Pensacola Business Radio: Spotlight Episode, United Way, the 411 on the 211 with Naomi Kjer

January 22, 2018 by angishields

Pensacola Business Radio

Pensacola Business Radio: Spotlight Episode, United Way, the 411 on the 211 with Naomi Kjer

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Naomi Kjer

Marketing Manager

United Way of Escambia County

www.unitedwayescambia.org

FILE YOUR TAXES WITH UNITED WAY’S FREE TAX PROGRAMS

Pensacola, Fla. – January 17, 2018

Keep your money! If you or your household make $66,000 or less, United Way of Escambia County (UWEC) offers free tax preparation services. Maximize your money by filing quickly and securely online, or visit one of our conveniently located VITA sites for one-on-one help with an IRS-certified volunteer.

Online – File taxes anywhere, anytime at www.myfreetaxes.com. If you have questions, call the MyFreeTaxes Helpline at 1-855-698-9435.
In-person – Go to a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site and have an IRS-certified volunteer prepare taxes. Dial 2-1-1 or visit www.unitedwayescambia.org/taxhelp for locations and hours of operation.

VITA sites open on January 30 with the help of partners at Pensacola State College and the Escambia County School District. United Way has also partnered with Impact America – Florida to grow VITA volunteer capacity at tax prep sites by engaging students and college graduates to address community needs. Additional program sponsors are Regions, Wells Fargo, and Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

“United Way’s Tax Preparation programs are vital to our community. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars in preparation fees, these free programs help local citizens keep money in their pockets. In turn, money saved could then be used to create a savings account or emergency funds to put a family on the path to financial stability,” said Katrina Madden, UWEC Financial Stability Program Outreach Manager.

Last year, United Way’s Tax Preparation programs helped 3,683 individuals and families for a total impact of $6,634,123 in our community.

Be sure to have the following documents on-hand when filing your taxes: state or federal photo identification; Social Security cards for all members of the household; all W2s, 1095s, 1098s, 1099s; childcare provider’s information; investment statements and other tax forms; amounts of other income; bank account information for direct deposit; and last year’s tax return if available.

Marketing materials containing information about these two tax assistance programs are available for distribution. To request the free materials and for questions concerning VITA or MyFreeTaxes.com, contact Katrina Madden, UWEC Financial Stability Program Outreach Manager, at vita@unitedwayescambia.org or call 850-912-8245.

By living core values of serving the community with Integrity, Leadership, Inclusiveness, Volunteerism and Excellence (I LIVE), United Way of Escambia County is working to meet a mission of uniting our community and leveraging resources to improve lives.

Pensacola Business Radio-Women in Leadership Series brought to you by Powerful Women of the Gulf Coast Ep. 1-2018

January 22, 2018 by angishields

Pensacola Business Radio

Pensacola Business Radio-Women in Leadership Series brought to you by Powerful Women of the Gulf Coast Ep. 1-2018

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Madrina, Kolleen, Julie

Madrina Dawn Ciano-Community Volunteer

Julie Still-Rolin has been conducting professional development training since 2012. In September 2017, she published her first book, The End Game: A Training Guide for Sexual Harassment, and since then, she has seen the need for enhanced sexual harassment training increasing and made it her focus. Her book is on Amazon, and more information can be found on her website: www.sexualharassmentguru.com.

Kolleen Edwards Chesley has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and spent the majority of her career as a financial advisor. In that role, Kolleen was responsible for finding her own clients and quickly learned the value of networking, networking, and even more networking. It was in 2004 and during her sales career that she, along with two other professional business women met for lunch with the purpose of helping to motivate each other after Hurricane Ivan had blown through our area and changed not only the physical landscape of the area, but also impacted the business landscape as well. Out of that lunch was born what is now a thriving not-for-profit organization for business women.

Kolleen currently serves full-time as the Founding Director of what was originally called Women’s Business Lunch and is now known as Powerful Women of the Gulf Coast. The organization advocates a culture of confidence building, lifelong learning, collaboration, empowering others and a spirit of charitable giving.

The mission of Powerful Women of the Gulf Coast is to promote, advance and improve women in business and the organization accomplishes these in a number of different ways.

Monthly networking meetings in Pensacola and Gulf Breeze. These are open to all women and are free to attend. We run a structured meeting with open networking, an educational segment, a sponsor presentation, an opportunity to hear about the businesses of all attendees, and a whole lot of fun. We frequently hear from attendees that these meeting are chock full of value and a great way to build new relationships to help support their businesses. The Pensacola meetings include lunch paid for by our sponsors.
Powerful Women of the Gulf Coast Magazine. We have produced 4 editions of this print magazine. Each edition features interviewees of local successful leaders in business who share their honest thoughts on leadership, success, obstacles, and inspiration as it relates to women in business. We also include other articles on leadership, networking, and other skill development. It is geared for anyone in business or looking for business motivation and tips. Our goal is for this to be a quarterly publication, however the magazine is currently on hold as we explore graphic designers. Our latest edition can still be found on our website.
Annual Pursue Your Passion Women’s conference. To help celebrate National Business Women’s Week, we hold a full day conference during the third week of October along with several other events leading up to the conference. We feature a national keynote speaker, several local successful leaders in business, along with Speed Networking, an Experience Hall, structured and unstructured networking exercises and plenty of laughter, relationship building and excitement. Our attendees are not only motivated by the conference but they leave with tangible tips they can take back and implement in their businesses to lead them to success. For 2018, our conference will be held on Wednesday, October 17^th and Thursday, October 18^th, 2018 at Sanders Beach.
Power Up Challenge is a 12 week educational series where we hold classes once a week for two hours. Classes focused around four main areas of business: Networking, Marketing, Business Efficiency, and Sales Skills. Open to men and women and all classmates receive the full audio recording of each class along with class notes, expanded notes, and extra resources. Remote classes also available. Classes are affordable and attendees are elated with the amount and quality of the information that is shared.

Women in Leadership radio podcast show – sponsored by Pensacola Business Radio X. We hold monthly shows featuring local community leaders and other men and women in business. We engage our guests in conversational style in-depth interviews. They share their advice on topics such as mentoring, keys to

Pensacola Business Radio-Special Guest, The Wide Open.

January 22, 2018 by angishields

Pensacola Business Radio

Pensacola Business Radio-Special Guest, The Wide Open.

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The Wide Open are not trying to fit into a mold anyone else has cast. Crisscrossing the country in their 32-foot Winnebago armed with their blues-drenched Americana, the duo has discovered their calling––and fans of honest music are grateful for it.

“I just want you to have all of me when I sing a song, so if it’s real to me then it will be real to you,” says singer-songwriter and award-winning harmonica player Allen Rayfield, who with fellow power vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Season Ammons, forms duo The Wide Open. “I love the authenticity of Robert Johnson and all the old blues, folk, and roots music. I like to sit down with my guitar and write the song that needs to be written at the time,” says Rayfield. For Ammons, creating is deeply personal. “I love melodies and usually will form a melody around a phrase or hook,” she explains. “Then, I’ll pick up an instrument and hash out more music and phrasing to create a story based on some aspect in my life that is or once was true.”

The pair’s sophomore release Long Road Home pulses with the kind of raw immediacy Rayfield praises and craves. A tight collection of original songs driven by Ammons’ and Rayfield’s gritty chemistry, the anti

and Rayfield both traveled unique roads to get to one another. Dallas native Ammons cut her teeth on the Texas opry circuit before moving to Nashville to focus on songwriting. A warm reflection of the country, jazz, and blues vocalists she grew up loving, Ammons’ voice demanded attention. She was a regional finalist on talent-scouting machine Nashville Star and released a solo debut in 2011, a standout that garnered a Texas Music Awards nod, before moving to the Fort Walton Beach area in Florida the following year. Ammons’ second solo record turned heads and clinched nominations throughout Texas and Florida.

cipated record is the follow-up to 2015’s We’ll Get By, which netted the pair an Independent Music Award nod for Best Americana Album and was soon followed by an acclaimed appearance on Destin, Florida’s PBS affiliate.

Confident and often downright virtuosic, Long Road Home clearly benefits from the miles the road-dogging duo logs each year: at least 200 dates in roadhouses and listening rooms across the country. The Wide Open recorded the album on analog tape at Yellow Dog Studios in Wimberley, Texas, producer Dave Percefull’s Blanco-River lining vintage studio. “Dave was great in the studio and knew exactly how to capture the sound we wanted, as well as exactly how to get the performance he wanted,” Ammons says. “It was fun and intense and exciting.”

For fans of The Wide Open, such a triumphant record is cause for celebration but far from a surprise––a beautiful new chapter for two people who can’t help but inspire one another and just about everyone else who knows or merely hears them. After meeting on stage in Florida, the two began collaborating, not expecting anything more than great songs. “Neither one of us was looking for romance, but the love we shared on and off the stage became undeniable,” Rayfield says.

Ammons

Gig after gig, album after album, Ammons became well known and beloved on the Emerald Coast as a solid guitarist, magnetic performer, and gifted writer. Then she met Rayfield.

A St. Louis native, Rayfield was known as a songwriter and gifted harmonica player within the blues community––he’d later go on to win three consecutive Best Harmonica Player trophies at the annual Beachcomber awards not long after moving to Florida in 2013. He relocated with the intention of giving songwriting and performing a wholehearted effort after weathering devastating news: in 2007 at just 30 years old, he was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, an incurable neurological disease that affects his muscles, coordination, and causes spasms. Not even a year later, he was in a wheelchair. “I decided to do something about it,” Rayfield says. He spent two months riding 1,486 miles from St. Louis to the East Coast on a hand-powered recumbent bicycle to raise awareness about the disease. When he arrived in Ocean City, Maryland, the mayor greeted him with a key to the city.

Rayfield has since experienceced a miraculous regression in the disease and regained his ability to walk. He attributes the process to his advocacy, alternative medicine, healthy diet, prayer and meditation, yoga, and staying passionate about life.

Ammons and Rayfield cut fierce figures––and more than music aficionados have noticed. New York Times bestselling author Paige Tyler based two characters in her book Wolf Unleashed: SWAT: Special Wolf Alpha Team on the couple.

Long Road Home’s title track is a perfect example why. Also the album’s lead single, the song gleefully incorporates sly banjo licks into a winking ode to doing things your own way. “It’s a fun song about taking chances and having fun––and possibly doing the wrong things for the right reasons,” Rayfield says. The pair’s muscly harmonies buoy the mood alongside playful strings.

“Feel Alright” blithely captures brash desire, while “Walton County Jail” is a bluesy masterpiece, fueled by Rayfield’s gravely lead vocals and meaty harmonica. Moody “Raining in Memphis” is a winsome stroll through regret and longing, while “Ol’ Missouri” nods to bluegrass in a sweet singalong. Haunting album standout “Rainy Day Serenade” is a hushed meditation revolving around Ammons’ stunning vocal delivery and perfect punctuations from Rayfield’s harmonica.

“I will obsess over the words and chords until I have a solid song working,” Rayfield says of his composing process. “I will usually finish it even if it takes hours because I struggle walking away from the moment I am having with the song.”

Ultimately, for both members of The Wide Open, the toiling through the years, miles, and heartbreak that had to unfold in order to create Long Road Home has been worth it. “Long Road Home captures an emotional roller coaster of real passion and truth,” Rayfield says. Ammon says “The pain and joy it took to follow our love for each other and our love of music was both transforming and overwhelming.” She pauses, then breathes deeply as she adds, “This album helped us both heal and grow in ways we never imagined.”

Pensacola Business Radio: Spotlight Destin Direct and Gary Redden

January 20, 2018 by angishields

Pensacola Business Radio

Pensacola Business Radio: Spotlight Destin Direct and Gary Redden

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Gary Redden
DestinDirect.com,
CONNECTING PEOPLE WITH DESTIN & 30A BUSINESSES

WHAT WE DO: We help businesses of all sizes & types increase their sales & profits by attracting more new customers at less cost. Take a tour, www.DestinDirect.com.

HOW WE DO IT: We reach a large & diverse audience that includes tourists, local residents, vacation home owners, convention attendees, businesses & people relocating. We do this through search engine optimization, community involvement, publicity, social media and advertising.

IT’S NOT JUST FOR TOURISTS: The site is widely used by local residents & vacation home owners looking for businesses that can provide the products and services they need for themselves, their home, investment property, car, boat, travel and other things.

HOW WELL DOES IT WORK? Our average advertiser has been on the site about 8 years, some for 15. A good way to judge advertising effectiveness is how long it runs.

WHO WE WORK WITH: Just about every type of local business regardless of size or the type of products or services they offer.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE OR LEARN MORE. Contact us: info@DestinDirect.com or 850 217 3880.

WHAT’S NEXT. We’re developing a national network of standardized community directories similar to DestinDirect.com that will operate under the brand name WhatsWhere.com. They’ll be interconnected through a central hub and will include both resort destinations and metro areas.

MY BACKGROUND: Co-founder and managing director of Redden Communications, Inc. which develops and operates online community directories including DestinDirect.com. Over 20 years experience in investment banking & investment management.

Former test pilot on military and corporate jet aircraft, offshore helicopter pilot & corporate chief pilot.

Former military pilot experienced with multi-engine fixed wing aircraft & helicopters. Graduate of 3 military pilot training programs.

Destin Direct is a certified travel site for vacation planning information in Destin, Sandestin, Seaside and Santa Rosa Beach.
We hope you enjoy the local beaches, boating, fishing, shopping and seafood restaurants.

DestinDirect.com, 6 Okeechobee Court, Destin, FL 32541
E-mail: info@destindirect.com Phone: 850 217 3880 Fax: 850 837 3491
Member of the Destin Chamber of Commerce and Walton County Chamber of Commerce.

Dana Spinola and Lisa Dimson with fab’rik

January 16, 2018 by angishields

CEO Exclusive Radio

Dana Spinola and Lisa Dimson with fab’rik

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Dana Spinola founded fab’rik in 2002 as a clothing boutique where everyone can afford to feel beautiful. The brand’s mission is to provide High Style with Heart through the belief that clothing can change lives. fab’rik began franchising in 2006 and today shares its mission with 42 stores across the U.S. In 2009, fab’rik launched its nonprofit arm, free fab’rik, which uses fashion to empower women and girls in need with free, quality clothing. The brand launched its own in-house designed, high-end line, the Asher Collection, in 2017. One hundred percent of Asher proceeds fund Kenyan orphan adoptions through non-profit Project 82. Connect with Dana on LinkedIn, and follow fab’rik on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Lisa Dimson is the Chief Marketing Officer at fab’rik. Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn, and follow fab’rik on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Biz Radio U Featuring Ariam Sium and Joey Ruse with The Axium Group

January 12, 2018 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Biz Radio U Featuring Ariam Sium and Joey Ruse with The Axium Group

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We are millennials. We are here to bridge the gap between our generation and those who came before us by teaching fellow millennials how to engage in their workplaces, and coaching business leaders on how to engage with and lead us. We’re first-person subject matter experts on our generation, and we’re here to help.

Connect with The Axium Group on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Biz Radio U Featuring Leslie Brown with UPS

January 12, 2018 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Biz Radio U Featuring Leslie Brown with UPS

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Leslie Brown, a UPS Financial Analysis Supervisor, is a former Kennesaw State business student and a self-proclaimed bad skydiver.

Connect with Leslie on LinkedIn.

Women in Technology (WIT) Special Edition

January 11, 2018 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Women in Technology (WIT) Special Edition

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The work of Women in Technology has an incredible impact.
Since 1992, Women in Technology has had a mission dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in Georgia’s technology community. Through the WIT COMMUNITY, WIT also educates and encourages girls and young women to pursue careers in STEAM.

Dr. Denise W. Hines has been instrumental in advancing healthcare connectivity in Georgia, ensuring physicians have the information they need to deliver quality care. Through her work at the local, state and regional level, Dr. Hines has improved technology adoption and advanced its exchange. This has directly contributed to Georgia’s ranking as the nation’s health IT capital.

Dr. Hines heads eHealth Services Group and also serves as the Executive Director of Georgia Health Information Network (GaHIN). GaHIN is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a healthier Georgia by facilitating the use and secure exchange of electronic health information so providers have the information they need at the point of care. The result is improved quality of care, better health outcomes and reductions in cost.

As Executive Director of GaHIN, Dr. Hines has connected the state health information exchange (HIE) to two national networks for information exchange, made Georgia one of the first state HIEs to connect directly to other states, created connections with five state agencies and spurred participation in the HIE by Grady, CHOA, Emory and numerous other state hospitals and healthcare providers. Dr. Hines is Chair of the North America Board of the Health Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS). She is the past president of the Georgia Chapter of HIMSS and was recognized as the 2012 HIMSS Chapter Leader of the Year, with GA HIMSS recognized as the 2012 Chapter of the Year. She was also an honoree as the 2012 Woman of the Year in Technology. She received the received the Phoenix Community Leader of the Year Award at the 2016 Health IT Leadership Summit in recognition for her instrumental role in advancing healthcare connectivity in Georgia to ensure physicians have the information they need to deliver quality care. The Phoenix award represents the iconic “rising from the ashes” of the Phoenix — a symbol of strength, tenacity and leadership.

Dr. Hines has more than two decades of healthcare experience in a variety of settings, including health systems, physician offices, home health, technology vendors, consulting, state government and revenue management. She is renowned for building service and results-oriented organizations and she possesses a passion for the widespread integration of technology and healthcare.

Nationally recognized as an expert in state government in health information exchanges (HIE), Dr. Hines has participated in hundreds of public speaking events locally and nationally, educating providers on the benefits of electronic health record (EHR) systems, health information technology adoption, and the overall national vision for an interconnected health system. Dr. Hines was responsible for overseeing and managing the marketing and outreach recruitment of more than 5,200 healthcare providers and 56 critical access and rural hospitals, assisting these providers in meeting meaningful use requirements and qualifying for the CMS EHR incentive program. She participated on Georgia’s HIE Strategic and Operational Plan writing team and served as the co-chair of the HIE Governance Committee. She successfully launched Georgia’s first comprehensive health information transparency and HIE website. She served as the first Executive Director for the GA Health Information Technology Advisory Board and created Georgia’s two-, five-, & 10-year strategic plans for health information technology. She also created and implemented the Georgia HIE Grants Awards Program that awarded $1,800,000 in grants in the first and second years.

Dr. Hines holds her doctorate in healthcare administration where she focused her studies on the use of electronic personal health records and the impact on patient health. She also maintains certifications in project management, software development, and healthcare law. Dr. Hines is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, and a resident of Fayetteville, Georgia. Her hobbies include watching movies, playing basketball, jogging, cooking, sewing, interior decorating, swimming, and spending time with her family. She is married to Wiley Earl Hines, Jr. and a mother of seven children: Crystal, Candice, Sydney, Quincy, Gabriel, Madison, and Wiley Earl Hines III (Trey). She is a member of Flat Rock AME Church where she serves as the President of the Voices of Inspiration Choir.

Connect with Denise on LinkedIn.

As an expert in digital innovations and strategic IT applications, Dr. Maryam Alavi has authored numerous published papers and served on the editorial boards of several prestigious business and technology journals. She is a thought leader on IT strategy, a recognized educator and advisor with extensive experience in leadership development and organizational capability building for a digital age. Dr. Alavi is a sought-‐after speaker at national and international forums and conferences, and has taught in executive programs at some of the world’s most prestigious business schools. She has advised and taught executives on topics of IT and digital strategies in organizations including KIA Motors, Lockheed, Marriott, Siemens, Sodexo, the American College of Physicians, and the World Bank.

In recognition of her professional achievements, she received the prestigious Association of Information Systems Fellows Award, an award given by peers in recognition of the recipient as a role model and inspiration to colleagues and students within the discipline. Dr. Alavi was also awarded the distinguished Marvin Bower Faculty Fellowship at Harvard Business School. Dr. Alavi served on the advisory board of Center for Knowledge-‐based Enterprise at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and was twice appointed by the Governor of the State of Georgia to the Georgia Technology Authority Board. She currently serves as a member of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Strategic Advisory Board of Valor Ventures.

Dr. Alavi holds a B.A. in mathematics and computer science from State University of New York at Buffalo, an M.S. in computer and information sciences, and a Ph.D. in management information systems from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Alavi lives in Atlanta, Georgia and is married to Dr. Henry H. Molouki, a physician in private practice.

Connect with Maryam on LinkedIn.

Connie Taylor has over twenty-five years in the software development industry and is currently Vice President of Global R&D at Manhattan Associates, a leading supply-chain commerce solution provider based in Atlanta. Connie has been passionate about technology since she began her career as a software developer and her industry experience spans supply chain, customer management, and healthcare. Connie believes strongly in promoting STEM careers and technology education in her community and was an adjunct faculty member at Georgia Perimeter College where she taught Computer Science and is currently a board member and secretary of the BH Technology Group, a nonprofit that provides technology training to seniors so they can stay connected to their family and friends. At Manhattan Associates, Connie led the development team that recently launched their groundbreaking Manhattan Active™ Omni solution. Connie is one of the founders and sponsors of Manhattan Associates’ Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) which was initiated in 2014 to foster an environment and culture to support the talented women at Manhattan Associates and throughout their communities. Prior to joining Manhattan Associates, Connie was Vice President of Solutions Development at Premier, Inc. where she built the ValueAdvisor™ development team which was selected as an Information Week 500 finalist in 2010 (ranked 72). Connie graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BS in Mathematics, and also received a MS in Computer Science with Honors from Johns Hopkins University. Connie is the proud mother of two sons, who attend Georgia Tech and Pope High School respectively.

Connect with Connie on LinkedIn.

Jennifer Bonnett is a technology entrepreneur with over 25 years experience in the Information Technology/Software Development field specializing in web and mobile technologies. She has served as Founder/CTO of a number of venture and angel backed firms, acting as both lead architect and growing/managing the technology team. She and her co-founders raised in excess of $47 million in funding over 3 companies. She is currently the Director/General Manager of the Advanced Technology Development Center(ATDC) and Founder/Chief Chick (CEO) of StartupChicks.

ATDC is the longest-running and largest research university affiliated incubators in the United States. Since it’s inception in 1980, ATDC has fostered innovation and economic development by graduating over 177 companies, which together have raised over $3 billion in outside financing and at any point in time employ over 3000 employees in the state of Georgia. Headquartered in Atlanta’s Technology Square adjacent to Georgia Tech’s campus, ATDC serves as the hub for technology entrepreneurship in Georgia.

StartupChicks is a 501c3 focused on empowering women entrepreneurs through education, community, coaching, connections and investment. StartupChicks has touched over 10,000 women globally through its content and events. Bonnett played a key role at ATDC in developing the Entrepreneurs Education Series, a curriculum designed at moving concept stage entrepreneurs from idea through angel funding. She is also the architect of the “ATDC @” program which delivers coaching and curriculum to ATDC Entrepreneurs across the state. 1600 Georgia entrepreneurs participated in ATDC educational programs in 8 different locations across the state in 2016.

Connect with Jen on LinkedIn.