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NFTC: Transportation and Logistics sector in Tucson Ep 4

March 7, 2019 by angishields

Tucson Business Radio

NFTC: Transportation and Logistics sector in Tucson Ep 4

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Mike Levin, Owner, Port of Tucson
6964 E Century Park Dr, Tucson, AZ 85756
mike@portoftucson.com”
520.623.1411
LinkedIn
Website: http://www.portoftucson.com/

Mike Levin is an Executive Vice President with the Levin Family Limited Partnership. Along with his father Alan and brother Matt, they own and operate the Port of Tucson, Southern Arizona’s inland port, providing both domestic and international rail operations. Additionally, they own and operate various other companies such as Century Park Properties, Tucson Frozen Storage, Tucson Port Authority, and Cushing Business Center.

Mike’s primary role is President of Industrial Real Estate & Business Development for the Port and other Levin entities. This role oversees the management of over 2 million square feet of warehousing, distribution, manufacturing, and rail-served properties. In addition to lease and tenant management, he works closely with local economic development groups to help in highlighting Tucson as a hub for global trade and logistics with both Mexico and Asia. The Port of Tucson, with its ability to receive and ship intermodal containers internationally to multiple global locations, provides a key link for Arizona and Mexico to the world economy.

Emily Cline
C&W Consulting
Emilybcline@gmail.com
(520) 237-7495
Website: https://saleo.org/
LinkedIn, Facebook

Business Manager with over 22 years’ experience managing business development and operations at two Fortune 500 companies. Responsible for up to$18 million in revenue as a Regional Vice President while offering customized recruiting solutions across all industries and company sizes. Received numerous leadership excellence and growth awards always landed in the top 10% for overall performance including the CEO Round-table. Conducted and attended numerous customer service and sales training. Certified Train the Trainer and

Manager Mentor. Experienced in implementing Salesforce and PeopleSoft HRMS software, and Intuit QuickBooks. Volunteers in executive-level board positions for other community-based organizations.

Graduated with a BA in International Studies from Ohio

University. Proven track record managing teams with comprehensive accountability practices. Experience in the following business operations: Performance Management, Staffing, and Retention, Coaching and Development, Independent Decision Making, Fiscal Responsibility, and Budgeting,

Developing Standards and Process Improvements, Building Customer Relationships, Quality Management, Strategic Planning.

About Your Hosts

Tucson Metro Chamber
465 W. St. Mary’s Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-792-1212

Amber Smith is the president and CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber. In her role, she leads the Tucson Metro Chamber in implementing the goals and visions of the Chamber’s Board of Directors to champion an environment where business thrives and the Tucson community prospers. Focusing on growing business through workforce development, talent attraction, and public policy, the Tucson Metro Chamber is a strong community partner focused on making Tucson the ideal destination for business success. Amber’s goal is to lower the amount of poverty in Tucson by growing businesses.

A government relations professional by trade, Amber’s strength is building relationships between the public and private sector while identifying ways to collaborate and partner to achieve mutually beneficial goals. Amber began her career working for Senator McCain where she became adept at retaining professionalism and decorum while navigating difficult and controversial policy matters.

Amber represented the real estate and land use industry on policy matters first as a lobbyist for homebuilders and developers and then for Metropolitan Pima Alliance (MPA). MPA’s foundation is creating balanced land use policies that stimulate economic development and reasonably preserves our natural environment. Amber has continued that philosophy of finding common ground through her work at the Tucson Metro Chamber.

A Texas native, Amber moved to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona and graduated with a degree in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration from Eller College. Married to a second-generation Tucsonan, Amber’s husband Robert is a Tucson Fire Department Captain, who also owns a small business. Amber and Robert have three young sons, 11 goats, four dogs, three donkeys and some chickens and they enjoy the quiet life on their small ranch.

Connect with Amber on LinkedIn.

Tucson Metro Chamber
465 W. St. Mary’s Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-792-1212

A native Tucsonan, Michael Guymon’s twenty-one-year professional career has primarily centered on political strategy, business development and advocacy, and organizational management. As Vice President for the Tucson Metro Chamber, Michael is responsible for developing and implementing the Chamber’s local public policy and workforce development/attraction programs and initiatives.

Michael’s previous positions include Vice President of Regional Partnerships for Sun Corridor Inc.; Executive Director of Metropolitan Pima Alliance; Chief-of-Staff to Tucson City Council Member Fred Ronstadt; Asst. Vice President for Governmental Affairs for the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; and political consultant to The Bridges, a 360-acre mixed-use, infill development that will include Tech Parks Arizona, GEICO’s regional headquarters, housing, and a 111-acre commercial development.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Arizona.

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn

Elizabeth Strickler with GSU, Cryptocurrency Investor Zach Hoffmeister, and Drew Shah with PantherCoin Student Lead

March 7, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Elizabeth Strickler with GSU, Cryptocurrency Investor Zach Hoffmeister, and Drew Shah with PantherCoin Student Lead

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A passionate believer in creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, Elizabeth Strickler uses her talents to support students and clients to start businesses, tell immersive stories, and build a stronger cultural economy. She is excited to combine her knowledge of media technologies and the decentralized movement with local, digital and international communities. As the Director of Media Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) and The Blockchain Lab at Robinson College of Business, she works to make her visions become reality and virtual reality.

Connect with Elizabeth on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

In 2017, Zach Hoffmeister had significant financial success buying and selling cryptocurrency. He was able to pay off all of his 10 year graduate loans in one month. Zach co-authored a book called “The Millionaire Millennials”, a beginner’s guide to investing in cryptocurrency. This book highlights two Georgia State grads’ oft-suspenseful stories of cryptocurrency investment, including the pitfalls and glory. Zach’s story has been featured in two GSU articles, a short video and a podcast. He is currently working to form a group podcast called “CryptBoyz”, focused on discussing undervalued cryptocurrency tokens and discussing current cryptocurrency news.

Connect with Zach on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Drew Shah is a junior at Georgia State studying media entrepreneurship and computer science. He has worked with major companies, Atlanta startups, and has run his own ventures. Drew currently runs a venture capital firm, in addition to consulting on several ventures. He is the student lead for Georgia State blockchain initiative, Panther Coin, working to make the student experience better using new tech.

Connect with Drew on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Janet Orr with GSU Perimeter College, Maher Ahmed with Clarkston Entrepreneurs and Micah Ford with NVRBEENSTANDARD

March 7, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Janet Orr with GSU Perimeter College, Maher Ahmed with Clarkston Entrepreneurs and Micah Ford with NVRBEENSTANDARD

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Janet Orr teaches macro, micro, and global economics on the Georgia State University’s Perimeter College Clarkston campus. She is currently serving as assistant chair of the Business Department. One of the joys of her new position is promoting entrepreneurship on her campus and in the surrounding community. She enjoys acting as a liaison to bring motivational speakers, educational speakers, how-to workshops, and consultants on campus to encourage budding student entrepreneurs as well as community entrepreneurs.

Maher Ahmed is President and a founding member of Clarkston Entrepreneurs at Georgia State University. He is the President of Reliable Development Group which provides housing, assistance and a community for senior citizens to thrive in. Maher is also a business development advisor for MedSmarter. He is interested in networking, entrepreneurship, innovative healthcare development and policy, business consulting, and community building (through various not-for-profit and for-profit entities).

Connect with Maher on LinkedIn.

Micah Ford is a charismatic intelligent 21 year old sophomore from Talledga, Alabama and has lived in Georgia for five years. Micah is currently operating a clothing brand called NVRBEENSTANDARD, apparel for Outstanding Individuals. He is also current President of Panther Activities council and VP of Entrepreneurship Club.

Follow NVRBEENSTANDARD on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Ken Mathis with GSU ENI, Jennifer Daniels with Flying Laboratories and GSU Startup Mentee Adesuwa Imafidon

March 7, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Ken Mathis with GSU ENI, Jennifer Daniels with Flying Laboratories and GSU Startup Mentee Adesuwa Imafidon

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Ken Mathis is currently an Entrepreneur in Residence in Georgia State University’s (GSU’s) Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute(ENI) where he teaches a course on How to Scale a New Venture and runs the Incubator for Startups.

He has an extensive track record of developing and implementing Large Scale, High Impact, Innovative Enterprise Payment Solutions for the Banking, Utility, and Health Care industries. He has over 30 years of Financial Services/Payments Industry experience as well as running a startup in the Payments Software-as-a-Service Businesses for the B2B market segment. Prior to GSU and starting two businesses, Ken held leadership positions at IBM, MasterCard and PriceWaterHouseCoopers.

Follow GSU on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Jennifer Daniels is a bold and inspiring strategic leader, entrepreneurial growth adviser, certified coach and experiential workshop facilitator. She helps business leaders achieve better outcomes and greater impact by infusing entrepreneurial approaches into leadership development, strategic planning, operations, marketing and sales.

Jennifer serves as President at Flying Laboratories®, a strategic advisory and leadership coaching company. She is also an adjunct professor at Georgia State University teaching entrepreneurship in the J. Mack Robinson College of Business. She’s a member of Cherry Bekaert’s innovation advisory board and is Chairperson of the Catholic Charities Atlanta Leadership Program.

For over 20 years, Jennifer held progressive leadership roles in technology, process improvement, sales, marketing and innovation acceleration at GE. Most recently she was a commercial organization executive leading an intrapreneurial startup that provided management consulting services to GE’s most strategic customers. Jennifer also served in sales and marketing executive leadership positions at ChoicePoint, USIS, and LexisNexis, and was co-founder of Slimpressions® with a patented line of women’s shapewear.

Jennifer earned her B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland and MBA from Georgia State University.

Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn, and follow Flying Laboratories on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Adesuwa Imafidon is a recent graduate from Georgia State University with a Bachelors in Managerial Science and a minor in Entrepreneurship. She is a certified dermatology technician and an entrepreneur. Adesuwa is an active woman within the community and church. She volunteers with anti-human trafficking organizations on numerous actions.

Adesuwa is currently starting her own unisex natural skincare company that is on a mission to change the skincare industry. She has participated in many pitch competitions, placing 4^th in her very first one at Clayton State University and 1^st with a team in a class at Georgia State University. Adesuwa recently participated in the TYE University Business Pitch Competition. She is fond of international business as she took a course abroad in Sweden.

Connect with Adesuwa on LinkedIn.

T’Keyah Johnson with GSU’s IBMS, Biomedical Enterprise Master’s student Amani Mallory and Future Ethics and Compliance Specialist Anika Tahsin

March 7, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

T'Keyah Johnson with GSU's IBMS, Biomedical Enterprise Master's student Amani Mallory and Future Ethics and Compliance Specialist Anika Tahsin

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T’Keyah Johnson is the Graduate Program Coordinator for IBMS, and is responsible for student recruitment, advising and program administration. T’Keyah received her BS in Financial Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is currently working on her M.Ed from Tiffin University.

Follow IBMS on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Amani Mallory is a IBMS Biomedical Enterprise Master’s Student. She has a B.S., Biological Sciences from GSU and was a researcher in Dr. Kang’s influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.

Anika Tahsin recently completed her master’s in Biomedical Enterprise at Georgia State University where she also worked as a GRA (Graduate Research Assistant) and analyzed the probability of miRNAs being a mediator in the interaction between the host intestine and fecal microbiota. Anika has been exposed to the general pharmaceutical operational and strategic system overview by the renowned company UCB Pharma through coursework. She also served as a Patient Value Intern at UCB over the summer of 2018 as well. During the internship, Anika worked on her own research review project, along with gaining exposure to regulatory, compliance, and market access related activities.

Anika has experience in conducting organizational entrepreneurship innovation and customer experience and customer value improvement course projects. She obtained skills in basic microbial laboratory techniques – such as bacterial cell cultures in liquid and solid media, histology, genotyping, and PCR operation. She has two years of combined working experience in research environment in a biophysics and a biology lab.

Connect with Anika on LinkedIn.

Supply Chain Now Radio Episode 55

March 6, 2019 by angishields

Supply Chain Now

Supply Chain Now Radio Episode 55

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Supply Chain Now Radio, Episode 55:
Savannah Business Leadership Series: DIRTT & Frendesign

Laura Lee Bocade is a Market Development and Green Team Leader for DIRTT Environmental Solutions, a Calgary-based manufacturer of prefabricated, sustainable interior construction solutions, representing DIRTT in the Savannah and Coastal Georgia region. Laura Lee’s mission is to develop and build local, state and regional community partnerships and to ‘spread DIRTT’ – central to DIRTT’s progressive approach to corporate social responsibility, sustainability, disruptive innovation and grass-roots philanthropy. Laura Lee graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from Central Michigan University and has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resource Management. Laura Lee worked in Real Estate Development for years as Director of Operations for Medallist Developments’ Savannah Quarters, worked for the President of The Coastal Bank and as Chief Operating Officer for Innovations in Contemporary Furniture in Atlanta. Laura Lee’s early career years were on Seventh Avenue in the fashion industry, based in New York City where she spent months each year travelling across Europe, Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Mexico, India and other international locations sourcing materials, developing relationships and locating manufacturing opportunities, negotiating contracts and establishing production facilities for multiple brand-name designers’ many product lines.

Laura Lee is a member of the Georgia Association of Manufacturers, The Georgia Manufacturing Alliance, Women in Manufacturing (WiM), the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) as the 2018-2019 Chapter President, is VP of Marketing on the APICS Savannah board, is a member of World Trade Center Savannah and is on the Advisory Council of the Savannah Economic Development Authority. She serves as President of the board of Mountainfilm Savannah, is co-licensee and board member of TEDx Savannah, a member of Metropolitan Savannah Rotary, is on Savannah Technical College’s Community Council and is a long-time member of the Jenkins High School of Engineering Business and Education Advisory Board. Laura Lee was awarded a STEP Award by the National Association of Manufacturer’s ‘Women in Manufacturing’ (WiM) Institute in 2015 and was honored to deliver the 2015 Georgia Southwestern University Commencement address. She has championed DIRTT to win numerous awards and accolades, most recently the 2018 World Trade Center Savannah International Business of the Year Award, the International Georgia Business of the Year Award for Medium Company in 2016 and the Georgia Manufacturer of the Year for Small Business Award in 2013.

Ms. Bocade resides in Savanah, Georgia with her rescue dogs Jesse and Allie, loves riding her Harley Davidson Fat Boy named Bandit, biking (with pedals), reading, traveling, the beach and being an engaged and contributing member of the Savannah community. Connect with Laura Lee Bocade on LinkedIn and learn more about DIRTT: https://www.dirtt.net/

Stephen Nottingham is the CEO and Co-Founder of Frendesign, (Fren LLC.), a Savannah, Georgia based multidisciplinary design, technology and innovation company, focused on pediatric healthcare. Stephen is a proud Charlottesville, Virginia native who arrived in Savannah during the summer of 2015 to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, bringing an extensive business and project management background with over 12 years of related experience. His creative and entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well, ready to develop a strong relationship of understanding and lateral perspectives by bridging business strategies with purposeful design methods. During the winter of 2017, Stephen merged abilities with a team of world class designers to propose the value of advanced design techniques with medical expertise to unveil innovation. Late spring 2017, Stephen formalized Frendesign and soon after, initiated partnerships with nationally accredited medical institutions to begin uniting healthcare environments with purposeful design and technology by creating experience-driven solutions. Today, Stephen is positioning Frendesign as a key partner in the healthcare supply chain network and continues to build strong collaborative platforms that are delivering differentiated organizational value through service transformation. You can connect with Stephen Nottingham on LinkedIn and visit Frendesign’s website at https://frendesign.com/ to learn more about the company.

Scott W. Luton is the 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, was recently named a 2019 Pro to Know in Supply Chain by Supply & Demand Executive. He served on the 2018 Georgia Logistics Summit Executive Committee and currently serves as Chair of the 2019 Atlanta Supply Chain Awards Planning 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 on 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. He can also be reached by email. Learn more about TalentStream, a leading recruiting & staffing firm that helps companies find top talent in the Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain space, by visiting their website here: www.talentstreamstaffing.com

Upcoming Events Mentioned in this Episode
2019 Atlanta Supply Chain Awards: www.AtlantaSupplyChainAwards.com
2019 Georgia Logistics Summit: www.GALogisticsSummit.com
AME Atlanta 2019 Lean Summit: https://www.ame.org/ame-atlanta-2019-lean-summit
EFT 3PL & Supply Chain Summit: click here

Lynda Riford, Nicole Hein, and Cindy Webb with Southwest Behavioral & Health Services

March 6, 2019 by angishields

Southwest Behavioral & Health Services

Valley Business Radio

Lynda Riford, Nicole Hein, and Cindy Webb with Southwest Behavioral & Health Services

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Southwest Behavioral & Health Services is 501(c)3 non-profit that has been serving the Phoenix metropolitan area, rural Maricopa County, Gila, Pinal, Mohave, Coconino, and Yavapai Counties since 1974. They employ over 1,000 full-time staff, in addition to many contract positions and volunteers. Over the years, Southwest B&H has developed a reputation as an innovative leader in behavioral health. Their services are client directed, outcome informed, evidence-based and include treatment of co-occurring disorders, the FAST model in prevention services, the Arizona Treatment Initiative for children and families, and the Recovery Model for persons with serious mental illness.

Mental Health First Aid Training

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a training created in 2001 by Betty Kitchener and Anthony Jorm, who recognized the need for first aid training in the area of mental health. Just as people must learn the basics to help someone in need when they have a physical issue, someone with a mental health issue can benefit from first aid care. The National Council for Behavioral Health was given permission to reproduce and update this copyrighted material to train MHFA instructors in the U.S. to spread this knowledge to anyone interested. The course is designed for ages 18+ because it teaches adults how to provide mental health first aid to both adults and children. There is an adult course, where one can learn how to help adults, and a separate Youth MHFA course where one can learn how to help youth and adolescents ages 12-18.

Peer Support Specialist Training

A Peer Support Specialist (PSS) is an individual who can offer help to a consumer based on their own shared experience of being in recovery. This can range from a mental or substance use disorder, or being the family member of a person with a behavioral health condition. Their job can include advocacy, sharing resources, sharing their own experience, mentoring, goal setting, etc.

Learn more about these programs at www.sbhservices.org. Connect with Southwest Behavioral & Health Services on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Lynda Riford

Lynda Riford is the marketing director at Southwest Behavioral & Health Services and has been with the organization for 18+ years. She earned her Bachelor’s in Business Management at Western International University in 2009. She is passionate about the Mental Health First Aid program and sharing this important training.

Connect with Lynda Riford on LinkedIn.

Nicole Hein

Nicole Hein is a licensed, master level social worker (LMSW) with an additional Masters in Public Administration (MPA). She has been with Southwest Behavioral & Health Services for about 7 years and currently manages training, professional development, and evaluation for the company. She is committed to serving the public and helping people foster their talent and passions. She favors relational and transformational leadership and strives to emulate this style when working with clientele and colleagues.

Connect with Nicole Hein on LinkedIn.

Cindy Webb

Cindy Webb is the Coordinator of Learning and Development and Program Administrator for the Peer Support program and has been with Southwest Behavioral & Health Services for 6.5 years. She earned her Bachelor’s in Technical Management with an emphasis in Project Management at DeVry University in 2014. In her role as coordinator, she enjoys collaborating with both staff and consumers.

Connect with Cindy Webb on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Southwest Behavioral & Health Services.

Lori Collins with the City of Phoenix, Denyse Airheart with the City of Maricopa, and Brad Vynalek with Quarles & Brady

March 6, 2019 by angishields

Economic Development in Arizona

Valley Business Radio

Lori Collins with the City of Phoenix, Denyse Airheart with the City of Maricopa, and Brad Vynalek with Quarles & Brady

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Lori Collins, City of Phoenix

Lori Collins is Deputy Economic Development Director for the City of Phoenix and serves on the executive board of directors for the Arizona Association for Economic Development. Since joining the City of Phoenix Community and Economic Development Department in 2015, Lori has focused on developing and implementing strategies to encourage investment and drive job growth. As Deputy Director, she oversees the division responsible for business attraction and works daily with companies seeking to relocate or expand in Phoenix. This division advises developers, corporate real estate executives, entrepreneurs and business owners through the site selection, due diligence and occupancy process.

An Arizona native, Lori has worked in Economic Development since 2001 and gained panoramic experience in the Greater Phoenix area by serving in various roles with organizations including the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and as Marketing Director for the Phoenix and Las Vegas office of a major commercial real estate firm. Lori is a National League of Cities Equitable Economic Development Fellow and serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the Arizona Association for Economic Development.

Learn more about Phoenix Economic Development. Connect with Lori Collins on LinkedIn.

Denyse Airheart, City of Maricopa

Denyse Airheart is the Economic Development Director for the City of Maricopa. She joined the City of Maricopa in August 2013. Airheart received her bachelor’s degree from California State University Fullerton and holds a Master’s in Business Administration. Airheart has more than 10 years of experience in business development talent acquisition. Her primary responsibilities are to move the community forward to achieve growth in retail, commercial and industrial base economies.

She is a member of the International Economic Development Council, the Arizona Association of Economic Development and Vice Chair for the Professional Education Committee, and the Urban Land Institute. She has served as an Ex-Officio Board Member of the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce since 2015 and as the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s Economic Development Directors Team since 2015.

Learn more about Maricopa Economic Development. Connect with Denyse Airheart on LinkedIn.

Brad Vynalek, Quarles & Brady

Brad Vynalek is a partner in the Phoenix office of Quarles & Brady, chair of the Innovation Committee, and a member the firm’s Executive Committee. He also serves on the board of directors for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council and the on the regional board for Teach For America-Phoenix. He volunteers for such startup engagements as the Venture Ready program. Vynalek is also a recent past-chair of Make-a-Wish America.

He recently announced the creation of a Time Venture Fund (TVF) to provide startups with the crucial legal advice needed at the formation stage while also providing a social benefit to the startup and entrepreneurship communities. The goal of the program is to attract top startups and help entrepreneurs grow their businesses through bespoke and innovative engagements at the most crucial time for the startups.

Connect with Brad Vynalek on LinkedIn.

Supply Chain Now Radio Episode 54

March 6, 2019 by angishields

Supply Chain Now

Supply Chain Now Radio Episode 54

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Supply Chain Now Radio, Episode 54:
Savannah Business Leadership Series: Erich K. Schmid

Erich K. Schmid is cofounder and President of Business Intermediary Services, Ltd. He is a 35-year veteran in the mergers and acquisitions arena. In 1974 Mr. Schmid’s corporate career began with The Babcock & Wilcox Company (NYSE: BWC) in the Power Generation Group’s Nuclear Equipment Division and in 1975 was promoted to its Corporate Planning and Business Development Department; and, following the acquisition of BWC by J. Ray McDermott (NYSE: MDR) in 1978, he joined McDermott’s corporate staff. In 1980 Mr. Schmid was selected by Tidewater Inc. (NYSE: TDW) to be its first Director of Corporate Development and served in that position until 1985 when he resigned and moved to Asheville, North Carolina where he joined a local business brokerage firm and specialized in larger transactions. During his nine years with a general business brokerage, he performed valuations of several hundred businesses for buyers and sellers and was involved in over 100 transactions. In 1994 Mr. Schmid and the late William J. Fass founded Business Intermediary Services, Ltd. to focus solely on transactions in the lower middle market in the U.S. and Brazil and U.S. – Brazil cross-border transactions. Mr. Schmid has both a B.S. in Industrial Management and M.S. in Management from The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. Mr. Schmid also studied Strategic Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Business. He was instrumental in founding the Carolinas-Virginia Business Brokers Association (CVBBA) and served as its first president. Mr. Schmid is a member of the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA) and is a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA). He is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (AGG) – Charlotte Chapter. He is a licensed real estate broker in both North Carolina and South Carolina. Mr. Schmid is a proud veteran of the United States Army; and, is a member of American Legion Post 205 (Bluffton, SC) and is the Post’s Golf Tournament Chairman. Mr. Schmid and his wife, Marilyn, live on Hilton Head Island, SC. They have two children, Gregory and Sara, and two grandchildren, Barrett and Mia. Connect with Erich K. Schmid on LinkedIn and contact him for more info at: ekschmid@prodigy.net

Bill Stankiewicz has 20+ years’ experience in Industrial Facility Operations, Business Development and Food Grade Distribution, and is the co-host of our Savannah Business Leadership Series. Bill has helped countless companies with their operations via Savannah Supply Chain as a consultant in Savannah, Georgia. On weekends, Bill teaches as Adjunct Professor at Savannah Technical College, where he is involved with the OS & OOG Freight Program for Pilot Escort and Fork Lift Safety Programs for certification and distribution operations. Very active in leadership positions across industry, Bill serves in various leadership capacities for organizations such as: the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance, APICS Savannah, the Savannah Traffic Club, WorkSource Georgia and beBee.com. Connect with Bill Stankiewicz on LinkedIn and learn more at: http://savannahsupplychain.com/