Search Results for: marketing matters

April Newsletter Article

March 1, 2013 by angishields

BusinessRadioX® Announces the Launch of Squawk Talk: Business to Business

On Wednesday, April 3, 2013, BusinessRadioX® welcomes to the studio the latest addition to its radio family, Squawk Talk, hosted by Kate Schermerhorn, from BusinessRadioX® in Gwinnett.

Broadcasting from the Eagle’s Nest in the Heart of Atlanta, Squawk Talk is an open forum for business professionals from all industries to discuss matters close to their heart. Listen in Wednesdays at 1PM EST for Host Kate Schermerhorn to bring you some of the most engaging conversations with leaders in the real estate industry, insurance services, home services, medical services, childhood education, and even retail industry. Learn how these professionals are growing and improving the community through their work and their service.

Schermerhorn grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia. She graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BBA in Management Information Systems. After spending 6 years in the IT industry in the Washington DC area, a career change was in order and Schermerhorn moved into sales and marketing. In 2002, she finally started her own manufacturer’s representative firm, where she represented as many as 10 different wholesale companies to retailers across the Southeast. In 2011 Schermerhorn went to work for Eagle Carpet Care & Restoration, sponsor of Squawk Talk, as the Business Development Manager.

Join us for this inaugural episode at 1:00pm Eastern on Wednesday, April 3, at Squawk Talk.

Atlanta CEO Council

February 19, 2013 by angishields

Burr Forman's Results Matter Radio

Atlanta CEO Council

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The Atlanta CEO Council is an organization of executives invited to exclusive events for the purpose of developing relationships, promoting entrepreneurship and investing in the community.

Raj Rajan/Virima

Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan is co-founder of Virima the world’s first IT Business Operations Automation (IT-BOATM) software that provides a single solution to integrate all aspects of an IT organization. Prior to starting up Virima, Mr. Rajan was the cofounder, President and CEO of Vigilar, Inc, a leading network security technology firm. A highly versatile entrepreneur, he has cofounded several ventures, including eLaunchpad, an early stage venture capital firm/incubator focusing on Internet infrastructure and network security technologies; Emerald Systems, a boutique technology consulting firm; and ResourcIS, an IT recruiting firm. Another earlier success, VerticalOne, a financial aggregator, was sold to S1 in 1999 in a deal valued at $166M. Mr. Rajan serves on the Board of Directors of the above companies and on the advisory boards of several early stage technology firms nationwide.

Mr. Rajan is also involved in several professional and community-related organizations. He was instrumental in establishing the Atlanta CEO Council, and currently serves as its Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Rajan cofounded and serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE), a national mentoring organization for technology entrepreneurs. He serves on the Board of Councilors for The Carter Center (President Jimmy Carter’s nonprofit initiative), a leadership advisory group promoting understanding of, and support for, The Carter Center and its activities among Georgia’s private-sector opinion leaders. Mr. Rajan was also selected to Georgia Trend’s “40 Under 40′′ Rising Stars in 2000.

Mr. Rajan is also committed to a variety of charitable organizations focused on providing support and education. Beneficiaries include Raksha, (meaning protection in several South Asian languages) a Georgia nonprofit support network for South Asians in distress, and CRY (Child Relief and You), a US-based group helping deprived children.

Mr. Rajan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Florida Institute of Technology. Mr. Rajan was born in Coimbatore, India and raised in Bangalore, India.

Glenn McGonnigle/TechOperators

Glenn McGonnigle is a General Partner at TechOperators. Prior to launching TechOperators, Glenn was most recently Chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based VistaScape Security Systems, a leading provider of enterprise intelligent video surveillance software where he was recruited by the company’s board to raise capital and grow the business. He subsequently oversaw the successful sale of the company to Siemens Building Technologies. An authority on IT and physical security convergence and a frequent contributor and expert speaker for numerous industry publications and events, Glenn helped shape President Bush’s 2005 National Strategy for Maritime Security.

Previously, Glenn was a co-founder and top executive of Atlanta-based Internet Security Systems (ISS) where he helped raise initial venture capital and launch the business. For 7 years, he led the business development team in developing sales channels and entering the managed security services market. During his tenure, the company grew from startup to revenues of over $225 million and was recently acquired by IBM for $1.5 billion.

Prior to ISS, he was President and co-founder of Data Integrity Services Corporation, an early-stage provider of WAN-based data management services. Throughout his 24 year career, Glenn has remained focused on emerging technologies and has held a variety of sales and marketing executive positions during the high growth stages of EMC, Epoch Systems, Borland, and Wang Laboratories.

He is an active member of the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and sits on the board of the Venture Atlanta Conference. In addition, he has served as Entrepreneur in Residence and CapVenture coach supporting Georgia’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC). McGonnigle holds a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia.

Glenn oversees the fund’s investments in Immunet, JouleX, and Endgame Systems.

Peter Baron/Carabiner Communications

Peter Baron is principal of Carabiner Communications, where he acts as a senior-level consultant, offering advice to clients on product positioning and how to leverage the latest market trends. Through more than two decades of high-tech PR experience, Peter has the skills to recognize new opportunities in the marketplace and help clients prepare strategies accordingly. He has worked with entrepreneurs spanning the technology ecosystem including telecommunications, networking, healthcare technology and enterprise software solutions. Peter received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and PR from the University of Utah.

Greg Harley/Burr & Forman

Greg is a partner in the Burr & Forman’s Commercial Litigation group with a concentration on business litigation, class action defense and employment matters. Greg has extensive experience in all aspects of civil litigation and has handled disputes on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants on a broad range of issues including breach of contract, fraud, bad faith, trade secrets, defamation and unfair business practices claims. While Greg’s practice is centered in Georgia and Alabama, he has represented clients in matters across the United States.

Greg’s clients include national banking institutions, insurers and one of Georgia’s largest residential contracting companies. Greg also currently serves as national litigation counsel for a diversified telecommunications company.

Audio Dust Jacket Volume Four

January 27, 2013 by angishields

BRX National

Audio Dust Jacket Volume Four

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Jenny Milchman/Cover of Snow

Jenny Milchman is a suspense writer from New Jersey. Her debut novel, COVER OF SNOW, is forthcoming from Ballantine in January 2013 and is available for pre-order now. Her short story The Closet was published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in November 2012. Another short story, The Very Old Man, has been an Amazon bestseller, and the short work Black Sun on Tupper Lake appears in the anthology ADIRONDACK MYSTERIES II

Jenny is the Chair of the International Thriller Writers’ Debut Authors Program. She is also the founder of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day, which was celebrated last year in all 50 states and four foreign countries by 350-and-growing bookstores.

Jenny hosts the Made It Moments forum on her blog, which has featured more than 250 international bestsellers, Edgar winners and independent authors. She co-hosts the literary series Writing Matters, which attracts guests coast-to-coast and has received national media attention, and loves to teach and speak about writing and publishing for New York Writers Workshop, Arts By The People, and WomenWhoWrite.

Charmaine Hammond/GPS Your Best Life- Charting Your Destination & Getting There in Style

Charmaine Hammond, MA, BA, is an international transformational speaker, 2x #1 best selling and award winning author and radio host, helping people live inspired, resilient lives and helping transform workplaces. She has owned her business for 16 years, although her first career started in the Correctional System where she was a Correctional Officer. Using her skills to manage conflict and crisis, she returned to grad school attaining a Masters Degree in Conflict Analysis & Management. She has facilitated team building and problem solving process and strategic planning sessions for hundreds of clients, has spoken to 70,000 people around the world, and is on a mission to bring kindness to the workplace. Her new co-authored book GPS Your Best Life helps you get in the driver’s seat of your life. She is also author of On Toby’s Terms (being made into a motion picture), Bounce Forward, and Toby the Pet Therapy Dog.

Whether you’re trying to determine what you really want in life, to clarify your goals, or how to get where you want, GPS Your Best Life will help you map your destination and put you on the road to personal fulfillment, happiness, and success.

Angil Tarach-Ritchey/Behind the Old Face: Aging in America and the Coming Elder Boom

Angil Tarach-Ritchey RN, GCM is a national expertin senior care. With over 30 years in senior care and advocacy Angil is very passionate about improving the treatment, living and care of aging adults and is well respected in her field. Her insightful work is not only appreciated by seniors and family caregivers, it isrecognized by her professional peers.

Behind the Old Face: Aging in America and the Coming Elder Boom, A Teenage nursing-home aide Angil Tarach-Ritchey’s discovery of a resident’sold love letters altered her view of elderly patients and inspired her career of advocating for quality elder care. Drawing upon decades of experience and her interviews with seniors, Angil provides an overview of aging and elder care in the U.S., reveals the rich inner worlds of the elderly, conveys their advice to those who will become senior citizens, and describes her vision of a community- based, inter-generational, and sustainable approach to elder care. A must read for anyone who works with, is related to, or is acquainted with an elderly person.

Lillian Brummet/Purple Snowflake Marketing

Book marketing guru and award winning author, radio host and blogger Lillian Brummet joins us today to share her experiences in the world of writing. Lillian has fond memories of an early childhood in California and Nevada (USA) and grew up in the south-central region of BC, Canada. Her business partner, co-author and husband Dave was born and raised in Kelowna (BC) where he met up with Lillian in 1990 and they have been together ever since.

Purple Snowflake Marketing offers a realistic guide to what authors can expect to face and how to employ research and preparation to make a memorable first impression. As you put together a marketing plan, you will be able to proceed with the confidence of a seasoned writer. This book is packed with value, with over 1000 resources along with stats and inspiring quotes to assist you in developing that unique marketing plan for each book you write.

Atlanta World Showcase & Governor's International Awards

November 6, 2012 by angishields

Burr Forman's Results Matter Radio

Atlanta World Showcase & Governor's International Awards

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Today’s studio guests were recently featured in the Atlanta Business Chronicle for the Atlanta World Showcase and Governor’s International Awards.

Lilia Postolachi/World Trade Center Atlanta

Lilia Postolachi is the Membership/International Service Director at World Trade Center (WTC) Atlanta. She also served on the Judges Panel of Governor’s International Awards.

Lilia directs international marketing and business development, strategic planning, program development, needs assessment, internal/external communications and implementation of joint go-to-market strategies for WTC Atlanta members, including: “Genius Consulting”, “Batolii”, “Palladium Legal”, “GolfRascal”, “Birchtree HR” and others. Lilia manages every aspect of activities of the Center, has increased exposure of the WTC Atlanta locally and internationally, increased area sales by 300%, and increased revenues from organized events.

Lilia elected and applied E-Membership management software system to increase visibility for the WTC Atlanta members, and is responsible for training and placing interns with jobs. She worked on restructuring of the WTC Atlanta, turning it into a self-sufficient profit generator, and prepared procedures for the integration of the new operational model. Lilia organized in-bound, out-bound Trade Missions (from 2007-2012) and Creates monthly E-Newsletters to promote business and members of the WTC Atlanta.

Scott Weiss/Speakeasy, Inc.

Finalist – International Education Program

Scott S. Weiss is President, CEO of Speakeasy, Inc., a globally renowned communication consulting form established in 1974, with offices in Atlanta, San Francisco, and New York. The company works with executives and teams in developing the impact and effectiveness of their communication, both internally with staff and externally with their clients. Last year the company worked with some 3,500 executives in 10 countries.

Scott is the author of the book DARE, “Accepting the Challenge of Trusting Leadership,” and in just this past year, has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, CNN Money, and Investor’s Business Daily. Scott is also a frequent guest speaker at a variety of industry conferences.

Scott is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus for the T. Howard Foundation, a Washington, D.C. non-profit that promotes diversity in the broadcast and electronic media industry. He currently serves on the Board of EO (Entrepreneur Organization) of Atlanta, the Board of Visitors for Emory University, the Board of Advisors for the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and has served as an “Emmy” voting member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for 21 years.

Scott is a graduate of Michigan State University, and has served as an adjunct professor at the Georgia Tech School of Management.

Tully D. Hazell/Burr & Forman

Tully is a Partner in Burr & Forman’s Transactional Group based in our Atlanta office. His practice concentrates on all aspects of negotiated transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, capital restructurings, private equity and venture capital transactions, real estate development, joint ventures and multi-member LLCs, entity and tax planning, non-public securities offerings, technology and IP, distribution networks, and executive employment arrangements.

Tully has also counseled special committees of Board of Directors of various public and non-public entities on confidential matters. He serves as Principal Attorney to numerous privately held “middle-market” companies with revenues in the $5M to $200M range, and also advises several U.S. affiliates of entities based outside the US. Tully is the administrative head of the firm’s corporate practice in Atlanta, and also serves on numerous firm committees.

He is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Georgia and the Atlanta Bar Association.Tully is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, with roots to Missouri including his grandfather, Don Faurot, for which the University of Missouri football field has been dedicated. While in law school, Tully was a member of the George Washington University Law Review.

Tully lives with his wife, Julie, and their two daughters in the Midtown area of Atlanta. He is active in a variety of community activities, including efforts for APS (the Atlanta Public School system) and pro bono legal activities.

Women in Leadership

September 25, 2012 by angishields

Burr Forman's Results Matter Radio

Women in Leadership

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Ashby Kent talks with Katie Caperton and Maggie Geraghty on the topic of Women in Leadership on this installment of Results Matter Radio.

Katie Caperton/HLN Digital

Katie Caperton is Editor-in-Chief of HLN Digital. Based in CNN’s global headquarters in Atlanta (also the home of sister channel HLN), she is responsible for directing the editorial content for the newly launched website HLNTV.com, overseeing its daily “must see, must share” news stories and videos.

Caperton joined CNN in July 2009 as Entertainment Editor at CNN Digital. In that position, she relaunched the website’s entertainment section, which is now one of the most popular user destinations on CNN.com. Her revisions to the entertainment pages include the addition of user comments on CNN.com and Facebook; breaking entertainment stories and videos; and “Quote Board” highlights of the week’s most controversial or interesting celebrity comments and activities. Addtionally, Caperton is responsible for overseeing the launch of the entertainment blog, The Marquee Blog, one of the most highly viewed on CNN.com.

Before joining CNN, Caperton was the Editor-in-Chief of OK! Magazine, where she also served as managing editor and executive editor. Before that, she held the position of assistant managing editor at Star Magazine. She was also an editorial contributer to InStyle Magazine, New York Magazine, Interview, Atlanta Magazine and the New York Daily News.

Caperton earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with honors from New York University.

Maggie Geraghty/Thomas Arvid Fine Art, Inc.

Maggie Geraghty is the Director of Marketing and Operations for Thomas Arvid Fine Art, Inc., a boutique publishing firm representing the art of Thomas Arvid. Credited for redefining the modern still life with his monumental paintings of the beauty of wine, Arvid’s work is featured in over fifty galleries across the U.S., Canada and abroad. In addition to working with galleries to sell and promote Arvid, Maggie manages the marketing strategies and production team for the Limited Edition program. She creates and edits all marketing materials including thomasarvid.com, Living Artfully television pilot, annual Arvid calendar, wine tasting journals and museum catalogs.

Currently, Maggie is also the Director of Exhibition and Sponsorships for Arvid: Reflecting the Good Life at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art September 21 – December 15, 2012. In addition to managing and organizing Arvid’s first museum exhibition, she was able to raise more than $75,000 in sponsorships and in-kind donations to successfully support an exhibit of more than 46 paintings representing twenty years of Arvid’s career.

Ashby L. Kent/Burr & Forman

Ashby L. Kent has practiced in Burr & Forman’s Litigation section since 2003 where she specializes in general commercial litigation. She has handled a wide variety of business disputes (tort and contract) for both plaintiffs and defendants, and her clients range from individuals and small businesses to large national financial institutions, including banks, lenders, mortgage companies and insurance companies.

Ashby represents her financial services clients in a variety of consumer finance and real estate matters, including actions for wrongful foreclosure, predatory lending, consumer protection law claims and other state and federal lender liability claims. In representing her title insurance clients, Ashby has handled numerous matters which involve evaluating and litigating bad faith claims, boundary line and easement disputes, one-half interest defects, lost or unrecorded security instruments issues, disputes over damages and loss valuations and other issues that frequently arise in the title insurance industry.

Ashby has nearly 10 years of experience litigating in Georgia’s state and federal courts, and has tried cases (bench and jury trials) in both. Additionally, she has successfully, efficiently and cost-effectively resolved numerous disputes through effective settlement negotiation and/or participation in alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, including mediation and arbitration.

Georgia Bulldog 100 Winners for 2012

September 24, 2012 by angishields

[Chirbit:http://chirb.it/85E3mL]

The Georgia Bulldog 100 is a program that determines and awards the 100 fastest growing businesses that are owned or operated by University of Georgia Alumni each year.

Honorable Steve Jones/UGA Alumni President

On January 5, 2011, Judge Jones was nominated by President Barack Obama to become a United States District Judge. Judge Jones was sworn in as a district judge on March 4, 2011. In this role, Judge Jones presides over cases that involve the United States government, the United States Constitution, federal laws, controversies between citizens of different states, and other matters.

Prior to his nomination to the district court, Judge Jones served as a Superior Court Judge in the Western Judicial Circuit (Athens-Clarke and Oconee Counties, Georgia). Judge Jones was appointed to the Superior Court in 1995. In this role, Judge Jones presided over civil and criminal cases. In addition to his regular caseload, Judge Jones also presided over the Western Judicial Circuit Felony Drug Court Program, a program that integrates alcohol and substance abuse treatment with court supervision. Prior to his 1995 Superior Court judicial appointment, Judge Jones served as a Municipal Court Judge (1992-1995), as an Assistant District Attorney (1987-1991), and as the Director of the Child Support Recovery Unit (1978-1985).

Judge Jones is a “Double Dawg” and earned his Bachelors degree in Management in 1978 and his Juris Doctor in 1987.

In addition to all of his accomplishments, Judges Jones Â also serves on the Board of Directors for the UGA Alumni Association as President. Judge Jones is married to Lillian Kincey.

Anthony Moore/jobTopia

Anthony Moore is withÂ jobTopia, a recruiting, executive search and contract staffing firm. Â Anthony graduated from the University of Georgia in 1993 with a degree in Marketing. Â He is an Atlanta native who grew up in Gwinnett County and went to Riverwood High School in Fulton County. Â Anthony is politically active in the GOP.

John Shurley/GH&I

John Shurley is an Audit Partner and leader of the fraud, forensic and litigation support service team with GH&I, Gifford, Hillegass & Ingwersen,LLP. John has conducted numerous fraud and forensic examinations. He provides clients extensive experience in the review and preparation of audited financial statements and the development of accounting systems for various business concerns.

John began his working career with Ernst & Young in Atlanta, where he was a member of the audit department for five years. While at Ernst & Young, he was responsible for audit engagements of nonprofits and public and privately-held companies in the manufacturing, construction, distribution, healthcare, textile and soft drink industries.

John received his B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Georgia. While attending college, he received several honors and held various elected offices in student organizations.

Stacey Anderson/Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors

Stacey Anderson is the owner of Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors, along with her husband Jim. Â Stacey is a 1980 graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in Journalism. Â While a student at UGA, she was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, serving as Treasurer & Standards President. Â Stacey and Jim have been married for 26 years and have two grown sons, Tyler and Keaton. Â Stacey was born and raised in Atlanta.

Meredith Carr/UGA Alumni Association

Meredith Carr serves as the Associate Director of Alumni Relations at the University of Georgia.

Delayed Retirement: Fact or Fiction?

September 5, 2012 by angishields

BRX National

Delayed Retirement: Fact or Fiction?

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Pat Huddleston is a former Enforcement Branch Chief at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the author of The Vigilant Investor. Pat has served as a court-appointed Receiver in three SEC fraud cases and succeeded in recovering assets that funded substantial distributions to defrauded investors. He has served as a court-appointed Receiver in two nationwide telemarketing cases for the Federal Trade Commission. He has also been appointed Chapter 11 Examiner by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia, tasked with investigating self-dealing by officers and directors of a public company. He represents investors and serves as an expert witness in securities litigation and arbitration.

Pat’s desire to protect investors from the scams that crowd the investing landscape led him to found Investor’s Watchdog LLC, (“IW”) in 2006. Investor’s Watchdog hosts a popular blog, investorswatchblog.com, which tracks breaking investment scams and teaches investors and financial advisers effective due diligence tactics. Investor’s Watchdog has conducted investigations for clients all over the world and helped save millions in assets that otherwise would have been lost to cleverly disguised frauds.

In addition to The Vigilant Investor; Pat has written for Risk Management, The Prosecutor, Benefits, Registered Rep, Physician’s Money Digest, Church Executive, Medical Life (Australia), and RIA Biz. He appears frequently as a subject matter expert on television and radio. He has appeared on ABC News, CBS Moneywatch, Fox Business News, Consuelo Mack Wealthtrack, Chicago’s Monsters and Money in the Morning, and local news programs in Seattle, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles. He has been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Forbes, the Financial Times, Investment News and USA Today, among other publications. The Vigilant Investor has been published in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United Kingdom, in addition to the United States. In an endorsement on the back cover, Princeton Professor Burton Malkiel (author of the bestselling A Random Walk Down Wall Street), calls Pat “the investors’ perfect teacher.”

Mr. Terry is a member of the Page Perry’s Regulatory Practice Group, advising and representing individuals, broker-dealers, and investment advisors in regulatory and enforcement matters. He also provides advice and representation to clients in connection with other corporate matters.

Mr. Terry has many years of varied experience in securities regulation, compliance and enforcement, as well as other areas of the law. From 1997 until 2001, and again from 2007 until 2011, Mr. Terry served as the Director of the Securities Division of the State of Georgia. He also as Chief Compliance Officer for a major regional broker-dealer, and, In addition to his regulatory service and compliance roles, Mr. Terry has represented firms and individuals in connection with a wide variety of securities and other matters in private law practice.

As Georgia’s Securities Division Director, Mr. Terry oversaw a major legislative revision of the Georgia Securities Act of 1973 and, later, the adoption of the Georgia Uniform Securities Act of 2008. In addition, he and his staff conducted numerous investigations of violations of Georgia’s securities laws, both independently and in cooperation with other states, resulting in the return of millions of dollars to investors as well as the imposition of administrative, civil and criminal sanctions against offenders. Mr. Terry served in many leadership roles within the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), including two terms as a member of the Board of Directors, service on many enforcement task forces and Vice Chair of the CRD Steering Committee. He has received two Outstanding Service Awards from the NASAA membership.

Mr. Terry received his B.S. degree in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an M.B.A. from the University of Georgia and a J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Mr. Terry is admitted to practice before all courts in the State of Georgia, and also the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Keith Green has worked with thousands of individuals who are preparing for retirement. He responded to critical gaps in the U.S. retirement system by founding the American Retirement Initiative in which he serves as its president. The American Retirement Initiative is a national conversation that facilitates best practice-sharing among trusted advisors. ARI provides thought leadership on employer-sponsored retirement plans and the retirement landscape in general in the US. He brings to this role over 20 years in leadership roles for leading financial services companies offering retirement solutions to individuals and organizations.

In his early career with TIAA-CREF, Keith worked as an Institutional Consultant, collaborating with colleges and universities on their retirement plan designs. Keith then joined Aetna Financial Services as its Regional Manager in its Michigan office and ultimately became vice president for its Southeastern Region.

After ING’s acquisition of Aetna Financial Services in 2000, Keith held progressively responsible roles, including Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Senior Vice President of Domestic Emerging Markets. He was then appointed Senior Vice President and executive-on-loan to Hemisphere, Inc., an organization tasked with bringing the headquarters of the Free Trade Area of the Americas to Atlanta. Much of his time during that period was spent in Latin American and the Caribbean capitols promoting trade and working on economic development issues with diplomats and democratically elected leaders.

In January 2006, Mr. Green was appointed Vice President of Government Relations for ING, responsible for ING’s state government relations in twenty US states. He held this role until 20ll when he founded the American Retirement Initiative.

Keith received both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan.

"WIT" – Women in Technology

August 21, 2012 by angishields

Burr Forman's Results Matter Radio

"WIT" - Women in Technology

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Katie Tucker/Cbeyond

Katie Tucker currently serves as a Senior Program Manager in Technology & Operations for Cbeyond. In this role, Katie is responsible for program management of building acquisition across all markets. Prior to this role, Katie served as a Marketing Program Manager for Cbeyond. Katie has worked in IT for more than a decade gaining a diverse skill set from various roles and organizations.

Katie gives back to the community where she lives and works by giving her time and talent to multiple organizations. She currently serves as Program Director of Signature Events for the WIT Women of the Year Awards. She has also volunteered in the past through Girls Get IT and served as Project Manager for the Women of the Year Awards. Most recently she took on a new role as Project Manager for the Girls Inc of Greater Atlanta “Strong, Smart & Bold Awards Luncheon”. Katie also serves a co-chair of Events for Cbeyond Women’s Network and on the CWN Member Education & Engagement Committee. She is also an active member of the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association and serves at Project Manager for the Membership Committee.

Katie earned her Bachelors of Business degree in marketing and management from Piedmont College and a Masters of Business Administration in Information Technology Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Ann Jacobs-Long/SunTrust Banks, Inc.

Ann Jacobs-Long is in her second year as Director of the Girls Get IT Program for the WIT Foundation. Ann joined SunTrust Banks, Inc. in December 2006 and holds the position of Group Vice President as Manager of Governance within the Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO). Ann’s management responsibilities include accountability for enterprise investment governance processes and the associated Program and Project Investment Policy, enterprise portfolio inventory and demand management, performance monitoring and executive reporting. Prior to joining SunTrust, Ann worked several years in the telecommunications industry, and has over fifteen years of experience in the project management field, providing senior leadership as a PMO Manager, Program, Project, and Portfolio Manager. Additionally, she has significant industry experience as an Industrial Engineer. Ann has attained an MBA/E-Business, and holds certifications of PMP (Project Management Professional) from PMI and Project Management Masters Certification from George Washington University.

Christina Critzer/SunTrust Banks, Inc.

Christina Critzer, Group Vice President and Delivery Manager with SunTrust Banks, Inc., brings 15+ years of experience in information technology to her Delivery Manager role in Enterprise Delivery Services. Christina leads and inspires a team in the delivery of technology projects with emphasis on Image & Capture to enable the business to better serve its clients.

Prior to joining SunTrust, Christina worked for The Home Depot (THD) providing innovation and deployment of technology to the stores. While at THD, Christina was a founding member of the I.T. Women’s Leadership Forum. Previously at the entrepreneurial, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Christina was an Information Systems Business Manager, acting as liaison to the business on strategic technology initiatives.

Christina’s experience in the technology industry focuses on relationships, program & project management, operations and process re-engineering. Christina has a B.S. in Management Science from Virginia Tech, an M.B.A. from Regis University, is PMP certified with the Project Management Institute and ITIL Service Manager certified. Christina spends her free time volunteering in the Women in Technology (WIT) program and serves on the board of her homeowner’s association.

Ashby L. Kent/Burr & Forman

Penny Morriss and Ellen Roberson with Watson Penland, Gary Kneller with CareMinders Home Care, Andy Macke with Comcast Cable Communications, and Bill Jones and Steve Bachman with CollectorDash

August 13, 2012 by angishields

[chirbit:http://chirb.it/m51Aee]

Penny Morriss/Watson Penland

Penny Morriss, Co-Founder of Watson Penland, is the Owner of Concierge Services of Atlanta, a company she founded in 1997 that provides specialized services to Class A office buildings, private clubs, luxury condominiums, and private individuals. Penny began working for Prentiss Properties in 1988 as Atlanta’s first corporate concierge for One Atlantic Center in Midtown. From 1994 to 1997, Morriss worked for the Washington, DC-based Intercontinental Concierge Corporation as the General Manager of their Atlanta office. Penny spearheaded the founding of Watson Penland when she saw the need for an Atlanta company to cater to the city’s thriving cosmopolitan lifestyle and burgeoning film and television industry.

Ellen Roberson/Watson Penland

Ellen Watson Roberson, Â Co-Founder ofÂ Watson Penland, founded Pace Travel of Atlanta in 1985 and over the span of twenty-five years has led a global travel agency catering to both corporate and leisure travelers as well as Atlanta’s entertainment industry including Lionsgate and Tyler Perry Studios. Pace Travel was consistently recognized for over a decade as one of Atlanta’s top twenty travel agencies and top female-owned firms. Ellen is a member of the International Airline Travel Agent Network. Ellen collaborated with Penny Morriss to form Watson Penland in an effort to merge their vast expertise in the travel and service industries. She now divides her time between the Atlanta and Los Angeles Watson Penland offices.

Gary Kneller/CareMinders Home Care

A few years ago Gary, in his mid-50s today, received some shocking news — he had stage three Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Â The diagnosis initially was overwhelming — he had a hard time handling the uncertainty of cancer.Â But, as Gary has done in his life many, many times personally and professionally, he saw opportunity where many would see doom.Â Gary witnessed firsthand how the level of care in a lot of facilities didn’t meet the needs of patients. It was a motivating factor for him to launch CareMinders Home Care.Â In fact, he designed CareMinders to deliver care at home at a quality level that goes beyond what he ever received at a healthcare facility — by a landslide. He’s actually said that CareMinders honors those like him that have survived the rigors of cancer treatment.

Now Gary is taking his mission beyond the Atlanta market – into all U.S. markets. He’s already led CareMinders into franchising, opening in 15 states.Â Gary’s personal experience has resulted in a home care concept that offers more medical and non-medical services than any other franchise out there — his personal experience is a big reason why.Â A serial entrepreneur in every sense, Gary had previously owned a television station, a financial planning business and has other endeavors under his belt as well. But, the launch of CareMinders just a few years ago served as a practice in patience, persistence and perseverance.Â His successful triumph over cancer has given Gary a new lease on life — personally he’s now getting married and he is pouring all the energy he can into CareMinders.

Andy Macke/Comcast Cable Communications

As Vice President of Government and Community Affairs for Comcastâ€™s Big South Region, Andy Macke develops strategic relationships with government officials and community leaders to support Comcastâ€™s business goals and strengthen the community. He is directly responsible for Comcastâ€™s regulatory compliance, operations support and community investment in the 32 counties around the city of Atlanta. Andy is also responsible for overseeing Comcastâ€™s community investment strategy including Comcast Cares Day and United Way, among others.

Andy currently serves on the executive committee of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce as Immediate Past Chairman. He also serves as a board member of the Cable Television Association of Georgia (CTAG) and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. In the past, Andy has been recognized by the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce with the â€œChet Wells Awardâ€ for his outstanding leadership, and he was honored as the â€œBoard Member of the Yearâ€ by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce for his work with the Education Committee.

Andy began his career in cable with AT&T Broadband and has worked for the Georgia Municipal Association as a Franchise Coordinator advising cities and counties on franchise related matters. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Georgia and a Master of Science degree in Telecommunications Policy from Georgia Tech.

Bill Jones/CollectorDash

Bill, Founder and CEO of CollectorDash, has a twenty-plus year track record of value creation. HeÂ has built two businesses from a very early stage through maturity. Bill was most recently President of Air2Web, Inc., a leading mobile marketing software-as-service business. With top enterprise and network operators as customers, Air2Web delivered over a billion text messages to consumers each year.

Prior to Air2Web, Bill was Director of Product Management for all of Nokiaâ€™s enterprise software. Bill was one of the top two executives leading Intellisyncâ€™s sale to Nokia. At Intellisync, he was the VP of Products running a varied portfolio of mobile software products sold to enterprise, carrier and consumer segments.

Prior to Synchrologic/Intellisync/Nokia, Bill ran global product management and user interface design for Lotus/IBMâ€™s suite of desktop applications. He was a pioneer in Windows applications at Samna.

Steve Bachman/CollectorDash

Steve Bachman, Vice President of Strategy at CollectorDash, is a proven executive with more than 30 years of experience building and growing startup and fast growth software and tech companies while creating shareholder value. His experience spans software, cloud based solutions, financial technology, e-commerce, mobile solutions, and information security.

Bachman was Founder & CEO of Automated Design Systems (sold to McAfee), President of Marshal Software Americas (sold to NetIQ), Founder & Director of Glue Communications (sold to Xcelerate), and Advisor & VP of Sales to c360 (sold to CDC Software). Steve is currently a Founder & Director of UK-based Image Analyzer and Director of AuditMyBooks.

Bachman is also the past President and Director of the Southeast Software Association, Founder and past Director of the Technology Association of Georgia, and currently a Founder and Director of both the Wireless Technology Forum and the Executive Sales & Marketing Association.