entrepreneur Archives - Page 4 of 23

Eric Strafel and Judson Garrett with SUMMi7 Robin Bramman with CO+HOOTS and David Byrd with Original Crew Co

February 18, 2020 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Eric Strafel and Judson Garrett with SUMMi7 Robin Bramman with CO+HOOTS and David Byrd with Original Crew Co

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Eric Strafel and Judson Garrett with SUMMi7 Robin Bramman with CO+HOOTS and David Byrd with Original Crew Co

SUMMi7 is dedicated to building an inclusive ecosystem that improves lives by promoting authentic leadership, mindfulness, and sustainable business practices.

Eric Strafel is Vice President of Supplier Management at Boeing as well as President & CEO at Aviall, A Boeing Company.

Eric holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University.

He sits on the Board of Directors of the Texas Diversity Council and the Irving Chamber of Commerce. He is an active and engaged father and husband living in Texas with his wife and three children. Eric enjoys the outdoors, staying fit, and maintaining a wellness mindset.

Eric is a global leader with a proven international track record including leadership and project management experience in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

As a purpose-driven leader and innovator, Eric is collaborative and adaptable with a wealth of experience building and scaling inclusive teams that can grow to meet increasing demands while working effectively across borders.

In addition to his leadership positions at Boeing, Eric is the founder of SUMMi7, a leadership development group dedicated to building a more inclusive business environment that allows entrepreneurs, startups, and Fortune 500 companies to lead, innovate, and scale with purpose.

Learn more about Eric here.

Judson Garrett is a passionate educator and executive with 15+ years’ experience dedicated to leadership development, entrepreneurial innovation, and collaborative learning. Born in Baltimore and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, Judson first came to Arizona in 1991 as a student-athlete at the University of Arizona.

With a master’s degree in classical liberal arts from St. John’s College, he has gone on to teach at ASU, GCU, the Great Hearts Academies and Phoenix Country Day School. Judson has a demonstrated history of working collaboratively with a wide range of engaged learners, cutting-edge technologists, and socially aware business leaders to reimagine the relationship between individuals, organizations, and thriving societies.

Throughout his career, Judson has developed innovative approaches to enhancing student success, facilitating discourse, and expanding collaboration through public-private partnerships and community engagement. As the Chief Learning Officer at SUMMi7, Judson possesses a broad vision for the future of leadership, education, and innovation in an increasingly interdependent and entrepreneurial world.

Follow SUMMi7 on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

CO+HOOTS is the largest coworking community in Arizona. It helps entrepreneurs scale by providing collaborative workspace, event space and community. CO+HOOTS is a safe space for all to grow through knowledge-sharing and risk alleviation.

Robin Bramman is the Chief Operating Officer at CO+HOOTS focused on national expansion, partnerships and programming.

Robin supports the Arizona startup ecosystem by seeking collaboration over competition with a focus on incubating opportunities for untapped and underrepresented communities.

Robin has been embedded in the startup community since CO+HOOTS opened working to support branding, communications and digital services as CEO of Brandtini (formerly Chic Branding) for startups to Fortune 100 organizations.

Robin works collaboratively with many teams to design, develop and communicate brands for business impact. Also known as The Brand Detective, Robin has a wealth of knowledge on customer insights and user experience that guides a brand to engage with their ideal client.

Robin has been fortunate to work on global rebrands, national and local startups from the World Trade Centers Association, to Parchment.com, to VitalyzeInc.com, and many local businesses like Local First Arizona and Parasilk.com.

Follow CO+HOOTS on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Original Crew Co. provides creative design, direction & management solutions to clients while collaborating with department directors to deliver final products on time and budget.

David Byrd is a cutting-edge Graphic Designer and Creative Director specializing in concept creation and brand development for business services and products.

Experienced in the development, management and execution of purpose driven design solutions that influence engagement and emotion across digital and traditional spaces, David excels at building online communities that inspire individuals from all walks of life to come together for a better world.

As a former Project Manager and Senior Graphic Designer for The RichDad Company, David is experienced at building inclusive learning ecosystems to empower learners and support the sharing of knowledge through virtual and in-person coursework.

Connect with David on LinkedIn.

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Brock Kolls, Gr8BigIdeas

January 31, 2020 by John Ray

Alpharetta Tech Talk

Alpharetta Tech Talk: Brock Kolls, Gr8BigIdeas

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“Alpharetta Tech Talk,” Episode 8: Brock Kolls, Gr8BigIdeas

Large corporations often struggle to develop and monetize the innovation which comes from technology breakthroughs. That’s where tech innovator Brock Kolls, comes in, connecting corporations with tech startups. Brock joined “Alpharetta Tech Talk” to discuss his work in closing the gap that lies between corporations and startups. “Alpharetta Tech Talk” is hosted by John Ray and broadcast from the North Fulton Business RadioX® studio inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Brock Kolls, Gr8BigIdeas

Brock Kolls is founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Gr8BigIdeas®, located in Peachtree Corners, GA. As a serial entrepreneur and innovator, Brock helps companies develop market-changing technology by identifying and capturing intellectual property around breakthrough innovation. In addition, he has developed innovative tools and methods to bridge the gap between corporations and startups.

His startup experience includes raising more than $120 million in funding and a successful exit on NASDAQ. Brock invented a wireless cashless payment technology that is widely used today.

As a former Coca-Cola executive in Research and Development, Bock led a team of innovators in the design of cold drink equipment. One such innovation was the Coca-Cola Freestyle dispenser. Following Freestyle, Brock successfully grew Coca-Cola’s open innovation program. The program scouted for technologies to meet Coke’s business needs worldwide.

Having experience from both the startup and corporate perspective, Brock knows firsthand how challenging it is to get breakthrough innovations out of the lab and into the marketplace at a meaningful big company. He also understands the challenges and need to scale, and scale quickly. To address this challenge, he founded Gr8BigIdeas to partner with companies seeking to innovate in the technical community and created TechConnectHub.com, an open innovation community. A focus has been growing the open innovation community and engaging with corporate partners to connect innovation needs with technical community solutions. In these endeavors, Brock has developed innovative tools and methods to bridge the gap between corporates and startups in completely new ways.

For more information, you can contact Brock through LinkedIn or email him directly. To learn more on Gr8BigIdeas, you can find their website here.

“Alpharetta Tech Talk” is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®, located inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. 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 approximately $12.9 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.

ATDC Radio: Assistant Director Jane McCracken and Entrepreneur in Residence Scott Ryan

December 18, 2019 by angishields

ATDC Radio

ATDC Radio: Assistant Director Jane McCracken and Entrepreneur in Residence Scott Ryan

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Jane McCracken returns to ATDC as a Startup Catalyst, having started her career here many years ago. She then moved into venture capital and investment banking both in the United States and Europe before joining an early-stage, medical diagnostics company as chief financial officer. During her time there, she raised $60 million and completed eight international acquisitions. The company was listed on both the London and Oslo stock exchanges.

Jane then worked with two venture-backed companies. She joined the founders of an online travel company as CEO, and took it from startup to the world’s second-largest hotel booking site before Travelocity acquired it. At the request of her venture investors, Jane then joined a computer games developer as CEO and turned around the faltering enterprise before it was sold to a NASDAQ-listed games company.

Most recently, Jane was CEO of an oncology-focused clinical research company, which grew from startup to a multinational firm with $15 million in annual revenue and offices across Europe and the United States. The company was financed through its own cash flow and was sold in early 2012 to a larger clinical research organization.

Jane continues to work with fast growing companies — in interim and full-time positions — as a consultant, board member, and angel investor. In addition, Jane has served on boards for public and private companies, as well as government-related and non-profit organizations. She is a frequent speaker and panelist at conferences, companies, and universities and is an active volunteer in her community. Jane obtained her bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and her master’s degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Connect with Jane on LinkedIn.

Scott Ryan, Entrepreneur in Residence at ATDC, has more than 20 years of experience building and exiting companies and leading teams to develop and sell products in the IT infrastructure and media technology industries. His exits include Concurrent Computer, a microcap Internet of Things (IoT) and video delivery provider; Senoia Systems, a provider of cloud migration solutions; Asankya Networks, a WAN Optimization solution provider, and Elastic Networks, an IPO in the DSL market.

Additionally, Scott’s leadership experience includes successful stints with storage leader, EMC; networking leader, Nortel Networks; and consulting innovator, North Highland.

He received both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from Vanderbilt University.

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn.

Business Coach Chuck Warshaver Realana Founder Portland Reed RenzlerMedia CEO Skyler Irvine and Elaine CEO Vivienne Gellert

December 9, 2019 by Karen

Phoenix Business Radio

Business Coach Chuck Warshaver Realana Founder Portland Reed RenzlerMedia CEO Skyler Irvine and Elaine CEO Vivienne Gellert

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Business Coach Chuck Warshaver Realana Founder Portland Reed RenzlerMedia CEO Skyler Irvine and Elaine CEO Vivienne Gellert

What is the huge, ambitious goal that you’re aiming for. If you can’t define it, you can’t measure it. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. But what is “it?” What are the specific, measurable, and controllable activities that you’re tracking daily, that you’re plastering on scoreboards all over the office, that every employee knows they’re accountable for? If you can’t answer that question, your business isn’t going anywhere. So CEOs must start with the basics. If you need help finding your killer metrics, Coach Chuck can help!

Chuck Warshaver is an accomplished Executive, Entrepreneur, Coach and Board Member with more than 35 years of success in manufacturing industries, as well as nonprofits. Leveraging extensive experience with starting, selling, and buying companies, Chuck is a valuable asset for organizations seeking guidance on rapid growth, identifying markets, and maintaining cash flow.

His broad areas of experience include branding, marketing, succession planning, process improvement, quality assurance, safety, production bonuses, e-commerce, trademarking, and organizational development.

Throughout his career, Chuck has held leadership positions with Englander Sleep Products; World Sleep Products, and Serta Northeast. Currently, he serves as an Industry Consultant for Expert Institute, GLG and Zintro, is a Corporate Director for Global Financial and Leasing, while also serving as an Advisory Board Member and Coach for Everyday Investments Realty, Strand Resorts, Elaine CaraNav, Realana and Jeffco Fibers Inc.

Chuck has a proven history of building and managing customer-centric manufacturing and distribution businesses, and is committed to developing the next generation of leaders and organizations. Entrepreneurial experience spans the development and design of multiple unique product lines and product patents, including a successfully negotiated sale of his company’s QVC private label brand and the sale of his company World Sleep Products.

He has served as a Council Member for Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Member of Young Presidents’ Organization. He has served for several organizations in the Nonprofit sector, including as Executive Director of Playworks; Board Director for Anti-Defamation League; Mentor for New Pathways for Youth, SCORE and EO; and the Development Committee for Special Olympics.

Realana is a business intelligence company formed in response to a provision in the recent tax bill. The Realana team saw an urgent need to facilitate true Community development and created a tool to measure the social impact of investments made in rural communities across the nation. Her company is not only a first mover, but it is poised to shape how communities are built for social impact across the nation, a national imperative called America 2.0.

One of Portland Reed’s life’s objectives is to help redefine a business’s role in society as stated by B LAB the creator of the B Corporation, “A historic global culture shift is underway to harness the power of business to help address society’s greatest challenges. [Portland’s] goal is to accelerate this culture shift [to] make it meaningful and lasting. [Her] vision is that one day all companies will compete to be not just best in the world but also best for the world, and as a result society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity…”

In her quest to redefine business’s role in society, Portland obtained a law degree from the University of Illinois, did a stint at the Chicago Board of Trade, formed a company on Wall Street, led a merger/aquisition at a tax/consulting firm and was a broker for an investment management firm. Those experiences were just stepping stones that culminated in the development of a first-ever business intelligence tool that will change the way we build communities across America to get folks back on their feet that have been left out of the 21st-century economy.

Portland believes her most important work, however, is promoting the belief that an entrepreneur can pursue doing good and making a profit! Consequently, she co-founded the B Local Mid Atlantic Steering Committee – a community of B Corporations from DC, Maryland and Virginia helping businesses act on their purpose to achieve socio-economic and environmental impact. Her accomplishments include 2017/2018 B Corp® Best for the World Honoree – recognized for creating a company that is best for the world long term!

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

RenzlerMedia helps people capitalize on the digital world and social trends to achieve their business goals. They produce and manage podcasts, videos and social media content for individuals and businesses of all sizes. Their office and production studio is conveniently located in midtown Phoenix.

Skyler Irvine is a serial entrepreneur, investor, author, and the founder and CEO of RenzlerMedia.

Skyler has a unique passion for building businesses and brands by capitalizing on the digital world and social trends.

Skyler is also the host of Arizona’s #1 Business & Branding Podcast The SKYLER IRVINE Show available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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

Hospital emergency rooms are a revolving door for those experiencing homelessness. Two commonly reported non-financial health barriers for homeless individuals include not knowing where to go to seek care and experiencing too much confusion, hassle, or waiting to obtain it. As a result, the homeless become more likely to place a lower priority on obtaining health care due to the large proportion of their time spent on meeting basic survival needs. This is where Elaine fills the gap.

Over the past year, Elaine has designed a system and protocol that efficiently and effectively aligns transportation and navigation services with healthcare delivery to the homeless and underserved. Through a team of navigators, and drivers, Elaine provides assistive services, focusing on: follow up care appointments, prescription fills and refills, and connection to behavioral health and housing services.

Through a passion of health innovation and identifying gaps within the healthcare delivery system, Vivienne Gellert is devoted to building strategic solutions around unfilled gaps to promote health equity and implementation of effective and practical solutions. Vivienne’s focus is directed towards vulnerable populations, specifically individuals of low socio-economic background and those experiencing homelessness.

Vivienne currently serves as the CEO for Elaine, Arizona’s first health navigation and transportation system for the homeless and underserved. The system launched in January of 2019 with the support, and partnerships of local hospital systems, health and human service organizations, and Valley Toyota dealerships. In 2014, Vivienne started her undergraduate studies as a pre-med student at Arizona State University. In 2016, during her sophomore year in college, she founded a 501c3 non-profit, BakPak, that was led and run by undergraduate pre-med and nursing students.

During her time as founder and President of BakPak, she observed that vulnerable individuals lacked accessibility and the ability to connect to healthcare services – two of the greatest barriers being transportation and health navigation. Through health navigation and transportation services, Elaine works to improve health outcomes, referral and access to needed resources, and decrease overutilization of 911 and Hospital services by those experiencing homelessness. Vivienne is responsible for the vision, strategy, and fundraising efforts for Elaine as it expands statewide.

Connect with Vivienne on LinkedIn.

Sue and Craig Derene, Franchise Connect Pro, and Sherry Heyl, Amplified Concepts

November 12, 2019 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Sue and Craig Derene, Franchise Connect Pro, and Sherry Heyl, Amplified Concepts

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**John Ray, Sherry Heyl, Sue and Craig Derene**

North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 176: Sue and Craig Derene, Franchise Connect Pro, and Sherry Heyl, Amplified Concepts

Choosing and buying a franchise and working with marketing freelaancers were just two of the topics discussed on this edition of “North Fulton Business Radio” as Sue and Craig Derene, Franchise Connect Pro, and Sherry Heyl, Amplified Concepts, joined the show. “North Fulton Business Radio” is hosted by John Ray and is broadcast from inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Sue and Craig Derene, Franchise Connect Pro

Sue and Craig Derene are owners of Franchise Connect Pro, a full service franchise consulting and development firm with extensive experience in the industry. Their consultation process is a proven method of helping others identify and research successful franchise opportunities for clients and their target markets.

With over 4,400 franchise concepts available in the United States alone searching for the right franchise can be a daunting task. In addition, not all franchises are created equally and even the top rated franchises are not always the best fit for all individuals. Franchise Connect Pro takes a close look at client goals, experience, strengths, weaknesses, desired lifestyle and more to help them find the opportunities that present a realistic opportunity for long term success and happiness. The business team of professionals has decades of experience in franchising.

To learn more, go to the Franchise Connect Pro website, email Craig directly, or call 770-366-0715.

Sherry Heyl, Amplified Concepts

Sherry Heyl is a marketing consultant and owner of Amplified Concepts, a freelancer collaborative bringing together talent and resources to meet client needs no matter the size of the project by offering the resources of an agency model.

Sherry started Amplified Concepts in 2016 with the help of a team of freelancers that she had been working with for several years. They worked together to create a model that enables freelancers to scale their business and collaborate. Members are marketing and technology professionals with niche expertise and experience working in a variety of industries.

To learn more, go to the Amplified Concepts website, email Sherry, or call directly, 404-386-9801.

North Fulton Business Radio” is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®, located inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. 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 approximately $12.9 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.

Caroline Ruder with Caroline Ann, Elyse Archer with Brand Builders Group and Jarek James with Jamagine Media

November 4, 2019 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Caroline Ruder with Caroline Ann, Elyse Archer with Brand Builders Group and Jarek James with Jamagine Media

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We believe that every outfit you wear should be extraordinary and representative of your one-of-a-kind style—and that no matter where you’re headed, you can never be overdressed. You should feel empowered to step out of your comfort zone with the bold choice of Caroline Ann, while maintaining enough ease for wherever your (every)day takes you.

The Caroline Ann brand’s core values are rooted in paradox—whimsical practicality, approachable aspiration, humorous confidence, analytical creativity.

These juxtapositions come to life during each season as seen through the eyes of our founder and designer, Caroline. She merges seemingly oppositional ideas to create each unique piece, building a collection of wearable art that is truly a tangible fantasy.

Caroline Ruder’s philosophy of turning every day into an occasion has fueled her love of fashion since childhood, though she didn’t always know it would become her career. She was a marketing student at The University of Alabama when she realized that fashion was her calling. Caroline taught herself how to sew and completed her marketing degree, then she received her Masters in Fashion from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Caroline is a third-generation entrepreneur, so it was only natural for her to cultivate her own fashion brand. She is constantly inspired by the grassroots spirit of starting and managing a business, with Caroline Ann operations based in her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Caroline is proud to have assembled a team of passionate people who are equally as committed to fostering Atlanta’s already-budding creative potential.

Caroline has shown various collections at Vancouver Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. Her work has been featured in British Vogue (print and digital) and Forbes. She looks forward to helping women elevate their every day into an occasion.

Before she started the Caroline Ann brand, Caroline undertook a seminal project that would propel her fashion career. She was contracted by Georgia-Pacific, an Atlanta-based Fortune 100 company, to create a red carpet gown out of paper napkins for a Susan G. Komen fundraising gala.

Caroline used her marketing background to pitch her design and was soon hard at work. Crafting the dress took over 200 hours, utilizing over 1,200 Vanity Fair Napkins, 500 pearl beads, and over 100 sticks of hot glue. Caroline’s gown soon took on a life of its own and became known as simply The Napkin Dress.

Follow Carol Ann on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Elyse Archer is a founding team member and Personal Brand Strategist with Brand Builders Group whose insights have been featured in major media including Forbes and Inc. She is a keynote speaker and host of the podcast Instant Impact with Elyse Archer, where she shares best practices from top business leaders who have created extraordinary personal brands and world class networks.

Prior to joining the founding team of Brand Builders Group, Elyse served as a Partner in an 8-figure international sales coaching organization, where she helped sales professionals achieve their goals.

With a degree in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and over 10 years’ experience in the digital marketing industry, Elyse leverages her background to help people position themselves as thought leaders in their space. Her client list includes New York Times bestselling authors, top 100 podcast hosts, and 8 figure entrepreneurs, as well as leaders who are earlier in their journey and committed to scaling their influence, impact and income.

Connect with Elyse on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Jarek James, head of Jamagine Media, LLC, has been a photographer/graphic designer for over 25 years and is now diving headfirst into filmmaking. A true cinema geek, he’s spent his whole life studying tv and film like it’s homework, with opportunities throughout the years to be a part of various short film projects both as an actor and work in production.

His hope is to broaden the film landscape telling stories that he’s always wanted to see in movies while representing Atlanta black filmmakers in the best ways possible.

Connect with Jarek on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Lane Jones – Community Business Leader

October 22, 2019 by Beau Henderson

Business RadioX® Community

Lane Jones - Community Business Leader

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Lane Jones is ready to enjoy life!! How did he get there? That’s what most of us want to know… check out the link and find out how he is able to “retire and enjoy”! Lane has made such a huge impact in our community and the way we serve one another not only personally but also, professionally. From coffee, to construction and bottled water, Lane has contributed so much for all in the North Georgia region.

Melanie and Sebastian Flores, OctoGifts

October 4, 2019 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Melanie and Sebastian Flores, OctoGifts

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“North Fulton Business Radio,” Episode 168: Melanie and Sebastian Flores, OctoGifts

On this edition of “North Fulton Business Radio,” host John Ray welcomes the show’s youngest guest to date, budding entrepreneur Sebastian Flores, age 13, who along with his mom Melanie are co-founders of OctoGifts. “North Fulton Business Radio” is broadcast from inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Melanie and Sebastian Flores, OctoGifts

OctoGifts celebrate love, friendship, and your inner child by offering candy dispensers and greeting cards that are fun to give and fun to keep. OctoGifts is the brainstorm of 13-year-old co-founder Sebastian Flores. At age 11, he decided to make a combination candy dispenser greeting card for a friend who loved sweets. With no luck in searching for how-to videos on YouTube, Sebastian realized he’d have to figure it out himself. After hours of experimenting, he had built a working machine out of items that he salvaged from the recycling bin, as well as his art supply stash. In January of 2019, he revisited this idea and redesigned his card in the shape of a heart for Valentine’s Day. His greeting cards sold out within hours on Etsy, and Sebastian knew that he was on to something. He pitched his creation at the 2019 Alpharetta Business Expo; served as an entrepreneurship panelist at the 2019 MantisEdu UNCF STEM summer camp at Clark Atlanta University; made the 2019 Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 25 under 25 list; and has been featured in numerous publications including the Alpharetta-Roswell Herald and the Forsyth County News. Sebastian lives in Alpharetta with his parents and older brother. He plans to become a mechanical engineer. His mother, Melanie, an OctoGifts co-founder, has a chemical engineering degree and formerly led a STEM coaching team that served early childhood educators.

For more information visit octogifts.com or email Sebastian and Melanie directly. You can also connect with OctoGifts on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

“North Fulton Business Radio” is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®, located inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. 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 approximately $12.9 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.

Photographer Jonathan Puente and Guest Host Ryan Parker with Xpleo Media

October 3, 2019 by Karen

Photographer-Jonathan-Puente-and-Ryan-Parker-with-Xpleo-Media

Phoenix Business Radio

Photographer Jonathan Puente and Guest Host Ryan Parker with Xpleo Media

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Photographer Jonathan Puente and Guest Host Ryan Parker with Xpleo Media

Jonathan Puente Photography is a commercial lifestyle photography brand, taking entrepreneurial experience, and applying it to specific photography content brands need. Currently their focus is on small to established businesses in interiors and real estate, eCommerce and other businesses that fall under the lifestyle umbrella (i.e. food, headshots, events).

Jonathan Puente has been shooting photography artistically since his teens, but professionally for over 10 years. Starting his first job at 14 sealing asphalt driveways for a co-owned business with his brothers, he expanded into his own small landscaping business while completing his Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Arizona.

After college his passion for photography took somewhat of a backseat while he pursued the typical corporate 9-5 jobs. However, taking experience and knowledge from renowned companies like Ritz Carlton and Charles Schwab, allowed him to apply business models around customer service to his own photography business.

Connect with Jonathan on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Xpleo Media is a marketing and leadership consultation firm where stories build brands, ideas spark opportunity and game changing strategies develop new possibilities. From marketing consultation to leadership development; Xpleo’s band of creative, character driven and innovative collaborators are passionate about delivering real world (and, awe inspiring) actionable ideas and strategies that drive new possibilities and opportunities. At Xpleo, we stretch the possibility of “what is” to “what can be.”

Ryan Parker is fiercely passionate about helping entrepreneurs and businesses grow. He strives to live with character by doing the right things whether someone is watching or not and thrives on igniting the passions in others they may or may not see in themselves.

Connection is in Ryan’s DNA and that is why he surrounds himself with like minded entrepreneurs that believe that business is a place where amazing legacies can be built and where business starts with interpersonal relationships. Ryan believes that through the hard work of entrepreneurs and leaders, communities and the people entrepreneurs and leaders serve can be profoundly changed for the positive.

Ryan is always looking to connect with other like minded individuals that thrive on being character driven, creative, innovative, purposeful, empathetic and thoughtful.

Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn and follow Xpleo Media on Facebook and Instagram.