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The Amazing Story of Hellman-Chang Fine Furniture

July 17, 2024 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

The Amazing Story of Hellman-Chang Fine Furniture

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Daniel Hellman, J.D. Mealor, and Eric Chang

Host J.D. Mealor is joined by Daniel Hellman and Eric Chang, the Owners and Founders of Hellman-Chang, a company that is redefining modern living by creating boldly designed, handcrafted studio furniture lines. Designed in Brooklyn, and hand-crafted in Georgia, listen to the amazing story of how Hellman-Chang began as a labor of love between two 10-year-old best friends and has grown into a prestigious company that has set a new bar for timeless American Design and bespoke quality and craftsmanship.

J.D. Mealor is Senior Vice President and North Georgia Market Executive for Regions Bank. His podcast series, “Regions Business Radio”, covers financial topics such as banking and lending, mortgages, wealth management and more. The program also allows listeners to get to know some of the top executives from Regions Bank.

About Regions:

Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $145 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest, and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,400 banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

This information is general in nature and is provided for educational purposes only. Regions makes no representation as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, suitability or validity of any information presented and Regions does not accept liability for any direct or indirect loss stemming from the application of any material. Information provided and statements made by employees of Regions should not be relied on or interpreted as accounting, financial planning, investment, legal or tax advice. Regions encourages you to consult an appropriate professional concerning your specific situation and irs.gov for current tax rules.

Jim Miller, CEO & Co-Founder, DutchCrafters Amish Furniture

March 13, 2023 by John Ray

Jim Miller, DutchCrafters Amish Furniture

North Fulton Business Radio

Jim Miller, CEO & Co-Founder, DutchCrafters Amish Furniture

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North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 621)

On this edition of North Fulton Business Radio, Jim Miller, CEO and Co-Founder of DutchCrafters Furniture, joined host John Ray to discuss what makes DutchCrafters an industry disruptor, how they got started, what it was like to sell custom Amish furniture on the internet prior to the booming e-commerce industry we see today, why the company located a showcase store in Alpharetta, and much more.

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

DutchCrafters is a niche retailer, selling more than 15,000 products on its Amish furniture website www.dutchcrafters.com. DutchCrafters Showrooms and Design Centers welcome customers in Sarasota, Fla. and Alpharetta, Ga. and in an outlet store in LaGrange, Ind. DutchCrafters was named to Newsweek’s prestigious Best Online Shops for 2021 and Fastest Growing Online Shops for 2022. The company has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and was listed six times as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, according to Inc. Magazine’s prestigious Inc. 5,000 List.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

**Jim Miller, CEO & Co-Founder, DutchCrafters Amish Furniture**

Jim Miller is the Founder and CEO of JMX Brands, a Sarasota-based e-commerce company that he began with his wife Linse Miller, and Miao Xue in 2003. JMX Brands is a six-time Inc 5000 company, a Gulf Coast 500 company, and is recognized by Furniture Today as a leading e-tailer.

JMX Brands was recognized as a 2016 Florida Company to Watch by GROW FL and 2021 Medium Business of the Year by the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. The company was named Best Place to Work by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and by Furniture Today in 2021 and 2022.

The company’s flagship brand, DutchCrafters, is the largest e-commerce brand of Amish-made furniture – retailing products from more than 150 small American vendors and delivering throughout the United States and Canada. DutchCrafters is one of Newsweek’s Best Online Shops of 2021 and Fasted Growing Online Shops of 2022 and from his work, Jim received a Top Entrepreneur Award from the Business Observer in 2022.

Jim previously served as the founding director of Goshen College – Sarasota. Goshen College is a four-year, private, liberal arts college located in Goshen, Indiana. The Sarasota program offers baccalaureate degree completion in management, computer certifications, and personal enrichment courses. In 1999, as the new director, Jim was recognized in Gulf Coast Business Review’s inaugural publication of “40 Under 40” – the region’s forty most promising leaders under age forty. Jim has taught management, organizational communication, and related courses in non-traditional programs at Goshen College and Eckerd College.

Jim was associate pastor at Bahia Vista Mennonite Church in Sarasota from 1993-1998. He served various roles in his congregation and with Southeast Mennonite Conference and the larger Mennonite Church. From 2011-13, he served as a bi-vocational pastor at Covenant Mennonite Fellowship in Sarasota. He continues to speak in various settings on issues of faith.

Jim earned a bachelor’s degree from Goshen College and a master’s degree in management in leadership and organizational development from the University of South Florida. In addition, he has studied at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Eastern Mennonite University, and Bethel Theological Seminary.

Jim’s community service has been extensive. He has served in a variety of capacities, including aquatic rescue at Mote Marine Laboratories, youth basketball coach, and in directorships with Charis Center, Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity, Sunnyside Properties, and as president of the Sunnyside Foundation.

What makes DutchCrafters an industry disruptor?
Whose idea was it to pair custom Amish furniture with the internet and bring Amish furniture to homes and offices across America via the internet (prior to Facebook and the booming e-commerce industry we see today)?
What is something most people don’t know about you?
With showrooms in Sarasota, Florida, and Alpharetta, Georgia, and an outlet store in LaGrange, Indiana, what is next for JMX Brands / DutchCrafters?

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/.

LIVE from WORKBENCHcon 2022: Ethan Abramson, THEBUILDwithETHAN

March 31, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

LIVE from WORKBENCHcon 2022: Ethan Abramson, THEBUILDwithETHAN

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LIVE from WORKBENCHcon 2022: Ethan Abramson, THEBUILDwithETHAN (Organization Conversation, Episode 11)

Ethan Abramson from THEBUILDwithETHAN, host of Building a Furniture Brand and owner of Ethan Abramson Furniture, joined host Richard Grove on this live edition of Organization Conversation. They discussed his journey in building furniture, discovering the maker community, the benefits of staying organized, his social brand, and much more. Organization Conversation is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Ethan Abramson, THEBUILDwithETHAN

THEBUILDwithETHAN showcases the lighter side of professional Furniture Maker Ethan Abramson. Through photos, videos, and articles, Ethan helps to highlight building skills, tool use, and general shop practices for his audience.

You can follow along with Ethan on his social channels, or see him in person as the host of many Woodworking, Tool, and Maker events.

Whether showcasing his furniture, sharing product and tool reviews, or at an event, Ethan is happy to help with any woodworking, tool, or shop question, so always feel free to ask. You can reach out here with any question you may have, or even to just say hey.

Ethan also loves partnering with brands, so if you are looking to showcase something, please contact him here.

Ethan’s podcast, Building a Furniture Brand, is here.

Connect with THEBUILDwithETHAN: Website | Instagram | Youtube | TikTok

Ethan Abramson Furniture

Started in Brooklyn, NY in 2008, Ethan Abramson produces its own line of furniture as well as custom commissions for residential and commercial projects.

Owner and head designer Ethan Abramson’s creative process allows for the materials to influence designs as much as the function does. This balance leaves pieces with a true sense of origin and purpose, something rarely seen in mass-produced furniture.

“The process of building a piece of furniture is just as important to me as how it looks in the end. All the solid wood I use had a story before it came to my shop. My goal is to build on that story, to see the characteristics in the wood and what it wants to become. I think of my work not based in machines and numbers, but as a completely creative process, as if I am painting.” — Ethan Abramson

Today the shop is located in Long Island, NY, but the guiding principles are still the same. All furniture is handcrafted on-site, built using a blend of classic and modern woodworking techniques. Wood from reclaimed sources or sustainable foresting is used whenever possible. Pieces are protected with a hand-applied all-natural finish. Designs and shop practices are built around the idea of minimal waste, re-purposing, and environmentally conscious production methods.

Company website

About Organization Conversation

Organization Conversation features interviews with movers and shakers in storage and organization, from professional organizers to the creative and talented Brand Ambassadors who use Wall Control products every day. You’ll hear tips, tricks and how-tos for storage and organization, as well as receive first access to Wall Control promotions. We talk with our suppliers and partners to give you a look behind the scenes at how we operate, what makes our family-owned and operated brand tick, and some of the fun and interesting insights that go into making our business run. We love our guests, as they are engaging and entertaining with interesting experiences to share. By focusing on those guests and the amazing stories they tell, we hope you will be enriched and find your time listening to the Organization Conversation podcast as time well spent.

Organization Conversation is hosted by Richard Grove, 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, and others.

About Richard Grove

Richard Grove, Host, *Organization Conversation*

Richard Grove‘s background is in engineering but what he enjoys most is brand building through relationships and creative marketing. Richard began his career with the Department of Defense as an engineer on the C-5 Galaxy Engineering Team based out of Warner Robins. While Richard found this experience both rewarding and fulfilling, he always knew deep down that he wanted to return to the small family business that originally triggered his interest in engineering.

Richard came to work for the family business, Dekalb Tool & Die, in 2008 as a Mechanical Engineer. At the time Wall Control was little more than a small ‘side hustle’ for Dekalb Tool & Die to try to produce some incremental income. There were no “Wall Control” employees, just a small warehouse with a single tool and die maker that would double as an “order fulfillment associate” on the occasion that the original WallControl.com website, which Richard’s grandmother built, pulled in an order.

In 2008, it became apparent that for the family business to survive they were going to have to produce their own branded product at scale to ensure jobs remained in-house and for the business to continue to move forward. Richard then turned his attention from tool and die to Wall Control to attempt this necessary pivot and his story with Wall Control began. Since that time, Richard has led Wall Control to significant growth while navigating two recessions.

Connect with Richard:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

About Wall Control

The Wall Control story began in 1968 in a small tool & die shop just outside Atlanta, Georgia. The first of three generations began their work in building a family-based US manufacturer with little more than hard work and the American Dream.

Over the past 50+ years, this family business has continued to grow and expand from what was once a small tool & die shop into an award-winning US manufacturer of products ranging from automobile components to satellite panels and now, the best wall-mounted tool storage system available today, Wall Control.

The Wall Control brand launched in 2003 and is a family-owned and operated business that not only produces a high-quality American Made product but sees the entire design, production, and distribution process happen under their own roof in Tucker, Georgia. Under that same roof, three generations of American Manufacturing are still hard at work creating the best tool storage products available today.

Connect with Wall Control:

Company website | Facebook | Instagram