner, but specifically, why should a CPA seriously consider being a Business RadioX studio partner?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:24] I think a CPA would benefit from being the studio partner in a given market because this platform allows them to really nurture all the existing clients that they have, number one, through their house show. And number two, it positions them as really being a good servant leader in their market. They are the ones telling the story. It allows them to get in front of lots of different businesses in this kind of non-salesy, elegant manner. But most importantly, it creates an additional—the different revenue streams that are complementary to their existing business without requiring much of them, other than doing what they probably naturally do is talk to business people every day. So, it creates additional revenue streams that doesn’t compete with their existing business, and that allows them to really kind of get a lot of the people that refer business to them, give them shows to help them get more business. So, it creates kind of this ecosystem around their business, and it can create additional revenue streams. So, it’s kind of a no-brainer.

Stone Payton: [00:01:40] Well, and CPAs is one of those professions, and there are a handful in every market, that they really lean heavily on these trusted advisor relationships that—and they need people who are willing to refer business to them and tee them up with clients who trust them. So, I can see CPAs really leveraging the platform to build and cultivate those relationships with estate planning attorneys, for one, and just a variety of other trusted advisors of all of the folks that could benefit extremely well. I mean, CPAs just comes at the top of the list for me.

Franchise Marketing Radio: Dustin Distefano with A Place at Home Senior Focused Care

October 23, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Franchise Marketing Radio: Dustin Distefano with A Place at Home Senior Focused Care

00:00 /

Brought To You By SEO SAMBA . . . Comprehensive, High Performing Marketing Solutions For Mature And Emerging Franchise Brands . . . To Supercharge Your Franchise Marketing, Go To SEO SAMBA.com

Dustin Distefano is an experienced, goal-oriented entrepreneur with 10+ years of management, sales, marketing, operations, and training experience. With a knack for building businesses, he focuses on achieving growth, profits, positive customer experiences and more for his A Place at Home Franchise Partners.

From his early managerial experience in customer-focused businesses, he developed an ability to recognize customer needs and anticipate concerns while providing fair solutions and became recognized as a trusted resource. Over the years, he relied on all of these while building two start-up businesses, A Place at Home, a senior-focused care company and NorEast Franchise Group, the holding company that is currently developing A Place at Home franchises nationwide.

Currently, Dustin is focused on coaching A Place at Home franchise partners to become successful while holding them accountable to brand standards of care and operations. Every franchise partner creates their goals and he assists them in achieving those goals through accountability, measures, and inspiration.

Personally, Dustin is married to Jana and has two daughters named, Easton and Camila, with a third baby girl on the way. Dustin enjoys travelling with his family, camping, husker football (even though it can be tough right now) and he takes pride in all his franchisees accomplishments in the system that he and Jerod built out of his basement.

Connect with Dustin on LinkedIn and follow A Place at Home on Twitter and Facebook.

Tech of the Town: Omar Alam and Sarah Shepis with Viasat, Melissa Armas with AZ Blockchain Initiative

October 23, 2019 by angishields

Urban, Rural, and Remote Broadband Access in Arizona

Omar Alam, Viasat

Omar Alam is a Member of Technical Staff at Viasat, a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. They’re developing the ultimate communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people’s lives anywhere. Tempe, AZ hosts Viasat’s Space and Commercial Networks division and a satellite manufacturing facility, which is designing and building the most powerful satellite broadband constellation to date.

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Omar Alam moved to the Valley in June 2017 after graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics. In addition to his primary job — system-level testing and analysis of space antennas — Omar quickly immersed himself in the business community in Arizona. Beginning with STEM outreach, Omar founded Viasat’s K-12 outreach program, bringing Viasat onto the stage as a high-tech company supporting education. Now, Omar is focusing on creating a Rural & Remote Broadband Stakeholder Network and educating the public about the power of satellite broadband.

Connect with Omar Alam on LinkedIn, and follow Viasat on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sarah Shepis, Viasat

Sarah Shepis is a Materials/Mechanical Engineer at Viasat, a global communications company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be connected. They’re developing the ultimate communications network to power high-quality, secure, affordable, fast connections to impact people’s lives anywhere. Tempe, AZ hosts Viasat’s Space and Commercial Networks division and a satellite manufacturing facility, which is designing and building the most powerful satellite broadband constellation to date.

Sarah Shepis graduated from the University of Arizona in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering. For the past two years, she has worked at Viasat Inc. as a materials/mechanical hybrid engineer. Her work focuses on optimizing the design of commercial, military and space technologies used to connect the world.

Sarah stays involved with her alma mater as the project lead for a UA Engineering Senior Design Project which will deploy an Off-Grid Community Wi-Fi Terminal capable of providing internet and VoIP services to an underserved community. Sarah feels passionately about contributing to a positive social impact as well as advancing modern technology.

To find balance in the life of an engineer, Sarah enjoys the great outdoors, being Viasat photo ambassador, avid STEM outreach volunteer and unofficial yoga
teacher for other engineers.

Connect with Sarah Shepis on LinkedIn and Instagram, and follow Viasat on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Melissa Armas, AZ Blockchain Initiative

Melissa Armas is Co-Founder of AZ Blockchain Initiative, a Tech-Ed Nonprofit focused on the social impact of decentralized technology, empowering communities by delivering access to knowledge and opportunities. They achieve this mission using a three-pronged approach, via online/offline workshops (Tech Pathways), a decentralized mesh network (Project Phoenix) to deliver them to underserved communities, and outreach (AZ Tech Brief). Melissa learned to appreciate diversity and collaboration when she worked in operations management for multinational hotels and resorts around the World. In 2017, when she wanted to crossover into technology she noticed how little was done to help adults transition into that field, that experience, and her background prepared her to launch AZBI.