Prior to founding Altera Law Group, Michael was an attorney practicing intellectual property law at Merchant and Gould for 22 years. He is one of a few attorneys who has continuously practiced in patent, trademark and copyright (including advertising law) for his entire career. In that period he has become a recognized international speaker on strategic use of intellectual property. In addition, he has experience in a multitude of specialty areas, including:

•Infringement analysis and opinions of patents, trademarks and copyrights
•Trademark and copyright protection in the United States and abroad (having approximately 700 filings in his career)
•Brand name creation, name clearance and strategies for world marketing of company and product names
•Advertising and Internet law
•Patent drafting and prosecution (approximately 1,000 patents)
•Worldwide corporate intelligent/monitoring of competitors’ technological and branding developments
•Domestic and international licensing of know-how and IP rights
•Due diligence clearance for mergers, acquisitions and IPOs
•Technology transfers including international transfers between the United States and Europe
•Patent litigation strategy and support
•Preparation of commercial agreements including license agreements and employee non-disclosure/non-compete agreements
In addition to his intellectual property law practice, Michael has extensive experience in marketing-related issues, including strategic positioning, brand management, brand creation and licensing. He is the founder of Aktia Corporation, a brand name creation and marketing consulting firm that specializes in developing integrated brand strategies for companies.

Michael is a frequent university lecturer on integration of intellectual property into business strategies and is internationally recognized as a speaker on branding strategy and intellectual property topics. He has addressed audiences at INTA; European Trademark Owners Association; the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA); The Trademark Institute of Sweden; The Canadian I.P. Association; McGill University, and International Licensing Executive Society (LES).

Michael is a registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Attorney. In addition, he is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, several federal appeals courts, the states of Minnesota and Georgia, and the Canadian Patent Office.

Michael received his Juris Doctor (cum laude) from Syracuse University School of Law in New York. He also holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (with honors) from the University of Minnesota.

http://alteralaw.com

Michael Lasky can be reached at mlasky@alteralaw.com. There is a PDF handout companion for this show which can be sent to you by email.

Nancy Glube has a 20+ year career in Human Resources. She currently serves as VP Business Solutions for Dale Carnegie of Georgia. Nancy’s  prior background includes leadership HR positions in a variety of industries- wireless communications (Cingular Wireless), healthcare, international shipping and transportation, consumer goods manufacturing. She has the versatility to excel in small, medium and large organizations. She also has experience as a HR consultant.
Nancy’s focus has been   translating HR strategy into winning business results. Functional areas of strength include: leadership development, talent assessment, mentoring, employee engagement and retention. She has strong experience delivery HR services to large and diversified client bases. Also she has an excellent track record developing high performing HR teams.
Nancy is a speaker at previous SHRM conferences, and she has also been a member of several SHRM Special Expertise Panels. Nancy is also actively taking interviews and fielding media questions for SHRM.
 
One of Nancy’s areas of specialization includes the grooming and development of HR practitioners. A program she developed at ATT has been adopted company wide. She presented at the 2008 national convention on the topic of “Spa Treatment For Your HR Career!!”
Nancy holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees from Binghamton University. Nancy graduated from a study abroad program in Salamanca, Spain and has knowledge of Spanish. Nancy’s first career was in education where she taught in secondary schools and adults

See Dec 10 info, below for Ricky Steele Bio.

Ricky Steele is the ultimate Rainmaker. Steele has a long history of developing new business, expanding the brand, marketing, public relations, and community engagement for clients across many industries. Today, Ricky is the Chief Development Officer for Hunter Technical Resources, one of Atlanta’s premier staffing and recruiting companies.

Ricky is also a published author with the release of his first book, The Heart of Networking, in September 2004. He frequently conducts seminars and speaks on the subject of his book, “successful networking through servant leadership and living the Golden Rule”.

Previously, Steele served as a Client Partner with Korn/Ferry International in Atlanta, concentrating on senior executive search services. He has a broad base of knowledge about early stage companies in all segments of the technology industry.

Steele is a native of Atlanta and served as Director, Emerging Growth Technology Practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was instrumental in helping PwC take the dominate position among the Big 5 within emerging growth companies.
Mr. Steele has been profiled and cited in numerous local business publications and several national technology publications including The Wall Street Journal. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has named Mr. Steele one of the “Who’s Who in Technology” during his employment at both PwC and Korn/Ferry International.

A life long entrepreneur, Steele received the Georgia Small Business Person of the Year Award in 1986. He was hired as a consultant by BETA, SSA, and WIT to study the various technology associations in Georgia which produced the original business plan for The Technology Association of Georgia.

Mr. Steele has had a passion for serving the needs of his community throughout his career. Steele was a Founder and the first Chairman for both Atlanta’s Table, part of The Atlanta Community Food Bank and Hospitality Helping Hands. Steele serves on the Board of Trustees for Leadership Atlanta and The Ron Clark Academy. He is the immediate past Chairman of The Entrepreneurs Foundation of the Southeast, and is also active with High Tech Ministries.  Additionally, Mr. Steele is an Alumnus of Leadership Atlanta (1986) and Leadership Georgia (1987).

Frazier and Deeter  (www.frazierdeeter.com) co-founder David Deeter described how this highly respected CPA firm has grown to over 180 employees since it’s founding. 

Additionally Chris Hooper shared his experience with launching new companies and guiding them through the acceleration phase.  Chris discusses how he is launching the newly-formed management consulting division of Frazier and Deeter.

WOW!!  Another great show with great guests:

Ginna Gilbert discussed the growth and sustainability of her upscale women’s fashion retail business, G Gilbert plus the economy-defying success of the Westside Provisions retail center.  While many other retail stores and retail centers have closed, downsized operations, and scaled back plans, there are some who decided not to participate in the recession. Ginna shared some of the secrets of her business success and that of the retail center.

Elizabeth Gordon, President of Flourishing Business, an advisory firm for entrepreneurs headquartered in Atlanta, and the author of the business bestseller The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels, shared her experiences in creating and growing her business.   Also, Elizabeth describes how her services can help launch and grow entrepreneural companies from concept through the acceleration phase.

After  listening to the podcast, check out G Gilbert on http://www.taigan.com/shops/ggilbert and Flourishing Business at www.flourishingbusiness.com

What an impressive first show for Accelerator Avenue!

Solange Warner, Founder and President of Ashton International http://ashtoninternationaltrade.com/, also Founder and Past President of the World Chamber of Commerce http://worldchamberc.org/ provides great advice to companies who may wish to add an international component to their business in the near future.  She also shares her experiences regarding the success of building her own firm, Ashton International Trade, plus the very impressive founding and growth of the World Chamber of Commerce.

Gregg Bedol, Founder and Managing Director of RedZone Consulting http://www.redzoneconsulting.com/ provides listeners with a great definition of “strategy execution” and how RedZone helps companies achieve their objectives, a goal which proves so illusive for many.  Gregg also shares advice for newly formed service companies, such as consulting firms, regarding the first steps to launch and sustain a viable practice.

Recently our host Bernie Wolford appeared on High Velocity Radio, a Business RadioX show, to discuss plans for Accelerator Avenue

Gregg Bedol (Managing Director) has helped organizations change, grow, and thrive for almost thirty years.  Mr. Bedol has consulted for many of the world’s most successful companies as well as created and run his own consulting practices. He is not a theorist, having also worked as a front-line operating executive.

Mr. Bedol’s expertise is in strategy execution, process improvement, technology implementation, and change management across a variety of channels and industries.  He has very deep knowledge of retail and consumer products and is a true retail supply chain and inventory management expert.

In early 2007, Mr. Bedol created RedZone Consulting.  Previously, he worked with several well-known consulting organizations as well as recruited to operating  management  for two fast-growing, publicly traded companies.  Mr. Bedol served six years as a member of the Board of Directors for an AMEX-listed company.  His ‘outside’ career began in 1981 in the Consulting Division of Arthur Andersen & Co.  Prior to that, he was a member of family-management at MarshAllan Industries, a manufacturer of housewares sold through America’s largest retailers.

Mr. Bedol has been a frequent speaker at industry and corporate events and has published many articles over the years

SolangeWarner is the CEO, president and founder of Ashton International, a prominent consulting firm www.ashtoninternationaltrade.com . This firm provides in-depth international trade consulting, including market and feasibility studies, international lead generation, product implementation, and international representation. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently awarded Ashton International for export achievement, associated with accomplishments in the Global Market Place.

Solange is also Founder, Past President and Board Member of The World Chamber of Commerce.

Solange has over 20 years experience in international markets, working previously as a senior manager for Multinational Accounts at American Express for 7 years. She managed Fortune 500 Multinational corporations. Previously she lived in Europe and before she lived in Miami, where she owned and directed S&S travel, a successful travel agency located in Coral Gables.

Solange obtained her International Business Degree at American Intercontinental University with Summa cum laude accolades. She speaks Spanish, Portuguese and English fluently and has knowledge of French, German and Italian. Solange is originally from Chile and has traveled extensibly throughout 52 countries. Furthermore, Solange is a member of the National Scholars Honor Society.