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LIVE from the GNFCC 2022 Women in Leadership Summit: Carley Stephens, Gas South

November 14, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

LIVE from the GNFCC 2022 Women in Leadership Summit: Carley Stephens, Gas South

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LIVE from the GNFCC 2022 Women in Leadership Summit: Carley Stephens, Gas South (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 565)

Carley Stephens with Gas South joined host John Ray LIVE from the GNFCC 2022 Women in Leadership Summit. They talked about her role at Gas South, giving back to children in need, telling your own story, Women in Leadership Summit, and much more.

This show was originally broadcast live from the GNFCC 2022 Women in Leadership Summit held at The Commons at Phase in Alpharetta, Georgia.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Carley Stephens, Director of Community Affairs, Gas South

Carley Stephens is the Director of Community Affairs at Gas South. She oversees all of Gas South’s corporate citizenship or philanthropic giving in the communities they serve, and their employee engagement in those communities.

She has helped Gas South give millions back in charitable donations for children in need. She has been with Gas South since 2017.

Gas South

Gas South is the largest retail natural gas provider in the Southeast.

In December 2020, Gas South acquired Infinite Energy and now serves over 425,000 residential, business and governmental customers throughout the Southeast. While growing in size, their purpose remains the same, to “Be A Fuel For Good”. They are dedicated to putting people first in everything we do. That means they offer low rates with no deposit, exceptional customer service and our commitment to give 5% of profits to support children in need.

Gas South is also committed to investing in our employees. By encouraging their associates to grow in their careers, we can make our employees’ lives better—and that makes Gas South better. Since 2016, they’ve been recognized as one of the “Top Workplaces in Atlanta” four times by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They approach every day knowing we have an opportunity to make a difference, and the difference is good.

Gas South is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cobb EMC, one of the country’s largest electric cooperatives.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

GNFCC 2022 Women in Leadership Summit, presented by the Women INfluencing Business Committee

The 2022 Women in Leadership Summit, organized by the Women INfluencing Business Committee of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, was held on November 2, 2022, at the Commons at Phase in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Powered by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce (GNFCC), the Women INfluencing Business Committee strives to engage female leaders and enhance the standing of professional women within the community. Its annual awards program recognizes women with exceptional vision who have implemented innovative ideas in both the workplace and community and who inspire others.

Website

Questions and Topics in the Interview

Gas South
Giving Back to Children in Need
Telling Your Own Story
Women in Leadership Summit

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Leslie Vaillancourt, CheqrPay

June 29, 2021 by John Ray

Minneapolis St. Paul Business Radio

Leslie Vaillancourt, CheqrPay

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Leslie Vaillancourt, CheqrPay (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Episode 13)

Fintech veteran Leslie Vaillancourt is committed to supporting the work of nonprofits through the company she founded, CheqrPay. Unlike other well-known payment applications which nonprofits have traditionally used, CheqrPay offers donors a frictionless giving experience, which in turn creates more potential donations for the charity. Leslie joined host John Ray to discuss CheqrPay and her entrepreneurial journey. Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio is produced virtually by the Minneapolis St. Paul studio of Business RadioX®.

CheqrPay

At the heart of CheqrPay is the desire to serve. Their team has served countless hours volunteering with nonprofit organizations – large and small.

This experience led them to the belief that there had to be a better solution for small nonprofits who needed an uncomplicated and cost-effective way to collect donations while interacting with their patrons. The answer is CheqrPay – an application that is easy to use and provides just what small organizations need without an overwhelming amount of features. They keep transaction fees low by keeping the app simple.

Though made for small organizations, CheqrPay is a great tool for any nonprofit to have in their toolkit. Their platform costs nothing to set up and only incurs a low transaction fee once you start using it. Their hope is to make interactions with donors simple and easy, no matter where or when you choose to engage!

Keeping with their mission of strengthening the bottom line for small nonprofits, CheqrPay commits to returning 10% of their profits on an annual basis in the form of grants to select member organizations. Look for more information on this program in 2021.

Company website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Leslie Vaillancourt, Founder and CEO, CheqrPay

Leslie Vaillancourt is the founder and CEO of CheqrPay, a Minneapolis-based software company that provides online fundraising services to nonprofit organizations.

Leslie has a background in finance and technology and a passion for working with nonprofit organizations to serve others. She volunteers as the Business Development Director for Women Entrepreneurs of Minnesota (WeMN) and donates time to local nonprofits providing technical support.

Questions and Topics in this Interview

Let’s start with some history and an overview of your company? What services do you provide?
What was your inspiration for creating CheqrPay?
Who are your ideal customers and can you tell us some success stories?
What is your vision for the company? Tell us what it looks like in 10 years.
Can you tell us a little about your personal journey? What is your background? How did you transition into entrepreneurship?
What advice would you give to anyone that is thinking of starting their own company?

Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the Minneapolis St. Paul studio of Business RadioX® . You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Triumph Over Trauma E53

May 20, 2021 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Triumph Over Trauma E53

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Triumph Over Trauma E53

Anthony “Doc” Ameen shares his powerful story not knowing what path he intended to take as a young man to join the military and being influenced by the tragedies he survived. He now dedicates his time to assisting military members, first responders and their families, fighting for them as they have fought for us. Wings for Warriors non-profit has helped over 5,000 veterans with securing benefits, benefits counseling and travel assistance among other holistic needs.

If you or someone you know is a veteran or a first responder, Wings For Warriors Foundation can support you with a wide array of services and programs with the help of their 4 beneficiaries.

Wings For Warriors Foundation is a nationally recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in support of veterans, first responders, and their families.

Wings For Warriors Foundation supports the holistic needs of veterans, first responders, and their families with transformational growth, well-being, and spiritual fitness.

Taylor & Lawrence is a boutique consulting firm helping healthcare organizations of all sizes achieve their desired goals by building cooperative alliances and strategic partnerships.

Taylor & Lawrence’s mission is to provide loyal and mutually beneficial partnerships for healthcare organizations to thrive together, ensuring sustainability, growth, and increased quality.

Anthony Ameen’s life changed in an instant in 2008. And it’s been evolving ever since…

As a Hospital Corpsman, Ameen earned the nickname “Doc” as he embraced a culture of order and duty. His catastrophic battlefield injury changed the course of the life he envisioned, but Anthony eventually chose to view his new path as one that would be watered by the nurtured outflow of the adversity he had faced. His experiences, though challenging at times, allowed him to see potential for change and fueled an entrepreneurial spirit within him, which led to his creation of the non-profit Wings For Warriors.

Under Ameen’s leadership, the non-profit organization matured from an idea to a nationally-recognized foundation that aims to advocate for the holistic and spiritual needs of veterans, first responders, and their families. As Founder & CEO, Anthony personally counseled more than 5,000 veterans and helped launch Wings for Warriors outlets in 30 different cities across the country.

It quickly became clear that the grit, determination, perseverance and leadership capabilities “Doc” channeled in the military served him well in civilian life as an entrepreneur, an advocate, and a nationally-recognized public figure. He is the face and the lifeblood of Wings For Warriors, and with that brings invites from national media outlets, speaking engagements at large-scale events and sponsorships earned from Fortune 500 companies.

Along the way, Doc turned his focus into co-founding and building Taylor & Lawrence, a boutique consulting firm that specializes in serving the Department of Defense (DoD), and Healthcare industries by unearthing strategic business partnerships for increased performance and quality patient care.

Ameen’s past continues to fuel his future. And, his story provokes anyone listening to realize they have not fully tapped every ounce of their potential. Anthony addresses his successes and pitfalls through his emotional and physical recovery in an uncommonly honest way, all while holding his listeners internally responsible for the changes they need to make in order to grow. Ameen’s story incites change, triggers action and spurs productivity. And, perhaps most importantly, it plants a seed of accountability.

When he isn’t traveling for speaking engagements, Anthony spends time with his wife, and their four children, at their home in Phoenix, Arizona.

Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About the Show

Tycoons of Small Biz spotlights the true backbone of the American economy, the true tycoons of business in America… the owners, founders and CEO’s of small businesses. Join hosts, Austin L Peterson, Landon Mance and the featured tycoons LIVE every Tuesday at 1 pm, right here on Business RadioX and your favorite podcast platform.

About Your Hosts

Austin Peterson is a Comprehensive Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners in Scottsdale, AZ. Austin is a registered rep and investment advisor representative with Lincoln Financial Advisors. Prior to joining Lincoln Financial Advisors, Austin worked in a variety of roles in the financial services industry.

He began his career in financial services in the year 2000 as a personal financial advisor with Independent Capital Management in Santa Ana, CA. Austin then joined Pacific Life Insurance Company as an internal wholesaler for their variable annuity and mutual fund products. After Pacific Life, Austin formed his own financial planning company in Southern California that he built and ran for 6 years and eventually sold when he moved his family to Salt Lake City to pursue his MBA.

After he completed his MBA, Austin joined Crump Life Insurance where he filled a couple of different sales roles and eventually a management role throughout the five years he was with Crump. Most recently before joining Lincoln Financial Advisors in February 2015, Austin spent 2 years as a life insurance field wholesaler with Symetra Life Insurance Company. Austin is a Certified Financial Planner Professional and Chartered Life Underwriter. In 2021, Austin became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses.

Austin and his wife of 23 years, Robin, have two children, AJ (21) and Ella (18) and they reside in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in French and of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in sales and entrepreneurship.

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Landon Mance is a Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He rebranded his practice in 2020 to focus on serving small business owners after operating as Mance Wealth Management since 2015 when Landon broke off from a major bank and started his own “shop.”

Landon comes from a family of successful entrepreneurs and has a passion and excitement for serving the business community. This passion is what brought about the growth of Backbone Planning Partners to help business owners and their families. At Backbone Planning, we believe small business owners’ personal and business goals are intertwined, so we work with our clients to design a financial plan to support all aspects of their lives.

In 2019, Landon obtained the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation through the Exit Planning Institute. With this certification, Backbone Planning Partners assists business owners through an ownership transition while focusing on a positive outcome for their employees and meeting the business owner’s goals. Landon is also a member of the Business Intelligence Institute (BII) which is a collaborative group that shares tools, resources and personnel, and offers advanced level training and technical support to specifically serve business owners. In 2021, Landon became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses by counseling owners about exit options, estimating the value of the business, preparing the business for exit and tax considerations.

Landon enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, stepson, and new baby twins. He grew up in sunny San Diego and loves visiting his family, playing a round of golf with friends, and many other outdoor activities. Landon tries to make a difference in the lives of children in Las Vegas as a part of the leadership team for a local non-profit. He regularly visits the children that we work with to remind himself of why it’s so important to, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Landon received his B.S. from California State University Long Beach in business marketing and gets the rest of his education through the school of hard knocks via his business owner clients.

Connect with Landon on LinkedIn.

Austin Peterson and Landon Mance are registered representatives of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker/dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor. Insurance offered through Lincoln affiliates and other fine companies. Backbone Planning Partners is a marketing name for registered representatives of Lincoln Financial Advisors

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Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. and its representatives do not provide legal or tax advice. You may want to consult a legal or tax advisor regarding any legal or tax information as it relates to your personal circumstances.

The content presented is for informational and educational purposes. The information covered and posted are views and opinions of the guests and not necessarily those of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

Business RadioX® is a separate entity not affiliated with Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp.

Shawna Fellenz with AZCEND Kristy Morgan With Candle Wishes Foundation and Jennifer Kiernan with Saving Amy

February 26, 2021 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Shawna Fellenz with AZCEND Kristy Morgan With Candle Wishes Foundation and Jennifer Kiernan with Saving Amy

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Shawna Fellenz with AZCEND Kristy Morgan With Candle Wishes Foundation and Jennifer Kiernan with Saving Amy

At AZCEND, they know that there are people who are isolated, who are hungry, who are living on the streets. They provide help and hope so people can get back on their feet and they don’t have to face their crisis alone.

AZCEND offers the convenience of a one-stop environment to address a myriad of individual and family basic needs. Their mission is to change lives by nourishing minds and bodies to create a connected, thriving community.

AZCEND has provided basic needs services for over 50 years. As they have grown, they have added wrap around services to not only address the immediate crisis, but also to provide support to reach a higher level of stability and prevent a future crisis. Case management, financial coaching and early literacy equip families and communities and provide long lasting outcomes.

AZCEND strengthens individuals, families and communities through food boxes; parenting, health and literacy classes; rent and utility assistance; senior nutrition; meals on wheels; homeless services; and other comprehensive programs and resources.

They want to do more than simply help people maintain their current situation – they want to provide people with the tools they need to change their lives for the better. Last year, over 17,000 people benefited from their services.

Shawna Fellenz has over 25 years of experience with social service and community action programming —including grant writing, program design, development and implementation, data collection, compliance and reporting.

She has a BA in Sociology and has continued her education with training in resiliency, trauma informed cared, mental health first aid, nonprofit management, leadership, and communication across barriers.

Follow AZCEND on Facebook and Twitter.

Candle Wishes throws birthday parties and gives birthday presents for underprivileged and homeless children in our community.

Dr. Kristy Morgan is, first and foremost, a servant leader at heart. As the Arizona Director of The Candle Wishes Foundation, Dr Morgan has dedicated herself to making sure underprivileged and homeless children in her community have the ability to celebrate their birthdays no matter their circumstances.

As a business owner, COO and Vice President of an Integrated Medical Practice, she has spent the last 16 years helping patients live a healthier, pain free life. One of her many other passions has been in the world of Real Estate where she incorporates a strong hearted team approach to building a successful business and channels that into helping families through investing and home ownership.

She is committed to leaving a positive impact on her patients, clients, family and friends and is determined to create a legacy that can be passed on for generations.

Follow Candle Wishes on Facebook.

Saving Amy was founded with a mission to empower individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness by transforming lives through mentoring, teaching life skills, educational advancement, and financial stability through employment.

Amy’s story represents the impact that community can have on changing lives and ending the cycle of homelessness.

Jennifer Kiernan is Saving Amy’s Founder and Executive Director and has been with Saving Amy since the day it was born. She has a heart for helping others. She works closely with our Saving Amy community in every aspect of the day to day operations.

Jennifer sees her role as bringing volunteers and families in need together to coalesce the Saving Amy vision; ‘A world where all people come together as one community; empowering each other to experience life changing ways of living through inner transformation, compassion and love’. She brings people together to work as a team, each individual adding their own unique strengths, to implement strategies and programs to reach the shared goal of breaking the cycle of homelessness.

Jennifer has a practice where she leads groups and meets with people one on one to help guide them into living a life of purpose and joy. Many of the people she works with become volunteers for Saving Amy. Most importantly she is a mom of four amazing children, three young adults, and one teenager, who each know they have a call to change the world in their own unique way.

Jennifer believes we are all called to make a difference in the world. She states, “I have a front-row seat to the generosity and kindness of humankind. The Saving Amy community is an example of what can be accomplished when we come together for the collective good of all people. Love and compassion is the way we change the world.”

Follow Saving Amy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.