In this issue of On The Air, we feature the following:
Special Edition spotlighting growth and the launch of Four New Shows, Tech Square Ventures, Sponsors & Power Partners, and more…
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Sharon Goldmacher with Communications 21, Madeline L. Reamy with Earthshare of Georgia, and Dave Basarab with Mobile Business Academy
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Sharon Goldmacher/Communications 21Â 
 
 
Sharon L. Goldmacher is a veteran in the marketing public relations industry. She develops integrated, results-oriented marketing PR and interactive campaigns for clients in industries from consumer products and real estate to food/beverage, sports and technology.
Competitive by nature, she created communications 21 in 1992, at the naive age of 28 and within the first two years, she won the DeKalb Chamber’s Stargazer award for “Small Business Start-Up of the Year†and the Young Advertising Professional Award presented by the Atlanta Ad Club, and in 21 years the company has garnered almost 70 awards.
Sharon speaks on marketing PR and interactive strategies across the country at various organizations such as the Association of Public Gardens, the American Marketing Association’s Annual Summit, the Exhibit Design and Producers Association, NewComm (Society for New Communications Research conference), MBA Conclave Curriculum and Teaching Conference, PRSA chapters in Washington, D.C., and Florida and more.
She currently volunteers on a number of industry and community boards, including the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, the American Marketing Association – Atlanta Chapter, Leadership Buckhead and The Blue Horse Association. She also has held volunteer positions with the Green Chamber of the South, Literacy Volunteers of America and Hands On Atlanta. In 2013, Sharon was the executive director of the Atlanta Local Organizing Committee for the planning and execution of the 2013 NCAA® Men’s Final Four®.
While a love-hate relationship, golf is her current passion, and her favorite golf saying is “fairway-play is for sissies.”
Madeline L. Reamy/Earthshare of Georgia Â
I have lived in Atlanta for my entire working career, since 1978. My undergraduate education includes two years in art school in Philadelphia, then two years at college in France where I completed my BFA in art and art history. I then returned to the USA and pursued graduate school at Syracuse University (full scholarship) where I received a Masters of Fine Arts in Museology (MUSEUM studies). For fourteen years I worked in museums in Atlanta, mostly in Director of Education positions, but it was my position at Chattahoochee Nature Center as Director of Education from 1992-98 that convinced me of my lifetime dedication to the environmental field. From there, I continued to work in environmental education for Keep Sandy Springs North Fulton Beautiful (1998- 2006) until I became the Executive Director of EarthShare of Georgia in March 2006.
Dave Basarab/Mobile Business Academy  Â
Dave Basarab has founded multiple consulting firms, including Dave Basarab Consulting and V.A.L.E. Consulting and LLC. Basarab has worked as chief learning officer and head of training and development for Fortune 100 companies like Motorola, Pitney Bowes, NCR and Ingersoll Rand. He has worked with clients like AT&T, The Cheesecake Factory, Ameriprise Financial, and many more. Basarab earned the Chief Learning Officer Innovator of the Year Award and helped Pitney Bowes earn a spot on the Training Magazine’s Top 100 Companies list. Basarab has developed many groundbreaking training and evaluation techniques and continues to do so with his new Mobile Business Academy. For more information, please visit www.mobilebizacademy.com.
Susan Eaton with the Wilmington NC Convention Center and TJ Dunn with Wilmington Fashion Weekend
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Susan Eaton– The Wilmington NC Convention Center
Susan Eaton has lived in Wilmington for over 4 years and serves as General Manager of the Wilmington Convention Center of behalf of SMG, the world largest private management firm for public assembly facilities. Susan oversees the day to day operations of the Center and the in-house food & beverage operation, along with the outdoor event space. Susan has had a 29 year progressive career in Managing, Marketing, Sales, and Operations in five Convention Centers to include: Rochester, NY, Miami Beach, McCormick Place in Chicago and Knoxville, Tennessee, Wilmington, NC.
Susan’s education includes a B.S. Degree in Business majoring Hotel & Tourism Marketing from the RIT in Rochester, NY and an Associates degree from SUNY New York in Food Administration.
Connect with Susan Eaton on Facebook
TJ Dunn– Wilmington Fashion Weekend
Tj is the Executive Director / Founder of Wilmington Fashion Weekend. TJ is a style consultant from Atlanta, GA who regularly contributes to Coast 97.3 and Men, Ink. Magazine. He has helped numerous local boutiques and ateliers with style strategy and guidance. Visit tjdunnsc.com to learn more.
Wilmington Fashion Weekend will begin on April, 3rd 2014. This four day event will highlight emerging designers, local talent, accessory ateliers, and local boutiques. We have a series of special access events lined up including an opening night Cirque Du Soleil Social, a Block Party at Lumina and a host of community-focused events, with fashion at the pulse. We plan on attracting hundreds of visitors to Downtown Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, helping our industry grow and continue to develop.
Mike Singletary Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee
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Mike Singletary – Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee Co.
Mike Singletary wrangles coffee beans as Land of a Thousand Hills’ Roastmaster and Director of Coffee Excellence. He is also works as the Director of Marketing, managing all of the LOTH social media outlets, promotional campaigns, and new product development and launches. He loves his family, coffee, and the Walking Dead. You can keep up with them on their Facebook page as well.
Alan and Dennis Wolkin – Colgate Mattress
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Colgate Mattress is a family-owned and operated company started in 1955 by Sol and Anne Wolkin. A U.S. Air Force veteran, Sol started the company with the support of his partner and wife Anne, and a $1500 loan from his brother-in-law.
Alan Wolkin – President
The eldest son of Anne and Sol, Alan is currently the president of Colgate. Alan attended Emory University, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). He worked at Colgate throughout college, following in his father’s footsteps. He went on to receive an MBA from Georgia State University before permanently joining the Colgate team.
Dennis Wolkin – National Sales Manager
The grandson of Anne and Sol and the eldest son of Alan Wolkin, Dennis joined the firm after graduating from Indiana University in 1996. He subsequently received his master’s degree from Georgia Tech. In addition to serving as the Secretary, Treasurer, and National Sales Manager of Colgate, positions have included plant manager, production supervisor, as well as loading trucks.
Three generations later, Sol’s Colgate Mattress is still producing some of the highest quality crib mattresses in the world. “After 60 years in the business, we are the unquestionable category patriarch and we take that role very seriously. We don’t sell crib mattresses that our own kids, grand kids and great grand kids haven’t slept on themselves. We believe in American ingenuity, craftsmanship and integrity. To some they are a lost art but to us they are simply a way of life. We choose to operate with integrity and put people before profits because that’s how our family business, does business.
All of our mattresses and pads are proudly made in the USA. Colgate uses only the finest materials available in our products and offers the largest selection of innerspring crib mattresses, foam mattresses and foam mattress pads in the industry. Without exception, you will not find better ingredients for your dollar.”
Colgate has been recognized for producing some of the highest quality crib mattresses in the country. The company has received numerous industry awards and is proud to be among the first members of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association.
Trade Show Radio Features Whitney Wilson with Eventive Group, David Adler with BizBash Media and April Ellerbe with New Century Planning
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Whitney Wilson/Eventive Group 
Whitney joined the Eventive Group team in January of 2012 after graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Event Management from the University of Central Florida. Serving corporate, association and non-profit clients she is able to provide her clients with exceptional service through contract negotiations, registration management and on and off-site logistics.
Whitney has been in the meetings industry for six years, prior to her work with Eventive Group she worked at Universal Orlando in their events department. She has been a member of the MPI Southern California Chapter for 2 years and has served on several committees, including chairing the Weekend Educational Summit in 2013.
Recently, Whitney was named Collaborate Magazine’s 40 under 40: Class of 2014.
David Adler/BizBash Media
David Adler is founder and C.E.O. of BizBash Media, the source for essential information about event marketing, meeting and event planning, and business entertaining in New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas, Toronto and Washington, D.C. The company also owns Masterplanneronline.com, a date conflict resolution calendar for event professionals and is an investor in The Event Leadership Institute, an on demand video training for event professionals.
In addition, Adler is a volunteer consultant to the Chief of Protocol of the United States advising on events and initiatives for the division.
Adler, a 35 year media and event veteran, has held posts a vice president of corporate communications for PRIMEDIA and Macmillan Inc and has also worked in PR has head of cause marketing and media relations for Cone Communications working and creating such programs such as the initial Avon Breast Cancer Initiative, the Reebok Human Rights awards, the Polaroid Missing Children Program, and the John F. Kennedy Library Profiles in Courage awards.
At the age of 21, a month after graduating from American University, Adler founded and was the CEO of Washington Dossier, a magazine that covered power, society, politics, and entertaining in the nation’s capital. The magazine was featured regularly in the national media because of its regular annual features including the “Top 1,000 Most Powerful People in Washington,” the Diplomat List, the Social 400, and the Senatorial Dossier, a guide to the personalities of United States senators.
Adler resides in New York City and is active in several nonprofit and professional organizations, including current and previous board positions with SISO (Society of Independent Show Operator), NYC & Company, the WNET Education Committee, the Dean’s Advisory Council of the American University School of Communications, The Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, the Magazine Publishers Association, and Citymeals-on-Wheels, The Fine Arts Committee of the State Department of the United States and the Open Future Institute.
April Ellerbe/New Century Planning
April Ellerbe brings more than 17 years of event consulting, destination management, design, and luxury sales experience to New Century Planning. As the Principal & Senior Events Analyst, she not only oversees the firm’s growth and development, but also plays an integral role in the day-to-day operations and client activities.
April has developed and maintained professional relationships with clients such eMerging Entrepreneurs, Inc. (whom she partnered with on the 2012 “Momentum” Expo Series, and later received the White House’s “Champions of Change” award for Veterans Economic Advancement, in conjunction with President Obama’s “Winning the Future” initiative), Duke University Healthcare System, West Point United States Military Academy, The Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) was a consortium of universities and academic medical centers that was established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Sundance Film Festivals, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Knight Foundation and many other nationally recognized foundations and institutions.
Finally, it is also worth mentioning that under April’s leadership, New Century Planning was selected among hundreds of planning organizations across the US to manage 1-of-12 welcome events for the 2012 Democratic National Convention Delegates; specifically the delegates from Nevada, New Mexico, Guam, American Samoa, Wyoming, and Utah at the Historic Duke Mansion of Charlotte, NC. April’s contributions to this successful event were featured on BizBash.com, which is the largest online source for essential information on event marketing, meeting and event planning, and business entertainment, powered by BizBash Magazine.
The goal of AFR’s “Design & Inspire” showcase was not only to align its growing portfolio of design fixtures with up and coming planners who understood new national trends, but also feature the kinds of ‘outside of the box’ trend setters who’s forward-thinking approaches best reflected the company’s creative identity. New Century Planning named winner of 2013 AFR Design and Inspire Challenge. For this event, New Century Planning had the distinct pleasure of partnering with the official North American Body painting Champions, South Korean International Body painting Champions, and three time consecutive first-place winner World Titles holders, Living Brush America on AFR’s “Design &Inspire” Showcase. Madelyn Greco and Scott Fray are the founders of Living Brush and also created the “American Body Arts Festival” in New York. They also successfully broke the Guinness World Record for body painting.
Shari Porter and Alexis Hinds with Sea Coast Staffing Inc and Andrew Gray with Tayloe Gray Kristof
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Alexis Hinds-Sea Coast Staffing Inc
Owner, Alexis Hinds, has been in the staffing industry for over twenty-five years. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Alexis relocated to Wilmington in 2004. She has been networking in the greater Wilmington area for 10 years and has enjoyed building client and candidate relationships locally. Alexis is passionate about recruiting and staffing and is committed to providing the highest level of service to both her candidates and her clients. In her spare time she serves on the Board of Directors of the Good Shepherd House, enjoys spending time at the beach, plays a mean game of tennis and thoroughly enjoys celebrating life with family and friends!
Shari Porter-Sea Coast Staffing Inc
Shari Porter has had a number of careers to date, including human resources, corporate finance, marketing, recruiting and preschool teacher. She and Alexis have been friends and volunteer colleagues for ten years so Shari jumped at the opportunity to work with Sea Coast Staffing. In addition to helping with the day to day operations of the firm, Shari focuses on marketing, social media and outreach programs.
Connect with Sea Coast Staffing on Facebook and Twitter
Andrew Gray- Tayloe Gray Kristof
As Founder and CTO of two real estate data management startups in the late 1990’s, Andrew managed technical teams and oversaw continuous software development. Today, Andrew’s energies are focused primarily on content management systems, email deliverability and software development while continuing to stay current on emerging technology and trends as a contributor to the Greater Wilmington Business Journal. Andrew was Co-Founder of TayloeGray from 2009 until 2013, when the company partnered with The Marketing Agent[c] to become TGK.
TGK evolved from combining forces of two existing agencies, TayloeGray and The Marketing Agent[c]. TayloeGray was founded in 2009 by founders Nathan Tayloe and Andrew Gray. TayloeGray established itself as one of the area’s leading technology and web development firms. The Marketing Agent[c] was founded by Bryan Kristof in 2009 and focused primarily on brand strategy. The two companies began collaborating on client projects from their inception and after dating for three years, they decided to move in together and officially blend operations, forming Tayloe Gray Kristof (TGK).
Nelson Mills with Columbia Property Trust, Dr. Dan Whitenack with OccupationProfessor, and Bob Littell with NetWeaving
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Nelson Mills/Columbia Property Trust
Nelson Mills has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Property Trust since 2010, having served as an independent member of the board from 2007 until that time. Responsible for the company’s overall strategy, capital transactions and operations, he led the company in the establishment of an internal management team, a substantial repositioning of the portfolio, enhanced and expanded access to more efficient capital resources, and the development of a comprehensive strategic plan and growth strategy for the future.
Mr. Mills has 27 years of experience in the real estate investment and financial services industries. Prior to joining Columbia, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Williams Realty Advisors and as Chief Financial Officer with Lend Lease Real Estate Investments (US). He began his career in the financial industry as a partner with KPMG LLP, specializing in tax and transaction advisory services for the real estate industry.
Dr. Dan Whitenack/OccupationProfessor 
An industrial psychologist with more than 20 years of experience and expertise, Dr. Dan Whitenack, Ph.D, has made a career out of careers. Having personally tested and evaluated over 15,000 candidates for various companies across different industries, Dr. Whitenack is the ultimate job match-maker.
A Georgia native, Dr. Whitenack attended Emory University for his B.A., and then ventured northwest to attend the University of Nebraska to complete his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Psychology. There, he was awarded the Presidential Fellowship as the University’s Outstanding Graduate Student.
Following graduation, Dr. Whitenack returned to Georgia to become licensed and worked as a staff manager industrial psychologist at BellSouth for five years. In 1992, he left BellSouth to work for a small, boutique psychology firm (now called Consulting Psychology Group), where he soon became a managing partner and then owner just several years later.
Having conducted career assessments on thousands of candidates and coached hundreds more as part of management development activities, Dr. Whitenack started to see an alarming trend: Choosing one job path after high school or college and sticking with it for the rest of a career is becoming a rarity. He wanted to help individuals plan early for a fulfilling line of work and avoid this mid-life career crossroads. In 2013, Dr. Whitenack founded OccupationProfessor, an innovative, web-based tool to help people of all ages identify their best occupational matches based on their ability and interest. He is devoted to helping individuals discover their perfect career path and ultimately launching them into a rewarding, fulfilling field.
Dr. Whitenack is currently a member of the American Psychological Association, Division of Vocational Psychology, Society of Industrial Organizational Psychology (SIOP), Division of Consulting Psychology, National Career Development Association and MENSA. He enjoys tennis and lives in the Gwinnett County area with his wife, Kerri Whitenack, and three children.
Bob Littell/NetWeaving 
Bob Littell, better known as, Chief NetWeaver, spent over forty years in the financial services industry. He was Marketing VP for two insurance companies before he went out on his own. First owning and running an insurance brokerage firm; then as an independent consultant. But Bob’s real passion these days is spreading the word about a concept he came up with over a decade ago called, NetWeaving, which is now known globally as the “business” version of Pay It Forward.
Bob is the immediate past President of the Pay It Forward Foundation, created by Catherine Ryan Hydre, author of the book on which the movie was based.
Kris Maher with One Ring Networks, Lee Farabaugh with PointClear Solutions, and Sarah Lodato with The Iron Yard
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Kris Maher/One Ring Networks 
With over a decade of industry experience, Kris Maher is the trailblazer behind One Ring Networks and its responsive, customer-focused culture. Maher heads the field and channel sales company-wide and leads sales teams for all of One Ring Networks fiber and fixed wireless customers in Atlanta, Dallas and Fort Worth. He is a member of the Atlanta Promise Neighborhood Initiative and loves spending his time outside of the office with his family and dog, Ivy. When Kris isn’t helping businesses stay connected, he can be found enjoying the great outdoors skiing, golfing, and searching for the next great golfer to help bring home the win at the annual customer golf tournament.
Kris holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Marketing from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY.
Lee Farabaugh/PointClear Solutions 
Lee Farabaugh is a senior user experience research and design expert, having worked in user experience in healthcare for the past 8 years. She has worked on projects in a variety of healthcare domains, from public health and life sciences to consumer- and provider-facing healthcare applications. As Chief Experience Office at PointClear Solutions, she currently leads the User Experience, Clinical Insight, Business Analysis, and Project Management teams.
Before becoming a founding partner of PointClear in 2006, she was a usability engineer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. Lee is a member of the adjunct faculty of University of Alabama’s School of Health Professions, teaching Masters level students in the Health Informatics program about user experience in healthcare information technology. She also serves on the HIMSS EHR Usability Task Force.
Lee holds a Master of Health Informatics from University of Alabama at Birmingham, a Master of Human-Computer Interaction from Georgia Tech, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University.
Sarah Lodato/The Iron Yard
The Iron Yard exists to create exceptional value for people and their ideas through code education, startup accelerators and coworking spaces.
Through our broad, deep and growing network of teachers, programmers, designers, entrepreneurs, investors, employers and coworking spaces, we have developed a thriving community where serendipity happens en masse.
We are people-centric.
We put our students, teams, investors and supporters first in all of our decision making. Our success is entirely dependent on their success.
Our challenge is immense.
The world has huge problems that need to be solved, many of which technology is perfectly suited to address. Companies around the globe are answering this call, but anyone with boots on the ground can feel the acute shortage of talent needed to rise to the occasion. That gap is widening right now, and over the next decade the shortfall will affect industries, economies, businesses and individuals as they fight to add value in a digital world.
The Iron Yard is a solution at that juncture of supply, demand, business and a broken education system.
We are committed to training the highest-quality developers and startups in the world, both in skill and in character. Our mission is to find people who want to pursue the craft and life-long adventure of technology, teach them the tools of the trade, and then release them into the world with the drive and capability to make a difference. We believe that passionate, talented people who love what they do will create great families, jobs, companies and solutions to the world’s problems.
