CW Hall Archives - Page 25 of 30

CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group

December 9, 2014 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group

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CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group

This week we sat down with B2B experts from CimCo, Voice At Large, and Fountainhead Consulting Group. Bill Plunk and wife, Deidre, founded CimCo Commercial Collections. After teaching in public school for a number of years, Bill made a professional change and entered the banking world. Early on he was tasked with collecting money on loan accounts that were delinquent. Prior to this assignment he had received no training in how to conduct collections calls so he decided he would try to do so in a manner he would hope someone would use if they called HIM to collect on a debt. It quickly became apparent his approach to contacting persons and businesses behind on payments was very effective. He was able to bring many accounts current that had been months (or more) behind, avoiding significant write-offs. He ultimately broke off and started his own company, CimCo Commercial Collections, providing the same courteous, respectful service to his clients and their delinquent customers. His typical results bring resolution on delinquent accounts within 90 days. And his approach to collections has inspired several of the businesses he was collecting on to become customers themselves; a true testament to how he goes about this challenging business.

Bill was kind enough to introduce us to our other guests, Randy Reeves and George Horrigan of Fountainhead Consulting Group. Randy comes from a long background as a dj and voice talent in broadcast radio, spending time in a number of radio stations. He saw an opportunity to become an independent voice actor for stations and various advertisers and for the last few years he has done just that. Listening to the broadcast it’s quickly apparent he has a voice that lends itself to radio and voice over functions. Along with a voice with qualities that make it right for voice talent work, he also brings a pleasant, professional demeanor, making him a great choice as a business partner for the company seeking voice-over talent.

George Horrigan is Founder and CEO of Fountainhead Consulting Group, Inc. which provides consultations on a full range of business planning and operation issues thus enabling you to “Work Less, Make More and Have Fun in Your Business” (the title of his soon-to-be-released book). George has personally has started and operated seven companies and understands the mindset and mentality of an entrepreneur thus giving him both professional and personal perspectives on creating a thriving business. From his over 25 years of experience of being a CPA and a business planner he has a proven track record of showing people step by step, how to grow and take their businesses to the next level by eliminating the guesswork, trial and error, and uncertainty that plague so many business owners. George also introduced us to his book, “Creating a Thriving Business”, aimed at helping the entrepreneurs reading it to do just that by addressing several key data points and strategies that he believes are vital to a successful business venture.

Special Guests:

Bill and Diedre Plunk of CimCo Commercial Collections

BS in Education, Minor in Business, Northeastern State University
Former Teacher and Coach, Oklahoma Public Schools
Board Member, River of Praise Ministries

Randy Reeves of Voice At Large

Can be heard frequently on Adult Contemporary and Country Stations
Voice talent for numerous TV and Radio ads
Recently ranked #14 on Benztown’s Top 50 Biggest Radio Voices of 2014

George Horrigan, Founder and CEO of Fountainhead Consulting Group

BBA Accounting, Cleveland State University
MS, Financial Information Systems, Cleveland State University
Author, “Creating a Thriving Business” and “Work Less, Make More, and Have Fun In Your Business”
Former Director of Information Systems, BET
Former Financial Services Consulting Manager, HBO & Company

Dr. Khusrow Niazi – Top Docs Radio

December 3, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Dr. Khusrow Niazi - Top Docs Radio

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Dr. Khusrow Niazi

This week I sat down with Emory School of Medicine’s Dr. Khusrow Niazi, Interventional Cardiologist and Director of Peripheral Vascular Interventions. Dr. Niazi is a cardiologist but is different from many other cardiologists as he treats disease from the head to toes. He specializes in blockages of the artery which may involve coronary arteries around the heart which may cause chest pain or heart attack, carotid arteries which may cause TIA or strokes, arteries to the leg which may cause leg discomfort or slow wound healing. In addition he is one of the few cardiologists who also treat veins of the legs which may cause leg cramps, swelling, heaviness or varicose veins. He has lectured nationally and internationally and has helped many patients from getting their legs amputated.

Dr. Niazi appeared with the goal of providing the folks in the community with a cardiologist’s perspective on what they need to know about vascular disease which can affect the arteries that supply the brain, heart, and limbs. We talked about things we can do to reduce our risk of disease in the vascular system. He also shared recommendations on the types of tests and studies that folks who are at greater risk for vascular disease should consider having conducted. Many of these tests are quite basic and can be performed at their local primary care physician’s office. Persons who should consider regular monitoring for the presence of vascular disease include those who are over-weight, have diabetes, high cholesterol levels, hypertension, as well as those who have close relatives with a history of vascular problems.

Dr. Niazi advised our listeners to not ignore symptoms that might indicate a vascular problem exists such as chest tightness/pain, dizzy spells or changes in vision, speech, or ability to walk, pain in the lower legs when walking, shortness of breath at rest or with mild activity, etc. These can be signs that vascular problems exist that could potentially be corrected with early intervention. He also spoke about the fact that persons who have a wound on their lower leg or foot need to be evaluated for the presence of correctable vascular disease. Many of these people go on to have amputations when they may have been prevented by intervention by a vascular specialist.

Special Guest:

Dr. Khusrow Niazi, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine, King Edward Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Residency, Cardiology, Kettering Medical Center
Fellowship William Beaumont Hospital
Multiple published research articles

Payscape Advisors

December 2, 2014 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Payscape Advisors

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Payscape Advisors

According to the Atlanta Metro Chamber, “Georgia is 3^rd in the nation, just behind New York and California in FinTech revenue. Georgia FinTech companies have produced more than $83 billion of shareholder value since 1995 and revenues are more than $34 billion annually. Wages in Atlanta’s financial and IT industry are lower than competitive markets. Here, there is a convergence of three key sectors: finance, IT, and software, all of which have a strong presence in Atlanta, along with an abundant IT, software and financial labor force.”

Today I got to sit down with 3 of the folks on the team from Payscape Advisors, an Atlanta company through and through that is an important player in those amazing statistics. I was joined by Rachel Lawrence, Technology Integration Specialists, Hunter Hudson, Director of Business Development, and Zach Wing, Product Manager. Hunter Hudson has been with Payscape Advisors for a number of years and he shared the story of how Payscape Advisors was started and launched by two Atlanta residents, Jeremy Wing and Adam Bloomston. They have since grown the company to include offices in 13 cities nationwide that also has clients and partners around the globe. The company initially focused on payment processing but saw opportunities to expand their suite of services to include point-of-sale processing, access to working capital, SaaS services including Reg Point and Billing Orchard, international payment processing, web development for eCommerce sites (including compliant payment features) and more. The company has striven to provide the gamut of services to merchants

As Hunter described why they’re different than many of the other merchant services companies out there, “We do have those feet on the street. We have a team. We have somebody you can call. You’re gonna call their cellphone and you’ll have their email address. We’re not just a 1-800 number. You’re gonna have someone who’s going to be there for you.” He went on to talk about the different service options they provide and how they collaborate with SaaS developers to provide the payment interface for their applications, enabling them to provide a more desirable, robust product to their users.

We talked about the innovative user registration software they make available to groups such as camps and other large events that provides a secure way for attendees to sign up and enter sensitive information and provide payment. The company also offers several avenues for companies to access working capital when bank loans are not readily available.

As I sat with these 3 experts it was clear that they all share a passion for what they’re doing and take pride in engaging their clients and partners with a personable, professional approach with the goal of forging long-term, mutually-beneficial relationships.

Special Guests: Payscape Advisors

Rachel Lawrence, Technology Integration Specialist, Payscape Advisors

BA Communication, University of Georgia
WW IBM WebSphere GB and Partner Sales Executive 4/13
Recipient, Rep of Quarter Q1 2013, IBM

Hunter Hudson, Director Business Development, Payscape Advisors

BA Finance, University of Alabama
Successful entrepreneur

Zach Wing, Product Manager, Payscape Advisors

BA Marketing, University of Alabama
Former Manager, Direct Sales, Atlantix Global Systems
Former Owner/Partner, USA Payroll

Dr. Jon Minter of Northside Total Joint Specialists – Top Docs Radio

November 20, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Dr. Jon Minter of Northside Total Joint Specialists - Top Docs Radio

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Dr. Jon Minter of Northside Total Joint Specialists

This week I sat down with Dr. Jon Minter of Northside Total Joint Specialists. In our ongoing monthly series with Northside Hospital we learned about the various conditions that could lead to a total joint replacement. Dr. Minter shared some great information about some of the techniques he uses now to perform the surgery, including using robotic assistance with portions of the procedure. Having robotic assistance helps the surgeon minimize surgical trauma to the tissue in the surgical field, making the recovery process proceed more quickly and with less pain.

Dr. Minter talked about the fact that he is able to perform joint replacement for a wide variety of joints from knees, to hips, shoulders, wrists, ankles and even digits. He is able to repair joint damage from disease processes such as arthritis as well as traumatic injuries. I was surprised to learn that patients undergoing total hip replacement and total knee replacement can often go home to recover the same day as their surgery rather than staying for several days in the hospital.

Dr. Minter discussed how he takes a conservative approach to joint replacement, exploring non-surgical options where feasible to attempt to give the patient relief of pain while avoiding surgery if possible. If you or a loved one is experiencing a decrease in activity in an effort to avoid pain you should seek a consultation with this specialist. You will be pleased to experience his pleasant, personable demeanor. We talked about the fact that when patients begin to avoid activity in an effort to prevent experiencing pain, they can see their heart health decrease over time, potentially shortening their lives. Dr. Jon Minton of Northside Total Joint Specialists can help you or your loved ones get your life back through his expert, conservative approach to joint replacement.

Special Guest:

Dr. Jon Minter, DO, of Northside Total Joint Specialists

Doctor of Osteopathy, Kirksville Osteopathic Medicine
Residency, Orthopedic Surgery, Parkview Hospital
Adult Reconstructive and Arthritis Fellowship, Florida Orthopaedic Institute/Tampa General Hospital
Published Study Author and Frequent Lecturer on the subject of Joint Replacement

ION Loyalty Rewards and Small Business Saturday

November 19, 2014 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

ION Loyalty Rewards and Small Business Saturday

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ION Loyalty Rewards and Small Business Saturday

This week I got to sit down with another pair of movers and shakers in the technology and payment processing/ merchant services space in Atlanta. William Mills of William Mills Agency introduced us to Ronald Herman, founder of Sionic Mobile. We talked about the cool app the company has developed that gives merchants an elegant way to incentivize their customers to keep coming back to patronize their business. The Loyalty app is designed in such a way that as customers spend money they earn “ions” they can then redeem at any participating merchant. I also spoke with Terri Dennison, Georgia District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) about the upcoming Small Business Saturday and Small Business Saturday Night this coming November 29th.

The William Mills Agency has been in the Atlanta area for over 35 years, providing a suite of PR services, with a heavy focus on the financial services/payment processing technology sector. The company provides public relations, crisis management, brand awareness/marketing strategy, and content marketing. The William Mills Agency leadership team is heavily involved in the TAG FinTech Society. FinTech is a group of professionals representing a broad range of financial technologies as well as a variety of roles within the industry, including executive management, solution specialists, sales and marketing, industry entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. William has worked with 500-600+ innovative technology companies. Even so, he was particularly intrigued by the model put forth by Ron Herman and his team at Sionic Mobile; so much so he became a member of the advisory board for the company.

Midtown Atlanta-based Sionic Mobile markets to smartphone consumers and rewards them for every mobile checkout. The mCommerce company utilizes mobile devices, Bluetooth^® beacons and the cloud to connect merchants with nearby, ready-to-spend consumers. The company is the maker and provider of ION — the first, fully digital mobile promotions, gift cards, payments and rewards apps for phones and tablets. Merchants use ION Loyalty^® to increase traffic, sales & margins, reduce credit card fees and get good customers back more often. Users of the ION Consumers use ION Rewards^® to earn IONs at every checkout, then spend them like cash on anything at any time at nearly 40,000 retail locations nationwide. The free apps support iOS and most Android devices.

The Small Business Administration provides a host of services designed to enhance the likelihood of success for small businesses in the US. Their overarching goal is to increase available jobs through helping small businesses (who make up >50% of US business commerce) grow. I got to speak with Terri Dennison of the Small Business Administration about their initiative to support small businesses through the Small Business Saturday campaign, aimed at encouraging US consumers to include local small business retailers in their holiday shopping. SBA encourages America to support local economies shopping small on November 29^th. At the SBA, they know small businesses are vital to the growth and prosperity of the American economy. Since the recession, small businesses have created two out of three new private sector jobs… these firms are largely responsible for America’s 10.3 million new jobs that have led to 56 straight months of job growth. Accelerating our recovery means creating the right environment and implementing the best policies for small businesses to thrive. The entrepreneurs the SBA works with face many challenges, but among the greatest is getting new customers in the door. That’s why the SBA is proud to be part of Small Business Saturday – it’s a perfect time to promote your business and find new customers. On November 29^th, millions of consumers across the country will participate in Small Business Saturday. More than 70 percent of Americans are now aware that two days after Thanksgiving is a day devoted to shopping small. Last year, nearly half of all consumers who knew about Small Business Saturday…. acted on it … spending an estimated $5.7 billion dollars at local merchants across the nation. So we want to continue this momentum… And we’re asking you to help us promote the message that Small Business Saturday is day when buying gifts for the people we love … supports jobs and prosperity in the communities we call home.

We all have a stake in seeing foot traffic increase on Main Street. We want to encourage shoppers to seek out unique, handmade gifts they won’t find at a big-box retailer. And we want to see Internet traffic spike, too, with purchases of “gifts to ship” – and gift certificates from restaurants and service providers. Everyone can spread the word about Small Business Saturday by recommending their favorite local shops and restaurants via Facebook and Twitter. The SBA is helping to spearhead an effort this Nov. 29 to extend the hours, so to speak, by promoting Small Business Saturday Night. We know many of our small businesses are local restaurants and food purveyors…After a busy day of shopping, we want to encourage consumers to patronize their local small business restaurants and favorite watering holes. The SBA is partnering this year with the National Restaurant Association to encourage families who are shopping small to “dine small” at local restaurants Saturday night. Additionally, we’re encouraging small business merchants to extend their hours so they can take advantage increased nighttime foot traffic on Small Business Saturday Night. So I hope we can create some synergy in this effort to keep Small Business Saturday going when the sun goes down. To help in your preparations, I want to direct you to sba.gov/SmallBusinessSaturday where we have holiday marketing tips, ideas and materials … even for entrepreneurs on a limited budget. And use our hashtags on Twitter: #SmallBizSaturday for Small Business Saturday and #DineSmall for Small Business Saturday Night.

Special Guests:

William Mills, Owner of William Mills Agency

BA Communications, Florida State University
Member, Executive Committee of Florida State University College of Communications & Information’s Advisory board
Has been quoted as an expert for Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Entrepreneur
Contributor for numerous publications

Ron Herman, CEO of SionicMobile

Founder and Former CEO, Urban Informatics Corporation
>19 years of Executive Leadership roles in Technology Start-up to Fortune 500 Companies
Former CEO, Intellione Technologies

Terri Dennsion, District Director, US Small Business Administration Georgia District Office

Former Deputy District Director, US Small Business Administration Indiana District Office
MA Urban Studies, Trinity University
Recipient: Atlanta Business League 100 Most Influential Black Women, 2006-2008
Atlanta Business Chronicle 100 Top Professionals in Banking and Finance, 2007-2011

Nine Labs, Polygon, Casey Gilson, Nelson Mullins, and SoundRiver Advisors

November 18, 2014 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Nine Labs, Polygon, Casey Gilson, Nelson Mullins, and SoundRiver Advisors

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Nine Labs, Polygon, Casey Gilson, Nelson Mullins, and SoundRiver Advisors

This week we heard from experts in corporate law (workers compensation and mergers & acquisitions), web design and customer experience, and corporate executive compensation and financial planning. I hosted folks from Nine Labs, Polygon, Casey Gilson, Nelson Mullins, and SoundRiver Advisors.

J. Cornelius is the President of Nine Labs, a web design and customer experience company based in Atlanta. He also started Polygon, an event space designed and dedicated to support Atlanta’s growing technology industry. Nine Labs is a user experience consultancy that helps businesses improve the look and feel of their digital technologies, making sure that a customer’s experience is useful, intuitive, and branding is maintained across the variety of digital media, mobile devices, and other user interfaces. The company will provide message content or work with their client’s internal team to optimize the way the client presents their brand to the public. Nine Labs is able to help businesses that are putting effort into making sure their customers can have a consistent experience across all digital/mobile platforms. They often encounter situations where a user’s experience on a mobile device is very different in terms of look and feel of a company’s branding, along with less-than-optimal navigation or functionality. Nine Labs’ experts are able to bring a consistent, positive experience to a company’s web visitors, regardless of technology used to access it. Polygon is an event space located in popular Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta that was created to provide technology companies and associations with a place to have productive networking, planning, and educational events. The space is located, laid out, and equipped with the Atlanta technology industry in mind.

Rayford Taylor is an attorney with the firm, Casey Gilson PC, admitted to practice law in Florida and Georgia. The majority of his practice is providing advice and representation to employers, insurance companies, insurance funds, and third party administrators in the defense of workers’ compensation claims, whether at trial or on appeal. Rayford also represents such entities in disputes with both Florida and Georgia state governments and regulators involving the operation of their companies and businesses. He has handled workers’ compensation cases all over Georgia and North Florida since 1990. The law firm of Casey Gilson is a firm that practices in the areas of labor law, personal injury defense, business litigation, trademark matters, patent disputes, bankruptcy cases and general litigation throughout all parts of Georgia. Rayford talked about some key areas where businesses make mistakes that can create increased exposure to workers compensation costs. He shared recommendations that employers could use to improve relations with injured employees as well as reducing risk for fraudulent behaviors.

Michael Hollingsworth is an award-winning attorney with Nelson, Mullins, Riley, and Scarborough LLP, located in Atlanta. He is a managing partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough’s Atlanta office, and is co-head of the Firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Mr. Hollingsworth focuses on middle-market corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures. He also serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee, the governing body of seven partners who oversee firm standing committees, strategic initiatives, and firm operations. Michael represents private equity and hedge funds relative to their formation, operations and investments. He has a broad range of industry experience including food and beverage, consumer-branded products, healthcare, construction and aggregates, technology and telecommunications, media, manufacturing and distribution, and business services. Michael is also a transactional lawyer in the Firm’s multidisciplinary National Healthcare Practice Group.

Nelson Mullins provides advice and counsel in litigation, corporate, securities, finance, intellectual property, employment, government relations, regulatory, and other needs of clients ranging from private individuals to large businesses, including many publicly held companies. Nelson Mullins offers services in over 40 practice areas and as such they are able to provide expertise to a wide range of legal and business problems while offering value-added service to clients. Many Nelson Mullins clients—including growth companies, expanding local businesses, and major international companies—retain the Firm to provide all of their legal services. Other clients are national companies requiring assistance with specific regional or local legal matters. The Firm also has experience representing international companies interested in locating facilities in the Southeast. Start-up assistance for entrepreneurial endeavors, multi-action litigation defense, and representation of underwriters and investment bankers are only a few of the services that are provided by Nelson Mullins attorneys. Michael talked about how rewarding it is to become a trusted adviser for his clients as well as helping them to successfully navigate the sale of a successful business to the betterment of their financial situations.

Bo Wilkins, of SoundRiver Advisors stopped by to talk about the way their firm helps privately-owned businesses plan for generational transitions of ownership as well as preparation for sale or merger should those options be the chosen path for their clients. SoundRiver Advisors is an independent wealth management and life insurance advisory firm providing strategies to help privately held business owners invest, protect, and perpetuate their wealth. We talked about how challenging it can be for companies to retain high-performing, key executives (as well as how expensive it can be to replace them). SoundRiver Advisors is able to help the business owner develop a compensation plan that affords their key executives with a compelling pay and bonus structure along with effective investment/benefit vehicles that will optimize the tax picture of that compensation package, making it much more likely those important executives will remain in place. The firm provides certified financial and insurance experts and is a Registered Investment Advisor. SoundRiver is structured to offer their clients unbiased and untethered solutions. They avoid selling captive investment or insurance solutions. You don’t have to talk with their folks very long before you realize they are in the business of finding the best solution for each of their clients.

Special Guests:

J. Cornelius, President of Nine Labs, Founder of Polygon

President, Atlanta Web Design Group
Former VP Operations, CoffeeCup Software, Inc.
Mentor, ATDC
Creative Circus Advisory Board Member

Rayford Taylor, Attorney of Casey Gilson PC

Former VP, Stiles, Taylor, and Grace
Former General Counsel and Legislative Counsel, Florida Bar
Juris Doctor, Florida State University College of Law
Fellow, National Workers Compensation Lawyers

Michael Hollingsworth, Managing Partner, of Nelson, Mullins, Riley, & Scarborough

Juris Doctor, Samford Cumberland School of Law
Master of Laws, Taxation, University of Alabama School of Law
Member, Executive Committee, Managing Partner-Atlanta, Co-chair Mergers & Acquisitions
Recipient: BTI Client Service All-Stars (2012), Chambers & Partners (M&A), International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, SuperLawyers (Georgia)

Bo Wilkins, Partner, SoundRiver Advisors

Former Executive Managing Director, Wealth Management, Reliance Trust Company
Former Partner, Nease, Lagana, Eden, & Culley
BA, History & German, Hampden-Sydney College
CLU – Chartered Life Underwriter; ChFC – Chartered Financial Consultant; CAP – Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy

“Think About It” – Top Docs Radio

November 12, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

"Think About It" - Top Docs Radio

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“Think About It” Campaign to End Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription medication abuse and subsequent addiction is a serious problem that needs our immediate attention as a community and as healthcare providers. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, an estimated 52 million people (20 percent of those aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons at least once in their lifetimes.” And, National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse states, “Taking prescription drugs not prescribed for you by a doctor or in a way that hasn’t been recommended by a doctor, can be more dangerous than you think. In fact, it can be fatal. Prescription drugs are the third most commonly abused category of drugs, behind alcohol and marijuana and ahead of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. Some prescription drugs can become addictive, especially when used in a manner inconsistent with their labeling by someone other than the patient for whom they were prescribed, or when taken in a manner or dosage other than prescribed. Overall, an estimated 48 million people have abused prescription drugs, representing nearly 20% of the U.S. population.”

This week I sat down with Dallas Gay and Dr. Tennant Slack along with Lori Cassidy Murphy from the Medical Association of Georgia to talk about their recently-launched campaign to fight prescription medication abuse and addiction. Dallas and Dr. Slack co-chair the campaign and they’re working hard to bring community focus to the problem. The campaign is being funded by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation and is working to raise awareness of this issue among Georgia’s residents as well as healthcare providers who prescribe controlled medications. Their team has developed colorful handout materials that give key recommendations for persons who have prescriptions for controlled pain or anti-anxiety medications with regard to how they take it, how they store it, and how to dispose of it when they no longer need the medication. Additionally, they’re involved with numerous events around the community to get people talking and thinking about how this problem can be prevented.

Think About It is a program conducted by the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation for the purpose of reducing the incidence of prescription drug abuse and resulting deaths. The concept for the program originated at NGMC in 2010 and is presently co-chaired by Dr. Jack Chapman, Dr. Tennent Slack and Dallas Gay. Hall County has served as the incubator of the program since its inception. The “Help Stop Rx Drug Abuse in Georgia” leaflets encourage Georgians to 1) only take their medicine as prescribed and 2) not share their medicine and 3) store their medicine in a safe and secure place and 4) properly dispose of any unused medicine.

The ‘Think About It’ campaign involves a wide array of organizations, including medical societies, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, the Georgia Pharmacy Association, the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation – as well as other law enforcement agencies, schools, and business and religious and other community organizations.

Thank you for listening and PLEASE SHARE! this podcast with your networks. You may just help someone you care about.

Special Guests

Dr. Tennant Slack, MD, of Northeast Georgia Physician’s Group

Doctorate of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
Residency, Anesthesia, Emory University School of Medicine
Fellowship, Pain Medicine, Medical College of Georgia
Board Certified, American Board of Anesthesiology: – Anesthesiology – Pain Medicine

Dallas Gay, Co-Chair, “Think About It” Campaign

Board Member, Northeast Georgia Medical Center
MBA, Georgia State University
Member, Drug Free Coalition of Hall County
Former President, Protein Products, Inc
Former President, American Proteins, Inc.

Marketing Eye, SolTech, Cox Digital Solutions, and Pindrop Security

November 11, 2014 by angishields

Midtown Business Radio

Marketing Eye, SolTech, Cox Digital Solutions, and Pindrop Security

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Marketing Eye, SolTech, Cox Digital Communications, and Pindrop Security

Today, I had the opportunity to feature another four technology companies that help businesses grow and operate more efficiently. I was pleased to host Marketing Eye, SolTech, Cox Digital Solutions, and Pindrop Security. Mellissah Smith, founder and CEO of Marketing Eye brought along Veanne Smith, Vice President of SolTech, an innovative Atlanta technology company and client of Marketing Eye. One of the digital strategy experts from Cox Digital Solutions, Drew Erickson, joined us to talk about why it makes sense to work with Cox Media and their digital team to maximize ROI on investing in a digital marketing strategy. And Matt Anthony, VP of Marketing for Pindrop Security stopped by to talk about how they help companies avoid falling victim to phone fraud of a variety of types, protecting them and their customers from financial loss.

Marketing Eye is a disruptive marketing consulting firm that delivers small to medium-sized businesses with an experienced marketing team for a small, weekly fee. Their outsourced marketing solution delivers exponential growth to the companies we work with through a strategic approach and clear understanding of marketing strategy, creative, brand, lead generation, public relations, and sales and marketing automation. Marketing Eye’s model is simple; they provide businesses with a marketing manager and outsourced marketing team dedicated to ensuring that your business achieves its marketing goals. Complete with branding, graphic design, web development, search engine optimization, social media, lead generation and direct marketing expertise – Marketing Eye is the ultimate results-orientated marketing solution in Atlanta. Whether you need a marketing resource to accelerate your business growth, or a more strategic approached aligned to your business outcomes, Marketing Eye is well known for high performance, technology-driven marketing campaigns that deliver results for their clients.

SolTech is a Custom Software Development, Web Applications Services, IT Staffing and Technology Consulting Company in Atlanta, GA. The company, now in its 16th year, helps companies fulfill visions of success and goals for growth through custom software development, strategic technology consulting, system integration, application infrastructure support, and staff augmentation. Using proven, structured methodologies to ensure outstanding deliverables, SolTech provides a quality alternative to high-priced consulting firms. Their promise to their staff and clients: to be honest about their capabilities, to stay focused on core services, and to remain committed to delivering quality results. To find out more about how SolTech can turn your company’s ideas into reality now and as you grow, visit their website. The company is a Microsoft Gold Partner, Sitecore Partner and a Java certified developer.

Drew Erickson, Digital Sales Manager for WSB-TV and Cox Media Group. He consults with clients to develop a strategy for digital marketing, advertising, audience insights and lead generation programs. He’s been with Cox Media Group for over 10 years, all in digital marketing and advertising. Their staff, comprised of a team of highly-experienced digital marketing experts, work closely with their clients to determine what their goals are. They review what they have been doing to date to grow awareness of their brand, how effective those measures have been, and come up with a comprehensive set of recommendations that encompasses the variety of media types at their disposal to create a campaign that gives the greatest likelihood the brand gets its message in front of their target customers. Cox Digital Solutions takes full advantage of today’s mobile technology, enabling their customers to display ads to prospective customers based on geo-location, allowing their clients to be very specific about where and when their message is displayed. Cox Digial Solutions also leverages their role as a Google Premier Partner to take advantage of the wealth of analytics data available to them to place Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Pay Per Click (PPC) text and display ads that much more effectively. They combine these tactics with recommendations for improvements to their clients’ websites to insure the landing page for displayed ads provides the highest likelihood of conversion once a prospective client visits the website. As someone who has worked with the team at Cox Digital Solutions I can tell you it will quickly become apparent they are invested in your success as an advertiser investing money with them to grow your business.

Matt Anthony is the VP of Marketing for Pindrop Security. I was fortunate to link up with them via Twitter and looked into what they do. Prior to that I knew phone fraud occurs but I didn’t realize that it’s not only still going strong, it is as Matt put it, “a growth industry”. Thieves have become experts at “social engineering”, meaning they are adept at personifying an authentic customer in an effort to obtain sensitive data from a helpful call center agent. This puts any business that possesses sensitive information at risk for significant financial loss. Pindrop Security has developed technologies that enable their client businesses to determine with a high degree of accuracy that a given call to their call center is likely a fraudulent attempt to breach their system. The process of evaluating voice, originating device, and geographic location happens as quickly as 20 seconds into the call. This means Pindrop Security customers are able to terminate those calls or lock down the account that the caller is attempting to access to prevent the theft before it happens. This means that Pindrop Security clients are able to avoid significant financial losses and potential legal issues that arise when their systems are breached, allowing sensitive data to be stolen.

Special Guests:

Mellissah Smith, Managing Director/Founder of Marketing Eye

Founder/Owner, Insomnia Marketing and Communication
Founder, Marketing Eye Magazine
Author, “108 Ways to Market Your Small Business”
#2 Marketer to follow on Twitter, >47,000 followers on Twitter, >11,000 connections on LinkedIn
Hundreds of thousands of readers follow her blog

Veeanne Smith, Vice President/Founder of SolTech

Former VP, Computer Management Services/Computer Associates
Former Professional Services Manager, Computer Task Group/ctg
CS Advisory Board Member, Kennesaw State University
BS, Computer Science, Illinois State University

Drew Erickson, Digital Solutions Manager, Cox Digital Solutions/ WSB-TV

Former Owner, Drew Erickson Productions and Marketing
Former Sales Account Manager, Cox Radio
Former Digital Web Master, Cox Radio
IAB Digital Media Sales Certification, Interactive Advertising Bureau

Specialties

Custom Software Development, Technical Recruiting & Staffing, Mobile Application Development, Hosting & Hardware Support, Strategic Consulting

Lenz Marketing – Top Docs Radio

November 6, 2014 by angishields

Top Docs Radio

Lenz Marketing - Top Docs Radio

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Lenz Marketing

This week I sat down with the Vice President of Marketing for Lenz Marketing, Mr. Mike Killeen. According to the company’s website, Lenz offers clients the full suite of marketing and communication tools to grow their businesses. At Lenz, integrated marketing is the strategic and coordinated implementation of digital and traditional advertising, PR, web sites, social media, and events to achieve a stated goal. The company has been serving the Atlanta area for over 22 years. Mike talked about the fact that the firm started as a traditional marketing company, providing service to a variety of companies looking to increase community awareness of their brands. Early on their leadership saw an opportunity to help businesses within the medical community, from hospitals to physician groups.

As Mike stated, “We have evolved and refined who we are and what we do to be known best for healthcare marketing, no doubt about it. We enjoy it and find it very fulfilling. But we’ve done a lot of different things throughout our history. And we really fell that our broad set of interests is one of the reasons we’re most successful with healthcare. Because we don’t think that marketing healthcare is really that different than marketing anything else. At the end of the day, people are looking to align themselves with companies they believe in, that they think are representative of who they are, that they can trust, that they think have value.”

At Lenz Marketing believes that today, patients are becoming more educated, having greater access to means to look into a prospective provider of healthcare. This means patients are becoming “consumers” in that more and more they are realizing they do have choices and access to ways to get to know about those choices. Lenz is able to help their clients develop a strategy that will improve public awareness of their practice or organization as well as improve engagement with their respective referral bases.

Special Guest:

Mike Killeen, VP of Marketing at Lenz Marketing