On this Episode of Meeting Pros:
Alan W. Urech with 200 Peachtree / 200 Office
Mr. Alan W. Urech is a Sr. Vice President at 200 Peachtree, 200,000 sq foot special events, conference center and co-working space located at 200 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, GA. He leads the expansion of 200 Office collaborative workspace (www.200-Office.com) by implementing dynamic programs to help small growth businesses expand into significantly larger organizations.
His background includes HBO & Company where he was part of a team that expanded the organization from an initial start-up with under $3 million dollars in revenues to over $180 million dollars in revenue within a 12 years period. During this period, Mr. Urech was instrumental in developing and implementing very successful healthcare product lines which significantly expanded the Company’s overall growth and profit margins. HBOC was sold in 1998 for US $13.8 Billion to McKesson Corporation, beginning their current information technology division. His background also includes expanding a Roman Catholic lay ministry, the St. Vincent de Paul Society. As a volunteer president, he lead a team which expanded this organization from a small staff of three people in an 1,800 square feet facility with 1 program to a staff of 24 people in a 20,000square foot facility with over 8 programs. The organization provides an audited 92% of revenues received back into direct aid to its clients. He also worked at the Vatican on Internet initiatives from 1999 – 2004.
Mr. Urech is an Instructor in Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business. He instructs multiple Graduate and Undergraduate level programs in entrepreneurship and family business at the Herman J. Russell, Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship. He is on numerous corporate and non-profit Boards including TAG Health, Georgia State University Health Advisory Board, Digitainment Georgia and theStage2 Business Accelerator.
Jimmy Economos with EEP Events
Jimmy Economos, an Atlanta native and recipient of a 2011 Allie Award for the production of his own wedding, began his career at 16 working as an Entertainer and Emcee.
In 1996, Jimmy was chosen to perform in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games which propelled his event career.
Establishing himself nationally as an entertainer in high demand, Jimmy created EEP after mentoring for several years under two prominent Entertainment and Audio Visual Production companies in Atlanta, gaining valuable experience and national production exposure.
Jimmy has had the privilege to work with many of the world’s top talent such as Russell Simmons, Elton John and John Paul DeJoria (CEO/Founder Paul Mitchell) while servicing some of Atlanta’s local celebrities including Kevin Rathbun, Pano Karatassos and Tony Conway.
Jimmy has held a “chair” seat on numerous event committees including the National Association of Catering Executives and The International Special Events Society, working on the Allie Award Steering committee as Production Chair, Entertainment Chair and Co-Chair of the 2012 Allie Awards.
Jimmy’s fields of expertise are in Audio Visual Production, Lighting Design, Entertainment Management and Event Logistics.
Ellie Westman Chin with Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau
Ellie Westman Chin is vice president, business development and corporate events for the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB.) She has been with ACVB since 2006.
Westman Chin is responsible for corporate development, producing ACVB’s Annual Meeting and the Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame and overseeing the membership staff including sales, service and member events. In addition, she supervises ACVB’s three visitor centers located at Underground Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Westman Chin has enjoyed a 15 year career in marketing and event management. Prior to joining ACVB, she worked for Empire Force Events in New York City as an account director. In this role, she managed event programs and served as day-to-day contact for corporate clients including NYC2012, Johnson & Johnson, Sony Electronics and Volkswagen.
In 1993 Westman Chin moved to Nashville, Tennessee to assist in creating the Nashville Sports Council for the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau (NCVB). As associate executive director of the Council she helped secure both the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) and the NHL franchise Nashville Predators. Additionally, Westman Chin was director of operations for the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and produced the first annual Music City Bowl. She also served the NCVB as director of convention services
Westman Chin serves on the the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee for Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI), on the Local Organizing Committee for the 2013 NCAA Final Four and on the advisory board for the Atlanta Foodservice Expo. In 2009 and 2011 she was named ACVB Leader of the Year. In 2012, Westman Chin was awarded the Community Citizenship Award by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Georgia Chapter.
