First interview at the 2016 Georgia CIO Leadership Association Annual CIO of the Year was with the Winner of the “Lifetime Achievement Award”, Mr. Fran Dramis. This 14 minute interview is Pure Gold and well worth everyone’s time to listen.
Fran is an icon in our industry and community. It was a great honor to meet Fran at 6:15am on the 28th of November to hear his perspective on life, technology, business and community.
I know you will enjoy this interview.
Ricky
Stephen Meadows / Westrock
WestRock Company was formed on July 1, 2015 as a result of the merger of Rock-Tenn Company and MeadWestvaco Corporation. WestRock is a multinational provider of paper and packaging solutions for the consumer and corrugated packaging markets. WestRock has operating and business locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
Maria D’ Alessandro, CPA / Hospitality Ventures Management, LLC
Maria has an extensive and varied background in multiple aspects of finance, including business operations, treasury, financial planning & analysis and financial accounting. Prior to joining HVMG, Maria worked as a consultant for leading organizations such as Gaylord Entertainment, Hilton and Orbitz. Among her positions, she was a senior auditor at Ernst & Young for three years. She also worked for Delta Air Lines for 8 years as the general manager of treasury, manager of financial planning and analysis, and director of accounts receivable. She has had as many as six department managers and 200 employees under her direction and leadership. Most recently she was a principal at the highly regarded consulting firm, North Highland, based in Atlanta where she was the international network leader for the CFO services practice. In addition, Maria was Senior Vice President for Wachovia Treasury & Financial Consulting where she reengineered financial processes, managed working capital optimization projects and restructured finance operations.
Amy Gallagher / UHY Advisors
Amy Gallagher is a Principal with UHY Advisors and the leader of the Atlanta Resource Solutions practice. Resource Solutions provides corporations with experienced and proven professionals to execute finance and accounting related projects and offers Executive Search and Recruiting Consulting. Amy brings over 20 years of experience in recruitment, talent acquisition advisory and recruitment operations for national and international corporations.
Frank Fenello / UHY Advisors
Frank Fenello is managing director of the UHY Atlanta office, and leads the national management consulting practice. He has more than 20 years of experience in management and professional consulting in the finance, audit and accounting professional services industries.
UHY Advisors, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest professional services firms in the U.S., delivering financial, tax and business consulting services to companies ranging from mid-sized to the Fortune 500. The firm’s innovative Management & Technology Consulting practice provides a one-stop solution for a company’s financial and operational functions, with a full suite of services to transform a company’s performance and profitability.
Terry “Doc” Dockery, PH.D. / The Business Psychology Company
President
Terry “Doc” Dockery, Ph.D. is a licensed Business Psychologist, speaker, and writer who is Founder and President of The Business Psychology Company. Since 1993 he has helped leaders in small to Fortune 500 companies to be happier and more successful.
He specializes in Business Transformation, and has a track record of doubling revenue and happiness at a minimum 10:1 Return On Investment with a money-back guarantee. His clients have won numerous national “Best Place to Work” awards.
He holds a PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and he has been interviewed as an expert on leadership and organizational high performance by USA Today, Forbes.com, CFO Magazine, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
He has served on the faculty of the U.S Chamber of Commerce executive training program and the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards committee of the Georgia Psychological Association. He has also served on numerous Boards of Advisers, and is currently most active with the Kennesaw State University Entrepreneurship Center.
In his spare time Terry is widely known as a man who puts the “harm” in harmonica. He plays and sings in a classic rock/rocking blues band that often performs free for nonprofit fundraisers and other worthy causes. He is a former professional musician who received the Lucille Award from B.B. King himself.
His proudest achievement, however, is his happy family.
Wilson Tomala / Paul Davis Restoration
President/Owner
Wilson Tomala moved to Atlanta from New York in 1998. He studied engineering at Stony Brook University of New York where he received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He proceeded to attend NYU where he received his masters in Management Technology.
With a passion for sales, marketing and engineering he later joined the team at Heatcraft as the Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning. With encouragement and support from his closest friends and family he decided to go into business for himself and joined the Paul Davis team by purchasing a franchise location in North Atlanta. He began this journey nearly 15 years ago and has enjoyed all of the new challenges that being a business owner have brought him.
He is very passionate about his business and has instilled some of his values into the company’s culture. The four main values of the company are authenticity, continuous improvement, perseverance and empathy.
When he is not at the office he enjoys playing tennis and golf but most of all he enjoys watching his 3 boys play soccer.
Brad Grimes / Paul Davis Restoration
Busines Development Manager
Brad Grimes graduate from Kennesaw State University with a degree in Business Management and a passion for Marketing, New Technology, Music, TV and Film Production. Brad is considered resourceful, creative, professional and, above all, a team player. He is a self starter with a passion for helping others.
Greg Vaughn / Bauerfeind USA
Gregory J. Vaughn, M.D. currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Bauerfeind USA, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Bauerfeind AG. Bauerfeind is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of premium quality orthopedic braces, athletic supports and compression garments, which it provides to healthcare professionals, professional and amateur athletes, and consumers.
Prior to joining Bauerfeind, Greg held a variety of management positions in sales, marketing and business development with Medtronic, Inc. Greg also held management roles at NDCHealth Corporation where he led the company’s flagship pharmacy services business unit and at McKinsey & Company where he rapidly advanced to manager and led strategic, operational and organizational engagements for healthcare industry clients. While at McKinsey, he co-led the Atlanta office business analyst and minority associate recruiting program. Before becoming a business executive, Greg earned board certification in ophthalmology and founded his own practice in ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Greg has undertaken various civic leadership roles including the Emory University Board of Trustees, Woodruff Health Sciences Center Board, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce BioSciences Leadership Council Co-Chairperson, Emory University Alumni Association Board President, the Emory Senior Society, various student advisory roles, and The Vestry of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
Greg graduated with a M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed an ophthalmology residency at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and fellowship at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in History from Emory University. He currently resides in Atlanta, GA.
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Warren Colter / Bauerfeind USA
Warren Colter is Chief Marketing Officer of Bauerfeind USA, subsidiary of the Germany-based designer and manufacturer of premium orthopedic braces and supports for patients, athletes and consumers. Warren is a graduate of Morehouse College with a BA in Economics and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a MBA in Marketing. Most recently, Warren was VP Marketing for PetEdge, a privately held manufacturer and distributor of pet care products for consumers and professional groomers, based in Boston.
Warren has over 20 years of successful senior marketing and sales executive experience in consumer goods with Pillsbury, fashion and sports retail with Caleres (formerly Brown Shoe Company), and business services with Aramark Uniform Services. Warren is known for building brand equity, gaining new customers, retaining current customers, and growing eCommerce. Warren is a board member for The Goethe (pronounced goohr’-ta) Zentrum Atlanta, a German cultural center based in Midtown. His other community interest is urban public education.
Carol O’Kelley / Salesfusion
CEO
Carol joined Salesfusion as Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Carol has more than 20 years of technology marketing and operations experience, ranging from startups to multi-hundred million dollar global businesses.
Previously, Carol was Chief Marketing Officer of RedPrairie, now operated as JDA . She led global strategy and marketing during a time of rapid growth for the company. Before RedPrairie, Carol was Vice President and Chief of Staff of Oracle’s global business unit for retail, which acquired and successfully integrated numerous leading retail technology companies. Prior to that Carol was Director of Corporate and Americas Marketing at Manhattan Associates, the world’s leading provider of supply chain management solutions. Carol graduated from Washington and Lee University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, where she serves on the university’s board for the Connolly Center for Entrepreneurship.
Jerry Stone / Big Green Egg
Life is short. Let’s EAT. Jerry Stone is the business development manager for the world largest producer and distributor of ceramic grills, the Big Green Egg.
Jerry grew up with a love of food passed along by his grandfather and uncle who were the kings of the grill. The flavors produced, and taste of the food, always drove him to enjoy grilling himself. He has over 30 years in the retail and grill business and has found the Ultimate place to match up both passions.
Today Jerry is helping grow the dealer/distributor network and supports the development of new products for the Ultimate Cooking Experience, The Big Green Egg.
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This week Amy and I hosted Megan Stambaugh, Partner Services Director, Cobb Travel and Tourism, and Gene Petriello, Properties Communications Manager for Six Flags Atlanta to learn about economic impacts of attractions such as Six Flags and others, as well as what efforts are under way to foster continued growth.
Some will describe Six Flags Over Georgia as Thrill capital of the South. 290-acre thrill-park with some of the fastest, tallest and wildest rides in the country. Features more than 40 rides, shows and attractions and 12 world-class roller coasters. New for 2016, North America’s First Virtual Reality Roller Coaster- The New Revolution, Bugs Bunny Boomtown and DC SUPER Friends.
Two new interactive kid’s zones themed after everyone’s favorite Looney Tunes cartoon characters and DC SUPER heroes featuring 12 new rides and attractions that the entire family can enjoy together. Free with park admission, Six Flags Over Georgia features Hurricane Harbor, a 7-acre waterpark with the world’s first hybrid zero-gravity waterslide, Tsunami Surge. Six Flags Over Georgia features its seasonal Fright Fest Halloween event and recently added Holiday in the Park winter celebration featuring more than one million LED lights. Visit www.sixflags.com/overgeorgia for more information.
Cobb County remains a regionally and nationally known travel destination providing a rewarding and memorable experience to all visitors. Cobb County will continue to be recognized as a preferred destination among planners of conventions, trade shows, and special events, as well as leisure travelers.
The Cobb Travel & Tourism website talks about the organization’s vision for what it hopes to achieve on behalf of the Cobb County economy this way,
“Cobb Travel & Tourism focus:
• To be the main source of quality leads for hotel that will enable consistently higher occupancy rates than regional competitors
• To be the primary destination marketing organization for Cobb County
• To remain instrumental in creating strategic partnerships and alliances among industry stakeholders
• To remain a leader among convention & visitors bureaus with similar budget classifications
• To remain committed to partnership growth through providing valuable benefits and excellent customer service
• To be financially stable and efficient in delivering services“
Let’s Talk Community with TLC Caregivers-Guests: Alan Woods,NHA-Aging Opportunities
Alan L Woods, NHA
Alan L. Woods is a Florida Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and
Executive Director of both Assisted Living and Memory Care communities.
Alan is passionate about providing excellent quality care for our Seniors.
He also dedicates his Leadership, team building and marketing skills to
assist transitional communities in restructuring, rebuilding and rebranding.
Alan is the VP of the EscaRosa Beekeepers Association and part of the
University of Florida’s Master Beekeepers Program. President of Loving
Hands Inc., a 501-C non-profit faith based organization dedicated to
helping families with children with gifts during the holidays. He is a member
of both the Pensacola Chamber and Gulf Breeze Chamber and has served
on the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce seniors committee.
TLC Caregivers cares for PEOPLE * We provide dependable caregivers for any age – birth to geriatric, ALL GENERATIONS, and relief to Family Caregivers. We provide needed non-medical services wherever the client is. TLC Caregivers is the area’s oldest non-medical services provider; since 1989! We are licensed, bonded, insured, and provide actual employees, not contracted workers, to provide needed services. Companion, Respite, Personal Care, Home Maker, Transportation, Child Care. Call us – we answer our phones 24 hours per day. Like us on Facebook!
TLC Caregivers ~ We do more than you might think!
Let’s Talk Community Radio with TLC Caregivers-10-5-16 Guests: Dawn Shumaker Smith
Bio – Dawn Shumaker Smith held a contracted position with Vocational Rehabilitation as a Native American Vocational Rehabilitation technician from 1991-1994 and began working with the Department of Children & Families in 1994 with the Economic Services Division in Adult Medicaid and remained in that position until 1998. Dawn graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Troy State University in 1998 and accepted a position in Adult Protective Services as an Investigator.
Dawn had worked in a few positions in Adult Protective Services, including Revenue Management & Quality Assurance in Tallahassee. Once grandchildren began to arrive in Pensacola, Dawn returned to Pensacola as an Investigator, providing direct services to vulnerable adults again. In 2007, she became the supervisor of Escambia Adult Investigations for 6 investigators and a screener.
Dawn often says she wishes that Abuse of Vulnerable Adults would decrease to the point it puts her out of a job! Assisting in engaging families, corralling community resources, tapping into non-traditional resources, and bridging gaps are her own special projects to assist Florida’s most vulnerable citizens!
