Business RadioX ®

Patrick Dierberger With The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

by

GWBC Radio
GWBC Radio
Patrick Dierberger With The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
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Patrick Dierberger is an assistant vice president in the Financial Management and Planning (FM&P) Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, responsible for financial management, accounting, and duties associated with the Bank’s financial reporting.

Working at the Atlanta Fed for 20 years, he previously held positions in the Payor Bank Services, Treasury Check Processing, Check Administration, and Unisys Information Security. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and has completed executive development programs with Harvard University and The Wharton School.

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • His new position as board chair
  • His favorite leadership moments as a board member
  • Where he sees the organization going in the coming years
  • Where his personal career is going, etc.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio’s Open For Business. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:18] Lee Kantor here, another episode of GWBC Open For Business. I’m so excited to be talking with today’s guest, Patrick Dierberger with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Welcome, Patrick.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:00:33] Thank you, Lee. I’m glad to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:36] Well, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, that is an awesome place. Do you mind explaining for folks a little bit about what the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta does and how it fits into, you know, kind of the United States economy and business world because you hear about it a lot, but people probably haven’t talked to anybody with them before.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:00:58] Absolutely, Lee. So, thank you for the opportunity, first of all, and great to be here. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is the reserve bank for the Southeast section of the United States. We are responsible for the monetary policy, economic well-being of the Southeast economy. Part of our job is to ensure that we are monitoring what’s going on in the economy throughout the region, which is a large region. Our footprint is all of Georgia, all of Alabama, Florida, parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:01:34] So, we’re just the Sixth District part of the Federal Reserve System. So, we’re one of 12 reserve banks across the system, but our job is to monitor the economy for the Southeast. My job specifically is I’m the senior procurement officer for the Sixth District, so my job, my responsibility for our strategic sourcing function as well as our supplier diversity program.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:57] So, people hear about the Fed is raising rates or lowering rates, you’re part of that kind of world, right? You’re giving your input about what’s happening in your region so that the Fed as a whole can kind of make an assessment of where the economy of America is going. Is that part of what’s happening?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:02:16] That’s part of our responsibility, yes. And, again, I preface this by saying all my comments are just my personal views. They don’t necessarily represent the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta or the Federal Reserve System. But you’re correct in that President Bostic, who is our president, his job is to ensure that he is getting the economic intelligence throughout the region. That’s one of the great things about the Federal Reserve System is that we are a regional presence, so we’re able to make the connections with the community, the business community, just the communities that we all live in, and make sure we understand what is going on in those communities.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:02:52] And you can imagine, the Sixth District of the Southeastern United States has a very varied community of economies. A lot of different things going on in the Southeast, whether it’s tourism, agriculture, business, banking, so there’s a lot of business intelligence to be gathered. Our job is to make sure that we are providing that information to President Bostic when he goes and votes as part of the FOMC, the Federal Open Market Committee. That’s the body of the Federal Reserve System that decides the direction of interest rates.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:25] Now, in your kind of view, let’s talk specifically of Georgia, why do you think that Georgia has such a robust economy and has kind of weathered a lot of storms? Is it because of kind of the diversity of the different industries that are here? Does that play a role? Or is it like the port system and the airport and then the university system, like what are the kind of drivers in your mind?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:03:52] So, it’s not necessarily my area of expertise, Lee, but we have a lot of people in the bank, in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta that really focus on that type of information. On my personal opinion, I will say that I think you’re absolutely right, the fact that we have a very robust and inclusive and diverse economy in the Southeast, there’s a lot of different industry sectors that are part of our economy. I think that’s part of it in terms of being able to react to changes in the economy and be able to withstand some of the things that are going on in the larger global economy or the United States economy. We have a lot of different businesses and industries that are part of our Southeast Region.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:43] Now, in your career, have you always been active in joining boards of different organizations?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:04:52] Yes. So, part of our mission in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is being part of our communities, community outreach. We realize the importance of being engaged and being part of the communities that we live in. One of our programs here at the bank is ensuring that there are a lot of really talented nonprofit organizations throughout the Southeast and there’s a lot of talent within the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, so one of our programs is matching up individuals within our organization who express a desire to be part of that program of serving on nonprofit boards, winning just again, our talent and our time to help further the mission of some really deserving institutions that we’re able to partner with.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:45] Now, specifically to yourself, could you share some advice on choosing the right organizations to get involved with? Because like you said, there’s a lot, so how do you kind of decide where you’re going to put your energy and your talent?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:06:00] So, really, Lee, that depends on what you’re passionate about. I think that’s one of the main things you need to first take a look at is really think about what are some of the fields of interest or things that, again, really interest you personally in terms of service, what are the things that you’re passionate about. Because there are a lot of nonprofits out there that offer all types of services to the community. And I’m confident that if you find something that you’re passionate about in the nonprofit sector, there is a nonprofit board out there that is looking for assistance, always looking for time and talent to help advance that nonprofit’s mission.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:06:40] So, first thing is look for, again, what are you passionate about. And then, also, take a look at what do you feel would be aligned with what you’re trying to achieve, possibly professionally. So, I’ve learned so much from serving on nonprofit boards in terms of just leadership and just learning from others who serve on the board. There’s so much talent on these boards that it’s just an opportunity to learn. So, also think about what are some of the things that you want to get out of nonprofit service because, without a doubt, there’s lots of opportunities to develop your own skills.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:17] Now, can we talk a little bit about GWBC? Why did you initially get involved with them? And as your new position as board chair, kind of what’s your vision?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:07:29] Certainly. So, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has always had a strong supplier diversity program. And, again, as the senior procurement officer, one of my responsibilities is ensuring that through all our procurement practices that, again, we’re being inclusive in our sourcing practices. We want to make sure that we’re looking throughout the community for vendors that are able to provide the goods and services, that, again, helps achieve our mission on a daily basis.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:07:56] And there are a lot of great businesses out there. So, we’ve always had a supplier diversity program within our organization. So, it was just a natural extension of some of the councils within the region that it’s a great partnership both from a business standpoint of ensuring that we’re able to leverage our collective resources to advance both of our missions, either GWBC or the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. So, there was an opportunity to serve on the board and it’s a logical extension of just some of my responsibilities.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:08:30] And, again, we’ve been members of GWBC long before I joined the board. And, again, just really valued that partnership and just the opportunity to contribute to that organization. They do such good work for the women-owned business community. It is amazing the programs, the opportunities for women-owned businesses to engage each other, engage corporates such as ourselves to really ensure that we are maximizing the opportunities for corporations and for women business enterprises.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:09:06] One of the things as a Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, as we’re looking for diverse business enterprises, the certification process that GWBC offers really is a value to our organization. We don’t have the resources to self-certify, so we leverage the certifications of the supplier diversity council that we work with on a regular basis. And organizations such as WBENC and GWBC, they are the gold standard for women business enterprises. So, we see the certification from GWBC and from WBENC, we know we have the confidence that that’s the certification that we can leverage ourselves as we’re engaging these vendors.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:09:49] So, to be able to, again, work with GWBC to ensure that we are creating value for the women business enterprise community, our constituents, I think it’s going to be one of the things that we really continue to focus on. It’s always been a focus for GWBC, but we’re seeing some really interesting times right now, Lee, in terms of just changes in the DE&I space, some of the court rulings that have come down recently and just how that is going to impact organizations such as WBENC and GWBC, I think is yet to be seen.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:10:28] But I think without a doubt that collectively we’ll be able to navigate those considerations and make sure that we continue to provide that value as things continue to change, that we are working closely with the leadership of GWBC, Roz and her staff, which do just an outstanding job leading the organization. As well as the board of directors, who, again, just the talent that we have on the board is amazing. And, again, the constituency of GWBC, the women business enterprises that, again, are the customers, so to speak, but, again, making sure that they see the value of that certification on an ongoing basis.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:11] Now, where do you see the opportunity maybe for enterprise level organizations to leverage a relationship with GWBC? You mentioned that the Federal Reserve here in Atlanta has been part of the group for a while. What would you say to a leader at another enterprise level organization if you were trying to pitch them of, “Hey, this is a group you should really get involved with. This is really going to pay dividends.”

Patrick Dierberger: [00:11:40] The first thing I would consider is, again, what is the mission of that organization, what are some of the strategic objectives of that organization that will align with their partnership or just working with GWBC. So, I think that’s important to make sure we understand exactly what would that organization be looking in terms of what value are they seeking that would align with GWBC. And there’s a lot of value to be had. Again, there’s data out there that highlights the value of a diverse and inclusive strategic sourcing procurement process. We see that every day in terms of the value that it brings to us in our competitive bid processes. So, that’s the first question I would ask an organization is, What are you looking for in that partnership?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:12:35] The second thing I would say is, again, looking for that value proposition. GWBC offers an excellent value proposition to a corporation. I think just ensuring that we articulate that, clearly make the case for using the data. I think data is really important. There was lots of data that, again, points to just how a partnership with GWBC really contributes to the overall health of a procurement program.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:13] Now, let’s kind of look on the other side of the table. How would you pitch a woman-owned business out there that hasn’t been certified yet on the merits of going through a certification?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:13:26] So, first thing I would, again, focus on is the value that the certification offer. And there are various certification organizations out there. There are governments that self-certify. Here in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, as we look at our spend, the procurement spend that we have on a regular basis, we do capture our diverse spend. That’s something that we want to ensure the integrity of that spend. So, that certification process is kind of the first step, if you will, of ensuring that we see a WBENC certification, again, that being the kind of the gold standard of one of the certifying bodies out there, we know with confidence that we can capture that spend as one business spend. That goes a long way.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:14:15] That goes a long way because we are, again, always wanting to make sure that we have a diverse and inclusive competitive bid process. And those certifications is the first step to help us identify those businesses out there that we know can bring a lot of value to our organization. As a women-owned business being able to leverage that certification, being able to leverage the network that WBENC, both the national level and GWBC as a regional partner organization, the network of relationships that you build being a part of those organizations, you can’t put a price tag on that.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:14:55] I just think of some of the programs that I’ve been involved in, such as the Mentor/Protégé program that GWBC offers, and just some of the connections that we’re able to build through some of those programs, the programing and, again, through the certification process, and just the the constituency of GWBC. As we all know, business is about relationships and being able to identify those opportunities to join organizations where you have a ready-made network of like-minded, organizations, whether they’re corporations or whether they’re women business enterprises, that are able to, again, support each other as businesses or as organizations looking to be successful. It’s hard to put a price tag on that, Lee, because there’s so many opportunities, some that I hadn’t even thought of, that will be out there. And being able to tap into that collective passion, talent, and expertise is extremely valuable.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:08] Yeah. I think it’s like in any organization that you get involved with, the more active you are and the more you lean into it and you volunteer and you have a presence, the more you’re going to get out of it. You’re going to get an ROI if you put in the work and really invest in it as a tool. It’s not like an ATM machine where you put a card in and money comes out, right? You have to do the work and you have to get involved if you want really to benefit.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:16:38] That’s a great point, Lee. And, again, you get out what you put in. And the great thing about GWBC is that there’s so many opportunities to get engaged with the women business enterprise community. Again, I just think of the one example I’m part of which is the Mentor/Protégé program, that’s just a small example of the programs, the events, the ongoing information that is provided by GWBC to its constituency that really helps raise awareness with the WBEs and the corporations.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:17:15] It raises the awareness, but also provides additional information, value added information for, again, processes and programs that we all have in our businesses, whether it’s access to capital, how to manage risk, changes that are going on in the economy, trends going on in the economy. All that information is provided on a regular basis, either through WBENC or the GWBC. And really being able to tap into those programs, but also as leaders of our organizations, being able to contribute to those programs in a meaningful way really just makes us all that much stronger.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:55] Now, is there a story that you can share since being on the board that may be memorable, a favorite, or rewarding moment? You don’t have to name the name of the organization, but maybe just kind of the backstory and what happened.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:18:13] So, it’s interesting, I’ll give you some background. When I was growing up, my mom, my mother always had a business. We had a grocery store for a while, we had a restaurant, and she was someone that always understood the value of relationships. And so, I learned a lot about, again, the value of relationships from my mother and I saw her build those relationships. And I always say she was the consummate salesperson. As I used to say when I grew up in Alabama, I’d say, she could sell ashes to the devil. So, she was the consummate salesperson and it really brought home to me the opportunity that building relationships provides, again, in ways that you may not even imagine.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:19:13] And so, I’ve been part of programs of GWBC. The example I think of right now is the Mentor/Protégé program. So, over the years of working with various WBEs and just having a meeting with the individual in my organization, just to see if there’s an opportunity possibly to raise awareness of this woman business enterprise, the services that she provides through her company. And maybe there’s an opportunity to do business with the bank, possibly. There’s never a guarantee, of course.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:19:46] But just through that meeting, suddenly there are other relationships, other individuals, or other people that either the WBE knows or the person that we’re meeting with knows. And being able to set up, again, new relationships, establish new relationships that are far more valuable than just the lunch meeting I had with that person and what I thought we’d be able to get out of that meeting. And that happens on a regular basis.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:20:16] I can think of one that we had just very recently to where that someone in the bank, but we didn’t realize that there was greater connections through other people outside of the people sitting around that table that have yielded far greater benefit to the WBE long term than I could ever imagine. And, again, just kind of points out the value of relationships, the value of connection, and the opportunities and the possibilities that are out there through those connections.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:51] Yeah. The impact is real. I mean, that’s going to have ripple effects beyond anything you can even imagine. And the impact you’re going to have on that individual, their family, the community, it’s really important.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:07] Is there anything you can share, maybe, that you’re looking forward to in the coming year with the GWBC as part of your role as a board chair?

Patrick Dierberger: [00:21:19] Yeah. So, I really appreciate the opportunity to serve in this capacity. Again, it is a great board that we have. My predecessors have big shoes to fill. Lissa Miller done an outstanding job. So, a lot of good work that we’re going to be able to build on as a board. And, again, in partnership with Roz and her outstanding leadership team as well.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:21:47] I think one thing we want to look at again is just the amount of change that’s going on within our community, diverse business enterprises, it’s fast-paced change and it’s a lot of change all at once. That’s impacting us as corporations that serve on the board and we’re able to learn from each other about how are we navigating all this change, how are we adapting to this change.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:22:17] And able to provide, again, that service or that leadership to Roz and her staff and, again, subsequently, through the programs and the events and just, again, ongoing value that we want to provide to the constituency, that’s going to be big. It’s going to be big, I think, this year. It’s just really understanding our role and, again, some of the tangible outcomes that we want to achieve as a board to help navigate the change that we’re all going through right now, that will be big.

Lee Kantor: [00:22:53] Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Patrick Dierberger: [00:22:59] Thank you for the opportunity, Lee. I really appreciate the time.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:02] And then, for the folks who want to learn more about GWBC, the Greater Women’s Business Council, whether you’re an entrepreneur that has their own woman-owned business or if you’re a corporate that wants to get involved, this is a great organization, and you can find more information at gwbc.org. This is Lee Kantor for Patrick Dieberger. We’ll see you all next time on GWBC Open for Business.

 

Rebecca Sylvain With Nannies and Kids United

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Rebecca Sylvain With Nannies and Kids United
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Rebecca Sylvain, Chief Executive Officer of Nannies and Kids United. She was born in Miami and raised by an immigrant Parent in a traditional Caribbean Household. Her career in childcare began during college when she began baby-sitting independently for families of all backgrounds and sizes. After 5 years of experience getting to know family needs and spending time with children, she began to see a need in many communities for child-care services.

Understanding this, she soon set out to create a staffing agency where she could train and hire associates to provide professional child-care services to families and corporate employees. This started with her attending various networking events, building new connections with like-minded individuals and corporate representatives which eventually led to her expanding her knowledge of business and the child-care service industry.

Nannies & Kids United track record has landed them a corporate backup care partnership with care.com that has a platform of over 1 million sitters. The partnership provides childcare services to families and backup childcare services as a benefit for corporate employees.

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn and follow Nannies and Kids United on Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Creating a business from scratch, learning through trial and error, and thriving without a traditional college education
  • The benefits of networking with other entrepreneurs and attending business events and workshops
  • Struggles and backlash she faced after dropping out of school and having a lack of experience with business
  • Other excellent career opportunities in trades that don’t require a college degree or loans
  • Strategic insights on crafting a fulfilling and enduring career as a nanny
  • Finding the right nanny.

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have Rebecca Sylvain with Nannies and Kids United. Welcome.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:00:36] Hi, how are you?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] I am doing well. I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about Nannies and Kids United. How are you serving folks?

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:00:45] Yeah, sure. So, um, basically, Nannies and Kids United is a babysitting staffing agency that provides back up care services to employees that work at companies such as fortune 500 companies. So I currently have a partnership with Care.com, where we work with fortune 500 companies. And to provide this service, I started it when I was 23. I’m 29 now, so I was able to build it to a successful business and here I am now.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:18] So what was the genesis of the idea? How did this come about?

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:01:22] Um, I was a babysitter when I was in college, and I knew I always wanted more for myself. At the time I was doing modeling, and in my mind I’m like, modeling doesn’t pay. It’s not paying the bills. And, you know, I was running into creepy photographers, so I wanted to create an opportunity for myself versus depending on other people. And like I said, I was babysitting for different families. And that’s when like, you know, the idea came about. And so I remember I was sitting in my living room brainstorming ideas of what I want the name to be, and it just came about. I called it Nannies and Kids United, which stands for Uniting Families with childcare professionals as well who work with children. And so throughout the years, it hasn’t been easy at all, but it’s definitely been well worth it. And so once that idea came about, I decided to drop out of college. And that was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:25] So now you have your babysitter, and where did you kind of pivot to the partnering with the businesses to help their employees, you know, handle that childcare challenge that a lot of them are dealing with? Like, did it go directly there to, hey, there’s a lot of business people here that their employees probably have a lot of childcare needs that I might be able to help with, uh, rather than, you know, putting them in daycare or putting them wherever they’re putting them right now. Yeah.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:02:57] So when I first started, I didn’t know a thing about business. All I knew was everything and anything that has to do with childcare. So I started off by going to networking events filled with other business professionals. And what I would do is I would just pick other people’s brains, no matter if they were in trucking or credit, because at the time, I was focused more so on doing permanent placements, which was providing full time, part time nanny services directly to families. And that was going okay. I wasn’t really getting a lot of traction because having a nanny, um, if we’re being honest, it’s like a leisure and it’s it’s a leisure to have a nanny. It is. It definitely costs a lot of money. So by me going to networking events, I was able to piggyback off of ideas and it wasn’t like, um, you know, it wasn’t like these business owners were just like, you know, randomly giving me ideas. I formed friendships and by the friendships that I formed and us getting to know each other, um, that’s kind of how I was able to, like, get some ideas.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:04:05] And so I remember I came across this guy and he said, have you ever thought of, uh, corporate corporate partnerships? And so he educated me on corporate partnerships on how, like a lot of employers, they need this service because, you know, a lot of employees are calling out because majority of the population of like, you know, employees that work for companies are parents. And so most of the reasons why they’re calling out is because of their child, or like the daycare is closing or school is out and they just need that. So, um, when he told me that, um, that’s when I decided to just go into corporate and that involved me doing a lot of cold calling, a lot of emailing. And by me getting that, doing the cold calling, I just needed that one. Yes. And, um, that one yes was through Care.com. And I was been I’ve been able to be able to have like, you know, a partnership with them where I provide back up care service. I dispatch nannies to their the clients that they work for.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:09] Now, when you had that opportunity, that one. Yes comes your way. How did you kind of go about negotiating the terms? Like was that pretty straightforward because they had a need. You had a service or was it something that you had a, you know, maybe pilot a little bit or kind of work together and figure some stuff out?

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:05:29] Yeah, it was pretty straightforward because prior to the partnership, you know, they definitely want you to have experience in the business. I was I’ve, I’ve already been in the business like seven years prior and I’ve already was providing like placement services to other, um, you know, families as well as like contracting, um, other babysitters. So it was pretty straightforward in terms of that. Um, and it made it a little bit easier because I already had experience in like, you know, the industry already because I, you know, I do assume if I didn’t have any type of experience, it probably would have been a little bit of a challenge to land that partnership. So, um, just me just going through the grunt work and just figuring it out just made it easier. But it was pretty straightforward.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:22] And it was because you had laid so much foundation prior to it that made it. You were ready for the opportunity when it presented.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:06:30] Absolutely, yes.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:32] So then, um, how long did it take working with them to realize, hey, I think we’re on to something here. This thing’s going to really do well.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:06:40] Well. So with Care.com they have they already partner up with nanny agencies. And so I would say it was more so an opportunity for myself and for my nanny agency. Um, versus like the other way around because they basically had the demand. Um, which was like, you know, the parents working at these companies that needed childcare. And then I had the supply, which was the babysitters. And so that’s kind of what created that partnerships. And like I said, they were already doing it before. And so I wanted to I decided I wanted to plug myself in, like, I can help with that need. Um, you know, and so that’s pretty much how it worked.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:29] So then. Then your business shifted to I got to have a good supply of nannies and and caregivers. Right. Like now I got it’s game on. Now I have to I would imagine now you’re at a point where as many nannies as I have are. A lot of them could start working pretty quickly if I find enough of the right ones.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:07:50] Yeah, absolutely. I have over 100 nannies on staff in the state, and that’s combined with the state of California and in the state of Georgia, because there’s such a high demand, the day to day business, um, you know, with the team, like with my team, through Nannies and Kids United, we are constantly, always recruiting for babysitters and nannies all the time because it’s such a high demand. So of course, when I got that partnership, we pretty much had to amp up, you know, the interview process and amp up like, you know, just recruiting more childcare professionals because there’s such a strong need in this industry.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:31] So what are some of the qualities of a good nanny or a childcare professional.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:08:36] Yeah. So some of the qualities would be someone who’s patient. Um, also someone who pretty much has like the understanding of certain child development when we hire childcare professionals. Due to my experience, I like to hire someone that kind of like has qualities of myself. I love children, I feel like it’s easy, um, with children, but someone who has like that experience, who understands, you know, patience is needed. Um, someone who has like a background in either working in the daycare facility. I never count babysitting for your parent, parents, children or relatives as professional experience at all. Um, always someone who has like a professional background, um, experience, whether that’s working for another nanny agency or, um, you know, working as, like a teacher. So someone who has that, um, of course, first aid, CPR certified legally, when working with children, you have to be first aid, CPR certified or willing to be trained for that. Um, not only that, but someone who’s reliable, consistent, um, who also to clean background check as well. So those are like the qualities that we look for and just someone who just we can depend on. Because with childcare, the last thing that a parent wants to hear is that their babysitter can’t show up. And so having someone that’s dependable and someone who has a track record of that is very important. That’s what we look for.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:13] And then how do you find them? Like how do they get on your radar? Is it mostly kind of referral from existing working nannies, or do you have some secret to get Ahold of these folks?

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:10:23] Yeah, so it’s a combination of referrals and doing advertisements. So I’m a part of a lot of babysitter groups. So usually when we’re recruiting or say aside from back up care, we’re looking for, you know, a permanent nanny, I personally like for the team to start internally. And then that’s when we branch out and we’ll either post on Facebook groups. Um, and a lot of our nannies that we have today have came from referrals because we treat our nannies great because it was started by a nanny agency. I definitely advocate for my nannies and how they get treated and making sure that they get paid well. And then, um, but a lot of advertisements.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:08] And then is there kind of a career path for the nanny, or is this something they’re going in there? It’s kind of like project work. They’re going to go in there, do a job for a period of time, and then kind of wait for their next job.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:11:20] It’s a little bit of both because I do both backup care, which is, you know, on call last minute, um, there’s an option to do both because we have plenty of families that come to the agency and they want a career nanny, someone who’s full time. So this is something that you can work on a full time basis as a career, where, of course, benefits is provided. And then for other childcare professionals who just want this as like a temporary thing, that’s where backup care comes into play.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:50] So like if somebody just wants some part time work, they can say, look, I’m available between these hours on these days and then you just try to help them fill that time if that’s available.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:12:01] Yeah, absolutely. The great thing about backup care is we are receiving requests on a daily basis. So if a childcare professional decides to apply to us and they said they just want something temporary or on a part time basis, that’s something that we can provide to them. And we let them choose their own schedule.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:21] So does it require for the nanny? They have to go and physically be in the location of the person. Is that. That’s the business.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:12:30] Yeah, absolutely. They have to be in the homes of the families. And of course, each babysitter before they even step into the home of the family. They’ve already been vetted by us. Extremely.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:43] So what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:12:46] So I would say, like, a great, um, client for me is another employer looking to provide this benefit to their employees. And then, of course, I’m always looking for reliable babysitters. So any babysitter that’s looking for full time or part time work, either in California and Georgia, you know, that’s where nannies and Kids United, um, is here to support.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:09] Now, when you say Georgia, Georgia and California, those are big states. Like, is it kind of, you know, from border to border of the states, like, or are they primarily in the metros?

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:13:20] Um, so they’re primarily in the metro. So for the state of Georgia, around the Atlanta metro area, um, within a 60 mile radius, and then with California, because California is so big, it’s in the Bay area, which is San Francisco, and that’s also within like a 60 mile radius.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:39] Right? So you don’t go into Southern California. You’re right now in Northern California primarily.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:13:44] Yes, absolutely.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:45] And if somebody wants to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, what’s the website?

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:13:51] Yeah, it is dot nannies and kids. United.com.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:58] Good stuff. Well, congratulations on all the success. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Rebecca Sylvain: [00:14:04] Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:06] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’sOnPay-Dots payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Mary Ann Haskins With Flex HR

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Mary Ann Haskins With Flex HR
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Mary Ann Haskins, Owner and Senior Consultant at Flex HR.

She’s an experienced Senior HR Consultant with over 30 years of experience in human resources and payroll. Her comprehensive background includes working for an entrepreneur to launch businesses from the ground up with one that went through an IPO on Nasdaq, successfully building or revamping HR Departments in both the private and public sectors, managing the HR component of mergers and acquisitions, and creating HR strategic plans.

She has worked at small organizations with fewer than 500 employees and at a much larger company with operations throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She has both private and public sector experience. In December 2021, she stepped away from the head of HR role at a local Metro Atlanta city in Georgia after 12.5 years to return to consulting.

She has a very broad knowledge base that contributes to her successful consulting work, including implementing HR policies and procedures, compliance audits, management coaching, employee training, HRIS/payroll system selection, implementation, and enhancement, benefits administration, compensation analysis, recruiting, performance management, and employee engagement.

Connect with Mary Ann on LinkedIn and follow Flex HR on Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • Artificial intelligence at work – policies to consider

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show we have Mary Ann Haskins with Flex HR. Welcome.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:00:35] Hi, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:36] Before we get too far into things, tell us about Flex HR. How you serving folks?

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:00:40] Well, Flex HR has a group of professional human resources folks that can assist any organization from small to extremely large. We get phone calls from clients that just need some oversight on a project. Or perhaps they need us to come in and do an audit for HR and payroll purposes. We also have some clients that use us for their HR and payroll needs, so they outsource their entire department to us. So we really offer a lot of different solutions for clients. It really depends on what you need.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:13] I guess that’s where the flex comes in.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:01:15] Exactly.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:17] So are you uh, PEO are you kind of taking over that role or is this in a more consultative manner?

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:01:24] My role is a consultant with flex HR. I work with a variety of clients, everything from veterinary clinics, manufacturers, private schools, a lot of variety there.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:37] And then what’s the type of work that you’re actually doing? Kind of on a day to day basis for them?

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:01:43] Uh, I’ve done things such as reviewing handbooks, putting together policies and procedures, training programs, been the outsourced human resources professional for the organization, help them recruit a new HR professional to lead their team. Help them revamp their structure, do a strategic plan. Lots of different types of projects. I have another client. I’m working with them on implementing a new system so my world is never dull.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:10] And is it like what? Are you typically a bridge to help them either triage a situation or to get them to hire a permanent person?

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:02:20] Again, it’s it’s unique for each organization. We have some companies that decided to fully outsource human resources and payroll to us, and we serve as their providers for their team members, which is great to the team members. We’re just one of them, and it works beautifully with other organizations. They bring us in on an intro to help them bridge until they can find the right person to fill an opening, and that’s not unusual.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:50] Now, when you are doing so many different things for the HR people at a given organization, whether it’s, you know, doing the role of HR or just helping them through a situation, how do how do you kind of market for that? How do they know to call you at at the time they have a need? If the need is is pretty much anything HR related?

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:03:13] Well, fortunately we have lots of wonderful clients over the years and we get a lot of referrals. We also have very good presence on the website. If you Google search for help with with human resources, I think we’re at the top of the list are pretty close. Our marketing team does a fabulous job there. You know, I feel like most of my clients have come to us through referrals or finding us in a in a moment of desperation, and our CEO does a fantastic job of assessing their needs and then trying to align them with the right consultant, with the right team to help them.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:50] Now, how do HR professionals deal with things that are new and disruptive like I like? Where can an outfit like flex HR help them manage kind of artificial intelligence when it relates to, uh, you know, work policies?

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:04:08] Well, I think in most cases that’s a topic that’s going to come up when we’re reviewing a handbook. I have had one client who asked about it, but this is still such a new thing. I don’t believe a lot of employers have stopped long enough to assess the risk that generative AI may be causing with their employees. Uh, you know, simple things like folks that are working for you, using something like a ChatGPT to write a report. So really, they didn’t create the work. And you may have violated some copyright rules or something. So you need to have policies in place for things like this to mitigate the risk. And there are different options you can take with how you approach those policies. So with our clients, we generally want to talk to them about it. You know, are you a group that’s likely to be using AI? And even if you’re not a group that’s likely to be using it, let’s talk about putting it in your handbook. So policy that makes sense for you.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:15] Now you mentioned some of the um, kind of risks that are involved. Like if, if someone if one of your clients was kind of a creative. Client that had maybe copywriters or was creating content on the web, and their people are using, uh, artificial intelligence. Um, that can open up a can of worms that the employer may not even think. Think about. Really?

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:05:42] Right. True.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:05:43] You know, I’m seeing right now. And again, I’m going to preface this statement with everything in the world of AI is changing fast, and there are laws being put into place every time you turn around related to AI. I think in 2022, there were 17 states that enacted some sort of ruling on the use of artificial intelligence. So the world as we know it is ever evolving. And when it comes to policies, most of the policies kind of take three approaches. One of three approaches, they’ll say, okay, we’re going to allow you to use AI at work, but here are the guidelines. What you can and can’t do. The second option is you’re going to limit the use and give them a clear cut list of what’s acceptable. Okay. You can use your chat bot to help draft a letter or an email, but you cannot use it to create a report. You cannot use it to put content on the website. Um, then the other option that I’ve seen some clients take is just prohibited. You know, we’re not going to use it here. You can’t use your work email to create any accounts with any type of AI service, and it’s your choice if you use it at home. But don’t bring it into work. Don’t use it for any work related projects. So that seems to be where the three options are right now for these policies. Um, but then you have to write the policy that fits into which of those three paths you want to take.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:18] And then this is kind of an area where a flexor probably can help organizations, because I would imagine that you’re far more, um, fluent in the language of AI. Uh, probably more so than a lot of these clients are, because you are kind of trying to be proactive, active, and try to get ahead of this.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:07:39] Well, I hope we.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:07:40] Are, uh, we make every effort that we can. Um, and I think also, it’s not just an AI policy, it’s your culture. So part of anything that you’re doing when it comes to policies and procedures, yes. You have to write the policy to protect yourself from a legal risk standpoint, and you have to be sure you’re compliant with the laws in those states where you do business. But you also have to realize that every policy you put in front of an employee affects their view of you as an organization, so you’re telling them who you are, if you will. By the way, you word something and the approach you take to whatever the topic is, I dress code, whatever. So we do work a lot with our clients on handbooks. We see a genuine need for organizations to not just create a handbook. And ten years later, remember. Oh yeah, we’ve got that. Everybody signed off that. They’ve read it, but we haven’t updated it forever. You know, your handbook really, to me, needs to be a living document. And right now, in my personal professional opinion, I’m trying to encourage my clients to add something about AI in their handbook when they are reviewing it for an update.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:56] So, um, can you share some advice if you were to, uh, work in an organization that maybe didn’t have a handbook or it wasn’t as, um, robust as maybe you would like it to be, what are some of the actionable things they could do right now to improve their handbook and to make it, uh, that living document that you described.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:09:18] Well, I’m always.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:09:20] Surprised, and I’ve seen this professionally, both when I was in private sector, working as the head of HR as well as now consulting. A lot of companies have their handbook that was brought to them by their head of HR or maybe the CEO, and it’s actually their former employer’s handbook, and they just fit a few name changes and slapped an updated label on it and said, okay, here’s our handbook. You know, to me, the first thing every HR professional should do, as well as senior executives, you need to really read your handbook as if you were a brand new employee viewing your company, and so does it have information that’s needed in it that employees should know? Does it provide adequate guidelines in clear and simple terms that people can understand? Is it available to them? I’m a huge proponent of not having printed handbooks because those become stale. I love to have them on the hris system, so that an employee, at any point in time, can log in and pull it up and do a quick search for whatever the information is that they want to read. So if they’re looking to find out about, you know, FMLA and what notices do I need to give? Okay, I’ll just go to the handbook. And you want your employees to be comfortable and know where exactly that handbook is and to find the information quickly. The second thing on handbooks is you really need to train your supervisors on the information that’s in the handbook. Never assume that yes, they read it and yes, they understand it.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:10:55] You know, the handbook also provides guidance for them in how to interact with employees, both in good times and bad. And so you want to be sure that that policy is representing how you want those supervisors to treat your folks. The same thing is true on I, um, another key thing with the I policies, make sure that you have a statement that lets the employee know, have no assumption that there’s any privacy if you’re using our Wi-Fi, if you’re using our equipment, we have the right to monitor what you’re doing. Don’t assume just because you’ve got a login and password that we can’t see what you’re doing, because we have an obligation to the organization to protect it. So going back to your question, you know, again, read your handbook. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend you call flex HR and let us help you create one. Um, any handbook is better than no handbook, but you need to make sure it’s compliant for your state. Uh, I personally and professionally have also, uh, just, you know, made sure that I set a reminder that at a minimum, I go back and reread the handbook every 12 to 18 months. I have a folder that I keep notes for when the next time it’s updated, things that I want to change, or maybe a new policy that I want to introduce. It’s it’s got to be an active, living, breathing document that the HR professionals think about on a regular basis.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:25] So if there’s a company out there that, um, maybe hasn’t thought about, um, refreshing their handbook or even, um, kind of dealing with the disruption that artificial intelligence is having in workplaces, and they want to get a hold of you or somebody on your team. What is the website? What is the best way to connect with you to have a more substantive conversation.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:12:50] And just go out to flex HR. Com there is a contact us area there. Uh, we are also partnering with Shrm Atlanta. On February the 29th. We’re going to have an HR boot camp. So maybe the first place to go is to the boot camp and we’ll be there. You can meet us face to face and talk about your issues with us during the breaks. Uh, but we’re going to have some really good topics, including one of the sessions is on handbooks. So very timely.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:20] Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

MaryAnn Haskins: [00:13:26] Well, it’s been a pleasure, Lee. I really do enjoy speaking with you today and, uh, look forward to continuing conversations with anybody who’s interested.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:34] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’sOnPay-Dots payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Tierra Womack With The Brave Way

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Tierra Womack With The Brave Way
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US-based Tierra Womack MBA, is a multiple best-selling author, host of the Wealthy Woman by Design Show, speaker & founder of The Brave Way. She is a mompreneur of 18 years whose businesses have generated over 7-figures. As an award-winning Human Design based Manifestation Mentor & Wealth Activator,she helps women heal money trauma, shift their money sabotaging habits, and align their life with their purpose through masterclasses, books, retreats & workshops so they can live an orgasmic life.

Being a successful entrepreneur who was once unfulfilled and in a narcissistic abusive relationship at the height of her business, she understands how important the right money mindset is, especially for those that are just jumping into the journey of rediscovering & rebuilding themselves.

She is passionate about helping women become anti-hustle millionaires because she knows how challenging & exhausting entrepreneurship can be from her own experiences as a successful businesswoman, and from the hundreds of female entrepreneurs she connects with.

Connect with Tierra on LinkedIn and follow her on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • What is ‘It’s All BS The Festival’ & what makes this business event for women so revolutionary
  • How to stop money sabotage
  • The importance of healing money trauma

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Tierra Womack, Human Design Based Manifestation Mentor and Wealth Activator with the Brave Way. Welcome.

Tierra Womack: [00:00:49] Thank you so much for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:51] I am so excited to learn what you got going on. Tell us about The Brave Way. How are you serving folks?

Tierra Womack: [00:00:58] Absolutely. So under the brave way. I am a human design based business mentor and wealth activator for female entrepreneurs, and that has really birthed a number of other retreats, books, different platforms where I’m able to service these ladies in many different capacities. And it has been an amazing experience so far.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:21] So what was the genesis of the idea? How did you go in this direction?

Tierra Womack: [00:01:25] Well, I actually came out of a long terme relationship with what I didn’t know at the time was a narcissist. And so it started a path of educating myself on narcissistic personality disorder. And as I would share my story of rebuilding after walking away from a seven figure business, seven figure life and all of the things and rebuilding my my wealth and my worth, I would have ladies come up to me and just ask, you know how I was able to do it? Just ask for advice for either themselves or friends of friends. And that actually started my coaching business informally. And then after about a year, I had different individuals that would reach out to have me on podcasts or different programs or speak in different groups. And then I decided to formally create The Brave Way.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:22] So when you went about putting yourself out there as a coach, were you seeing kind of people on a similar journey and struggling with the same things, or what was kind of your learnings from beginning that that journey of being a coach?

Tierra Womack: [00:02:37] You know what is so fascinating to me? So when I first started out along that path with the narcissism, I actually was very surprised the amount of women who would approach me and want to talk about it behind the scenes and very successful, not only just women actually, but very successful individuals that would want to talk to me offline. So I originally thought that The Brave Way was just going to be about my story, a story of resilience and be able to speak to that capacity. But it started more so in that coaching framework, because I would have people come up to work with me behind the scenes. And so I was very surprised. And then what actually happened about a year and a half into my business, I would have women come up to me and say, hey, I’m happily married or I’ve never been with a narcissist, but I want to talk more about the rebuilding wealth part because I had a career change. Or, you know, I want to talk more about the money mindset piece. And so I had a shift more so into the wealth aspect and the self leadership with human design. Like I said, about a year and a half, two years in.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:47] So, um, when it comes to money and how people view money, do you find that a lot of people have a lot of baggage around money?

Tierra Womack: [00:03:56] Absolutely. I will state the possibly unpopular opinion that we all carry some degree of money, trauma, um, from society, from our parents, from our grandparents, from friends, from our own experiences in life. And what happens is that, um, you know, we, we formulate these different, uh, limiting beliefs around money, um, and the amount of success that we can have and that correlates into the things that we aspire to go after as entrepreneurs or even just within your own career. And what I find a lot is, you know, people will talk to me about how much money they like to see in their life or in their business, but I always tell them, for every piece of you that wants a certain level of success in your business, I guarantee you there’s a part of you that doesn’t because maybe, you know, you have those those blocks around. Well, if I have more money, I’m going to, you know, have more taxes or I’ll have more complexities in my business, or, you know, people will want more money from me, whatever that looks like. So there’s like this push and pull struggle. Um, for most of us in the world when it comes to really shifting our money mindset to a different place.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:14] Now, do you think this is kind of an American problem where, like in America, there’s so much emphasis on wealth and rich people and. Some people might say, well, I don’t want to be a rich person and be greedy or be exploitive so that they’re like kind of sabotaging themselves on, on the way to maybe some wealth that they’re kind of getting in their own way.

Tierra Womack: [00:05:39] Oh my gosh.

Tierra Womack: [00:05:40] Lee, I love this question because I absolutely think that a big crux of this. Um, now I work with women all over the world, but I will say that I do believe that, um, that whole mentality behind entrepreneurship especially, or the American way, which is achieving this certain level of success, really does propel individuals into this hustle type of energy, which also leads to burnout. Um, on many different degrees. And it’s it’s very fascinating to me when I meet people who, you know, they are talking to me about the things they want to achieve in their business, but they are at the same time saying, I want to take a step back. So they’re in this really, you know, this limbo of I feel like I should be doing more, but I really don’t want to do more. Like I don’t feel like I have the capacity to do more, but I feel like I should still be trying to achieve for something versus when I talk to people from other parts of the world. A lot of times they’re more so looking at how they can shift certain aspects in their business for more time freedom, but not necessarily necessarily to do more, to achieve more. So I definitely think that’s more of a an American perspective.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:53] So, um, is part of your programs and programing helping a person kind of work through some of these maybe, um, self-sabotage hurdles they’re putting in front of them? Are you also kind of coaching them to build a business and helping them kind of make the most out of their unique talents? Like. Like what are kind of the edges around your programs?

Tierra Womack: [00:07:19] Yeah. So for me specifically, I offer a number of free resources, but also, uh, different containers from 1 to 1 to, uh, more so mastermind type of formats, retreats where women can work with me on what I like to call healing money, trauma, um, healing those various blocks that they may have picked up along their life’s journey and going down that road together. But I actually have been so lucky to have partnered with three other business mentors, um, that have different areas of focus that we feel as though our key pillars in someone building their business as an entrepreneur. And we recently launched a membership where, you know, these women are able to go in and really dive into different areas of their business. So passive income, the self leadership with human design and money mindset with me, visibility strategies, um, feminine embodiment and different capacities so that they can be more of a well-rounded entrepreneur. So I don’t do that by myself, but I have been able to partner with other women, uh, with the rebel movement membership that we recently launched this month.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:34] Now, is there any kind of actionable advice you can give somebody right now, or listeners in terms of what can they be doing today that you know, will make a difference and maybe improve their, um, wealth situation tomorrow.

Tierra Womack: [00:08:51] You know, I.

Tierra Womack: [00:08:52] Always say, number one is to start off or go into this journey of a money mindset shift with compassion for yourself. It’s not about blaming yourself for past decisions. You know where you think you should be in life, where you think you missed opportunities. It’s about the awareness. Now that you even want to make a money mindset shift. That in itself is so powerful and a lot of people negate that. The awareness is, you know, it’s a huge piece of this now, something that I like to tell clients to do just to see where their capacity is to receive more is next time you go grocery shopping. It’s just kind of look, you know, say you’re in the bread aisle, see if you are picking bread based off of what you want, what your taste is craving, or if you’re immediately going to the price and then like, okay, based off of the price, then I’m going to pick XYZ and you can do the same exercise in a restaurant. You know, you look at the menu. Is is it something that you’re looking at as far as the dishes, based on what it is that you have a taste for at that moment, or are you looking at the price and then the price dictates, because one is more of a prosperity mindset and one is more of a poverty mindset, a lot of us naturally go for the price first, and then the price will kind of, you know, steer us in the direction of what it is that we’re going to be purchasing. Um, but, you know, those are certain exercises that are very easy to do, and it just helps to increase the awareness around where your money mindset is as you continue to shift.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:28] And that’s kind of the first step. You got to kind of get clarity around that before you can really make some sort of change.

Tierra Womack: [00:10:34] Absolutely. Because I feel like, you know, you can do affirmations, you can do visualizations, you can do those things that are really taught heavily within, um, the coaching space. But if you haven’t started to become aware of, like what your set point is, what it is that you are looking to remove, you know, as far as blocks in your own life and in your own nervous system and in your mind, then really, I feel as though those affirmations are going to fall flat. You can say in the mirror a thousand times, you know, I am wealthy, I am rich, I am a millionaire, but your body won’t let you lie. To lie to it. Your mind will let you lie. But your body is going to be like, yeah, okay. Yeah, right. As soon as you finish and then you more than likely are going to go right back to feeling like you’re not, you know, at that point that you’re looking to be. So I always say, you know, start with the awareness so that you can go in with more of an open mind to say, okay, you know, I’m choosing to make this shift and then everything else really adds up nicely after that.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:33] So what is, um, it’s all BS, the festival and what makes this event kind of a go to event for women out there.

Tierra Womack: [00:11:42] Yeah. So it’s all BS. That was a business festival that occurred with the women. Those other three business mentors I spoke of prior, uh, we did that at the latter part of last year. It was phenomenal. And it was just an event where women were able to come and really step into this whole revolution of disrupting outdated beliefs that have held women back in business for far too long, and just allowing them to break free from those notions where it’s a one size fits all business model for success. Because at the end of the day, we each uniquely have a roadmap or a framework that works for us, for our household, for our lifestyle, for our goals. And so really, it’s about taking the tools that you learn and feeling like it’s okay. You give yourself permission to really tailor that to what you need, not based on what somebody else has done or what somebody else has told you. So it was a really successful event. And from that event we birthed the Rebel Movement podcast. And from that we then birthed the Rebel Movement membership, which, as I mentioned, launched on the first of this month.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:56] And is there going to be another it’s all BS, the festival.

Tierra Womack: [00:12:59] Yes, we have.

Tierra Womack: [00:13:01] Really big plans for that. Um, our first was virtual, but we are looking at doing some in-person events, um, towards the latter part of this year into 2025 and just continuing to grow this movement as more and more awareness comes to it.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:17] So if somebody wants to learn more, maybe get access to some of the free material that you mentioned earlier, or to become a member and join your tribe, is there a website for what you got going on?

Tierra Womack: [00:13:29] Absolutely. So I can be reached at. The brave way tribe. Com. Um, but please feel free for those listeners out there to DM me at the Brave Way on Instagram. And the links are in my bio for the membership, the podcast and, um, other free resources. But you can DM me if you have any questions as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:51] Well, congratulations on all the success. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Tierra Womack: [00:13:56] Oh, thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:59] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’sOnPay-Dots payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Sheryl Alberico With NAWIC

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Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Sheryl Alberico With NAWIC
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Event: BLOCK KIDS COMPETITION DAY!

Date: Saturday, February 3, 2024

Time: 8:30 – 11:30am EST

Where: South Forsyth Middle School Address 4670 Windermere Pkwy, Cumming, GA 30041

Do you know kids who want to attend?

Block Kids – A free construction/engineering brick-building competition for students K-6th grade. Students compete for prize money, advancement to regionals/nationals, and engage in priceless learning experiences.

This is a national award-winning 33 year event hosted by NAWIC Atlanta through NAWIC Education Foundation that introduces students to the construction industry. With the help of sponsors and community partners, the program fosters creativity and promotes awareness of construction careers.

Block Kids is an award-winning event for elementary students created by NAWIC Education Foundation (NEF), a non-profit organization that focuses on construction education. The event began over 30 years ago and has grown to national success.

Using lego-type building blocks students build construction-related projects for cash prizes and a chance to win nationally. Their creation will be judged by those in the construction industry from General Contractors, Specialty Contractors, Suppliers, Support Teams to Owners, Architects and Engineers. After the competition, students get to build a Home Depot craft using real tools.

Follow NAWIC Atlanta on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • What type of students are we trying to reach
  • How did Block Kids start and why
  • What’s the history
  • How is this funded

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Sheryl Alberico and Robin Echols with NAWIC, the national Association for Women in Construction. Welcome, ladies.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:00:48] Hi. Thanks for having us.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:50] I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. But before we get started, can you share a little bit about Naic? How are you serving folks through that organization?

Sheryl Alberico: [00:00:59] So NAWIC is a national association of women in construction, and it’s an amazing organization that supports women in construction. We’re seeing a lot more women entering the construction industry, not only in the office but in the field. And it’s been around for since about 1960, I think. And it started off with 16 members, and now we have 115 chapters, chapters across the country and specifically in Atlanta, Newark, Atlanta. We have about 182 members, and we’re the largest chapter in the nation.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:30] So what kind of happens at a NAWIC meeting or get together?

Sheryl Alberico: [00:01:35] So it’s it’s various things. It’s educational. So we do like there’s one event that we get together and we teach women how to read different blueprints. We get together and we help them with, you know, getting their LinkedIn profile updated and or getting new jobs, even to and just supporting each other with our stories. And we have mentorship as well too, and reverse mentorship. And then we also piggyback on to helping out a lot of women in the market, as well as far as charity events as well as as um, and specifically, Robin’s going to talk about one that we help out with with the block kids that we are promoting for February 5th. That’s coming up.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:18] Yeah. And before we get to that, can you share a little bit? Is this to encourage women to consider a career in construction? Is it for women who are already in construction to help them kind of up level and get to new levels, like what is the the mission of the organization as a whole is a combination of both, right?

Sheryl Alberico: [00:02:37] Yes, it’s a combination of both. And then it’s also there’s men that are part of it as well. We actually have a Wick week, which is Women in Construction Week and the last Friday it’s in March, first week in March we have wear Red day. So we have a whole bunch of men that are on the construction site that wear white, that red that are supporting women in construction as well too. And it’s just it’s it’s conversations. It’s awareness and support. Mhm. Yeah.

Robin Echols: [00:03:05] I think um, NAWIC is also educational too. There are many women that are in the construction industry that want to go higher up, maybe want to, you know, be in the upper level. And Newark has a personal development and education division where we call it PD and E, and once a month somebody volunteers. That’s in the industry that teaches to teach something that they know they already are doing to somebody else who doesn’t know it. And it’s not necessarily an age thing. You could be old or young or in the industry for a long time or just starting out, and it’s a good opportunity to perfect yourself, learn something new and feel more confident in the industry.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:43] Now. What’s the trend? Are more and more women entering construction? Because I would imagine that with the advent of so much technology, now that, you know, maybe 50 years ago, you had to have a certain strength or a certain amount of size in order to do some of the work. But now I would think that that’s not necessarily the case anymore. And there’s plenty of opportunities for people of all sizes and strengths to be in construction.

Robin Echols: [00:04:08] That’s correct. Yeah, it definitely is. I wear both, I wear heels and work boots in my position, so I’m on the job site and sometimes as a project manager, and I’m also in the office. And then I go to business development events as my business development role. And that’s wearing high heels. So it’s definitely a good opportunity to show all my strengths.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:04:34] So, you know, is that.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:35] Message getting out there are women considering are more and more women considering a career in construction?

Sheryl Alberico: [00:04:42] Absolutely.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:04:43] Yeah. The stigma around women working in construction has reduced drastically. And in addition to all this, the pay gap between men and women is relatively small. It’s still not equal, but I’m an architect by trade, and that’s a lot bigger gap, um, and compared to other industries. So we’re seeing a lot of women entering the construction industry, you know, as plumbers, electricians, welders, things like that too. And, and they’re welcomed. And we’re seeing more and more of it.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:11] And to that end, in order to help more people become aware of this career path and to and to give more information about it, you do this event called Block Kids, uh, some sort of competition. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Robin Echols: [00:05:26] Yeah. So, um, Block Kids is, like I said, it’s geared towards kindergarten through sixth grade, and the program is a national building program competition. It’s sponsored at the local level through Newark chapters and other organizations. This is an award winning program. It introduces children to the construction industry in an effort to create an awareness of, and to promote an interest in future careers in the construction industry. It’s open to all elementary school children in grades one through six, and it involves construction of various structures with interlocking blocks and three of the following items a rock, string, foil and they will compete and put something together. Uh, construct a project through no help of anybody else, just themselves. Be creative and they’ll be judged by people in the construction industry, um, that are there during the event. One on one, they ask questions and through that questionnaire mainly, and the project and how they describe the project, um, they are judged and they win cash money for it.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:28] So what’s the genesis of this idea? How to get started?

Robin Echols: [00:06:33] So years ago, um, so this is through the the Newark Education Foundation. And years ago there were back in night. It was 35 years ago, I think we had decided Cheryl, was it 35 years ago? Um, there was a a member in Biloxi and her granddaughter wanted to know more about construction. And so she taught her about it. And they the mother, the grandmother was part of a Newark program or had just started the Newark program. And, um, that granddaughter designed this entire event around Legos and interlocking blocks and stuff. And they started Block-heads.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:13] Wow. And it’s been going strong ever since.

Robin Echols: [00:07:16] Yep. And it’s won a lot of awards. It’s had presentations nationwide. I mean, all the chapters are involved with it. There’s 167 chapters. There’s 4500 members, um, as of 2017. And it’s growing even more now that we’re in 2024. Um, for, you know, we we hosted last year the largest ever block kids event, um, in the history of Blockheads. And what was it, 100 kids. It was 107 children. Yeah.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:07:46] Wow.

Robin Echols: [00:07:46] So yeah. And this year we are two, almost two weeks out or a little bit less than two weeks out. And we have 108 already signed up.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:07:55] Robin, you did a really good job last year of of having different judges in like in the construction industry, general contractors, specialty contractors, suppliers, you know, owners, architects and engineers, which was a really nice blend because all these kids had questions because they they don’t even know about these careers. They just think construction is driving a truck. Right.

Robin Echols: [00:08:17] So or laborers. Mhm.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:08:20] Correct.

Robin Echols: [00:08:20] Which um, and that’s one thing that I really pushed during the event when I do the presentation, is that construction is not just the guy with the yellow vest on, you know, it’s a plethora of things. It’s a lawyer that’s a construction lawyer that helps with the contracts. You know, it’s the people who are taking the drone pictures and taking pictures of what’s going on inside the building and, you know, x ray vision, the, um, AI stuff that we have now, the, um, all the digital type of things that the software developers, um, there’s a plethora of different parts to the industry that makes us all work together, um, to become, you know, these buildings that the community enjoys and everyone enjoys.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:02] So now how does how does the event work? Is it, uh, happening in schools all over the city, or are they all coming to one location to do this event? And is it, um, so so let’s start there.

Robin Echols: [00:09:16] Yes. Um, everybody so each chapter decides where and when they want to do it. It’s one event, one time, once a year. And, um, this particular one is held at South Forsyth Middle School in Forsyth County, um, this year. So and everyone will come there and we will, um, put, you know, we have a cafeteria and we’ll let everybody hang out in the cafeteria. And that’s where they’ll do their, their, uh, competition. The competition itself only lasts an hour. But after that, um, construction ready, who is a career evangelist? Really? And, um, curriculum and developing people for construction starting at kindergarten. They, um, have a contract. They are contracted with the Georgia Department of Education right now to go into the schools and teach curricula, um, that furthers careers in construction. And they will be there at the at this event as well. And they will head up our construction part of it, where they actually use hammers and nails and tools and they will, um, build an actual project themselves and actual craft. Each child will have their own. And their parents can help them. Their brothers and sisters can help them. And it’s really amazing to watch. Um, I have plenty of videos and pictures from last year’s event. It was really cool to see the parents engaged with their kids, and parents learned a lot of things too, that they didn’t know about construction that day. Um, had a lot of people tell me that, um, and then they so they leave with their 100 Legos and their craft project and an entire amount of information that they learned through different genres. Um, the hands on displays that we have with construction items there, um, the actual presentation by the actual, um, sitting with their judge, each judge has 3 or 4 kids each that they will talk with and discuss things and answer questions and teach them even more, and they’ll walk away with a lot of good memories.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:15] Now, is there like kind of one grand prize winner or is there, um, winners at different ages? Like, how how does that work?

Robin Echols: [00:11:23] So, um, there is a winner for each grade level, kindergarten through sixth grade, and then one of them will be the grand prize winner, and they will advance to regions.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:33] And then at region. Is that the next level? And then there’s a national or is this. Yes.

Robin Echols: [00:11:38] It’s regions. And then from the southeast region they’ll pick I think it’s three. And then those will go to National.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:46] And then you mentioned prizes. What is the what are they competing for.

Robin Echols: [00:11:50] So each chapter gets to decide what prize that they choose to give. Um our particular chapter gives $25 gift card for each, each age group. And then the grand prize winner will get a $50 card.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:05] Cool. So it’s, uh, it sounds like, you know, even if you don’t win, it still seems like a fun event, and you’re gonna walk away with a lot of knowledge and meet some other folks that are kind of along the same journey that you are on.

Robin Echols: [00:12:20] That’s correct.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:12:21] Yeah.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:12:22] And, Lee, we had so many great kids last year. They were so passionate about it and you’d be so impressed with they came up with and, um, Robin wasn’t there. That one girl, I think she was in fifth grade. She had this amazing project. It was like the whole ecosystem. And she was a lovely girl. And, um, we found out that she was temporarily homeless and, you know, just being homeless, she realized it’s so important that the community gets together and helps each other. And that was her project. And it was it was amazing.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:12:51] Um, yeah.

Robin Echols: [00:12:52] She did, um, I, you know, a lot of the children, we try to encourage them. One of the first questions we ask them is, who would use this? That what you’re building, you know, what is it for? Why did you think to build this and the things that the kids come up with, like, you know what, um, there’s in my, um, in my community, you know, not a lot of people have money for electricity. So if we could build a powerhouse really close to our houses, then, you know, maybe we could all share the electricity and our bills would be a little cheaper. Um, you know, I mean, they were. They’re thinking outside the box. They were thinking about community and how to help one another. And the boy that built a ramp so that the wheelchair could go into the house instead of, um, you know, just be not, you know, just a ramp. Who, you know, what’s the ramp for? Well, the ramp has a purpose. And, um, they were thinking, you know, just looking at their projects is not enough. You actually have to have the stories behind it and what the children were thinking about. And, you know, what do you want to be when you grow up? We ask them questions.

Robin Echols: [00:13:53] And what do you think that you used while you were doing this, you know, did you do you think this is science or pulleys or levers or you know, there’s different tools involved in this. You know how how many nails did you have to hammer, you know, in order to, to make this project work? And I mean, it’s interlocking blocks. So it’s it’s, um, an opportunity. I mean, it’s an opportunity for them to build things and create them in their own fashion, in their own way. Um, but with creativity and, you know, as they ask questions like, you know, but I don’t know how I’m going to build this. Why would I build this? You know, there’s pencil and paper right here. Why don’t you draw it out? Try to draw it out. Well that’s drafting, that’s blueprints. And now we’re going to put it, you know, together in these blocks. Well that’s modeling and that’s, you know, an actual mockup so people can look at it, make a decision. So you’re teaching the stages of construction within your small little 3 or 4 children right there in the group.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:46] So what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Robin Echols: [00:14:51] Well, um. There’s. Sorry. I thought Cheryl was gonna jump in at this point, but.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:14:57] We need sponsors. We have quite a few, and we can read. Um, Robin, do you have the list of the sponsors to date? Do you want to read those out?

Robin Echols: [00:15:04] I can, um, I didn’t even think about that. That’s a great idea.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:15:08] You know what? I’ll tell him one more story. Quick story. We also had somebody there, um, oriole. And she owns her own construction company, and she’s African American and is a minority woman. Small business. But what’s great about her is she wrote, um, a children’s book, and she wrote it about this, um, girl, Connie, who’s a ten year old girl who loves building and dreams of being a construction worker, but her friends don’t understand her. And, um, she went through this whole book. Yes, um, last year. And the kids loved it. Um, so.

Robin Echols: [00:15:39] Yeah, that’s it’s a it’s a video, too. She’s got it in book form and then she’s got a video and we show the video at the event and it talks about how we’re we all have differing likes and that, you know, we should focus on those likes. And if you like to do these things, then find out ways to make those things happen in your life. And hers was construction. So, um, which is really good. It does encourage, you know, different, different types of people who maybe thought, you know, my mom wants me to be a doctor or something, but I really like construction. And, you know, maybe even the parents who are in the room listening to all of this stuff are like, oh, we didn’t realize, you know, there’s lots of different opportunities. So actually, Robin.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:16:19] One girl last year said to me, can you go talk to my parents and tell them I don’t want to be a nurse?

Sheryl Alberico: [00:16:26] Yeah, yeah.

Robin Echols: [00:16:28] I mean, it’s it’s we all have an idea for our children how we want our children to develop and achieve. And, you know, the biggest thing about construction that we try to push is that there’s all levels of achievement in construction. Um, whether you are, you know, um, a worker bee and, you know, or just, you know, really happy with being a worker bee or you want to be in management or you want to be in design, or maybe you want to just be, you know, somebody that actually, um, takes pictures of all of it and kind of puts it all together and surmises it. I mean, there there’s so many different avenues in construction that they can, um, they can look at and like I said, it’s it wasn’t just education for the children. It was education for the parents too.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:17:09] So. Right.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:10] And it’s important to open their mind to the possibility they, you know, you don’t want the parent to self-select the kid out, and you don’t want the kid to self-select out before they even know what it can be. So it’s important to educate and to let them know. There are so many facets to this and it’s so important and there’s so much opportunity here. Um, and you shouldn’t kind of, uh, quit before you begin.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:17:34] That’s right. Well, you know, and Lee, um, actually part of what Newark does is we go to job sites that are mostly women run, which is I’m still learning. You know, I love going to a job site and it’s, you know, all the electricians, the plumbers, you know, the site superintendent. They’re all women running it, which is it’s foreign to me to see that as well too. So I’m, I’m constantly learning and and realizing what the opportunities are out there as well.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:18:01] Um, so.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:02] One more time, when is this event and when can they apply for the event?

Robin Echols: [00:18:07] So the event is Saturday, February the 3rd. It’s from 830 in the morning until noon. Um, registration is open now. They can find it on Eventbrite, um website by typing in Newark block kids, block kids. Um, or they can, um, they can get in touch with me, of course. Um, and I’d be more than happy to get them involved, but that that, uh, link is open for them and they can it’s searchable in Eventbrite on there.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:40] And Newark is NYC, right? That’s how you.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:18:44] Correct?

Robin Echols: [00:18:44] Yes. And even if they type in, because I kind of did a search myself, if they type in block kids, um, it should come up, come up and block kids coming Georgia or Forsyth County, Georgia.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:57] And then, uh, if somebody wants to learn more about Newark, um, it’s Newark, Atlanta. Org. That’s the website.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:19:04] That’s correct. Mhm.

Robin Echols: [00:19:07] Um, we are looking for industry, um, leaders that may want to participate or get involved in this, um, to come and bring some touchables, um, whatever’s in their industry, maybe somebody that runs a paint company wants to bring some paint samples out. Um, you know, for the kids or somebody who, um, is in the electrical field wants to bring some, you know, electrical panel boards or something like that. Anything that’s touchable for the kids because I believe in different genres, teach great education, um, and for kids to be able to come out and look at it and really touch it and go, wow. So that’s what drawing is. That’s what is drafting and architecture work. And look at the awards they made. Look at these big buildings that they built and um, lots of construction industry. People have so many different things, even if it’s just hammers and nails and screws and things like that that can show a child, hey, this is what’s part of our, um, our industry.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:20:00] So it makes.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:02] It come alive. You know, it’s not their imagination anymore. They can see and touch it and it becomes real.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:20:08] Mhm.

Robin Echols: [00:20:09] That’s exactly right.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:20:10] And we couldn’t do this without our sponsors. I found it Robin. So I can read them out. Yeah. Sc southeast southeast scanning and cutting services. Sorry. It was X. You’re right X southeast I said that wrong a Live Oak construction supply company FMG general contractors fortune Johnson contractors Manhattan construction company is it Ali Cassetti brick Ali. Cassidy. Cassidy. Sorry. Um. Kaufman engineering’s memco staffing. Um, is it rights, construction and development.

Robin Echols: [00:20:49] Rights to construction.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:20:52] Rights to construction. Kratos equipment. Mhm. Um, and then Miller and Miller. Um, with the ABC of Georgia, that’s, uh, Neil Wilcove and Mark cleverly. And then last but not least, um, Eccles welding and Fabrication.

Sheryl Alberico: [00:21:10] Um.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:12] All right. Well, thank you both for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Robin Echols: [00:21:18] Yeah. Well, thank you so much for letting us share.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:21] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’sOnPay-Dots payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Mike Dunham With Associated General Contractors of Georgia

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Mike Dunham With Associated General Contractors of Georgia
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Mike Dunham has been with AGC Georgia for 27 of his 41 year career as an executive with an AGC chapter. The Shreveport, La.-native grew up on a farm where he and his family raised cotton and soybeans along with being catfish farming pioneers.

He first worked with the AGC chapter in Monroe, La., before moving to Florida to work with the AGC chapter in Jacksonville.

During his career he’s always been an active volunteer with AGC of America and recently completed a two year term chairing the national association’s Executive Leadership Council which also afforded him a position on the AGC of America’s Board of Directors.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn and follow AGC Georgia on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • About AGC Georgia
  • What are the skills challenges
  • How is the construction industry in Georgia
  • The winning chapter of the year
  • Improving the health of the industry in Georgia and their workforce

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on the Land of Business Radio, we have Mike Dunham, and he is with Associated General Contractors of Georgia. Welcome, Mike.

Mike Dunham: [00:00:45] Glad to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:46] I am so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about AGC Georgia. How you serving folks?

Mike Dunham: [00:00:54] Well, AGC Georgia is a statewide construction trade association serving the commercial construction industry. We’ve been around since 1928, and our members are the very large contractors. People would see downtown Atlanta with the tower cranes, but we also have family owned businesses, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters across the state representing the commercial industry. They’re the folks that build your schools, your churches, your hospitals, and some do nothing but public works. And some of them only build your grocery stores and your corner CVS pharmacy.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:28] So what’s your backstory? How’d you get into this line of work?

Mike Dunham: [00:01:31] I was just lucky. I actually had a job working for my university back in Louisiana, where I grew up and went to school and a placement service said, hey, we have an interview with this organization called AGC, and I almost didn’t go. And by luck, my boss at the time pushed me out the door. And I went in and I sat down and talked to three contractors, and they took a risk on a kid and gave him a job in 1981, running a small chapter in Louisiana. And I’ve been with the organization now 43 years, first in Louisiana, spent eight years there and then went down to Jacksonville for six. But I’ve been here in Georgia since 1995.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:10] Now, what are some of the benefits for the members to being a part of an association like AGC?

Mike Dunham: [00:02:15] Well, Lee, I try to make it simple for folks and tell them we’re here to help contractors be the best contractor they can be, and we’re also here to help build a better industry. So we do that in a lot of ways. Right now, everybody’s big issue is workforce. We need more people. So we spend a lot of time building a better industry and helping contractors by working in the area of workforce. Construction is a very regulated industry. All the governmental agencies have a permit, a fine dollar they have to extract from the construction industry. So we work very hard in our governmental affairs operation, representing the industry and contractors both at the Capitol and in every governmental agency that does that work. Safety is a big element of our industry. That’s very important and has been always. And then we do all the fun things. We know we have the golf tournaments and the barbecues and the and the conventions so that people can get to know each other and do business together.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:14] Now, you mentioned kind of some of the challenges regarding talent, how what are those challenges and how does your association help alleviate them?

Mike Dunham: [00:03:24] Well, we’re as a as a country. We’re just seeing a declining birth rates so there’s fewer people to work. So everybody’s in the challenge of looking for talent. And what we found many years ago is you can’t wait to a student gets in the ninth grade and say, have you thought about construction? So we’ve moved that, uh, initiative down as far as the second grade, fifth grade middle school. They introduce a career path for young people to see construction as a viable, uh, job opportunity. And we spent way too long saying, everyone has to go to college. Everyone needs to go to college. Well, it’s just not true. People can make a very good living being an electrician or a plumber or a mason, or working a, uh, as a carpenter. So we try to help young people know the industry, see the opportunities, we try to educate their parents and all those folks that influence a young person’s life. Um, we start bringing that attention. In addition, we’ve got three really good construction programs here, uh, in the state of Georgia Kennesaw State, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. So if a young person does want to go on to college and get a degree in construction management and go on to be a superintendent or project manager or even a company owner, uh, we have that opportunity. So our association and our membership work real hard supporting these high school programs and these university programs to show a career path.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:56] Um, I’m with you 100% in, uh, to give a young person kind of all the information so they can make their own judgment of what to do with their life and their career. Um, can you share maybe how the construction industry of today is different than it was maybe when you got started, you know, 30, 40 years ago?

Mike Dunham: [00:05:16] And that’s pretty easy. Uh, construction is a very technology based, uh, uh, industry. Um, when I started, everything was a hard bid process of turning a number. The low number got the job today. Construction is very dynamic. And how it market, the companies market themselves and how the the projects delivery systems have changed. And technology. Uh, I saw a gentleman do a roof take off using a slide rule. And today there’s not very many people that have ever even seen one, much less understand how they operate today. Computerization. We’ve got projects that don’t even have paper on the job. Everything’s off a tablet. And so communications is driven, uh, change. Technology’s driven change. Um, so, um, it’s it’s quite a dynamic, uh, industry. We’ve seen a lot of changes in actual just construction itself, modularization and components of delivery, where, uh, it’s, um, you know, done in, uh, uh, in a way so that it’s, uh, pre fabricated, which is really changed things up.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:28] Now is the, um, the person that is a, uh, in the construction industry today similar like, do they have to be big and strong? Is it kind of that stereotype of what a construction worker looks like in terms of size and strength, or is it because there’s so much technology involved? You don’t have to be the biggest and strongest person to be successful.

Mike Dunham: [00:06:51] Well, you’ve heard it, you know. Don’t work harder, work smarter. Uh, I industries learn to adapt and use the technology to help deliver the product. Uh, we are constantly encouraging young women to look at our industry as a career path. They can be very successful. In fact, a lot of people know that women tend to be more detail oriented. And in their roles, uh, uh, can fill a big need in our industry and our blueprint reading, uh, competition that we do annually around the state. Uh, most of the time women are very successful and win those things because they are so attention, uh, have so much attention to detail. So, yeah, I was one of those big guys, though, when it was a wheelbarrow to be pushed. I was your man.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:38] But it sounds like things are changing, that there is technology and help, and maybe with some robotics that can help a person, that you don’t have to be the biggest person anymore to go down this path. If you have an interest or a desire to learn about it, this might be a good career path for you. Even though you may not be the the biggest kid in the on the playground.

Mike Dunham: [00:07:57] Well, absolutely. We have a tool. It’s called youth Science that, uh, high school students have access to. And when they take the tool, it gives them an idea of what their interest, where their interest might lie and with their aptitudes. And what we’re finding through that youth science tool is that there’s a very large population of students that not only would have an interest in our industry, but would be very good at it based on their, their, uh, aptitude. So, um, it’s an exposure. Uh, they’ve not grown up into a family of construction or been around it. They may just have never thought about it. And that’s what our job is, is to introduce that opportunity. Yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:37] And I think that, um, people don’t really appreciate when you’re in the, in the construction industry, there is so much reward in the sense that at the end of the day or the end of the project, you can see what you’ve been working on and that it exists now and that lives on beyond you. Um, and, and you don’t get that kind of satisfaction in a lot of other industries or jobs.

Mike Dunham: [00:09:01] That’s true. That’s a true statement. I’m sure that everyone that worked on the Mercedes Benz Stadium, that goes to an event there, they probably don’t go to that, that venue or leave it without telling somebody, hey, I built this or look up in that ceiling. I put those bolts in. And every day you drive down the, uh, the road, you see projects that you can point to, and you can have this success of saying, you know, I built that, um, and this state’s got a lot going for it. You know, we’ve been recognized as the best place to do business between our port, our airport, the growth of our car plants and the businesses and industries that have been brought here, there’s just going to be a tremendous opportunity for anyone in the business for many years to come.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:46] So speaking of many years to come, what’s if you look in your crystal ball, are you bullish about what’s happening in Georgia regarding construction and some of the work being done and is continuing to being done?

Mike Dunham: [00:09:59] Well, it have to be careful because I’m extraordinarily optimistic on everything I do. And so when I look at Georgia, I just think it’s going to be the best place in the entire South to be it working. We just recently had a presentation on the expansion plans of our port. Uh, they’re they’re even working on, uh, shortening or, uh, lengthening the bridge so that it’s taller for more bigger ships to go under. Uh, the growth of our, uh, industries that we brought here, the economy, quality of life. Um, there’s, you know, it’s just going to be a really great place to live. And I think our school systems bode well for the future of our state. So the economy is very bright in Georgia.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:44] I think one of our, um, part of the secret sauce of Georgia is just the diversity of industries. We have so many different industries, uh, clustered here that if one industry is down, some some other industry is up, and there’s always something to do. I think that that’s really a competitive advantage for Georgia.

Mike Dunham: [00:11:03] You know, we lead uh, I think we’re third in the country on fortune 500 headquarters, New York City, Houston, because of the oil industry. And Atlanta, we have more fortune 500 headquarters here, excuse me than any place in the country. And so with that kind of leadership and people seeing that this is where they want to relocate their headquarters, we’ve certainly brought the, the, uh, movie industry here. And I think we’re the second largest behind California now with our movie industry, uh, the two big car plants, Rivian and Hyundai and the growth around that. Um, so it’s very encouraging for what we see, uh, in the way of attracting businesses and headquarters here. So, um. Exciting times.

Mike Dunham: [00:11:52] Yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:52] And then you couple that with the, you know, the airport and then the ports that you were saying is that we, we touch so many different industries and have so many needs from a job and career standpoint. It’s attracting people from all over the country because, you know, the quality of life here a lot of times is better here than it is elsewhere.

Mike Dunham: [00:12:14] I absolutely believe that’s true. Um, and so, um, uh, you know, if we have challenges, it’ll be keeping up with the growth potential. Uh, one of the issues, and you see it a lot discussed, uh, affordable housing, making sure that our, our communities grow in such a way that it’s it’s there for everyone. When a single plant can say, we got 8500 new jobs, it’s going to be a lot of demand for new housing around that. New housing means we’re going to have to have a new elementary school. It’ll it’ll be a demand for a new grocery store in that community. And you can see where this just all adds to construction. Every time I hear the word economic development, the first word you have to think about is construction. And that’s the reason we put so much emphasis in workforce development to keep up with that construction. We like to say that good workforce development makes for good economic development, and the two just go hand in hand.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:11] Well, tell us a little bit about winning chapter of the year. Um, congratulations number one. But, uh, what’s the secrets? What are some, uh, tips for the other people out there that are vying for it next year?

Mike Dunham: [00:13:25] You have to have a very engaged membership. Uh, we we’re very fortunate to have the kind of leadership at our chapter board of directors. We have the membership that takes advantage and engages with what we have to offer. Um, but that success really lies with having a great team. Uh, the staff here at AGC, Georgia is one of the best. Uh, besides myself, uh, there’s three other people that have been at the chapter for for 25, 27 and 30 something years apiece, plus myself at 30 something years or almost 30 years now. So there’s a lot of talent, a lot of energy. But the best ingredients there is passion. They enjoy what they do. They enjoy servicing and working with our members. So, um, it was a very strong year all the way around. And what we did with workforce and down at the Capitol and advocacy. So when AGC of America got to looking at the chapters that submitted for chapter of the year. Uh, we were very, very proud to be selected.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:26] So what do you need more of? How can we help?

Mike Dunham: [00:14:29] Oh, as in the nonprofit organization, like, uh, like we are, we always like to, uh, recruit new members. You know, we love to grow our organization. We love to bring new members in. We love to introduce them to our industry. Uh, so there’s that opportunity. Um, I tell everybody, all I need is another couple of million dollars and some more staff we take on the world. So you’re challenged by your limitations and budget and size to address issues. But I think we do a very, very good job of it. So we’re constantly saying if you’re interested in helping build a better company, if you want a stronger, uh, construction business or if you have an interest in making a better industry, AGC is where you need to be.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:16] So if somebody wanted to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team. What’s the website?

Mike Dunham: [00:15:23] It’s w w w a d c g a. Dot org.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:28] Well Mike, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Mike Dunham: [00:15:34] Glad to be here. Thank you very much.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:36] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’sOnPay-Dots payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Andrew Mills With CareTrack

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Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Andrew Mills With CareTrack
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Andrew Mills is the Co-Founder, President, and CEO of CareTrack. Among his responsibilities, he leads the company’s growth initiatives and guides strategic planning. He is committed to improving, expanding and growing the quality of care for patients nationwide.

Under his leadership, CareTrack has created an efficient, effective and patient-centric organization that benefits both the medical practice and the patient. He has 25 years of entrepreneurial experience, including multiple startups and sales and marketing business management roles.

Before founding CareTrack, he managed business units in the telecommunications, finance, software and healthcare industries. Additionally, he established the Sales Operations Department at Greenway Health and pioneered the Demand Generation Department.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn and follow CareTrack on Facebook and Twitter.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • The inception of CareTrack based on the founders’ vast experience in healthcare
  • Caring for patients amid the increase in the aging population – Remote care programs
  • Chronic Care Management, Remote Patient Monitoring, Principal Care Management, Annual Wellness Visit Coordination
  • Benefits of partnering with remote patient care organizations for physicians and practices
  • Benefits of remote care organizations for elderly patients with multiple chronic illnesses

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Andrew Mills. He is with Caretrack. Welcome, Andrew.

Andrew Mills: [00:00:43] Thanks, Lee. Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:45] Well, I’m so excited to learn about what you’re up to. Tell us about Caretrack. How are you serving folks?

Andrew Mills: [00:00:50] Cartrack is a health care company that concentrates on chronic illness treatment and prevention. We’re a company that started eight years ago in the Atlanta metro area, where tech enabled service. That’s technology, and we have a team of nurses that support chronically ill patients remotely to help them better stay on their care plan and stay healthy, and then identify for their physicians information about their health sooner than the physician would otherwise find out about it. So we follow patients between office visits is essentially what we do.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:28] So what was the genesis of the idea? How did this come about?

Andrew Mills: [00:01:32] Well, I worked for an electronic health record technology company in the Atlanta area, Greenway Health, and I recognized the opportunity to start a specific application to help patients with chronic illnesses. And it was centered around a government program that Medicare and CMS started for chronic illness treatment and prevention. So we started it in 2015 to support physicians, and we’ve been hard at it ever since.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:06] Now there’s quite a few chronic illnesses. How do you choose which one to kind of do you specialize in any one or is it kind of it doesn’t matter as long as it’s chronic. Then we have a system that can be put into place.

Andrew Mills: [00:02:19] Yeah. So that’s a great question. So we support 47 chronic illness treatment and prevention guidelines. The customers that we serve or the physicians practices. And we concentrate on primary care. So general family internal medicine medical practices. And they are really the quarterback of the health care system. And they have to deal with all types of chronic illness treatment. And so we really support that for those physicians. And we have the technology that’s able to build out treatment guidelines for those patients according to any disease that they have.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:01] And so then they can give their patients like a way more robust solution rather than anything they as individuals could do themselves.

Andrew Mills: [00:03:09] Yes, that’s right. We really have a physician shortage, especially in primary care. And the number of chronically ill patients are continuing to increase across our country and as the country ages. So a physician can’t be with a patient all the time. So we’re really their eyes and ears in between the office visit when they’re seeing the patient. So we help patients understand what they need to do to stay healthy per the plan of care that their physician has put together. And then we find out about information sooner than the physician would otherwise find out about it.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:50] Now, so does your solution include obviously, human beings that are interacting with the patients, but does it also, um, leverage technology because there’s a lot of devices now that provide a lot of information? 24 seven is that part of the solution as well?

Andrew Mills: [00:04:06] Yes it is. So we have technology that we deploy to patients. So we will send patients vital kits that include uh depending on their disease, uh, set uh glucometer weight scales, blood pressure devices, among others. Um, and they’re pre-configured. So when the patient receives it, they simply put the device on. And then it transmits information back to our team of nurses that is available to receive that information. And then if there’s anything outside of the norm, we transfer that information or notify their physician in real time. Um, and then we can see trends for those patients that, um. Can be reported back to their physician and the physician’s team.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:59] Now, is this something that the patients are embracing, or is this something they’re hesitant to stay compliant with a program like this? Because a lot of times people intellectually know, you know, even without your help, hey, it’s a good idea to keep track of certain things, but to actually do that over a period of time, the human being falls off for whatever reason. But by having a human like your team involved in technology, involved in kind of a way more frequently interacting, does that keep compliance at a higher level than if they were on their own?

Andrew Mills: [00:05:32] Uh, yeah, at a much higher level. So there’s a bit of art and science in the way that care track interacts with patients around patient motivation and keeping patients engaged with their care plan. Uh, once patients realize that they have somebody that is there looking out for them that is available 24 hours, seven days a week as care track is, uh, they find that really valuable because we interact with patients, uh, to make sure that they understand what the care plan is. And over time, they, they’ve come to really rely on a service that we provide, uh, mainly for ease of use, but also they really see the value in, uh, keeping better care of themselves.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:23] Now, can you share a story? Obviously don’t name the individual, but a situation where you were able to maybe intervene, uh, proactively rather than if they waited a month, three months, six months between office visits?

Andrew Mills: [00:06:38] Yeah. So it happens pretty regularly. Uh, uh, so a patient, in fact, a patient, uh, just the other day, uh, we’re taking, uh, blood pressure readings, um, over the overnight. So it’d be outside of regular office hours or business hours that. The reading of blood pressure was elevated. Um, the patient became short of breath, but we we notified we were notified of the abnormal reading, and our nurse reached out in the middle of the night to this patient. Uh, was able to reassure that patient, get them, get them reassured so they relaxed, continue to take readings until we realized that it was an abnormal reading, but it wasn’t life threatening. So we were able to to keep that patient, uh, safe and secure at their own home. We avoided what would typically be an emergency room visit because the patient was concerned, and we had them scheduled in the first thing the next day to see their physician to address the issue that had arisen. And that’s a pretty regular occurrence. So, uh, avoidance of unnecessary emergency room visits or hospitalizations is our goal. And as patients, uh, do the things that they need to do to keep care of themselves, we avoid unnecessary cost. And and the human tragedy of of escalated acute medical events.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:19] Now, is there any kind of unintended consequence from so many people nowadays having some sort of a device on their body, whether, you know, it’s their, uh, Apple Watch or a Fitbit or, or whoop, you know, where they’re capturing all this data, you know, way more data than a normal person can process and really even understand. Um, is there kind of any unintended consequence from a person being that intimate with this, um, when it comes to their health or like, can they really take action on any of the data that they’re collecting?

Andrew Mills: [00:08:59] Well, that is one of the advantages of using a company like Cartrack that has the technology to consume that level of information. So as you mentioned, as we’re. Able to gather this quantity of information, especially health care information. It’s it’s hard to we’ve, uh, sift through the mountain of information that comes in. That’s where our technology steps in to be able to identify trends, abnormalities, um, and be able to put that information in context and also react to it in real time so that it’s actually meaningful. Because if you gather information and you don’t do anything with it, you’re just, uh, compiling data. But making that data actionable is the real key. And where Caretrax steps in is we have a team of nurses that can take that information and apply standardized medical treatment and guidelines to respond to that information in real time. So that’s where medical practices, and particularly physicians find us really valuable, because we have the capacity and the economies of scale to get to that level of of manage that level of data and then put it in context and respond to it. Um, just because you’re gathering the information is is only one piece of the solution, uh, to make that information, uh, actionable.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:40] Right. And, and discerning between signal and noise. That’s what I don’t think a layperson really is up to the challenge of that. You know, seeing one, uh, you know, it could be an anomaly. You know, one, uh, signal that’s high or low or whatever that’s out of the norm. It might be nothing, but it could be something. And to have a team like yours kind of that can analyze and and discern that, I think is, I mean, that’s game changing for a person.

Andrew Mills: [00:11:10] Yeah. It has a significant impact. And we’re concentrated on Medicare, Medicare Advantage, uh, patients typically. So they’re typically older, um, on the age spectrum. But we have some funny stories of a grandkid putting a blood pressure cuff on a cat, for example. And, but but we have the capacity and the ability to respond to those abnormalities and confirm the validity of them. Uh, and that’s one of the advantages of, of our process. So those we can determine the, the validity of those abnormalities and, uh, identify them and respond to them accordingly.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:58] Now, is your ideal client, uh, this independent, um, medical practice, is it, uh, medical practices that are more maybe in remote areas that aren’t, you know, where there’s not a lot of them and then they don’t see their patients as frequently as if there were a lot of, uh, medical practitioners in a certain area, like where, you know, where is the priority of growth for your firm.

Andrew Mills: [00:12:23] Sure. So while patients in remote areas have their own, uh, particular concerns with access to care, uh, for example, there there are some counties in Alabama, for example, that don’t have a primary care physician available for patients. Uh, what we find is that an, uh, primary care physician, where they’re operating within a large medical facility or operating as an independent practice, the day to day duties, responsibilities, how they operate to treat patients is very similar. So the problem that we solve is allowing those physicians to stay in touch, uh, and with those patients that they want to keep an eye on. And so we make it very easy for physician where they work for, uh, a hospital or a larger network or even an independent medical practice to deploy our services to support their patients, you know, between office visits. So, like I said, we’re really the eyes and ears to bring, uh, clinical information that’s been curated and validated back to the physician to make it actionable. So we’re out of office care team that acts as an extension of a medical practice and that medical practice. It really doesn’t matter to us whether they’re an independent physician’s practice or working for a large medical group. However, we we found that, um, most of our practices right now are independent physician practices. Um, and that just has to do with, uh, those practices typically can make decisions. Is faster from a buying standpoint. So that’s really where we’ve been focused. But we’re starting to move into larger networks of, uh, larger physician networks and, and uh, health system sales.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:25] So if somebody wanted to learn more, have a more substantive conversation with you or somebody on the team, where should they go?

Andrew Mills: [00:14:31] They should go to cartrack. Com. Uh, and we, uh, we’re on Twitter and, uh, LinkedIn and Facebook, but Cartrack. Com can, you can get a breakdown of our services and get in touch with us for further information.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:49] Well, Andrew, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Andrew Mills: [00:14:55] Thanks, Lee, I appreciate it. Thanks. Thanks for what you do.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:57] All right. This Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

About Our Sponsor

OnPay’sOnPay-Dots payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.

Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.

Follow OnPay on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

Jay Bailey With Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

by

Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Jay Bailey With Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs
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James “Jay” M. Bailey,  President & CEO, H.J. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs. He is a dynamic force dedicated to his unwavering motto, “Build As We Climb.” With a transformative vision, he embodies the essence of a change agent, thought leader, entrepreneur, and emerging philanthropist, channeling his life’s mission towards uplifting others.

As President and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, he leads the world’s largest entrepreneurial hub dedicated to empowering Black businesses. In just four years, under James’s visionary leadership, RICE has grown to support over 360 entrepreneurs full time, these companies generate an impressive $114 million in annual revenues, sustain 1,400 jobs in the community, and have produced a staggering $450 million dollars of new economic impact in the Metro Atlanta area.

James and his team have transformed RICE into an economic empowerment and innovation powerhouse, rooted in creating Access, Opportunity, Exposure, and most importantly – Belonging. An Atlanta native and die-hard Georgia Bulldog, James has a track record of success. His exceptional leadership and commitment to the community have been recognized by three U.S. Presidents.

In 2012, he was one of eight Americans honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change: Following in the Footsteps of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”. In 2016, President Barack Obama bestowed upon him the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his dedicated volunteer service. Jay is a dedicated member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, embodying the motto “Service Above Self”, his extensive board service includes roles on the Georgia Chamber and Metro Atlanta Chamber Board of Directors.

Focused on education, he serves as an Agnes Scott College Trustee, the University of Georgia Board of Visitors, on the Atlanta Speech School Board of Directors, and the Executive Board of the Veritas School of Social Sciences. Nationally recognized as a prominent landowner, he serves as a Trustee for the Georgia Forestry Foundation, and founded the Black Land Institute, while in his role as founding Chairman of Citizens Trust Bank’s Next Generation Advisory Board.

An alumnus of Leadership Georgia, Leadership Atlanta, and the Regional Leadership Institute, James has been honored with the prestigious Whitney M. Young National Community Service Medallion, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major for Service Award, the Maynard Jackson Community Impact Award, recipient of the Startup Atlanta Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Bernie Marcus Downtown Economic Impact Award.

He is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha, and the 100 Black Men of Atlanta. Currently residing in East Atlanta, he shares his life’s journey with his wife, NBC News correspondent, Blayne Alexander, and their cherished daughter, Sage.

Connect with Jay on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • About Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Jay Bailey. He’s president and CEO at Russell Innovation Center for entrepreneurs. Welcome, Jay.

Jay Bailey: [00:00:45] Hey, Lee. Good to be here, brother, on this beautiful, uh, man, I don’t even know what day of the week it is.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:50] It’s it’s it’s a cold winter day.

Jay Bailey: [00:00:53] No doubt. Good to be here, bro.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:54] Well, for the folks who aren’t familiar, can you share a little bit about Russell? How you serving folks?

Jay Bailey: [00:01:00] So, you know, it’s we’re a bit of a nonprofit unicorn story. Just four years ago, we we sat at a zero budget as a real startup, nonprofit organization with a gutted out building. But we are the largest center in the world dedicated to growing, scaling, and developing black businesses in honor of one of the greatest entrepreneurs Atlanta has ever produced, the great Herman J. Russell Senior, we service or serve about 360 entrepreneurs full time that are enrolled in our continuum of learning we call big ideas. We touch about 10,000 annually through our network, and over the past two and a half years, our entrepreneurs have contributed over $450 million of new economic value to the metro Atlanta region. But we’re just getting started. And that’s the exciting part about what we’re doing now.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:45] One of the things I was at your website, and one of the things that I thought was very impactful, and I’m sure this was done in a very mindful manner, but in order to kind of be part of rice, you say become a stakeholder. Why was it important for you to use that language?

Jay Bailey: [00:02:03] Um, I think that we lose GDP every year because the brilliant ideas that reside on the south side of the tracks of every city in America, and especially Atlanta, never reached the marketplaces. They don’t believe they belong. Our goal was to create a space of deep belonging for the entrepreneurs we support. So more than just a cohort, more than just a member, more than just any other name, we wanted to choose a name for the people that we serve that made them undergird self esteem, self confidence, belief, but most of all belonging as a stakeholder. They are a part of the magic that we’re creating and we don’t graduate people out. So therefore they’re a part of a continuous community, collaborative community. And so the name indicates the very intentional approach that we take towards here. You belong here. Your ideas matter here. Everything is possible here. You can show up as your authentic self because you are a stakeholder.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:59] Now when you’re using the words entrepreneur, are you only dealing with kind of like tech entrepreneurs? Is it any business? Is it industry agnostic? How are you kind of defining the terms of, you know, this business owner?

Jay Bailey: [00:03:15] Industry agnostic. I think that that we have a couple of verticals that we’ll get and continue to grow, that I think will be very powerful, uh, to get specific. But we are we’re not a tech incubator or a tech accelerator. I think traditionally many of the main street businesses that have grown up out of nothing out of Atlanta are charging forward. Our corporate clientele. I mean, chick fil A was not a tech business, neither was UPS. But there was a small businesses that grew and have scale and now have thousands upon thousands of employees. How can we help that business that will stay in a community, create jobs in that community, stabilize that community, and bring hope to that community? And oftentimes when we’re talking about business empowerment or business support, those businesses get left out. And but it does not say that we can’t also help tech companies. And I think that the ecosystem that we’ve created partnered with companies and organizations like ATV and Atdc, the technologists of color, uh, we have support systems for tech entrepreneurs as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:14] Now, um, what type of entrepreneur can get involved at Russell? Are they can they just have an idea? Can they be an aspiring entrepreneur? Or somebody maybe is frustrated at their job and wants a way out, or do they have to kind of have a semi baked, uh, ongoing entity.

Jay Bailey: [00:04:31] You know, at the very genesis of what we wanted to become, that was the story. How could we support that very person that you articulated that was frustrated at the job? They had an idea but just didn’t know how to start. But also on that very same campus, in that same ecosystem, how can we have a company that’s doing 30 million in revenue and is trying to get to 50 or 100? Uh, we stole the HBCU model, historically black colleges and universities where, yes, I could have a lowly freshman that knows nothing. But on that very same campus, I got a PhD student who may go on to lead research that changes the world, but they’re all in the same campus and they feed one another. Uh, it’s the same model that we have. And with our big ideas platform, inspire, develop, execute, accelerate scale based on what you’ve done, where you are in your journey as an entrepreneur or a business owner, we’re able to place you in an appropriate stage that allows you to grow at a pace that also gives credit to the work that you put in, or the work that you must do to go forward.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:30] Now, I think, uh, do you think that Atlanta is kind of uniquely qualified to have a center like yours, uh, because of the diverse diversity? First number one, uh, in the city, but also the diversity of the economy. This isn’t like a one industry town. There’s a lot of different industries here. So a person could scale quickly. They could, you know, partner with an enterprise level organization in a variety of industries. Um, do you think that Atlanta is kind of built for this?

Jay Bailey: [00:06:04] Well, make no mistake, I think that Atlanta has the opportunity to be the most consequential city of the next 100 years. We have the colleges, we’ve got the corporations, uh, we’ve got the community. We’ve got the culture. And Atlanta’s a pretty cool city. And so now Atlanta has more black enrolled college students than any other city in the planet. But I also love our city enough to be honest with it. We’re still the worst city in the country when it comes to income inequality. We’re the worst city in the country when it comes to economic mobility. And if we’re afraid to have a conversation about race, we’re being intellectually disingenuous in our approach to try to move the needle. Uh, when you start talking about revenue generation, job creation, wealth and economics in this city, it skews towards the north side of the city. Um, if we empower that south side of I-20, uh, where black neighborhoods are, where black thinkers and ideators are, where black businesses reside, to grow from that one employee to five, that five employees to 20, that 20 to 50, that 50 to 100. It works for everybody. I think that with a city like Atlanta, whose population teeters between 48 to 52% black, but we only contribute to about 8% of the economic growth if we actually multiply that number. If we go from 8 to 15%, you start to see Atlanta fully realize its potential. And that’s why we’re here.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:26] So what do you need more of? How can we help you? Do you need more entrepreneurs that raise their hand and say, I want to become a stakeholder at Russell? Um, do you need more corporate involvement? Uh, what do you need?

Jay Bailey: [00:07:37] You know, we’re a new organization. We’ve had a lot of wins. You know, we have a 486 person waiting list currently, and we’re growing to the speed of making sure we have smart growth goals. We’ll be bringing on another 150 to 200 entrepreneurs, uh, in Q1 of next year. But it shows like this to get the word out about what we’re doing. We’ve not been doing this all that long. If you discount the time during the global pandemic where we were just reimagining who we could even be or what the world may look like at the back end of it, um, you know, if you counted all, all love, we’ve been doing it for about 26 to 28 months, but we’ve been able to have some tremendous successes in that time. And from getting the word about out about who we are and what we do, um, to talk to other corporations that may want to get involved, uh, we continue to have needed resources in a lot of areas, but I can tell you that our momentum has been incredible in these past three years.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:34] But if you have such a large waiting list, what more could we do to help you scale faster?

Jay Bailey: [00:08:40] Well, I think scaling faster isn’t always the answer. Um, I think building a program that is sustainable is probably the goal. And, you know, certainly we could open our doors to everybody, but we we have the infrastructure to actually support them the way that they needed to be supported, to have the touches needed to actually help a business truly grow. Uh, and I think that’s part of our methodology. And looking at how can we make sure that the entrepreneurs that entrust us with their hopes, dreams and aspirations, we’re able to connect them to the resources, the access, the opportunities necessary for them to meet their growth goals. So, you know, our goal is to get to 1000 entrepreneurs, and we’re going to get there. Lee. But I think part of any new business, you know, growing smart is probably the key, not just fast.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:26] Now, what more could we be doing north of I-20 if we were a business leader? What more can we be doing to help you Pierce intentionality.

Jay Bailey: [00:09:36] Um, our organization spends more with black businesses than most fortune 1000. Um, you know, every organization that you know or could name has an annual spend. Every organization that you know, or that you could name has a board of directors. Uh, all of these things around, when you look at your balance sheet and I’m not just talking about dollars, how much of that pie is, is leveraged with businesses that exist that may not look like your typical business? I think that, you know, if you come to the Russell Center, everything from the watch I’m wearing, the shirt I’m wearing, uh, the water I’m drinking, the chips that I’m eating, the low voltage, the AV, uh, the architect, the general contractor, all the customary, uh, stakeholders that we support. Um, I think that businesses grow not just by raising money, but the customers that they have. How and in what way are organizations north of I-20 being intentional with their dollar, where they spend? How do they look outside their typical network to support? And oftentimes this is not charity work. This is not this is not some paternalistic let’s help the folks on the South side know their businesses that are ready for opportunities at the next level, enterprise level opportunities. But because they’re not a part of certain networks, they never get those opportunities. I think the only difference between Bankhead and Buckhead is access, opportunity and exposure. That’s what folks north of I-20 can help with, and I never want to see it as, uh, we have to help black businesses. No, no, we have to look at what was best for Atlanta’s economy. And by looking at an ecosystem that is, it has some level of equity and some level of intentionality to write, write, raise all boats. I think we all win.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:20] Yeah. And I think we have to move from I have to to I want to. Um, and if I want to support black owned businesses is Russell helped me identify then help me vet support.

Jay Bailey: [00:11:34] 360 of them. And we have about 10,000 in our network. And you know it has to go one more step. Be beyond just I want to, I need to. You can’t show me one balance sheet in Atlanta that without black consumers that could exist in this marketplace, that it could exist for another six months, be it Coca-Cola, be it Home Depot, be it chick fil A, uh, the sheer numbers and the data support. The black dollars actually drive the economy in the metro Atlanta region. And so it only makes sense. And this is not about an emotional plea. I’m looking at it like an economist would, that there’s the opportunity to actually move our city forward economically, if we’re a little bit more intentional about how we look at going forward together.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:23] Now, if I am a business owner and I want to get involved, or I want to get on that wait list, uh, how do I go about doing that? And is is there anything for me while I wait to get into the building to get the education I need? There are two.

Jay Bailey: [00:12:38] Ways. So we host an info session twice a year that you must attend to be eligible to apply. We don’t do rankings as far as we take the ten best companies, the 20 best companies. We select companies based on our ability to serve them. Um, but also one of the things that we’re employing next year is a team of technical assistance managers that even if we’re not able to take you on as a full time stakeholder, you’ll still have access to resources that can help you grow your business. So folks that you can ask questions, folks that have access to support networks, or just someone to give you some strategic ways forward, uh, those will be available to anybody that comes, uh, and some digital products that we’re going to unleash in 2024 that will expand our reach even far beyond our walls.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:24] And then if I’m one of those businesses north of I-20 and I want to get involved, maybe mentor, maybe support, maybe buy from some of the businesses you mentioned, what’s the best way to do that?

Jay Bailey: [00:13:36] You know, just reach out to us info at Russell Center org. Um, you know, follow us on LinkedIn. Follow me on LinkedIn. Ask the question and connecting that way. And if there’s interest to get involved in any of the ways that you name. Uh, it’s just about like everything else about building relationships. And that same dynamic exists if companies on the South want to get involved with companies on the north side of the tracks. Our mission was never to build a moat around the building, to say no people were. People were excluded. Our real goal is to look at building an infrastructure that allowed us to build bridges to networks and access that some businesses on the South Side never would have without that bridge, without that institution to support their growth. And so yeah, man, the same thing applies to how businesses on the South reach businesses in the North. It’s it’s the willingness to reach out, uh, and the intentionality to see how we could go and do about do business in a different way.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:32] And if somebody wants to learn more about the Russell Center, what’s a website?

Jay Bailey: [00:14:36] Yeah. Russell center.org. Russell center.org.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:41] Well Jay thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Jay Bailey: [00:14:46] Only.

Jay Bailey: [00:14:46] I certainly appreciate the time my friend.

Jay Bailey: [00:14:48] Thank you. All right.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:49] This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

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Nic Yeomans With Yeomans Consulting Group, Inc

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Atlanta Business Radio
Atlanta Business Radio
Nic Yeomans With Yeomans Consulting Group, Inc
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Nicholas “Nic” Yeomans is President of Yeomans Consulting Group, Inc., a registered investment advisor (RIA) based in Marietta, Georgia serving pre-retirees, retirees, family businesses, and professional real estate investors with tax, estate, and retirement planning services. He also serves as the Chief Executive Offer and Chief Compliance Officer of the firm.

During his more than 20 years in the financial industry, he has been driven by a calling to serve his community and uplift others as they work together to make a generational impact. As someone who considers himself a “retirement coach,” he sees financial planning as another form of ministry and mentorship. What he loves most about his role is the ability to provide guidance to clients seeking lasting financial security by finding opportunities to build financial legacies that benefit them for years to come.

He brings a unique, first-hand perspective to succession planning and all that comes with it as he continues to work alongside his father, Randy Yeomans, CFS,CEP®, BCAA, BCM. Randy always dreamed of having his son join the family business. But after a career in media, he made the decision to join his father and carry on his legacy. Now, Yeomans uses the lessons learned from his father and his own succession experience to guide business-owner clients as they navigate the same process.

Throughout his career, Yeomans has achieved various designations and been involved with several organizations, including a former role as the VP of Marietta Business Association, and member of The Academy of Preferred Financial Advisors. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIALPLANNER™ practitioner, he is part of an elite group of advisors who have completed the necessary training and requirements to hold the CFP® designation, and is a fiduciary committed to complying with the designation’s continuing education and ethics standards.

Connect with Nic on LinkedIn and follow Yeomans Consulting Group, Inc. on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

  • What does it look like to own a 100-year old company
  • About Yeomans Consulting Group and who they serve
  • Why he prefer the term “retirement coach” over “financial advisor”

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio. Brought to you by On pay. Atlanta’s new standard in payroll. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:25] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Onpay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Atlanta Business Radio, we have Nick Yeomans. He is the president of Yeomans Consulting Group. Welcome, Nick.

Nic Yeomans: [00:00:45] Hi. Thanks so much for having me, Lee. Glad to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:47] I am excited to learn what you’re up to before we get too far into things. Tell us about Yeomans Consulting Group. How you serving folks?

Nic Yeomans: [00:00:54] Yeah, yeah, so we have a family business. My dad started in October 1983. He came into the business to start his career in financial services. And what we do is we help coach and advise people who are pre-retirement to retirement age making really important decisions. And we have a niche where we also serve family businesses and professional real estate investors. So in context, we help them make decisions around taxation, estate planning, succession planning and portfolio management and how you tie it all together. And it’s an incredible firm, and I have the best team I’ve had in over 20 years. It’s awesome.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:40] Now, what’s your backstory? Is this something you always dreamed of when you were younger to get involved in this firm, or was this did you take some turns?

Nic Yeomans: [00:01:48] Oh, Lee, I think God has a sense of humor. Uh, growing up in the family business, uh, you know, I really didn’t see myself being a part of this. As a matter of fact, when I was getting ready to go to college, my dad said, son, what do you think you want to do? And I said, no offense, dad, but not this. Anything but this, you know, he said, that’s fine, that’s fine. What do you want to do? And I said, you know, dad, uh, I want to be a disc jockey. I want to be on radio. And he said, good luck with that, son. And, uh, so I went away to school for, uh, broadcast journalism and fell in love shortly after with public relations and advertising and, uh, was running, uh, marketing campaigns for a financial planner in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And, uh, I had what I could only describe as a God moment where I’m sitting in the office one day and, uh, a friend of mine, the owner of that practice, uh, was walking a new, uh, widow. She was newly widowed, uh, and they had just met for the first time since her husband had passed. And she looks at my friend, the financial planner, and says, you know, looks at him and she’s crying and said, I just couldn’t do it without you. And she squeezes him and she looks at me and says, I don’t really know what you do, but I know I can’t do it without you either. And she leaves. Well, for the first time in my entire life, I have a sleepless night. I go into the office the next morning, and, uh, here she comes shortly after me. She had been baking all night. She had brought in a couple of pies, cookies and all these things and said, I couldn’t think of any other way to really say thank you. And I knew immediately what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. So that’s that’s my back story as to how I actually got back into the business. But, uh, yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:40] So what? Why do you think it took that, um, moment to kind of have you, uh, reset your priorities and, and what you saw, you know, I guess your mission in life now.

Nic Yeomans: [00:03:54] Uh, you know, um, I’m wired as a helper and a pleaser. I like to help people. It’s, uh. You know, that is my ultimate calling is to be a help. And it just so happens that personal finance happens to be an area where so many people need help. They don’t, you know, especially in the middle class. I mean, if you are Uber, Uber, Uber wealthy, you probably have somebody like me in your life. Uh, but if you’re like that middle class millionaire, the millionaire next door kind of person, first generation, have anything? Um, you probably don’t have somebody like what we do. And so to be able to be a help to those people, uh, that that it just feels so, so rewarding and fulfilling for me, you know, to match, you know, your, your purpose, you know, the qualitative part of your life and the quantitative part of your life and have them work together. I mean, for me, there is nothing better than that. Um, you know, and to be able to work with my father, I mean, that’s just a bonus. I mean, uh, to be a part of a family business where we’ve had different, uh, family members over the years be a part of our practice that also has been really, really rewarding. So, uh, and I think that’s probably why we feel, uh, so led to helping family businesses today.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:17] Now, um, what are what are those people like? You mentioned these millionaire next door, the people that are just grinding every day, and then all of a sudden they look up and they’re like, wow, I have a significant amount of money here. What are they doing if they’re not working with, uh, financial advisor or, um, a wealth management person?

Nic Yeomans: [00:05:37] Yeah. So, you know, many times, you know, they’re so busy in the grind, uh, it’s hard for them to take, you know, a second and look up, um, you know, their to to pause and to realize you got to stop swinging your ax. It’s time to sharpen the ax. Sometimes there’s a triggering moment that occurs that, you know, causes somebody to say, you know what? I probably should go talk to somebody or, you know, uh, like some of our clients have literally started their businesses in their basement and they look up and now they have a couple of warehouses, and now they have, you know, they’re they’re employing 100 people, you know, and they’re looking at their payroll and they realize their payroll is, you know, 500 times what their best, you know, income was 15 years ago. You know, it’s like they have that aha moment of, um hmm. I need to talk to someone. And sometimes it’s their tax bill, to be quite honest with you. It’s they’re they’re taking a look at their taxes and they, they have this kind of aha. Like there’s got to be something else I could do to alleviate this pain. I love my uncle but I don’t love them that much. Right. So you’ve got some of those moments. And then finally, uh, you have the business owner that he, uh, has built something, and it’s been really, really wonderful. But, you know, he’s tired. Maybe, you know, he doesn’t know either what his next calling is or the next thing he’s going to do, but he knows there’s got to be something next and he doesn’t know how to wind it down, find a successor, position the business for his next chapter, his next phase. And so they’re looking for advice around those things. So typically there is a trigger that occurs. And then they set out to find somebody perhaps like us.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:29] Now are these people are they trying to do it themselves do you think or are they just kind of just doing their job working? And all of a sudden they they realized, hey, I have certain things that are maybe outside of my scope because there are so many kind of do it yourself ways to handle a lot of, you know, what a financial advisor or a wealth management person does.

Nic Yeomans: [00:07:54] Yeah.

Nic Yeomans: [00:07:55] Well, I think that I think there’s two things there. I mean, there’s there’s a lot of nuance. But, uh, first off, I mean, the people we work with are really smart people. It’s not that they can’t do that themselves, but is that in line with their passion, their purpose, or are they best suited to try to understand all the tax rules and the estate planning, you know, documents that they need to put in place and, and how to best arrange a portfolio. Like, is that the best use of their time? You see, most successful business owners that we work with, they understand the value of time, and most of them choose to delegate to competent people that they bring on because they want a collaborative approach. They want to work with someone who gets them, who understands their mission, understands what their complexities are in life, and like, so if I know you, I really, really know you. Then we can tailor and custom, you know, make a plan that is suited towards your needs, but it’s also looking out for your best interest. It’s trying to help you avoid your dangers, your landmines, looking for your opportunities, your strengths. So I think most people, they reach a level of success where they’re looking for that partner that’s going to work with them.

Nic Yeomans: [00:09:08] But you know, I hate the Terme, you know, financial advisor and and wealth management and, you know, financial planner and and you know these there’s so many like fiduciaries the new key word of the day. The reality is the general public has no, no idea what the difference is between all of these people. And I don’t think it’s the general public’s fault. I think it’s our profession’s fault. I think we’ve done a really lousy job of educating people, the general consumer, as to what the difference is between all of these different people. I mean, to everyone assumes already that you should be a fiduciary. However, we’ve got so much legislation today that says you’re operating as a fiduciary and you need to disclose that to a client. Well, I don’t think a client goes into a financial person’s office thinking that they’re going to just, you know, steal from them and give them really, really bad advice, or else they probably won’t go into that office. But now I’m disclosing that I’m a fiduciary in 13 different ways. But what is a fiduciary. Right. And what is a financial advisor today from Edward Jones to Merrill Lynch to, you know, the independent registered investment advisory firm. I mean, there’s so many different companies and the public has a really, really hard time telling the difference between all these different companies.

Nic Yeomans: [00:10:28] And there’s wonderful people at all these companies doing really, really, you know, solid, valid work. But we as a firm chose to go a different path. We try to actually create almost like a moniker of more of who we are. And so we call ourselves your retirement coach. You know, we’ve done a lot of studying. And, you know, people generally don’t like being told what to do. However, most people can look back to a time in their life where they can look back and see a coach that might have made a difference in their life. You see, a coach comes up with a game plan and a strategy to help you win. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re helping people as your retirement coach retire from the things that you don’t want to do that’s keeping you from your your purpose, your calling, your mission, helping you eliminate those things, retire from those things so that you’ve got a clear view and you’ve got a plan to move forward to really do the things that you love and you care about and that call you cause you fulfillment. So that’s why we call ourselves your retirement coach.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:34] So now what does a coaching engagement look like? So say I am a which I am, I’m a business owner. I’m towards the, uh, the back nine of my career, and, um, I haven’t done much, but I realized, hey, maybe I should start thinking about these things. I hear you speak. You’re very passionate, very intelligent. I say, okay, Nick, let’s have a call. Um, tell me what it would be like working with you. You know, give me the first 30, 90, you know, 365 days of an engagement with your firm.

Nic Yeomans: [00:12:12] Sure, sure. Um, you know, I know this is going to sound a little weird, but, um, we start with, uh, do you remember the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People? Sure. You know, so I love that book. It’s an oldie but a goodie, and I think it should be revisited. We actually do team trainings around that book and, uh, you know, written by in the back in the 90s, but it’s so good. Well, one of my favorite habits is the fifth habit. And the fifth habit is seek first to understand, then to be understood. So, you know, not to be cheesy, but the reality is we have a consultation together for an hour generally, and I give you a list of things that you can bring in to talk about. Could be employment agreements, buy sell agreements, could be your estate planning document, tax return, etc. and we just have a general conversation where I’m trying to really understand. Lee, you know what drives Lee? What keeps Lee up at night? What are the things that really, really, you know, is maybe a big opportunity for Lee? Or maybe there’s something in your tax return where I found a aha! You know, Lee, if you just change these two things, it might save you $10,000 this coming year, you know? So we kind of had this back and forth dialog in our first meeting of one, me really trying to understand Lee and then setting out a game plan like Lee, if we were to engage, this is the scope of work.

Nic Yeomans: [00:13:36] And, you know, we believe that everything affects everything else. So your portfolio, retirement accounts, I mean beneficiary designations, titling of assets. So from real estate to your bank account like all of these things matter and they all can potentially impact your taxes, good or bad. They can impact your estate planning. I mean, the reality is nine out of ten estate plans I review they’ll fail. They will not work the way that clients think they will work. It’s it’s, you know, the real numbers ten out of ten. But that’s hard for people to believe. But I’ve never met anybody in 20 years that had estate planning documents that they fully understood how they worked and, uh, they, they end up with either they think they have a springing power of attorney, and I review it and find out it’s an immediate power of attorney. Well, that’s not what they wanted, you know. And you look back, their biggest assets are retirement accounts like 401 and IRAs. And you look at the beneficiaries and they all say one thing, you know, you’ve got one tiny line to write out what you want with your biggest asset. And then you look at the will and the trust and it says something completely different.

Nic Yeomans: [00:14:48] So we really need to understand. So instead of doing a financial plan, I, you know, and I know this is going to sound hypocritical, I’m a certified financial planner that doesn’t believe in financial plans. Okay. So here’s been my experience with financial plans. We put together, you know, 150 pages, really nice paper, leather bound book looks great. I’ve got all the supporting evidence for all the recommendations. I give it to you, you pay your fee. And here’s what happens. Lee, you take it home, it goes on a bookshelf, or it goes in a safe and you don’t do anything with it. I feel like I did you a disservice. So instead, what we’ve chosen to do as a firm is put together a financial action checklist. It’s basically your personal playbook, and it’s to 2 to 3 pages in various financial topics that matter to you. Here’s where the customization comes in. So tax planning, estate planning, retirement planning legacy planning and charity. Um it could be debt management uh risk management etc.. So again tailor made to you business succession. What that looks like. Here’s what we understood. Here’s what we found. Here’s the recommendation. Here’s how you implement it. And it’s a checklist. And so then Lee, we have a follow up meeting that says with you, me, your business partner, uh, your bride, if you’re married and we’re sitting down and we say, here’s the found findings, here’s the triage, we put it in order of either biggest opportunity or biggest danger.

Nic Yeomans: [00:16:31] And we have, again, a collaborative meeting that says, hey, here’s everything. Now, you might look at it and say, Nick, I understand why you put number one up front, but number three is really the one that keeps me up at night. That’s the one that is my biggest pain point greatly. No problem. This is your stuff. We move number three to number one. And then if we agree that this is the order of things that we want to tackle, then we walk hand in hand with you. We help you check off all those boxes, and that will generally take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to get through it. You know, we’d rather do things right than fast, but, you know, it generally gives us enough time and you enough time to both. You know, you’ve got to live your life and run your business. And at the same time, we’ve got a lot of homework behind the scenes that we’re doing to help you get everything done. So that’s a general scope. Once we get everything checked off of that list, then we go into maintenance, where we’re meeting routinely 2 to 3 times a year.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:30] So then what’s happening during those meetings? So once I have the plan in place and it’s being executed, obviously life is not static. It’s dynamic. Things change all the time. Is this where we’re reevaluating to make sure the needs that I thought I had six months ago are still my needs for today.

Nic Yeomans: [00:17:50] Yeah. So good question. Um, yeah. So one, we’re going to have regular meetings on uh, some topics that just stay on our agenda. So we build an agenda specifically for in this example, Li and so on that agenda. There’s going to be some studies on there. So you know, as an example, if somebody was wanting to exit their business in let’s say three years, then there’s going to be some nuances that we need to understand about. Either they’ve already found a buyer. It’s going to be an internal transition, you know, whatever it is. So that’s the kind of thing that’s going to stay on the agenda that we’re always talking about. You know, the second thing is going to be at least one meeting a year. We’re going to have a tax focused meeting. And here’s what we know. Taxes are a matter of fact. Investments are a matter of opinion. Everyone’s got a shinier whistle when it comes to investments. However when it comes to taxes, taxes are taxes. And so what we want to make sure that, you know, someone like Li has is a dynamic tax plan that understands what are the rules of today, and how does someone like Li take advantage of those. Then we’ve got, you know, a meeting that’s generally more focused on estate planning or the business itself that is, you know, here’s, you know, we start a new 401 K, did we title our beneficiaries correctly? Uh, you know, I’ve got a new grandchild. Should I set up a 529 plan, etc.. So we have a static built agenda that is built towards Li, but we have a few things that stay on there because we know they’re going to be important each and every year.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:31] Now, um, are you replacing my current team of trusted advisors? Do I now get rid of my CPA? Do I get rid of, uh, my financial advisor? Do I get rid of, you know, the parts of my team might be my attorney. Is this something your firm handles all of this holistically, or are you helping me navigate all of these people? And if so, are you the quarterback of this new team?

Nic Yeomans: [00:19:58] Yeah. No. Great.

Nic Yeomans: [00:20:00] Great question. You’re full of great questions, Lee. So, uh, you know, really what we’re doing is we’re coming alongside you as the coach. You are the quarterback. So you’re the hero. We’re we’re we’re the guide. Okay? So everything is about you, and our focus is 100% on you. And so what we found is most people might have a few pieces of a team that could be a trusted advisor. But many times the folks that we’re working with, they might have a really good CPA relationship as an example, but they might not have the other parts. So, um, an example might be, um, maybe you’ve worked with an attorney in the past, but you don’t have, uh, a good relationship with an estate planning attorney. You, your cousins, uncles, nephew, know somebody at church, right. And they could do your will. Uh, so that’s not what we’re doing. We’re. What we’re going to do is we’re going to evaluate the relationships you already have in place. We’re going to communicate with them, and we’re going to make sure that everybody’s talking together. Right. Because that’s really how Lee wins. When the financial person talks to the tax person, and the tax person talks to the legal person, the legal person talks to the insurance person, and everybody’s talking together with one common thing in place, which is what gets lead the best result. That’s what we do. We we collaborate and bring all those professionals together. Now we do have a portfolio management arm to our firm. We are set up as a registered investment advisory firm. So for most of our clients we become their ongoing, uh, investment manager. Uh, but really what we’re doing is we’re looking for the holes in your life where you’re not getting competent advice, and we’re helping you fill those holes and having everybody talk on your behalf.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:57] Now, you mentioned that, um, family owned businesses are kind of a niche for you. Um, is that because you have a family owned business and you kind of understand the pains of that? Or is it just because, you know, that’s where a lot of people with a lot of wealth and challenges live?

Nic Yeomans: [00:22:15] Yeah.

Nic Yeomans: [00:22:16] Yeah. So, um. I have a heart for family businesses because I want to see them win. Uh, growing up in one, um, we have had a lot of coaches over the years, and we’ve been very fortunate to, uh, navigate some gaps that a lot of family businesses have struggled with. And so I think my passion within the family business is just this understanding that most family businesses now, depending on what studies you read, you can easily Google this. Some say 50% of businesses fail going to the second generation. Other statistics say 70% of businesses fail going to second generation. That’s huge. And it doesn’t have to be that way. It doesn’t have to be that way. Um, you know, and then there’s other statistics. Again, the almighty Google at your fingertips. You can look this up. Over 90% of businesses fail going to third generation. That’s unbelievable. Unbelievable. And I think there’s two huge things that people can do as business owners, especially if you’re the head of the business that you could do to help set up your family for success, especially in the context of your business. Number one, having a communication policy with the next gen, that’s huge. That is so, so underrated and yet so important. Number two is setting the right expectations. You know, that is one thing my father did extremely effectively when I first came to work.

Nic Yeomans: [00:23:55] When, you know, after I had that experience with the financial planner in Chattanooga, I said, you know, call up dad. And I say, hey, I think I want to do this for the rest of my life. So he was going to a conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. He says, why don’t you come with me and we’ll talk. So he and I are talking. And he said, look, in order for this to work, you and I have to be on the same page. He and I are both very type A, very driven people. And, uh, but he was my wrestling coach when I was younger, and I had to look at him like my wrestling coach. Like my coach. My coach is looking out for me and he is trying to coach me to win the match. Okay. So if he if he’s got my best interest in mind, I’ve got to submit and listen to the coach. So that’s what I was able to do. I was able to have that mindset. But he said this and this was powerful. He said, I’m going to pay you what you’re worth. And you’re not worth a whole lot right now. Great expectation.

Nic Yeomans: [00:24:54] Right? Yeah.

Nic Yeomans: [00:24:55] And I said, you know, I’m like.

Lee Kantor: [00:24:57] Probably not what you wanted to hear.

Nic Yeomans: [00:24:59] Well, I didn’t even know what that meant. And he said, you know, I’m going to pay you just above poverty. Okay. And he gave me a list of things he wanted me to do. He gave me a checklist of books he wanted me to read. He gave me a list of certifications. He wanted me to achieve, licensing he wanted me to get, etc. he gave me. Like, I don’t remember if the list was 30 things or 50 things, but I had to check off each thing. He said. When you complete this, you’ll be a value. You’ll you’ll add value and we can readdress your compensation. So I show up my first week of work and he hands me a business card. Now, you got to think I’m a young guy at the time. I’m excited, man. It’s a big deal. I’m getting a business card, right? Like this is a big deal. Big moment. I look at the card and it says CFM chief Fecal Monitor. I was in charge of the bathrooms, so. So, you know, Randy, my dad, you know, he set expectations early on. But then we communicated about the policy of my future at the firm, and that’s where a lot of family businesses kind of miss it. They don’t set the expectations up front and they don’t have they don’t communicate about what the future is for that young professional that might be coming into the business.

Lee Kantor: [00:26:23] Yeah. I’ve had the privilege of hosting a show about or co-hosting a show about family businesses, and I was totally unaware of it. I don’t have a family business, and I didn’t ever work in one. And the when we were interviewing the different family, um, business leaders, it was just so fascinating to me. At first, I wasn’t aware of just how many there are out there. There are so many of them out there, and so many firms that you’ve heard of are family businesses, but also just the the day to day challenges to separate, you know, their life as a family and their life as business people. And what do you do with the kid that doesn’t want to be part of the business? But then something happens and all of a sudden there’s a lot of money and they’re like, well, I want to be part of the business now. You know, like there’s so much challenges that just a regular business that isn’t family run doesn’t have to deal with, you know, even in terms of growing your talent within your organization. You know, if a person who’s a great, uh, employee, there isn’t a family member and sees a family member come in, you know, then it starts, how do you manage that person’s ego? And, you know, knowing that they may never get that, you know, big seat at the table because of who they are. There’s just so many challenges. And to have somebody that’s kind of living it, I would think is such a gift and an advantage for you to help your clients.

Nic Yeomans: [00:27:47] Yeah, yeah.

Nic Yeomans: [00:27:49] Well, Lee, um, gosh, there’s so much to unpack there. Um, one it is. You know, it is so much better to, I think, uh, receive, uh, advice and instruction and counsel, wise counsel from somebody who’s been in the trenches than somebody who knows, you know, they’ve read about it and they have some philosophy, but they’ve never actually done it. I think you could just speak to it differently when you’ve been in those trenches. Um, and I think the second part there is, you know, when you are evaluating your talent, um, you know, so I’ve got a brother and sister as an example. Okay. And my brother and sister, they, they chose different paths. They both had an opportunity to come into the business and both chose differently. Um, which is cool. We have a great, great relationship, but there are a few boundaries that we had to set up in place. So hopefully this is helpful to some listener out there. But you know, when I’m in the office for the purposes of what our clients here, what our team hears, I don’t call my dad dad in the office, it’s Randy in the office. However, when I leave the office, you know, and I, you know, check out on the clock.

Nic Yeomans: [00:29:12] There it goes to dad again. It’s dad. And early on I had a challenge with that. The first couple of years working here were my siblings. Very quickly reminded me, it’s not Randy, it’s dad. Right. So, you know, we set the boundaries that, you know, it’s business talk, you know, 8 to 6, 7 p.m.. But after that, you know, we try to shut down the business talk. And when we’re at family functions like family dinners and birthdays, you know, we have we set some rules. We don’t talk business. We you know, we want that that family life to still exist. And sometimes if we have stress going on in the business, it could be because he and I, you know, we’re both owners. We could want to different directions in the business. Well, I don’t want to bring that stress into a family birthday and neither does he. He and I have a common mission that, you know, the stress needs to stay with the business, not with the personal. And so, again, setting those boundaries and those expectations, um, and I think communicating to also your team and that person who’s coming into the business here is your career path, you know, so that when you do have that person that says, you know, am I ever really going to be in a position to be an owner? You know, he’s got a son, he’s got his daughter in the business.

Nic Yeomans: [00:30:37] Will I ever be able to be as, uh, have the same career path and same opportunity? Well, I think you got to set that expectation with the whole team. Here’s my expectation for Nick. Here’s my expectation for Jane. You know Smith over here. Here’s here’s our expectations. Here’s our career paths. Here’s what your opportunities are in the companies. And so many times where I see some business owners fail, they don’t set those roadmaps very clearly for the family member coming into the business. So the family member comes in and they either think one of two things. You know, one, they’re going to hand over the keys and I’m going to be the top dog now, or they think they’re going to get maybe some special privileges or nuances. Right. And then if the team starts seeing that, that could really weaken the team. So you do have to be really, really careful. And communication is super important.

Lee Kantor: [00:31:30] Yeah. And I think that that’s, um, kind of a competitive advantage, I would think you have is that you kind of lived this and you’re, you’ve learned it from by doing, not by, you know, like you said, reading a book about it. Um, or, you know, reading six case studies when you were in college. So, I mean, I think that you’re the you’re what you’re sharing with your clients is just super helpful. And it’s set you apart from other firms doing what might look like a similar thing.

Nic Yeomans: [00:32:04] Yeah.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:04] Now, if somebody wants to connect with you and learn more. Um, and, um, you know, get some coaching from the retirement coach. Uh, where should they go?

Nic Yeomans: [00:32:15] Yeah.

Nic Yeomans: [00:32:15] Uh, great question. So you can find us at WW dot your retirement coach. Com um, and we are working on uh, releasing in the new year of 2024, uh, podcast that will be called coffee with Your Retirement Coach. And that’s where Randy, aka dad and I are going to be sharing different nuggets of wisdom, keeping it short, 25 to 35 minutes, uh, on various topics that might matter to you individually or as a family business, uh, but that will be released on all the major, uh, podcast carriers. So those would be two places you might be able to find us.

Lee Kantor: [00:32:53] Good stuff. Well, Nick, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work, and we appreciate you.

Nic Yeomans: [00:32:59] Yeah.

Nic Yeomans: [00:32:59] Lee, thanks so much for having me. It’s been.

Nic Yeomans: [00:33:01] Fun. All right.

Lee Kantor: [00:33:02] This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

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