John Ray, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

NORTH ATLANTA’S BIZLINK: Jeff Petrea with Georgia Power and Bill Bland with Choate Construction

December 4, 2018 by John Ray

Bill Bland, Kali Boatright, and Jeff Petrea

Jeff Petrea/Georgia Power

Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, GA. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway Company.

Georgia Power is the largest of the four electric utilities that are owned and operated by Southern Company. Georgia Power is an investor-owned, tax-paying public utility that serves more than 2.4 million customers in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties. It employs approximately 7,500 workers throughout the state.

Bill Bland/Choate Construction

Choate Construction Company is one of the largest general contractors in the Southeast specializing in Preconstruction, Design-Build, LEED Programming / Implementation, and Construction Management services for multiple market sectors. Choate is a 100% employee-owned company and proud to hold an 85% rate of repeat clients. Due to financial strength and depth of expertise Choate’s annual volume has continued to grow, topping $1.2 billion in 2017. Additionally, Choate has received many notable distinctions including being named the 2017 Southeast Contractor of the Year by ENR magazine. Choate’s employees are members of various professional and personal organizations with a strong backbone of charitable involvement. Choate is continually recognized as one of the top corporate fundraisers for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation having raised over $3 million to date.

North Atlanta’s Bizlink is produced by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce (GNFCC) and is hosted by Kali Boatright, President and CEO of GNFCC. The Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce is a private, non-profit, member-driven organization comprised of over 1400 business enterprises, civic organizations, educational institutions and individuals. Our service area includes Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Roswell and Sandy Springs. GNFCC is the leading voice on economic development, business growth and quality of life issues in North Fulton County.

The GNFCC promotes the interests of our members by assuming a leadership role in making North Fulton an excellent place to work, live, play and stay. We provide one voice for all local businesses to influence decision makers, recommend legislation, and protect the valuable resources that make North Fulton a popular place to live.

For more information on GNFCC and its North Fulton County service area, follow this link or call (770) 993-8806.

FRAZIER & DEETER’S BUSINESS BEAT: Daniel Peck from TAB Retail Remodeling

November 20, 2018 by John Ray

Courtney Mishoe, Daniel Peck, Roger Lusby

Daniel Peck/TAB Retail Remodeling

TAB Retail Remodeling, Inc. specialize in crew specific interior remodel of big box retailers. They handle everything from merchandising, fixture install/breakdown, fixture anchoring, millwork, and graphics.

TAB Retail Remodeling has always operated with a competitive spirit, never settling for any thing less than being the best. Their merchandising, carpentry, racking, fixturing, and graphics teams are continuously required to fine tune their trades. TAB’s corporate management team has complete knowledge of and ability to perform all of their services offered.

Frazier & Deeter

The Alpharetta office of Frazier & Deeter is home to a thriving CPA tax practice and Employee Benefit Plan Services group. CPAs and advisors in the Frazier & Deeter Alpharetta office serve clients across North Georgia and around the country with services such as personal tax planning, estate planning, business tax planning, business tax compliance, state and local tax planning, financial statement reviews, financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, internal audit outsourcing, cyber security, data privacy, SOX and other regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions and more. Alpharetta CPAs serve clients ranging from business owners and executives to large corporations.

Roger Lusby, host of “Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat,” is the Alpharetta Office Managing Partner for Frazier & Deeter.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frazier-&-deeter-llc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrazierDeeter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frazierdeeter

NORTH ATLANTA’S BIZLINK: Rachel Ewald with Foster Care Support Foundation

November 13, 2018 by John Ray

Rachel Ewald/Foster Care Support Foundation

Foster Care Support Foundation serves a vital and growing need throughout Georgia by providing free clothing, infant equipment and developmental toys to thousands of children in foster and relative care. Foster Care Support Foundation (FCSF) needs your financial support to meet the needs of thousands of children in foster care and relative foster care, including grandparents raising grandchildren this year. $700,000 is needed this year to maintain the Foster Care Support’s program and continue to provide free basic care items to our children of abuse and neglect. Donations will also support the Hope 4 Tomorrow Mentoring program that partners responsible adults with teens needing guidance and someone to call their friend and guide them through their teen years. Foster Care Support has been in operation for 17 years and has served over 50,000 children with free clothing, toys, school supplies and safe infant care items throughout every county in GA. They are able because you care!

NORTH ATLANTA’S BIZLINK: 2018 Small Business of the Year and 2018 Non-Profit of the Year

October 16, 2018 by John Ray

Nicole Sterghos, Andy Kadrich, Joan O’Connell

Andy Kadrich/Turf Masters Lawn Care

In the fall of 2002, Andy Kadrich started Turf Masters Lawn Care from the basement of his home in the Brookfield subdivision in Roswell, GA. His goal was to create a lawn care business with the resources of a national company, but with a level of service and quality only a family-owned business could provide. Turf Masters now services 35,000 customers through 10 branch locations in four Southeastern states. In 2018, Turf Masters will achieve 15 million dollars in annual revenue. Andy attributes Turf Masters’ success to his philosophy of honoring customers, honoring employees and always doing the right thing.

Joan O’Connell/HomeStretch

Joan O’Connell joined HomeStretch in August of 2013 after serving as a contracted grant writer through Palmetto Grant Consultants for six months. Joan has an M.S.W. from Georgia State University, 2001 and received a License Master Social Worker from the State of Georgia in 2002 which continues to present. Joan received her B.S. in Social Work from Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. In addition to Development Director at HomeStretch, Joan is serving as Operations Officer to provide day to day oversight until a new Executive Director is named.

Joan has over 20 years of experience in grant writing, development, community organization and non-profit administration. She spent eight years as Executive Director of Cobb Community Collaborative, three years as founding director of Cobb Literacy Council, and has served as Program Director with Cobb & Douglas Public Health Department, Outreach Worker in Freeport, N.Y. and foster care worker at St. Christopher’s Home in N.Y. In addition to social work, Joan has a certificate in Risk Management and has served as Risk Manager for Cobb County Public Schools, consultant with Georgia School Boards Association and L.R.F. Risk Management in Great Neck, N.Y., plus insurance claims and brokerage experience.

NORTH ATLANTA’S BIZLINK: Women In Business Award Winners

September 20, 2018 by John Ray

Meredith Moore, Nicole Sterghos, Kristin Winzeler

Meredith Moore/Moore & Associates Wealth Management

Tireless worker. Financial Guru. Speaker. Writer. Leader. Personal Growth Junkie. Meredith Moore of Moore & Associates Wealth Management loves a challenge and considers the results of her work as a financial entrepreneur as fine art. Exceeding client expectations, she keeps the financial planning process simple, while simultaneously building her business, developing her employees and supporting her professional relationships. A known leader in her field and in business, she thrives at networking and sees it as a way to continuously create new and exciting opportunities and connections for herself and for others.

She is a passionate mentor, entrepreneur, survivor, trailblazer and a highly requested public speaker. As a financial planner for almost 20 years, her goal is to always ensure that a clear and customized plan has been laid out for her clients so that they are not only at ease and confident, but consistently achieving their monetary goals. She is a firm believer in personal, as well as professional development, and is constantly fine-tuning her knowledge base. As a speaker, she covers many topics including adversity, growth, leadership, and finance.

Outside of the office, Meredith has served on several boards at Georgia Tech, is a Leadership Atlanta 2017 graduate. She is committed to women’s issues, mentorship and personal development. She is a self-confessed foodie who enjoys finding unique restaurants around Atlanta. A lifelong resident of Georgia, she currently resides in Roswell with her family.

Kristin Winzeler/North Fulton Community Improvement District

Kristin Rome Winzeler is the Program Director of the North Fulton Community Improvement District. She assists in advancing infrastructure projects throughout the District.

Prior to joining the CID, Kristin studied community improvement districts as a graduate research assistant for the public administration department at Kennesaw State University. Her work has been published in Public Performance & Management Review. She has also served as an intern for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Arthritis Foundation Southeast Region, both in Atlanta.

A native of Illinois and a current North Fulton resident, Kristin received a dual master’s degree in public administration and business administration from Kennesaw State University. She is a graduate of several leadership programs, including the Regional Leadership institute through ARC and Leadership North Fulton. She serves several organizations as a committee member, including Women in Transportation (WTS) and the North Fulton Alliance of Young Professionals. In her spare time, Kristen is involved with the Boy Scouts of America as an advisor for the Venture Crew youth development program.

FRAZIER & DEETER’S BUSINESS BEAT: Tim Lusby & Michael Rozmajzl with JRL Energy/JRL Coal

September 18, 2018 by John Ray

John Ray, Roger Lusby, Micahel Rozmajzl, Tim Lusby

Tim Lusby and Michael Rozmajzl/JRL Energy & JRL Coal

JRL Coal, Inc. (JRL) is a vertically integrated coal enterprise. JRL invested significantly in its turn-key capacity to extract clean coal using advance technology, efficiently cleanse and prepare coal in their state-of-the-art coal processing plant, responsibly store overburden in self-maintained refuse impoundment, and timely load and deliver coal through their new tipple and CSX rail loadout.

JRL recently acquired the assets and mining reserves, known as the Coalgood Operations, from Alpha Natural Resources. These assets and operations are located Southeast of the city of Harlan in Harlan County, Kentucky. The coal reserves located at this operation lie within the Middlesboro Syncline, a prominent geologic feature in the Southeast Kentucky. This region is known to possess high quality thermal and high vol metallurgical grade bituminous coal. This region is also known for producing coal with very low chlorine content (average of 200ppm or less).

The operations located at Coalgood have a long history. Coal mining began at the operation in the early 1920’s in the Harlan coal bed. Underground mining continued at the operation through the 1960’s in the Harlan and Limestone coal beds. Surface mining began in the 1960’s in the Harlan, Creech, Wallins, and Limestone coal beds. Underground mining continued in the Creech, Whitesburg, Wallins, Smith and Limestone coal beds until 1990’s. The operation has been idle since 2012, but JRL has recently reactivated surface and deep mining operations in the Whitesburg, Wallins, Smith, Wax, and Limestone coal beds.

Frazier & Deeter

Roger Lusby, host of “Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat,” is the Alpharetta Office Managing Partner Partner for Frazier & Deeter.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frazier-&-deeter-llc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrazierDeeter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frazierdeeter

NORTH ATLANTA’S BIZLINK: Cederick Johnson with PDI Software

July 17, 2018 by John Ray

Deborah Lanham, Cederick Johnson, Nicole Sterghos

Cederick Johnson/PDI Software

PDI Software, the leader in enterprise management software for the convenience retail and petroleum wholesale markets, delivers solutions to connect to intelligent business. Their people-first approach, combined with their 35-year heritage and best-in-class technology, helps you thrive in today’s digital economy. They’re passionate about your success and delivering exceptional customer experiences. It’s time to re-imagine enterprise management and connect to intelligent business.

When you choose PDI, you get more than software. They go beyond business and tirelessly dedicate themselves to your success. Their reputation for first-rate customer service and long-lasting relationships reaffirm that theye’re a people-first company. Yes, they build powerful software, but they also deliver exceptional service like you’ve never seen. That’s the PDI difference.

FRAZIER & DEETER’S BUSINESS BEAT: Frank Broniec with Broniec Associates

July 17, 2018 by John Ray

Frank Broniec with Broniec Associates

Broniec Associates performs accounts payable auditing and consulting services for large companies across the globe. They apply their expertise to make their clients more efficient and profitable. They distinguish themselves by their focus on integrity and quality of service.

Frazier & Deeter

Roger Lusby, host of “Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat,” is the Alpharetta Office Managing Partner Partner for Frazier & Deeter.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frazier-&-deeter-llc/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrazierDeeter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/frazierdeeter

NORTH ATLANTA’S BIZLINK: Karin Zalcberg with CyberHub Summit

May 17, 2018 by John Ray

Deborah Lanham, Karin Zalcberg, Nicole Sterghos

Karin Zalcberg/CyberHub Summit

CyberHub Summit was established out of a desire to share knowledge and solutions of cybersecurity around the world. Cyber threats are real, and CyberHub Summit is committed to be the main source of solutions for companies to protect their business and people. CyberHub Summit provides clients and attendees the highest level of integrity, customer service, knowledge and value.

Their passion is a safer world! They want you to take the offensive in your approach to cyber security and connect with the people and products of cyber security. In a digitally disruptive business environment, deterring, preventing and detecting cyber security breaches is of paramount importance. Cyberhub Summit provides attendees with a chance to learn about the latest innovations and solutions from the global cyber community. This is a provocative and exciting opportunity to meet and mingle with decision-makers and game-changers from the industry. Eminent spokespeople and panelists discuss cyber threats and strategies for a variety of business sectors. Embrace the latest in disruptive technology in an incredible conference focusing on B2B networking and B2C partnering.