rhondachale, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Special Edition: TiE Atlanta

November 10, 2014 by rhondachale

Dick Ingwersen / Warren Averett

Dick Ingwersen is a Member of the Warren Averett Tax Division and serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee. Dick brings to clients extensive experience in individual tax and financial planning, estate and fiduciary planning, retirement plans, employee compensation, partnership taxation, private investment partnerships and closely-held corporations.

Matthew Frooman / Warren Averett

Matthew Frooman is a Member in the Tax Division of Warren Averett where his practice includes a wide variety of business and individual client matters. In addition, he is a Technical Compliance Firm Best Practices Leader. He has extensive experience with income tax compliance and planning for corporations, partnerships, trusts and individuals, including having worked with a number of multi-state and inbound and outbound foreign business clients, many with heavy capital and/or personnel investments. Some of Matthew’s special projects have included detailed analysis and mediation relating to litigation support (including divorce) matters, purchases and sales of businesses and Internal Revenue Service examinations. Additionally, he has led the roll-out of various specialized tax services for the Firm in conjunction with alliance partners, such as cost segregation studies, Georgia retraining tax credits and Section 412i defined benefit plans. He’s particularly adept at locating and executing opportunities to amend new clients’ prior tax returns for tax refunds, and at identifying improved tax filing positions on a current and ongoing basis for continued tax savings. Clients have called him “tenacious” in his approach to finding the best results for them. They value the creativity and acumen he brings to the table, along with his integrity and commitment to the Firm’s 5-STAR client service. Matthew resides in Atlanta with his wife of 30 years, and they have four children and one grandson.

Vikas Verma / Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing

Vic Verma is the Chairman & CEO for Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing Co. He is also Managing Partner with The Radiology Group LLC.

Vic is an Entrepreneur, Real Estate Developer & Investor. He arrived in the US from India in 1977 after finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering & Associate Degrees in Marketing Management and International Marketing. He started with the San Antonio based Alamo Insulation Co. as Junior Estimator & rose to the President’s position in 3 years. Vic established Alpha Insulation & Waterproofing in 1982 in San Antonio. The company headquarter was moved to Atlanta in 1989. Alpha now has 9 offices throughout Texas, Georgia, Carolinas, Tennessee, Florida & Alabama. He currently oversees business and market development & finance for Alpha’s operations.

He invested in The Radiology Group (TRG) & Women’s Imaging Centers (WIG) in 2011 & took over the role of Managing Partner in 2013 after making critical changes in company’s personnel & culture and making them profitable. TRG is an Atlanta based Radiology Services company serving Clinics and Hospitals in 9 states. WIG has 3 current locations and is exploring national franchise options to stimulate rapid growth.

Over the years, he’s been actively involved with various trade organizations & served as President of Georgia Walls & Ceilings Association & Charter Mentor of The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE). He currently is a board member of the National Association of Minority Contractors (Atlanta) & Cobb Chapter of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Atlanta. Vic also serves as advisor emeritus for Cobb Chamber CEO Roundtable Blue group. He is past chairman of Indo American Cultural Association and Founder of Senior Citizens Group for Asian Indians in Atlanta. Vic has over 37 years of business startup & management experience and served on the Advisory Boards of Bank of N. Georgia (formerly Charter Bank & Trust), Owens Corning & Johns Manville, a Berkshire company. Vic is also a graduate of Leadership Atlanta Class of 2005.

Special Edition: Georgia Society of CPAs

November 7, 2014 by rhondachale

Today’s episode features guests who are members of the Georgia Society of CPAs. We also welcomed into the studio a group of Ashish Sood’s students to observe the show.

Joel Pascaner/Stephen M. Berman & Associates

Joel L. Pascaner is a tax partner specializing in high net worth individuals, privately held entities, partnerships, S corporations, estates and trusts, not-for-profit organizations, and state and local tax matters. He also has extensive experience representing taxpayers before the IRS as well as numerous other taxing jurisdictions.

Joel is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, and The Leaderhship Team of the Tax Section of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants. He has been an at-large member of the GSCPA Council. In addition, he has served as the Chairman of the Tax Section of the GSCPA as well as both the Federal Tax Legislation and the Georgia Tax Legislation Subcommittees of the GSCPA Tax Section, where he was involved in the drafting and introduction of proposed legislation. He is also a Past Chairman of the Depreciation Committee and the Tax Accounting Problems Committee of the NYSSCPA. Mr. Pascaner was a member of the GSCPA 2006 Tax Forum Planning Committee and served as Moderator at the Forum’s Luncheons with Georgia Tax Commissioner Bart Graham. He was awarded “2006 Distinguished Section Leader” by the GSCPA and served on their Task Force on Employment. Joel is a member of the Atlanta Tax Forum and the Atlanta Estate Planning Council. He is a graduate of the Philanthropic Advisor Leadership Institute and was awarded the “Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager” by Atlanta Magazine for years 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Joel has authored numerous articles in professional and industry publications including the CPA Journal and the Taxation for Accountants.

He has served on the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Disabilities Network and is currently on the Board of Trustees of Georgia Shakespeare.

Prior to joining Stephen M. Berman & Associates, L.L.C., Joel practiced as a tax professional with Laventhol & Horwath and Peat Marwick.

Joel is a CPA and received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania as well as his Masters of Science in Taxation at the Long Island University.

John Masters, CPA, PC

John Masters earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1969, followed by his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in 1975, and finally his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in 1979. During this period he was employed eight years in the Computer, Aerospace, and Electronics industries. During 1979 he was admitted to the Georgia Bar and received his certificate to practice as a Certified Public Accountant in Georgia and Alabama.

John has been active in professional, civic, and political activities throughout his career. He presently serves on the Georgia Society of Certified Pubic Accountants Professional Ethics Committee, and recently completed his term as Chairman of the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants Tax Section. He has served as a SBA Score/Ace Volunteer Consultant, taught in the Junior Achievement Program and been a Future Business Leaders of America sponsor. He administered the “Call the Expert” on taxation program for 21 years at WGST News Radio where he also appeared as Tax Series Guest/Host. He has participated in various other radio and television tax related programs, testified at administrative hearings including the Georgia Special Council on Taxation, and held positions in other organizations.

John has taught courses at Oglethorpe University, Clayton Junior College (now Clayton State College) and the Becker CPA Review Course. For the last several years he has been an active member of the Dekalb Peachtree Squadron, Georgia Wing, of the Civil Air Patrol where he currently holds the rank of Major, and has been an active member of the Northside Atlanta Jaycees and the Decatur Dekalb Kiwanis Club. His is currently a member of the American Bar Association, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Georgia Bar Association, Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants.

John practices in Atlanta, Georgia principally in the areas of taxation and accounting, taxpayer representation before administrative bodies and tax tribunals, and related fields.

Douglas MacGinnitie / Georgia Department of Revenue

Douglas J. MacGinnitie was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal to serve as Georgia’s State Revenue Commissioner on January 18, 2011.

Professionally, Doug was an executive in the insurance brokerage industry. He co-founded and served as COO of Beecher Carlson and was a senior executive at Hobbs Group.

Prior to that he worked as a corporate attorney at both Alston & Bird and Georgia-Pacific Corporation.

Doug grew up in Dunwoody, Georgia. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Dartmouth College, where he was also voted the Ivy League Soccer Player of the Year. Doug received his J.D. from Emory School of Law, where he was Woodruff Fellow.

Doug is a former member of the Sandy Springs City Council. Doug serves on a number of governmental and non-profit boards, including the Truancy Intervention Project, a non-profit based in Atlanta, and St. Martin’s Episcopal School.

Doug and his wife reside in Sandy Springs with their three children.

Michael Long CIO Georgia Department Of Revenue

November 7, 2014 by rhondachale

Michael Long / Georgia Department of Revenue

Michael is currently Chief Information Officer for the Georgia Department of Revenue and was 2013 Georgia CIO of the year. Michael is responsible for enterprise wide information technology; infrastructure, operations, applications development, networking, support, IT governance, security and business development in support of the following revenue divisions:- Alcohol & Tobacco, Compliance, Special Investigation, Local Government Services, Motor Vehicle, Taxpayer Services, Tax Policy, Processing Center, Finance and Human Resources.

Prior to the Department of Revenue, he was Chief Information Officer and Vice President, Information Technology at USTravel, a large corporate and leisure Travel Company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael developed an overall corporate information vision and strategy, introduced a new CRM system and created a competitive business advantage through the use of leading-edge technology.

Prior to that, he was Vice President of Global IT Infrastructure & Operations at Knowledge Learning Corporation. In this role, Michael was responsible for the strategy, planning, direction and coordination of all activities associated with delivering reliable computer infrastructure, applications and networking services throughout the company. This includes voice and data networks, Windows systems, Computing Services, Change management and customer service, including Data Center Operations, Capacity Planning and Disaster Recovery.

Prior to that, he was Interim Vice President of Information Technology Service at WellPoint, a $40 billion healthcare insurance provider. There, he was responsible for the enterprise-wide IT and networking systems, from which he drove a total restructuring of the IT infrastructure and implemented a framework for financial reporting. Prior to WellPoint, he was SVP Information Systems for TCIM Services, there he managed 14 call centers with over 4,500 seats in the US and Canada, established strong relationships with vendors and maintained a 24-hour, 7-day a week call center. Prior to TCIM he was Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Group 4 Securicor, Plc where he designed and implemented a passenger tracking system for Delta and United Airlines and negotiated and implemented a new managed network service offering from a leading network vendor. Michael has also held key IT positions with Galileo International, one of the world’s largest providers of electronic global distribution services, connecting 44,000 travel agencies across the world and Carlson Wagonlit Travel, a $22 billion company with a network of more than 3,000 locations in 150 countries.

Jay Ferro / American Cancer Society

Jay is currently Chief Information Officer for the American Cancer Society (ACS), a nationwide, community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the American Cancer Society has more than 900 local offices nationwide and a presence in more than 5,100 communities. Jay is responsible for the people, strategy and operations of the Global Information Technology organization.

Prior to joining ACS in 2012, Jay served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for AdCare Health Systems, a rapidly growing and recognized innovator in health care facility management. Jay spent the previous 7 years at AIG (American International Group), most recently as VP and CIO for AIG Aerospace, a leading global aerospace insurer. At AIG, Jay implemented numerous improvements that have delivered substantial value to the organization while managing significant organizational change in a turbulent market environment. In addition to his role as AVP of Information Technology with AIG Personal Lines, Jay was selected as CFO for Operations and Systems in 2006 and led multiple global IT Finance and Governance Standards initiatives that resulted in millions of dollars in savings for the organization.

Jay continues to be a thought leader in the Information Technology arena and is a frequent guest speaker and panelist, both in Atlanta and Nationwide. In recognition of his accomplishments, Jay was selected as Georgia CIO of the Year in 2011, and is currently serving as Chair for the Georgia CIO Leadership Association.

His commitment and dedication to community involvement is evidenced by the time and energy he contributes. In 2007, he founded the non-profit group, Priscilla’s Promise, in honor of his late wife, which raises funds for cervical cancer education and research, and currently serves as its Executive Director. In 2011 he was elected to the Board of Directors for TechBridge, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization which helps other nonprofits use technology to improve their capability to serve the community, and in 2013 was named Board Chair.

Jay earned both his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and his Masters of Business Administration from The University of Georgia. Jay continues to be involved with his alma mater, both as a mentor for young alumni and as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors for the Terry College of Business.

Jay lives in the Metro Atlanta Area with his 3 sons: Trey, Connor and Alex.

Trade Show Radio Broadcasts LIVE from WISE Speed Coaching

November 6, 2014 by rhondachale

Guest host Linda Frakes broadcast live from the WISE Speed Coaching Event held November 5, 2014 at The Loudermilk Center in Atlanta, GA.

Speed Coaching is speed dating with an entrepreneurial twist! Attendees met one-on-one with successful business leaders and expert coaches in 20-minute increments to discuss strategies and solutions that are right for their business.

Expert Coaching Categories included:

Money Talk – Accessing business financing through: micro loans, traditional financing, angel investing and crowd funding
Startups Start Here – Strategies to grow your business to the next level through business planning
Magic in Marketing – Grow your business through Social Media, marketing with a purpose, and strategies to reach target markets

Check out these great interviews…

To Play Or Pause: Press The White Button

To Download: Right Click On DOWNLOAD HERE, And Choose “Save As”

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Essie Escobedo

Office Angels

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Ardina Pierre

Natures Own Herb Shop

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Courtney Smith

PNC Bank

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David Nethero

Golden Seeds

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Susan Nethero and Grace Fricks

Golden Seeds and ACE

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Meg Reggie and Jennifer Collom

MRPR and Borrowed By Design

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Judi Knight and Carol Dunlop

New Tricks and CSI Corporation

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Leona Barr-Davenport

Atlanta Business League

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Natasha Eustache-Garner

Interiors By Natasha

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Theia Washington Smith

City of Atlanta

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Courtney Lynn and Robin Santana

ACE and R Ventures Medical

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Christine Hunsaker with Hunsaker Partners, Mike Walsh with Amp’d Entertainment, and Erik Dowdy with W Residences

November 6, 2014 by rhondachale

Christine Hunsaker / Hunsaker Partners

Christine Hunsaker is a well-respected figure in the funeral and cremation industry and one of the nation’s leading cremationists. She has more than 25 years of experience in the cremation, funeral, and cemetery business and has been a corporate officer for two of the largest publically traded funeral companies in the United States.

Since entering the workforce after graduate school, all but two years of her 25-year professional career has been in the death care industry. Hunsaker has worked in every facet of the funeral, cemetery and cremation business. This includes but not limited to waiting on families, sales, marketing, management, leadership, cemetery operations, funeral home operations, crematory operations, market expansion and executive management. She also has extensive experience in acquiring and operating funeral homes and cemeteries.

Hunsaker belongs to the following professional organizations in the death care industry: Cremation Association of North America; International Cemetery and Cremation Funeral Association; and the National Funeral Directors Association.

Mike Walsh / Amp’d Entertainment

Mike Walsh is the owner of Amp’d Entertainment, A Full Service DJ/Entertainment company for Weddings and Special Events. A preferred vendor of over 50 venues and 20 plus event planners, these pros recommend Mike and his staff as his concept of “Remix’d Weddings” offers a unique alternative to the “Traditional Wedding DJ” Experience.

Amp’d Entertainment performs around 200 events per year and is the winner of the Knot.com’s “Best of Weddings” for 2013, and 2014 as well as the recipient of the “Couple’s Choice Awards” for 2013, and 2014 by Wedding Wire.

Erik Dowdy / W Residences

Associate Broker at The Residences at W Atlanta – Downtown, Erik Dowdy, is ranked among the nation’s top realtors. A native of Evanston, IL, Erik studied Business Operations at DeVry University and pursued a real estate career in 2002. Erik earned his Broker’s license from Barney Fletcher School of Real Estate and went to work with the Novare Group in Atlanta, GA, before moving to The Marketing Directors.

Essentially an empty community when Erik arrived in 2012, a record 42 homes were sold at The Residences at W Atlanta – Downtown in 2013. For closing over 23 million dollars in 2013, Erik achieved sixth place in the “Atlanta Top 10” agents citywide. He was also named a lifetime multimillion-dollar club member by the Atlanta Board of Realtors® for consecutive multi-year closing totals.

Trade Show Radio Broadcasts LIVE from WISE Speed Coaching – Business RadioX

November 6, 2014 by rhondachale

Guest host Linda Frakes broadcast live from the WISE Speed Coaching Event held November 5, 2014 at The Loudermilk Center in Atlanta, GA.

Expert Coaching Categories included:

Money Talk – Accessing business financing through: micro loans, traditional financing, angel investing and crowd funding
Startups Start Here – Strategies to grow your business to the next level through business planning
Magic in Marketing – Grow your business through Social Media, marketing with a purpose, and strategies to reach target markets

Check out these great interviews…

Special Edition: Annona Enterprises Trusted Advisors

November 4, 2014 by rhondachale

Soyini Coke / Annona Enterprises

Larry Kihlstadius / Vistage International

Mr. Kihlstadius leads the Southeast Vistage region which includes Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina. He assists the Vistage Chair community in growing and improving their individual practices. Vistage International is the world’s leading peer group membership organization for CEOs and senior executives with over 18,000 members.

Mr. Kihlstadius is a graduate or the United States Naval Academy and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He has held senior leadership positions at Accenture, Monster, American Woodmark, and Randstad.

Linda Gabbard / Vistage International

A high- performing Chair and Chair Coach, Linda Gabbard is known for driving growth and results in large global companies, start-up businesses, and turnarounds. She has deep experience in the manufacturing space, with experience in product marketing, sales, general management, leading international business units, and change management. She runs a successful consulting practice specializing in strategic execution, change management, and executive coaching. Recognized as a change agent and strategist, she combines teamwork, creative problem solving, and a sense of humor in supporting clients and members in the resolution of complex issues in fast-paced environments. Winner of Chair Excellence Awards, Master Chair Award, and 2012 National Chair of the Year, she is a certified Co-Active Coach (CPCC and ACC) and Leadership Circle 360 Practitioner.

Nat Padget / Shareholder Solutions, LLC

H. N. “Nat” Padget began his 36 years career in banking and finance as a federal bank regulator before moving to the private sector where he worked in various executive capacities from credit approval to business development to executive management.

In 1998, founded and served as CEO of CNB Holdings, Inc., a public company that owned what was Chattahoochee National Bank, First Capital Bank and later merged into Flag Bank, which was sold to RBC Bank in 2006 (a $457 million transaction). CNB Holdings original investors who held until its final sale to RBC enjoyed an average annual return of 47%.

During Mr. Padget’s time as CEO, CNB Holdings was awarded the Atlanta Journal/Constitution’s “Top 100 Public Companies of Georgia” four out of its last five years based on financial performance factors including shareholder value. In 2003, He received the “Financial Advocate of the Year” award from the U.S. Small Business Administration for Georgia.

Padget has been the subject of cover story articles in Georgia Trend magazine; Inc. Magazine and the Atlanta Business Chronicle. His marketing initiatives garnered an AMY award in 2005, while his banks received the highest ratings for credit quality from regulators. In 2010, Padget was a finalist for the Vistage Leadership Award.

Today he is owner of Shareholder Solutions, LLC., a consulting practice to aid executives, boards, and owners in enhancing the value of their companies. Padget is also managing partner of Sophisticated Solutions, LLC, a commercial loan company. Padget has been a guest lecturer at Georgia State University and various business associations. He enjoys accurately predicting outcomes in the financial sector well ahead of established pundits.

Specialties: Fractional CFO, banking and finance consulting, board and executive management assessments, shareholder representation, debtor representation, risk management, market strategies, strategic planning, and expert witness in business litigation.

Nancy Glube with Dale Carnegie Training, Jack Canouse and Chris Albano with Stars and Strikes, Tonya Lanthier with DentalPost and Dontaira Terrell

November 3, 2014 by rhondachale

Nancy Glube / Dale Carnegie Training

Jack Canouse and Chris Albano / Stars and Strikes

Jack Canouse and Chris Albano are the founders and Managing Partners of Stars and Strikes Family Entertainment Centers. It was a rainy, cold weekend in November 2003 that these two neighbors came up with the Stars and Strikes concept over a few drinks. Their dream: A clean, safe environment that their children and others around the Metro Atlanta area could go to have fun and hang out with the friends. They imagined a place with top notch customer service, thousands of square feet of FUN, a nice restaurant with delicious food, bartenders that call you by name and remember your drink, and much more. In June 2005 they opened their first center in Cumming, soon followed by Lawrenceville, Dallas, Stone Mountain and Sandy Springs. They employ over 400 people, and are very active in the surrounding communities of their centers.

Tonya Lanthier / DentalPost

A long-time resident of Atlanta, Georgia and Registered Dental Hygienist since 1995, Tonya’s involvement in dentistry goes way beyond the dental practice. Aside from being a member of the Academy of Dental Hygiene (ADHA), Entrepreneurial Organization (EO) and Academy of Dental Management Consultants (ADMC), she is on the planning committee for the Northern District Dental Society (NDDS) Gala for Smiles, public relations liaison for the Georgia Dental Hygiene Association (GDHA), and volunteers for the Georgia Mission of Mercy and the Ben Mansell Clinic. Tonya also works with the Georgia Department of Education’s Business Advisory Committee. She is a talented and engaging public speaker, using her boundless energy and enthusiasm to deliver her message about helping practices find and hire the right team member; while assisting job seekers with career coaching.

With the arrival of twin girls, it led Tonya to create a new identity as a successful “intrepreneur,” building her business while continuing to work as a Registered Dental Hygienist for dental practices. While maintaining multiple temp positions, she discovered that the process of looking for work in her field was itself a full-time job. Always an enthusiastic networker, Tonya built up a large database of contacts with whom she shared information about possible jobs; she even started hearing from practices looking for people, and made introductions, helping to connect job-seekers with employers.

Dontaira Terrell / Journalist

Dontaira Terrell is a Florida A&M University graduate, former broadcast producer and journalist, with a penchant for journal writing, health and wellness, pop culture as well as entrepreneurship. Her love for documenting life’s best moments happened as a youth, consuming local and national news and engrossing herself in a variety of magazines, newspapers and books to read. Writing in her journal is a thing of the past, as she now provides her insights and reporting for companies including The Huffington Post, Ebony online, Spirituality & Health and B*Real which is an entity of BET.com.

Special Edition: WISE Speed Coaching

November 3, 2014 by rhondachale

Karen Curry Davis / ACE

Karen Davis currently serves as Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs’ (ACE) Strategic Initiatives Director. In this role, she directs ACE’s Women Investing in Successful Entrepreneurs (WISE) Initiative which is a $2.5 million revolving loan fund specifically for women entrepreneurs wanting to expand or start a business within Metro Atlanta and the North Georgia region. In addition to the loan funds, WISE offers business advisory support through individualized business consultations, business development seminars, speed coaching, and mentoring from high net-worth business owners. Karen is also the Principal Consultant of Curry Davis Consulting Group, LLC. Karen has more than 13 years of program management and community development experience and has made strides in her efforts to assist families with moving towards economic self-sufficiency, health and wellness.

Nancy Chorpenning / C-Suite Advisors

Nancy Chorpenning is Founder & Managing Director of Atlanta-based C-Suite Advisors, a business advisory practice. C-Suite Advisors specialty is advising women entrepreneurs whose businesses have emerged successfully from the startup phase and who are growing their firms into profitable, professionally-managed businesses prepared for selling in the future.

Nancy also leads peer-mentoring for women business owners, and offers webinars on planning, leadership, profitability and strategy among other business topics. In 2014, she launched two new program series exclusively for women entrepreneurs: CEO School for Women, an Annual Business Growth Program, and Taming Technology Workshops: Today’s Technology for Women Entrepreneurs.

From strategic discovery to organization structure and operations, Nancy’s mentoring of business owners is informed by her +20-year tenure as an executive in Professional Information and Education with Fortune 500 companies (Time Warner’s Little, Brown & Company Publishers) as well as high profile start-ups (WebMD). Combined with a superb graduate Marketing education from Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, she participates actively in local and national business organizations.

After serving on the Small Business Council for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Nancy served on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) for 6 years, including as Chapter President. She was appointed to the NAWBO Presidents Assembly Steering Committee (PASC) in 2012 with responsibility for 18 Southern Tier NAWBO Chapters, inaugurating a Leadership Bootcamp for NAWBO, and in 2014, became its Chair. Additionally, she was elected to the National Board of Directors of NAWBO where she presently serves. She was recently added to the Advisory Boards of the international company, “The Sellability Score” and Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE) in Atlanta.

LeeAnn Maxwell / Vixen Vodka

Vixen Vodka was conceived after a girls’ trip to St. Simons Island in Georgia. It was an idea that came to fruition after a few slightly dirty martinis and several sun-soaked hours lying by the pool. An idea that took root and took hold of friends who wanted to make a difference in their lives; it was their why not moment. After all, women like to hang out, chill out and drink vodka just like the boys. But research and focus groups showed that no vodka brand currently on the market tapped into targeting women. In fact, it was a boys’ club waiting for a revolution. So they decided to raise their glasses to toast an idea that eventually became Vixen Vodka. This award winning company is poised for national expansion and is the perfect marriage of a sexy flirty brand and the smoothest gluten-free vodka you’ll ever taste.

LeeAnn spent over 28 years in the financial industry and about as long in a marriage. Once both those chapters were over, she realized she wanted more out of life; to rediscover the woman she used to be and the one she wanted to become. Her varied experiences have contributed to an extremely detail-oriented work ethic along with a very savvy business acumen.

When LeeAnn sat down with a business consultant to review her initial business plan, he closed the document, told her how well written it was and then said, “You’ll never make it”. When asked why, he replied, “Because it’s the liquor industry, it’s all men, and they will eat you up and spit you out.” LeeAnn looked right back at him and said in her sweet Southern syrupy way, “Sugar, this could be a pair of pantyhose or a tube of lipstick, we’re creating a brand and we know what women want.” Intrigued? Learn how she took a brand from beach to shelf and disrupted a male dominated category along the way.

Courtney Smith / PNC Financial Services Group

Courtney I. Smith PNC Financial Services Group Vice President, Market Manager Community Development Banking, Greater Georgia Courtney I. Smith leads PNC’s community development efforts for the Greater Georgia market. In this role, Smith works with community organizations to develop programs and partnerships to support affordable housing, economic development and neighborhood revitalization. Smith joined PNC Financial in 2013. He brings many years of experience in creating community reinvestment opportunities, leading self-sufficiency programs, generating small business and micro-lending activities, and managing retail and commercial banking initiatives.

Prior to joining PNC, Smith served as vice president, community affairs with Regions Financial and as vice president, community development manager for SunTrust Bank. He is passionate about asset development initiatives and enjoys promoting financial literacy activities. Certified in the FDIC’s Money Smart curriculum, Smith regularly teaches financial literacy courses throughout the community. He is experienced in designing, implementing and monitoring Individual Development Account (IDA) Programs, including Youth and First-Time Homebuyers Programs. He previously managed a youth-based savings program with more than 1,100 participants and annual savings of over $65,000. Actively involved in the community, Smith currently serves on the board of directors for several local organizations including the United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Regional Community Investment and Community Engagement Committees (Chair); Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (Board Secretary); the Community Achievement Center; the KAPSI Foundation, and as Kappa Alpha Psi, Decatur Alumni Chapter, President.

Smith graduated from University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He received a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Memphis.