Pat O’Rourke/Practice Quotient

Patrick O’Rourke of Practice Quotient began his career at a dental and vision insurance company in Florida, which after several acquisitions and mergers, is now MetLife. He spent five years at Humana in Atlanta selling in the large group segment (100+ employees). He was responsible for all lines of insurance coverage for these groups including fully-insured and self-funded (ASO) medical, dental, life, disability, stop loss, pharmacy (PBM), wellness, and worksite/voluntary portfolio. It seemed that spiraling group healthcare costs pushed ancillary lines into the periphery. This tendency became magnified after the PPACA paradigm shift that left everyone on information overload. He positioned himself as an industry resource by earning several certifications, including Disability (DIA) and Dental (DBA). Understanding the nuances involved with all aspects of risk management helped business partners rely on his expertise to guide client recommendations. He is an insurance insider that has built dental networks, worked in operations management, designed plans, and opened markets. This allows him to provide valuable insights to his dental practice clients.

Mary Becker/Best Deal Movers

Best Deal Movers began as a dream that Mary’s son David had. He, along with two of his brothers, had worked at moving companies during the summer when they were home from college. In the spring of his sophomore year, David injured his arm while pitching on the college baseball team. When surgery and rehab did not bring the necessary results to be able to continue in the sport, David had to reconsider what he wanted to do. He brought the idea for a moving company to his dad, and Best Deal Movers was born. They started with one truck and an office in their home. The business has continued to grow. Today they have seven trucks and are continuing to expand. They are proud to provide excellent service to their clients, having been chosen to receive The Best of Kudzu Awards for the past three years and having been voted by Angie’s List members to receive their Super Service Award for 2013 and 2014.

Nick Patel/Salsarita’s

At Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina, they’re building a dynamic and authentically inspired fast casual Mexican brand, offering delicious food that is made the way you want it and prepared every day in-house. From wildly addictive chips that their guests truly rave about, to queso, customized burritos, tacos, salads, bowls, quesadillas, nachos, signature salsas and fresh-made guacamole, Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina thrives on making great Mexican fare fresh daily. Since their beginnings in Charlotte, NC in 2000, they have worked to perfect the notion that a restaurant should not only be fast and friendly, but also casual and delicious like no other. Today, they have locations in 19 states and are rapidly growing.