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December Newsletter Article

November 12, 2012 by angishields

Results Matter Radio Hosts Women in Technology (WIT)

On Tuesday, November 27th, 2012, Elizabeth Gordon, host of Burr & Forman’s Results Matter Radio on Business RadioX®, was joined by WIT’s Women of the Year in Technology Winners to discuss their careers, their involvement in WIT (Women in Technology) and the importance of exposing girls and young women to careers in technology.

Small Business Winner, Jackie Breiter is the Senior Director and CIO at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She was joined on the panel by Medium Business Winner, Lora Weiss, Ph.D, Lab Chief Scientist and Technical Director of Autonomous Systems at the Georgia Tech Research Institute and Enterprise Business Winner, Carolyn Holcomb who is a Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP leading the Risk Assurance Data Protection & Privacy practice.

Each of the women talked about their careers and current work, including Holcomb talking about data security, Weiss sharing the current state of robotics and Breiter talking about the differences between working in the corporate sector vs. academia. Breiter also kicked off the conversation on careers in technology and the importance of mentors.

When asked about what she looks for when hiring technology professionals, Brieter noted that while it is important to have the coursework and technical aptitude, she really looks for people who have the “whole mind”, including the creative and emotional aptitude for the job. She says “a technology career is not just about the tinkering, it’s a lot about the people” and adds that you need to be a whole person.

Holcomb noted that women are needed in technology careers because it is important to have a “diversity of thought”. She also talked the importance of getting young girls exposed to technology careers early and commended organizations like WIT and the Girls Scouts for doing that.

Weiss mentioned that girls typically lose interest in science and technology in the 6th grade and emphasized how important it is to keep them engaged so that we don’t lose half the population interested in those important kinds of careers. She also said much of this STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education has to happen outside of the classroom because teachers just don’t have time to dedicate to really making STEM fun and engaging for kids who may be starting to veer away.

To learn more about Women in Technology and this year’s winners, listen to the complete interview on the Results Matter Radio page for Business RadioX®.

Planning for the Inevitable — Death, Taxes & Change

October 16, 2012 by angishields

Burr Forman's Results Matter Radio

Planning for the Inevitable --- Death, Taxes & Change

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James M. McCarten/Burr & Forman

Jim is a Partner in Burr & Forman’s Tax, Trusts and Estates and Corporate practice groups, where his practice is best described as a general tax practice. Jim works with a broad spectrum of clients, from start-up businesses, to mid-market family businesses, to publicly traded entities and, finally, retired corporate executives and business owners.

His practice encompasses the entire range of tax planning, including mergers and

acquisitions, structuring and forming start-up businesses, asset protection, family business planning and estates, trusts and wealth preservation. In addition to his transactional planning practice, Jim is also active in representing clients during audits by the IRS and/or a state Department of Revenue.

Finally, as the parent of a young adult on the autism spectrum, Jim is very involved in special needs planning for clients who have family members with a disability.

Jason Meadows/Frazier & Deeter

Jason joined the CPA firm Frazier & Deeter (a Top 100 Firm nationwide) in December of 2000. Jason serves as both the Managing Partner of the firm’s Nashville office and as Head of the Frazier & Deeter Tax Department (firmwide). As a Partner and Head of the Frazier & Deeter Tax Department, he primarily specializes in large corporation taxation consulting and compliance including effectively incorporating LLCs and partnerships into the corporate structure.

Jason has provided consulting services regarding corporate and equity compensation, including the use of stock options and partnership interests. On the transactional side, Jason has provided consulting services regarding mergers & acquisitions and business restructuring for purposes of asset liability protection. In addition, he has extensive experience in FAS 109 and the recently implemented (for public companies) FIN 48.

Jason has experience in a variety of industries including manufacturing, real estate, service and technology. He is partner on several of the firm’s largest clients.

Jason is frequently involved with conflict resolution matters regarding the Internal Revenue Service, including representation of the client during the audit process. He has experience drafting successful Offers in Compromise as well as two favorable Private Letter Ruling requests.

Susan Tillery/Paraklete Financial

Susan M. Tillery is President and Co-Founder of Paraklete® Financial, Inc. Susan has over 30 years of experience in tax, philanthropy, and financial planning, as well as in the administrative and compliance areas encountered by affluent individuals and families. Susan’s firm designs and implements, comprehensive financial planning strategies. Paraklete® Financial, Inc.’s focus is on independence and objectivity in order to be the client’s financial advocate and as such, does not manage assets or sell products.

Susan’s experience at Harris myCFO, a multi-family office where she was responsible for the development and delivery of comprehensive family office solutions to affluent families, together with her work at Arthur Andersen, Ronald Blue & Co and other financial firms provides the framework for Paraklete.

Susan earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Georgia. She holds the professional designations of Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Personal Financial Specialist (PFS) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Susan is a member of both the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the Georgia Society of CPAs (GSCPA). In addition, she is a member of the AICPA Personal Financial Planning Executive Committee and the GSCPA Estate and Financial Planning Committee. She has served as past Vice Chair for the Board of Directors for Partnership against Domestic Violence, as well as for Royal Treasure (an organization that energizes, motivates and educates women to be excellent biblical stewards).

John Ellard/Veracor

John Ellard, CLU brings 20 years of experience in the financial service industry to his work as a Principal at Veracor. John’s specialty area is in providing leadership to families and businesses in the area of wealth design and protection.

John is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. After graduation, he began his career with Mass Mutual Life Insurance Company. In 1998 he became a partner with The Benefit Company and in 2005 was a founding partner in Veracor.

John is energetically involved in the estate and wealth planning community having served on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Estate Planning Council and is a member of the Georgian Planned Giving Council and Philanthropic Advisor Leadership Institute. He holds the Chartered Life Underwriter designation from the American College. John is a Registered Representative with NFP Securities, Inc. and holds Series 24, 6, 63, 65 and 7 licenses with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Married for 17 years, John and his wife Laura have two children; Justin and Julia. He enjoys sailing, hiking the AT and anything the kids are doing. John is actively involved at North Point Community Church as a Transit leader and serves on the Board of Directors of Camp Highland, a high adventure camp for children.

Al Meyers with TEDx, Arthur Fessenden with The Art of Cruising and Paula Washington with Wise Women Speak Foundation, Inc.

October 15, 2012 by angishields

[Chirbit:http://chirb.it/6MmcpN]

Al Meyers/TEDx Peachtree

Al Meyers serves as theFounder, Official TEDx Licensee, Team Cheerleader for TEDx Peachtree. Â Al is aÂ Senior Executive Leader experienced in leveraging Fortune 100 companies. Â His background is in Strategic Planning, Corporate Development, Start-ups,Â and M&A with a proven impact in Marketing, Operations, Finance, and International business, coupled withÂ expertise in digital/new media, television, home video, and kidsâ€™ media. Â Al’s specialties include critical thinking, negotiation, leadership and vision, managing people, cultural awareness and sensitivity, global perspective, relationship building, execution, digital media, video games, innovation, organizational behavior, and strategy development.

Arthur Fessenden/The Art of Cruising

Arthur Fessenden has been in the Atlanta area as a travel consultant for over 30 years. His company is named The Art of Cruising. He has also had the experience of traveling to over 110 countries and all 50 states. Arthur has owned two successful travel agencies in the last 30 years. Travel Made Easy was formed in 1984. The Art of Cruising is affiliated with the largest cruise agency in North America. This enables clients to have opportunities, benefits, knowledge, experience, and buying power (special promotions can be passed on due to the volume of business). The Art of Cruising books many groups including family, religious, business incentives, and of course, friendsâ€™ groups. They are constantly reviewing rates, updating itineraries, or any other changes, and all services are absolutely free. The Art of Cruising handles all aspects of a client’s vacation including air transportation, transfers, hotels, and pre and post packages.

Arthur attended North Fulton High School in Atlanta and graduated from West Georgia College with a BS degree in Geography; therefore he has many, many friends in the area. His main objective is to help clients travel and see this beautiful planet.

Paula Washington/Face2Face Solutions, Inc. and Wise Women Speak Foundation, Inc.

Paula Washington is with Face2Face Solutions, Inc. Paula assists executives in advancing their careers and business owners in transforming their companies and achieving incredible results. Paula has over twenty years of corporate and entrepreneurial experience that affords her the ability to address many facets of business and personal development. Her clients have benefited from her expertise as Speaker, Corporate Strategist and Executive Coach.

Paulaâ€™s passion for the empowerment of women, girls and families, led her to establish Wise Women Speak Foundation, Inc., where she serves as Founder & Chair. Currently W.W.S. mentors career women, business owners and young professional women.

Does a Masters Degree Enhance your Leadership Potential / Performance?

August 7, 2012 by angishields

Global Leader Radio

Does a Masters Degree Enhance your Leadership Potential / Performance?

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Enjoy the “voices of experience” as Don Lang and Charmaine Ward join host Alvin C. Miles to discuss how a Masters degree will help to enhance your leadership potential & performance!

Don Lang / Principal of Talent Effects

Don formed his consultancy, Talent Effects, in 2002. He specializes in executive assessment, talent acquisition strategy and process design, leadership development, coaching and customized learning programs.

Don’s began his career with stints in Human Resources at ADP and Prudential. He then held several line operations management roles in healthcare services. He later served as Director of Healthcare Services for a systems solutions firm where he worked with channel partners and medical staffs on electronic data transfer solutions. Before forming Talent Effects, Inc. in 2003, Don held the position of Managing Director for the Atlanta office of Spherion Corporation’s Human Capital Consulting Group. Don has worked with such organizations as Ascension Health, Citibank, Delta Air Lines, GE, Greenway Medical Technologies, Tenet Healthcare, Winn-Dixie and a number of small to mid-sized rapid growth companies.

Today, he also serves as a Lecturer on Human Capital Management for the Executive MBA program at Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, as well as a faculty member in the Managerial Coaching Certificate Program offered by Coles College of Business Executive Education.

Education:

Don received his BA in Economics with Honors from Lafayette College and an MBA from Georgia State University. He completed the Advanced Executive Coaching Program at Columbia University.

Charmaine Ward / President of the National Black MBA Association, Atlanta Chapter

Charmaine Ward is Director of Community Affairs for Georgia-Pacific, responsible for corporate philanthropy and community affairs. She manages charitable giving across the country, as well as the development of community programs and partnerships. In her role, Charmaine works closely with internal executives, as well as community, civic and government leaders to develop sustainable initiatives that create value in the communities where Georgia-Pacific employees live and work.

During her 25 plus years in corporate America, Charmaine has held senior level positions with IBM, Showtime Networks, Bank of America and John H. Harland. She has created tremendous value as a corporate leader the areas of corporate philanthropy, community affairs, diversity, marketing and sales.

Charmaine gives back by serving on various civic and community boards whose missions align with her personal passion of education, arts and entrepreneurship. She is currently serving her second term as President of the National Black MBA Association, Atlanta Chapter (the largest chapter in the country with over 1500 members). She also serves on the boards of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Atlanta Chapter; Atlanta Business League; Urban League of Greater Atlanta; True Colors Theatre; National Black Arts Festival and is Chair of PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators). She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and alumni of Leadership Atlanta Class of 2001 and Leadership Georgia Class of 2011.

In addition, Charmaine is a coach and noted speaker for non-profit organizations, entrepreneur organizations and colleges/universities on topics including: leadership, managing change, financial empowerment, developing a life plan, public speaking, the art of networking, purpose & passion, soft skills in the workplace and marketing for non-profits/entrepreneurs. She is also a faculty member for Non-Profit University, Georgia Center for Non Profits.

Charmaine has received numerous awards: Torch Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., 100 Most Influential Black Women in Atlanta from Atlanta Business League, Local Legend from Frank Ski Kids Foundation, Champions for Success from Dress For Success, 30 Powerhouse Women-Who’s Who In Black Atlanta, 25 Women of Achievement from Rolling Out Magazine, Woman In Philanthropy from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

A native of Chicago, Charmaine is an avid reader, loves the theatre, acting and traveling to international destinations.

Education:

Charmaine graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Economics from Clark Atlanta University and earned an MBA with honors from the Executive MBA program at Kennesaw State University.

Which Book Has Most Impacted Your Leadership?

Don Lang:

Charmaine Ward:

Women in Business.

June 20, 2012 by angishields

BRX National

Women in Business.

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Since 1992 Georgia Sales Development, a Sandler Training affiliate has been helping companies increase their sales, management and customer service effectiveness by focusing on the people and the processes. Our approach centers around using a systematic sales process throughout a company. To increase sales and sales management effectiveness, we focus on the whole person – attitude, behavior and techniques.

Prior to acquiring her Sandler Training franchise, Georgia Sales Development, Inc., Lissa had 19 years of sales and management experience in corporate America. Her experience ranges from direct sales at a local then national level, to sales management of a $40 million Region for a national managed care company. Today Lissa works with Presidents, CEOs and Business Owners helping them acquire and retain sales teams with consistently superior performance. This is done through a combination of evaluation tools, trained sales and management methodology based on a reinforcement model, and accountability based coaching. Her Psychology degree from the University of Georgia coupled with her leadership experience makes her uniquely qualified to help companies increase sales and management effectiveness using the Sandler System.

Lissa currently is involved in several networking and philanthropic groups in the Atlanta area and serves on the Board for Georgia Executive Women’s Network. She and husband Ron are blessed with a beautiful 10 year old son, Garrett.

For over eighteen years, Myra McElhaney has been a speaker, writer and corporate trainer. She has worked nationally with corporate clients, universities and professional trade associations designing and presenting keynote speeches, training programs and workshops on issues relating to workplace relationships.

Myra is author of Mama Always Says… and Musings on Major and Minor Matters that May or May Not Matter and has contributed to three anthology books including CLIMB: Leading Women In Technology Share Their Journeys To Success. Additionally, her writing has been featured in various business publications including Atlanta Woman, Customer Relationship Management, Competitive Edge, and USIndustry Today. Currently Myra writes a blog for ArtsCard on arts and entertainment. Her personal blog, “Enjoy Life and Do Good” emphasizes three areas: Work with Purpose, Live with Passion and Make a Difference.

Dr. Sally Jamara is a partner and the Leadership Practices Leader in the Atlanta office of Traversa Consulting. She has been consulting and leading major organizational change in global organizations for over twenty five years. Sally is retained to consult with Board of Directors, CEOs, senior executive team members and high potential leaders. She works with executives as a trusted advisor to align their teams to support the efficient and effective delivery of the corporate strategy. Sally provides the road map to make organization change successful for both the organization and the individual. She is the author of Culture Leverages Innovation Capability™ and has recently released an assessment series that helps individuals and companies understand their innovation style and capabilities.

Dr. Jamara has been consulting with companies in the consulting, consumer product, financial services, high technology, hospitality, non profit, and real estate industry. Previously, Sally was Senior Vice President of America’s Human Resources for Bass Hotels & Resorts, Inc. In addition to her significant Human Resources experience, she has been Vice President of Customer Service and Sales, managing the P&L and overseeing client development. Sally has been the recipient of numerous executive leadership awards including: Executive Committee Award, Outstanding Teamwork Award and multiple Top Performer Awards in a number of different companies.

Dr. Jamara obtained her masters and doctorate degrees in organizational psychology from Professional School of Psychology in Sacramento, CA. Her B.A. is in Economics from Simmons College in Boston, MA. Sally is active and on the board of a number of non profit organizations.

Tamara O’Neill, President of Careers On Course, is a professional consultant and coach who specializes in career transition and executive development. In this role, she works as a “campaign manager” to help executives secure new careers. Additionally, Tamara coaches business professionals within organizations to achieve personal and professional success.

Her education and training include a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Arts, Master of Science Degree in Management and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland University College. She is a Registered Corporate Coach and certified to administer and interpret the Hogan and DiSC® assessments.

Tamara is the 2012 Immediate Past President of SHRM-Atlanta, an organization that serves 2,600+ HR practitioners and affiliated resource partners. Tamara has served SHRM-Atlanta since 2004 in various leadership roles, such as Chair of “HR Helping HR.” SHRM-Atlanta focuses on education, skill building, the promotion of the profession, and creating better work environments.

Also, Tamara is an Innovation Coach for Georgia State University, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Leading Innovation and Growth, a mentor for Pathbuilders and has volunteered as Co-Chair for the Promotions Committee, NetWeaving – Pay It Forward, The Lost Boys Foundation, and the City of Atlanta’s Work Force Development Agency: Mayor’s Youth Program.

Elisha Bailez’s story began with art. She has been painting since she was a little girl, her mother who is an artist had a studio in the house so she grew up painting. Elisha would be next to her mother in a small wooden easel. Today, the roles have reversed, Elisha is now on the big wooden easel and her children are on the little one right next to her int he studio. Peek a Boo Rooms Collections is a passion of Elisha’s, and each one has its own story; how it was inspired can be seen in all the details of the products.

Elisha’s style is an updated traditional that looks relaxed, practical and effortless. One of Elisha’s beliefs is that rooms don’t need to be “perfect”, they need to be “perfect for their use”. When designing new collections, it always begins with a story that inspires color, texture, tone, and playfulness. Art is a major player in Elisha’s work and it is clearly the center of all her designs. Elisha Bailez’s work take on a life of their own in a child’s room. Peek a Boo Rooms Collections makes everything from bedding, window treatments, pillows, and décor to fabrics that are tasteful classics and grow from infant to preteen easily. They are created with soft textures that never go out of style and can easily be updated with accent colors and more trendy pieces that reflect today’s Mom’s personal style.

Although Peek a Boo is thriving and Elisha is at her busiest, she walways makes sure to make time to paint and create with ehr kids at her studio.

Recap: Ed Butler Finds Just the Right Place for His Children in the Family Business

May 31, 2012 by admin

Sunset Family Business Radio

Recap: Ed Butler Finds Just the Right Place for His Children in the Family Business

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Ed Butler, chairman of The Butler Group, Inc., joined Family Business Radio host Meredith Moore on Thursday, May 31, 2012, to talk about the growth of his family-owned enterprise and the steps he and wife Betty took to welcome their three children into the business.

The Butler Group is a sales organization representing wholesale manufacturers and importers of home decorative accents, personal accessories and general gifts in a nine-state Southeastern region. The organization operates an 11,000-square-foot showroom in the Atlanta Gift Mart. The Butlers also are partners in Maison Chic, a manufacturer of baby gift items, and owners of Kaleidoscope, a distributor of jewelry and accessories.

Creating a Job That Won’t be Eliminated

Ed got his start as a janitor in a retail store. He says he gave extra in all he did and was eventually accepted to the manager training program. He then spent 21 years working in management for Montgomery Ward, a now-defunct department store with locations primarily in Texas and the Midwest. While Ed had planned to spend his entire career with the organization, his job was eliminated in 1982. He then worked for Federated Department Stores and managed Rich’s stores in Atlanta.

In 1988, Ed decided to create a job that wouldn’t be eliminated. He visited a business brokerage, where he first looked at retail businesses selling products such as paint, building materials and hardware. Every time he looked more closely at the businesses for sale, he could see their weaknesses. He then came across a manufacturer representative business for sale. Using money earned through investment in rental properties, he and Betty purchased it. Their main cost was for the lease of a showroom, which was located in the Merchandise Mart in downtown Atlanta. (Since then, a Gift Mart has been added to the Merchandise and Apparel Marts, and the three are connected into America’s Mart, the number one market in the nation.) Manufacturers provided free or low-cost samples for displays. Salaries were also a large cost, though he and Betty took no salary in the first two years of the business.

The Butler Group, Inc. got its start selling baskets, a popular item at the time. One of their largest accounts was Cracker Barrel, which offered a room of baskets in each of their stores. The Butler Group had 3,000 accounts managed through the showroom and five sales people who went onto the road to call on stores. About 90 percent of the sales were in baskets, with the remainder comprised of other gift items.

As the popularity of baskets dwindled, The Butler Group had to diversify offerings quickly. They analyzed the 3,000 stores in their customer base to determine the types of products they might use. Because their territory was the Southeastern U.S., they focused on lines that would be attractive to people in the South. In conducting their research, they found that their organization had developed a reputation as being one of the “must-see” showrooms at the America’s Mart. As they started to look for other manufacturers to represent, they found they were already well-known in the industry and their services were in demand.

Welcoming the Family to the Business

When they founded The Butler Group, Ed and Betty had one daughter who had finished college, a second daughter in college, and a son in high school. Ed says that none of the kids wanted to join the business because they thought their parents worked too hard.

Ed and Betty encouraged their children to pursue their interests in college. The oldest of the three, Christy, was working as a director for Mary Kay and home schooling her two children. The second daughter, Paula, earned a degree in theatre. While she landed a couple of bit parts and commercials, she also worked for a jewelry company. Greg worked in the warehouse of a wicker basket/furniture importer during high school. In college, he took every art class he could, exploring many different types of art.

Paula was the first to join the company in 2003. Her job was to drive a mobile showroom to florists. In 2004, Greg came on as showroom manager, using his artistic talents to design displays. Christy asked to come on board after her older child left for college. Ed wanted to use her sales experience, but there was no open sales territory. He gave her the clients that were a low priority for the other sales representatives, and she spent time with them to turn them into solid clients.

Family Meetings and Each Finding a Place

As Ed and Betty started to consider retiring and exiting the business, they realized their children might not have jobs if the business sold. They began working with Joe Astrachan and Kristi McMillan at the Cox Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University. The Cox team interviewed each of the children and talked to the family as a group. They had some family council meetings so the children could become part of their retirement and exit planning.

As part of this process, Ed says he was concerned with having each of his children in the right position to match his/her abilities and interests. He interviewed each privately, asking them questions about their goals and things they enjoy doing. He also asked each what he/she thought the others should do in the company. Ed says they all agreed. Greg wanted to work with the displays and not have dealings with the manufacturers. He thought Paula should handle sales, which was exactly what Paula wanted to do. Christy also thought Paula was best suited to run the group, and she took on the role of cheerleader and supporter. Ed and Betty agreed with the assignments. As a family, they refined their respective roles and agreed to hire others to perform the additional functions.

Other family council meetings included one in which Ed says he and Betty revealed to the children how much money they make. While he says it was awkward for him and Betty, the kids’ response was neutral. The parents tried to express the time it takes to accumulate wealth. The family also talked about profit margins in a business where they work on a commission, which is limited and shared with sales representatives. They agreed to look toward finding a product they could develop on their own so they could enjoy the manufacturer’s margin. They would avoid situations they had encountered in the past where they had helped a manufacturer grow by teaching them good distribution practices, only to have the manufacturer leave them with no interest in the company. By having their own products to distribute, the family business could take advantage of revenue streams at different stages of the manufacturing and distribution process.

Opportunity Knocks With Maison Chic

In July 2008, the owner of Maison Chic offered the Butlers the opportunity to manage her business. The manufacturer of high-end baby gift items, the business had tried unsuccessfully to handle distribution from the factory, and the business had failed. The Butlers responded that they were not interested in managing the business, but they would be interested in purchasing it. Ed says they were mentally prepared when the unexpected opportunity came along because of the discussions that had taken place in their family council meetings.

The Butlers joined the current owner and her husband in a 50-50 joint venture partnership in January 2009. The Butlers handle distribution in North and South America, and the other owners handle the manufacturing and sell from the factory. She also has the final say in the proprietary designs of the textile-related products. Daughter Christy took on a new role and is the Executive Vice President of Sales and Product Development for Maison Chic.

The new line’s brand philosophy is to provide nicer textiles with hand-worked details. These details allow them to increase the price point. The venture has been successful for a number of reasons. First, the Butlers found that the customer base was already there. Store owners had liked the product, they just didn’t like that it was hard to get into their stores. With a policy in place to guarantee delivery, the customers returned.

Also, because the higher end product is primarily used for gifts, it attracts repeat customers. Finally, Maison Chic had the advantage of displaying products in The Butler Group’s nationally known showroom, where sales representatives come in looking for lines to represent. The company now has 150 people selling the line.

New Jewelry Focus With Kaleidoscope

In the original family meeting where new ventures had been discussed, jewelry had been the first idea. It’s small and easy to ship, women love it, Paula had experience, and Betty had a natural interest. In March 2009, Ed and Betty started Kaleidoscope, which offers 2,000 items including fashion jewelry, handbags, scarves and accessories. Their customers are the same kinds of gift stores that carry other items they have represented. Like Maison Chic, Kaleidoscope rents space in The Butler Group’s showroom in America’s Mart.

Kaleidoscope’s product line is also a sign of the times. Ed explained that many gift stores relied on home accents as a large portion of their sales in the past. With the housing bust and fewer people buying new homes, those sales have slowed considerably. His observation is that Americans still want to buy something personal in a down economy, they just buy less. The result is that 11 percent of sales in gift stores now come from fashion jewelry, greater than the amount sold in clothing stores. Accessories such as scarves and purses comprise another 6 percent of sales.

Responding to Changes in Consumer Buying Habits

Ed says it is important in his industry to be able to listen to and react to the customers. He has to be aware and have the flexibility to switch products. Except for the Kaleidoscope and Maison Chic lines, the Butlers do not have to acquire products, but the products The Butler Group represents need to reflect the economic environment. The sales representatives at The Butler Group also serve their customers—store owners—by helping them keep up with trends they may not see while they are tied to their shops.

What are some of the trends Ed is seeing? Right now he says that fashion jewelry, scarves and accessories make up about 17 percent of sales in gift stores. These categories are followed by Christmas items, baby items, candles and related accessories, and picture frames. Picture frames used to be a major category for retailers, but thanks to digital photos and the many new ways of sharing them, they have fallen to only about 1 percent of sales.

He says that this is the year of the scarf. Sales took off in January, and they will be big in the fall. He says belts were popular for a while, but interest has waned. Interest in gold fashion jewelry has increased this year, though silver is still 90 percent of the business.

In the Southern market, Ed says we see more bright colors and more monogramming and personalization than in other areas of the country. One advantage of the specialty stores they service is that they can base their product selection on the clients in their own neighborhoods.

Mixing Family and Business

The Butler family does not schedule regular family meetings, but calls them when an opportunity or need arises. Most recently, they’ve talked about goal setting. Ed has revisited his questions to each of them about what they enjoy doing and how their preferences may have changed in the past several years as their situations have changed.

While he wants to guide them to jobs they find fulfilling and interesting, he has to balance that role with also holding them accountable. They are currently looking at what the market value is for the jobs each of the children holds. Each will then be paid a salary according to his or her contribution to the company and receive separate funds for their ownership in the form of dividends.

The family is also looking at ways to involve the next generation; Christy’s daughter is in college and already helps a little. She is planning her studies so she’ll be prepared to work in the family business.

Outside of business, the Butler family enjoys many family gatherings where they don’t discuss work unless something unexpected comes up and they schedule a brief meeting. Initially, they had planned to have a special family council meeting as part of their annual family-centered Thanksgiving retreat so they could share with the third generation. The grandchildren were not interested, and the family has discontinued the practice.

Ed Butler’s Three Tips for Family Business

Allow each child to do what they enjoy and hire others to do the rest.
Separate ownership from job responsibilities. Pay a salary and bonus for the job and dividends for ownership.
Communicate with each child individually and with all as a family. Listen to the spouses in the family; they know what’s going on.

Contact our Guest:

Ed Butler

Chairman

The Butler Group, Inc.

230 Spring Street NW, Suite 1212

Atlanta, GA 30303

Phone: 404.577.6941 or 800.241.9533

Email: ed@butlergroupgifts.com

Website: www.butlergroupgifts.com

Website: www.Kaleidoscopeaccessories.com

Website: www.maisonchiconline.com

Sahil Patel with ER Express, Brett Compton and Rich Fabritius with Brunner, and Mavian Arocha-Rowe with Strategy Magazine

May 21, 2012 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Sahil Patel with ER Express, Brett Compton and Rich Fabritius with Brunner, and Mavian Arocha-Rowe with Strategy Magazine

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Sahil Patel/ER Express

Sahil Patel is the executive vice president of ER Express, overseeing sales, client relationships, product development, and company strategy. An Emory University alumnus, he also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior to ER Express, he worked at CodeRyte and MedAssets. Sahil lives in midtown Atlanta with wife, Katie, and their two year old daughter, Lark. Find him on LinkedIn.

ER Express lets patients choose their preferred time and location when going to the emergency room. It puts power and information in the patient’s hand.

Brett Compton/Brunner

Brett Crompton is VP and Atlanta Creative Director for Brunner and is among a handful of creative directors in the business who actually worked in account management long before he ever created his first word of ad copy. For our clients, that means he has a real appreciation for the business of brand strategy and generating work that makes a difference in sales, market share, and mind share. He also has a strong appreciation for the power of great ideas in making client budgets go further and work harder. Brett’s work has been recognized internationally by The One Show, Communication Arts, Cannes, The National Addy Awards, as well as many more. He joined Brunner in 2005 when the agency acquired Sawyer Riley Compton in Atlanta.

Rich Fabritius/Brunner

Rich is VP and Atlanta Managing Director for Brunner. He has developed a reputation as a team player who is well respected by his clients and colleagues for his ability to apply market research findings to establishing effective strategies that lead to truly integrated marketing plans. Rich also has worked with clients, such as Dow Great Stuff, Golf Pride, and Goody Hair Care, to develop innovative merchandising and POS programs to improve their performance within leading retail chains, including Wal-Mart and Target. Rich became a member of Brunner in 2005 when Sawyer Riley Compton became Brunner’s Atlanta office and has been instrumental in its explosive growth.

Mavian Arocha-Rowe/Strategy Magazine & The IHC

Mavian Arocha-Rowe is an asset to the publishing industry, allocating her strengths in writing and research to developing thought-provoking profiles and informational editorial which have been published in a variety of media outlets. She is currently the editor-in-chief of Strategy Magazine, a national business lifestyle publication, where she has received accolades from FOLIO Magazine and the Library Journal. Her hands-on experience in the ever- changing business world has ignited her passion and perseverance to creatively fuse Strategy’s “Business Learning & Life.” She provides business tips to the ambitious professionals who are thirsty to reinvent themselves within the present economy, as well as business leaders who are striving to build a legacy.

Arocha-Rowe is also a Speaker and Advocate for WellSpring Living, spokesperson for Ambassadors for Kids Club, on-air contributor for CNN NotiMujer, and Director of Content and Education for The Institute for HealthCare Consumerism.

Strategic Planning and Execution: Amanda Setili and Rob Setili.

May 3, 2012 by angishields

BRX National

Strategic Planning and Execution: Amanda Setili and Rob Setili.

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With 20-plus years of experience in strategy, operations, engineering and marketing, Amanda gives clients powerful new perspectives for profitable growth. As an experienced thought partner, Amanda helps clients leverage their distinct assets and capabilities to produce lasting competitive advantage, zeroing in on key actions that will improve profit, performance and growth. Her work has taken her throughout North America and Asia, including four years in Malaysia, where she helped plant the seeds that grew into McKinsey’s Kuala Lumpur office.

Prior to founding Setili & Associates, Amanda was a senior executive in two successful high-tech start-ups and served as a manager with McKinsey & Company. As an engineer with Kimberly-Clark Corporation, she led the start-up of a new production process and commercialized new components in 20 consumer and industrial products.

Amanda earned her MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, cum laude. She is past President and current Board Chair of the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta, and is an adjunct professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, ranked number three by Businessweek for undergraduate programs.

Rob Setili has a track record of helping companies clarify their value proposition, and solving problems to improve profits. With a focus on clearly differentiating products and services to meet customer needs, Rob has helped large corporate clients, entrepreneurial, and mid-market companies improve margins while growing sales.

An effective integrator who helps teams reach creative, winning solutions across organizational and functional lines, Rob provides broad expertise and a practical framework that brings out the best in teams and individuals.

With over 20 years of experience in strategy, manufacturing, operations and engineering, Rob gives clients powerful insights to produce profitable growth.

At Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Rob led project, operations and engineering teams in launching innovative new products, improving product performance and reducing manufacturing cost.

Rob earned his MBA at the Harvard Business School and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Jennie leads innovative, strategic change. She has been described as one who ‘excels in future reality’. Jennie specializes in partnering with leaders across the organization to translate growth strategies into disciplined execution programs.

Jennie’s love for change began early:

– Moved around frequently while growing up, which whetted her appetite for change and how people are influenced by change

– Exchange student in India at 17, which showed her the world is a collection of diverse ideas, talents, and philosophies

– Educated at small colleges, which taught her about communities

– Early career: COO for small, family-owned business – learned about work groups becoming families

– Mid career: Corporate America – Consulting with small manufacturers, a dive into Lean Six Sigma at GE, and building the Business Transformation group at Coca-Cola Enterprises that created a culture of visible, profitable strategy execution.

Jennie has spent the last 20 months on sabbatical: travel in a very small trailer (blue highways and small town America), tourist volunteer (India) and LOTS of family time (hubby, kids, parents, siblings). She is now in active transition, seeking her next opportunity to engage leaders across an organization to make change happen.

Make Marketing Magic: Sue Otten. What does your “look” say about you?: Mark Fonseca.

April 25, 2012 by angishields

BRX National

Make Marketing Magic: Sue Otten. What does your "look" say about you?: Mark Fonseca.

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A Marketing and Communications leader with passion for delivering”marketing magic,” that blend the art & science to bring a company’sportrait to life, specifically in the technology, agriculture & manufacturing industries.

As Director, Corporate Marketing and Brand Communications Worldwide with AGCO, an $8B farm equipment manufacturer, Sue was responsible for the corporate brand and led the global marketing efforts throughout 140countries. Sue was responsible for public relations, digital communicationsand social media, branding, employee communications, sustainability and marketing communications. Sue’s social media efforts have been recognized along with Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines as having a perfect engagement score and has also been recognized by IABC (International Association ofBusiness Communicators), NAMA (National Agri-Marketing Association), DECA Paths in Marketing, and TopView Social Media Series, and her Global Branding project has been recognized by IABC and has evolved into aPersonal Branding training she offers to executives in transition. She is also published in the PR News Media Guidebook as the featured chapter and hasearned her Accredited Business Communicator designation by IABC.

Sue is also a veteran of the computer industry with over 15 years at Apple,where she was responsible for demand generation, solutions seminars,marketing integration, co-marketing partnerships, channel programs, field communications, digital and small business market development.

Sue has also helped other companies with their sales and marketing strategy,as she founded Otten Associates, a consulting and program management firm. Services include sales and marketing strategy, market research, events,team building, demand generation, field marketing, communications, and channel programs. A division of the company, Otten Interactive, focused ondynamic website development and e-marketing initiatives. Her varied client list includes companies from the entertainment, healthcare, software,manufacturing, retail, Internet infrastructure, and technology sectors.

Sue, a graduate of University of Minnesota, has an MBA from Illinois Benedictine University and has taught marketing courses at the MBA level,using real world examples, both good and bad, to challenge her students. She and her husband Ron live with their two children near Atlanta. She is active in her church and her kids’ athletic activities, and is training for her third marathon

Mark B. Fonseca, President of Fonseca Clothiers is a subject matter expert in the area of Executive Image and Professional Attire to leading Executives and Entrepreneurs. He is a member of the Custom Tailors and Designers Association, wardrobe Consultant to CNN / Turner Broadcasting, and conducts Seminars for Vistage International, Fortune 500 companies and has worked with men’s clothing icon and author of “Dressing the Man” Alan Flusser.

As an on-air image consultant to CNN and Turner Broadcasting, Mark Fonseca has developed over a decade of best practices in non verbal communication, most importantly what you should not wear whether it makes you look too short, too heavy, or just outdated!

Mark provides straightforward, honest and objective information about specific suggestions for improvement based on your individual personality, profession and unique motivations, with recommendations on styles, fit, and colors that will enhance your presence and personal effectiveness. His exclusive “Dressing by the Numbers” system makes it “easy” to look your best whether your dress is Business, Business Casual or Casual attire.