Alan “AP” Powell with The HeroZona Foundation, Heather Dopson, and Ben Bronson with Bunker Labs
Veterans and Entrepreneurship
HeroZona National Veteran Summit, Nov 5-7 in Phoenix, AZ
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Alan “AP” Powell, The HeroZona Foundation
Alan “AP” Powell is a serial entrepreneur, Gulf War Veteran, philanthropist and a renowned strategic consultant developing relationships for Fortune 500 companies. Powell currently serves as chairman and CEO of AP & Associates, LLC, founded in 2004. He is also the founder of The HeroZona Foundation, a non-profit that serves students and veterans by giving them access to educational opportunities to ensure they get to cross the ‘finish line’. The foundation’s name reflects that messaging to focus on empowering and celebrating America’s veterans. Programs include the Herozona National Veteran Summit — a multi-day networking experience to improve America’s support of veteran companies through workshops, networking, entrepreneurial connections, and seminars — and Play It Forward, Veterans Reach to Teach, Phoenix Tools 4 Schools and the Bridge Forum.
Powell’s upcoming engagement, the HeroZona National Veteran Summit will will return to Phoenix from November 5 – 7, 2019. This multi-day experience for America’s veterans — including Arizona’s 640,000 veterans, 38,000 active duty service members and 1,000 veteran owned companies — is spearheaded by the HeroZona Foundation and its new partner, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes. Other 2019 sponsors include Arizona Public Service (APS), Phoenix Suns, USAA, Arizona Corporate Council on Veteran Careers and the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services.
The 2019 theme is advancing economic opportunity for the military community and includes executive roundtables, an awards dinner, employment summit, job fair, Bridge Forum and workshops. HeroZona National Veteran Summit is free and open to active duty service members, National Guard and Army Reserve, veterans, military spouses and caregivers. To learn more about The HeroZona Foundation’s programs and HeroZona National Veteran Summit, visit herozonasummit.com or herozona.org.
Powell was recently recognized with the Arizona Black Chamber of Commerce Corporate Star Award (2016), the MLK Living the Dream Award (2017), Greater Phoenix Urban League’s Whitney M. Young Jr. Award (2017), the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity’s Edward M. Kennedy Community Service Award (2017), ABC 15 and Sanderson Ford’s Saluting Arizona’s Veterans Award (2018) and the John S. McCain Inspirational Leadership Award (2018). He also served as the Grand Marshall for the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade in 2017. Powell also won 2019’s ‘Most Influential Man in the Valley’ award by Arizona Foothills Magazine.
Connect with Alan “AP” Powell on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, and follow The HeroZona Foundation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
HeroZona National Veteran Summit, Nov 5-7 in Phoenix, AZ
Heather Dopson
Heather Dopson, formerly of GoDaddy and now independent at heatherdopson.com, is a community builder and an advocate for authenticity. She’s a catalyst for conversations worth having, and an enabler for ideas worth exploring. Heather is fueled by tracking digital trends, innovation in technology, and taco trucks. She has a profound understanding of social networks, consumers and branding; and a pronounced intolerance for BS. As a Community Builder, she leverages her skills as a connector and her drive to help small businesses succeed. Her mission in life is to help people lose their J-O-B and find their J-O-Y. She is an international speaker on the topics of social media, entrepreneurship, community and digital marketing.
Heather is a veteran of the US Air Force where she served as an AMMO troop assigned to the 523rd Combat Munitions Unit, 27th Fighter Wing.
Connect with Heather Dopson on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Ben Bronson, Bunker Labs
Ben Bronson is Phoenix City Leader with Bunker Labs, a national network of veteran, reservist, and military spouse entrepreneurs dedicated to helping new veteran community entrepreneurs start their own business. A 501(c)(3) non-profit, Bunker Labs is committed to seeing that every entrepreneur in the veteran community has the network, tools, and resources they need to start and grow their own business.
Ben is an Army veteran and holds an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Connect with Ben Bronson on LinkedIn, and follow Bunker Labs on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
HeroZona National Veteran Summit, Nov 5-7 in Phoenix, AZ
BRX Pro Tip: Why a Start Up Should Have a Show
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BRX Pro Tip: Why a Start Up Should Have a Show Transcript
Stone Payton: [00:00:01] And we are back. Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you for BRX Pro Tips. Lee, lots of reasons for any number of professional services folks out there in the marketplace to seriously consider underwriting and possibly hosting a Business RadioX show, but why should a startup have a Business RadioX show?
Lee Kantor: [00:00:22] One of the things that startups should be doing is customer discovery. And there’s no better way to—once you’ve identified the niche that you’re going into is to invite all of those prospects into this show that you’re doing to spotlight the work in that area. So, it’s a great tool to meet the people you got to meet. Plus, you’re creating thought leadership around the subject matter that’s important to all of your best clients, and you’re putting yourself as a hub in that world.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:54] So, I think from a standpoint of solving the sales problem to get in front of the people that are the potential buyers of your service, that’s valuable. And number two is creating all of the web content, and social proof, and the thought leadership that you need to establish yourself as an expert in the space, you’re solving the marketing problem. So, to me, you’re solving a bunch of problems. And the startup who has limited funds, limited resource, and limited time, it’s a very efficient way of solving those problems.
Lee Kantor: [00:01:24] Well, it’s such a marvelous mechanism for building genuine relationships with people who get an opportunity to really understand your business, and how you’re serving the marketplace, and get it done fast. So, any startup in any market, I believe, and I know you do too as well, should be leveraging this platform, if for no other reason, just to build those relationships because one single relationship, properly timed, properly informed can be an absolute game changer for a startup.
Jennifer Burge with WorldWise Coaching and Dr. Jeff McGee with Cross-Cultural Dynamics
Cross Cultural Issues in Business
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Jennifer Burge, WorldWise Coaching
Jennifer Burge is CEO of WorldWise Coaching, an Arizona based company built on two decades of international business experience. They provide private executive coaching and customized team training in the field of intercultural business communication, global relocation, and multicultural team building. Their field of expertise includes consulting services to assist in conflict resolution across worldviews, international expansions, and cross-border mergers. WorldWise empowers teams to communicate globally with confidence and strengthens cohesiveness across geographically disparate business units. With experience on four continents and over fifty countries, WorldWise Coaching prepares its clients to thrive in international environments across the globe. International business is challenging, but when preparedness meets opportunity–barriers to growth are eliminated.
Jennifer, a dual national of the US and Australia, repatriated to the United States in 2018. Her career in management consulting took her to Germany in 2001, The Netherlands in 2002, Singapore in 2007, and Australia in 2011. After seventeen years abroad, Jennifer returned to Phoenix to found her own consulting company, WorldWise Coaching LLC. Having lived on four continents, successfully executed projects in ten countries, and traveled to more than fifty countries, Jennifer uses her broad business, training, and technology background to assist others to thrive in global business environments.
Her experience includes Fortune 100 companies, such as Honeywell and Fortune Global 500 companies—Accenture Consulting and EDS. She has also worked for smaller firms in The Netherlands and as an independent information technology consultant and trainer in Singapore
In addition to her corporate career, Jennifer is a memoirist and travel writer. She began writing Asian destination pieces for Vietnam’s The Guide magazine in 2009. Her first nonfiction book about her professional life in Europe, The Devil Wears Clogs, was published in 2014. The second, Singapore Salvation, tells her Asian story and was published in 2015. She is currently at work on her Australian chapter.
In 2017, Jennifer lived in Madrid to complete her certification and training in teaching English as a Second Language with a specialization in Business English earned with distinction. Following that, she was a Fellow at the Institute for Intercultural Communication in Portland, Oregon in 2018 and in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2019. In August 2019, Jennifer was appointed to the Pacific Rim Advisory Council for the City of Phoenix by Mayor Kate Gallego.
Connect with Jennifer Burge on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and follow WorldWise Coaching on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Dr. Jeff McGee, Cross-Cultural Dynamics
Dr. Jeff McGee is CEO of Cross-Cultural Dynamics, an Arizona based company comprised of experts in the fields of cultural competency, leadership development and health and wellness. They provide trainings and consultations to all organizational sectors including businesses, nonprofits, education (both K-12 & universities/colleges) community groups and city governments.
Their mission is to provide leaders and organizations with a framework to effectively accomplish their mission and objectives within a cross-cultural world. Cross-Cultural Dynamics customizes all curriculum to meet the specific yet unique needs of every organization. They seek to fully understand the mission, values and goals of each organization and develop structures, along with leadership, that empower everyone to succeed.
Dr. Jeff McGee is a thought leader in using an asset-based approach to understand cross-cultural and leadership competencies. He is passionate about equipping leaders with principles and strategies to lead tomorrow’s organizations. He has studied and witnessed barriers between diverse groups where issues of trust, decision-making and roles are misunderstood. Dr. McGee has successfully led many organizations through trainings/consultations that has positively impacted organizational culture and relationship building efforts. His interactive approach to engagement empowers leaders to think differently and challenge norms. Dr. McGee has many years of experience as an educator and trainer for K-12 schools, higher education institutions, businesses and nonprofit organizations. His continued work and research seek to dismantle cross-cultural and leadership misunderstandings through education, practice, and policy making.
Dr. McGee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Community Ministry and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Geneva College and a Doctorate in Education in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.
Connect with Dr. Jeff McGee on LinkedIn and Facebook, and follow Cross-Cultural Dynamics on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Arizona 100: Preview of the October 24 Issue
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The Arizona 100
The Arizona 100 is a twice-monthly digital publication that provides quick and concise, yet thorough, news of the people, events, activities and news shaping Arizona. Each of the 100-word stories or 100-second videos focus on the arts, entertainment, history and restaurants to business news, management, healthcare and real estate.
The Arizona 100 has international and national “100” partner markets, which publish any article/ video upon request providing a combined reach of more than 300,000 readers across 15 markets.
The Arizona 100 is a project of HMA Public Relations, a full-service public relations and marketing communications firm in Phoenix.
To subscribe to The Arizona 100, visit thearizona100.com. Submit story ideas to editor@thearizona100.com
Velocity Small Business Radio: 2019 GrowATL
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Brought to you by
Andrieka “AJA” Austin, Master Business Coach, The Boss of Me
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Dana Ellington, CEO, Nowata Press Publishing & Consulting
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Kenya Johnson, CEO, Wicks and Wines
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Paula Watts, CEO, GPI
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Christopher Johnson, Sales Executive, Nueway Studios
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Bryan Clark, Owner, World Global Management Group
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Meron Tadesse, Managing Partner, Tadesse Law
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Paris Mock, CEO, SafeRide Solutions
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Dijon Clare, Owner, Clare Valet Services
Shauna Moore and Darren Cureton, Focus Homes United, LLC
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Avis Flowers, Owner, Busy Beez Cleaning
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Renita Crawley, Realtor, Keller Williams
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BRX Pro Tip: Why You Need to Build an Email List for Your Show
Jaron Solomon with Solomon Brothers
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Buckhead jeweler go-to Solomon Brothers Fine Jewelry is taking its sparkle to Alpharetta with a second location set to open to the public on Friday, October 18. Founded in 1982 by South-African born brothers Ivan, Howard and Anthony Solomon, the family-owned jeweler has continued to set the standards for fine jewelry in Buckhead, Atlanta & the Southeast.
Now run by Ivan’s son and current President Jaron Solomon alongside his wife Alli, the popular store is eager to expand and offer the same quality of service and jewelry needs to its Alpharetta customers in the form of engagement rings, wedding bands, loose diamonds & custom designs.
The Alpharetta store will officially open to the public on Friday, October 18 at 10 a.m. inviting patrons to join in for a first look at the new space while enjoying in-store beverages, raffles and promotions until 5 p.m. Friday’s celebratory offerings will continue through Sunday.
The Alpharetta showroom will be located at 2500 Old Milton Pkwy and will occupy 5,000 square feet of the buildings second story, fully feeding the Alpharetta community’s overwhelming asks for the store to open a location in the area. Alongside Jaron and Alli’s efforts to modernize the 35+ year old family business, the new space will evoke a sleek, youthful feel with a refreshed look complete with endless natural light, impressive display stations, private diamond viewing rooms and an in-store bar that will serve selections of beer, wine & champagne.
The showroom will also don various TV screens displaying gem and diamond-focused educational content for customers to view as they browse. Solomon Brothers Alpharetta will maintain the same hours as its sister location, opening at 10 a.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon on Sundays.
Connect with Jaron on LinkedIn and follow Solomon Brothers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
BRX Pro Tip: Show Research and Prep
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BRX Pro Tip: Show Research and Prep Transcript
Stone Payton: [00:00:02] Welcome back BRX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor and Stone Payton here with you. Lee, while I’ve got you, probably the most experienced, the most seasoned interviewer in our entire network, tell us a little bit about your predisposition. How do you feel about what steps do you take in the direction of pre-show research and prep?
Lee Kantor: [00:00:22] As you know, I do not do a lot of pre-show research and prep. I do look at the guests’ profile that’s submitted in the calendar before the show begins. Sometimes, I go to their website. Sometimes, I’ll check out their LinkedIn. I’ll look at their bio. But overall, I like to kind of learn as I go. One of the reasons that works for me is I do have a lot of general business knowledge. So, I’m an info junkie by nature. So, I read a lot, and I know a lot, and I’ve done a lot of interviews. So, I know a lot about—I know a little bit about a lot of different businesses and business concepts. So, that helps me kind of not do a lot of research.
Lee Kantor: [00:01:05] If I did not have that kind of background in terms of knowledge, I probably would do a little bit more, but not too much more because I like to learn as I go. I like to be kind of the listener and take the listener’s part in this equation of asking. Sometimes I’ll ask questions that I already know the answer to because I think it’s important for the listener to learn about some of the basics of what the guest is talking about. So, I prefer to be kind of the innocent that’s just learning on the fly and asking kind of dumb, open-ended questions to give the guest the chance to shine, and to tell their story, and be passionate, and explain stuff to me.
Stone Payton: [00:01:50] Well, to me, this touches on something that is so important. It’s the mindset. It’s the framing. You have the level of self-confidence and self-assurance that you don’t feel like you have to demonstrate how smart you are to the listening audience or to the people in the room. That’s a given simply by virtue of who you are in the room. You’re the host of the show. You’re letting the light be shone on the on the guest and even the client host in your situation. So, that’s an important mindset shift, I think, for some people is to be willing to be the person who has the questions and let the other person shine. That’s critical, don’t you think?
Lee Kantor: [00:02:30] Right. Because if at the end of the day, what you’re trying to do is shine the light on others, and make them feel good about themselves, and feel smart, and have been heard, in order to do that properly, I think that you have to kind of be humble, even though some stuff, ask questions that let them shine.
