Debbie Fuse/Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce
Debbie Fuse is the Executive Director of the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce. Debbie’s background was in sales management, and sales to the construction industry. Prior to that, she held positions in management in the hotel and restaurant industry. She led highly successful sales teams in the Southeast – from 11-28 sales reps with each position – and requirements of traveling up to 80% of her time. After two downsizings, she decided to redirect her focus locally and work within the community where she lives. She’s been in Dunwoody for 14 years after moving from the Baltimore area.
Phil Gura/Gura Law General Counsel Services, LLC
Phil Gura, President of Gura Law General Counsel Services, LLC is a multifaceted general counsel with over ten years serving as chief legal officer of major corporations in the Southeast including RaceTrac Petroleum, Inc. and LaRoche Industries, Inc. Phil has almost thirty years of transactional and consulting corporate law experience with partnership in major law firms including Sutherland and Nelson Mullins.
Phil founded Gura Law General Counsel Services, LLC in December of 2012 with the purpose of arming companies large and small with the power and influence of a highly skilled, deeply experienced, corporate general counsel.
Phil’s specialties include: corporate law, M&A, procurement, contract drafting and negotiation, public relations, regulatory compliance, finance, supply and distribution, creation and protection of intellectual property, corporate governance, litigation management, and preparation/approval of policies/procedures.
Phil earned his law degree at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington DC and his BA in English at Emory University. He has been named one of Georgia’s Top Rated Lawyers and as selected as a Super Lawyer. Phil has lived in Dunwoody for the past 20 years with his wife Sarah, a medical imaging professional at CHOA and a faculty member at Gwinnett Tech, and his two children: Brian, a senior at the University of Arizona, and Alison, a sophomore at Appalachian State University. Phil, a competitive cyclist and triathlete, is a long time member of Dunwoody Cycling and the Depaula Racing Team.
Debbie Smith/Design Seven Inc.
Debbie Smith is the owner of Design Seven Inc., a design company based in Atlanta. For over 20 years, Design Seven has provided services for over 200 clients from start-ups to educational institutions to Fortune 500 companies.
Design Seven’s work has been featured in Print, Art Direction Magazine and The Best in Business Card Design and The Best in Brochure Design books. The firm has been recognized with design awards from Art Director’s Club, International Association of Business Communicators, Public Relations Society of America, Women in Communications and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Debbie is the creator of the idbids – iddy biddy steps for a greener world – eco-friendly characters and brand. The first idbids toy product was launched at The American International Toy Fair and was named a “Top Toy” by Time Magazine and a “Toy Fair Breakout Hit” by CNN/Money.
idbids products have been the recipient of many industry and parenting awards including Creative Child Magazine’s Preferred Choice Award, Dr. Toy’s 10 Best Socially-Responsible Children’s Products, NAPPA Honors Award Winner, Winner of The National Parenting Center’s Seal of Approval and the Toy Industry Association’s Nominee for Education Toy of the Year.
For her development and design of the idbids characters, Debbie was the recipient of a Wonder Woman of Toys Award in the Inventor/Designer category. The idbids Eco-friendly Starter Kit won the 2009 Grand Prize in the Georgia State University’s MAX Awards program which honors the best in new products, services and marketing innovations developed by Georgia based companies.
Debbie is a founding trustee and a past president of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
Specialties include graphic design, front end web design, brand strategy and management, product design and development from concept to market.
Today’s show is brought to you by the Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce. Be sure to check out their UPCOMING EVENTS.
