North Fulton Studio Archives - Page 4 of 4

Family Business Radio, Episode 4: Valencia and Ozzie Giles, Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music, Melissa Gunderson, Morsels by Melissa, and Bonnie Mauldin, The Mauldin Group

November 12, 2019 by John Ray

Family Business Radio

Family Business Radio, Episode 4: Valencia and Ozzie Giles, Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music, Melissa Gunderson, Morsels by Melissa, and Bonnie Mauldin, The Mauldin Group

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**Anthony Chen, Bonnie Mauldin, Melissa Gunderson, Valencia Giles, and Ozzie Giles**

Family Business Radio, Episode 4: Valencia and Ozzie Giles, Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music, Melissa Gunderson, Morsels by Melissa, and Bonnie Mauldin, The Mauldin Group

On this episode of “Family Business Radio,” host Anthony Chen welcomes Valencia and Ozzie Giles, owners of Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music, Melissa Gunderson, chef and owner of Morsels by Melissa, and Bonnie Mauldin, founder of The Mauldin Group. “Family Business Radio” is broadcast from the North Fulton Studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Valencia and Ozzie Giles, Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music

Valencia and Ozzie Giles own Lawrenceville-Suwanee School of Music, a top award-winning music school in Gwinnett County where instructors teach instrument lessons to over 650 students, ages 3 to adult, from the U.S. and abroad. Lessons include voice, piano, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, violin, viola, drums, clarinet, flute, greek instruments and more. More than 40 instructors teach classes in Early Childhood Music Development, Special Needs, Music Theory, and Art, all under one roof.

Valencia’s love of music took root when her father gave her a piano at age 7. The music school director graduated from Alabama A&M University with a double major in flute and piano. She is a member of the Music Teachers National Association.

Ozzie, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Needs Education, and a Master’s in Counseling and Ministry, works with students with special needs.

The couple highlights how Lawerenceville-Suwanee School of Music provides loving structure and support to help students not only succeed in music, but in life down the road.

For more information visit the Lawerenceville-Suwanee School of Music website. Valencia Giles can be reached by email, or call 678-376-9800.

Melissa Gunderson, Morsels by Melissa

Melissa Gunderson is chef and owner of Morsels by Melissa where she provides full range menu items to clients including specialty cakes and sweets. Melissa’s expertise includes the planning and implementation of corporate and private parties and events, as well as wedding receptions and intimate dinners.

At a young age Melissa loved to cook and sing. She turned down culinary school to pursue a career in opera. As a “Full Lyric Soprano” she sang professionally for 10 years. While singing full time, she honed her cooking skills in New York City with some of the top caterers there. In the end, Melissa decided cooking was her true joy in life and decided to jump into the culinary world full time.

Melissa started her culinary career in New York City. In 1996, she worked as a private chef for Four Star Chef Works and The Pavilion Agency while catering for private clients of her own. In 2000, Melissa decided to move back to Atlanta, her hometown.

Melissa started as an event chef for Bold American upon her arrival in Atlanta. She also worked with Proof of the Pudding as catering manager/party chef and The Epicurean as sous chef. While working with these premiere catering companies, she began to build her own clientele, eventually starting her own catering company, Morsels by Melissa.

For more information visit the Morsels by Melissa website. Melissa Gunderson can be reached by email, or call 678-357-2349.

Bonnie Mauldin, The Mauldin Group

Bonnie Mauldin is founder of The Mauldin Group. Her agency specializes in serving small businesses with professional web design, internet marketing and business development training. Services also include social media management, Search Engine Optimization, Linkedin profile makeover, Pay-Per-Click Management and more. Her mission is to help companies become more profitable and expand their brand to new heights.

The Mauldin Group is ranked as a Top 10 SEO and PPC Agency in Atlanta by Expertise.com.

Bonnie serves on the Marketing Council at Gwinnett Technical College and as a Diplomat with the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. Bonnie was named Business Person of Excellence this year, and has won Business of the Year by the Forsyth Chamber of Commerce.

She is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs become more profitable and expand their brand to new heights.

For more information visit The Mauldin Group website. Bonnie Mauldin can be reached by email, or call 678-846-2306.

Anthony Chen, Host of “Family Business Radio”

This show is sponsored and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network. Securities and advisory services offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. (RAA), member FINRA/SIPC. RAA is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of RAA. The main office address is 575 Broadhollow Rd. Melville, NY 11747. You can reach Anthony at 631-465-9090 ext 5075 or by email at anthonychen@lfnllc.com.

Anthony Chen started his career in financial services with MetLife in Buffalo, NY in 2008. Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, he considers himself a full-blooded New Yorker while now enjoying his Atlanta, GA home. Specializing in family businesses and their owners, Anthony works to protect what is most important to them. From preserving to creating wealth, Anthony partners with CPAs and attorneys to help address all of the concerns and help clients achieve their goals. By using a combination of financial products ranging from life, disability, and long term care insurance to many investment options through Royal Alliance. Anthony looks to be the eyes and ears for his client’s financial foundation. In his spare time, Anthony is an avid long-distance runner.

Gary Grace, Atlanta North Art Gallery, and Derek Griffin, Speartek

October 31, 2019 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Gary Grace, Atlanta North Art Gallery, and Derek Griffin, Speartek

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**John Ray, Derek Griffin, and Gary Grace**

North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 174: Gary Grace, Atlanta North Art Gallery, and Derek Griffin, Speartek

An artist’s story, an technology-enabled art gallery, and technology expertise in ecommerce for wholesalers were the topics featured on this edition of “North Fulton Business Radio” as Gary Grace, Atlanta North Art Gallery, and Derek Griffin, Speartek joined the show. “North Fulton Business Radio” is hosted by John Ray and is broadcast from inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Gary Grace, Atlanta North Art Gallery

Gary Grace opened Atlanta North Art Gallery in the Warehouse District of Peachtree Corners in 2019. The location allows the artist, owner enough space to design and display his large scale industrial abstract masterpieces. He is also a photographer. A large section of the gallery is dedicated to Gary’s photography, offering originals and prints.

Gary is a native of Pittsburgh, PA. He grew up during a time when Steel town blast furnaces were still ablaze, and the scent of coke and soot dominated the city. As a child, Gary rode his bicycle through busy streets from one corner of the city to the other, exploring fearlessly. Today, it is his quest to blend form with nature and his innate ability to visualize abstract concepts that are the foundation of his highly revered art style “Industrial Abstract.” Abstract artwork using oils is the medium Gary is most known for in the art world. His travels have brought him an affinity for landscape photography, and he has written and Illustrated a published children’s book, “Sasha, I Can’t Find My Bicycle.” Gary is currently working on two adventure novels’, “45” and “Throwbacks.”

Gary’s dyslexia has been the pathway to his creativity and exploration. He attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where he majored in fashion illustration and clothing design. He is the founder of the clothing line “Posse,” which went national in the 1980s.

To learn more, go to the Atlanta North Art Gallery website, email Gary directly, or call 678-283-5390.

Derek Griffin, Speartek

Derek Griffin is co-founder of Speartek, a unique combo of technology firm and web development shop. Over the past 20 years, Speartek has built and continued to evolve the only ecommerce platform created primarily for the needs of B2B ecommerce. B2B is Business to Business and is often used by companies that sell their products wholesale or through distribution.

Speartek works primarily with product companies that are either manufacturers or importers, and while the industry doesn’t matter, they have numerous clients in Gift and Home Decor, Promotional Merchandise, and Industrial Products. Speartek designs and builds websites that are essentially a business solution that helps companies capture revenue more seamlessly and have those orders feed directly into accounting and ERP systems.

To learn more, go to the Speartek website, email Derek directly, or call 770-674-3900.

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.

The GNFCC 400 Insider: An Interview with Kerry Armstrong, Chairman of the Board, and Kristin Winzeler, Program Director, North Fulton CID (Community Improvement District)

October 22, 2019 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

The GNFCC 400 Insider: An Interview with Kerry Armstrong, Chairman of the Board, and Kristin Winzeler, Program Director, North Fulton CID (Community Improvement District)

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**Kali Boatright, Kerry Armstrong, and Kristin Winzeler**

“GNFCC 400 Insider,” Episode 29, An Interview with Kerry Armstrong and Kristin Winzeler, Chairman and Program Director of North Fulton CID (Community Improvement District)

First in the nation connected vehicle technology in Alpharetta was just one of the topics discussed on this edition of “GNFCC 400 Insider,” as host Kali Boatright interviewed Kerry Armstrong, Chairman, and Kristin Winzeler, Program Director, of the North Fulton Community Improvement District (CID). The “GNFCC 400 Insider” is presented by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

Kerry Armstrong, North Fulton Community Improvement District

Kerry Armstrong is Chairman of the North Fulton Community Improvement District (NFCID) and Managing Director and Development Partner at Pope & Land Real Estate, which specializes in developing office and mixed-use properties in the Southeastern United States. The firm is rooted in the real estate marketplace with a history dating back to 1979. Since 2000 alone, Pope & Land led partnerships have developed and acquired over 5 million square feet of office product, more than 400 acres of land and executed over $1 billion in real estate transactions.

Kerry is on the board of directors of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, and the Council for Quality Growth, a not-for-profit trade association, that works to ensure that the Atlanta region’s regulatory environment supports quality growth and development.

Kristin Winzeler, North Fulton Community Improvement District

Kristin Winzeler is Program Director of the North Fulton Community Improvement District (NFCID), and assists in advancing infrastructure projects throughout the District.

Prior to joining the NFCID, Kristin studied community improvement districts as a graduate research assistant for the public administration department at Kennesaw State University. Her work has been published in Public Performance and Management Review.

The NFCID is a self-taxing district that was formed in 2003 by a group of business leaders committed to maintaining and enhancing the North Fulton community. With the goal of investing in a more vibrant and sustainable North Fulton, the NFCID advances infrastructure projects that enhance the livability, walkability and drivability of the entire community. The NFCID spans from Mansell Road north to McGinnis Ferry Road, serving as a catalyst for transportation planning, investment and improvement.

For more information go to the North Fulton Community Improvement District website. Email Kristin or call (678)-397-0570.

About GNFCC and “The GNFCC 400 Insider”

**Kali Boatright, President and CEO of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce**

“The GNFCC 400 Insider” (formerly “North Atlanta’s Bizlink”) is presented by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce (GNFCC) and is hosted by Kali Boatright, President and CEO of GNFCC. The Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce is a private, non-profit, member-driven organization comprised of over 1400 business enterprises, civic organizations, educational institutions and individuals. Their service area includes Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Roswell and Sandy Springs. GNFCC is the leading voice on economic development, business growth and quality of life issues in North Fulton County.

The GNFCC promotes the interests of our members by assuming a leadership role in making North Fulton an excellent place to work, live, play and stay. They provide one voice for all local businesses to influence decision makers, recommend legislation, and protect the valuable resources that make North Fulton a popular place to live.

For more information on GNFCC and its North Fulton County service area, follow this link or call (770) 993-8806.

For previous episodes of “The GNFCC 400 Insider,” go to GNFCC400Insider.com.

Frazier and Deeter’s Business Beat: Mark Meersman, IPC Global

October 15, 2019 by John Ray

Business Beat

Frazier and Deeter's Business Beat: Mark Meersman, IPC Global

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**Roger Lusby, Donna Beatty, and Mark Meersman**

Show Summary

Managing Partner Mark Meersman and his team at IPC Global help companies gather their various collections of data, apply insightful analytics to that data, and makes those analytics easily accessible through cloud technology. He tells the IPC Global story on this edition of Frazier & Deeter’s “Business Beat,” presented by Alpharetta CPA firm Frazier & Deeter.

Mark Meersman, IPC Global

Mark Meersman is the founder of IPC Global. IPC Global is an enterprise system integrator of data + analytics + cloud solutions. We turn data into gold for numerous stakeholders. We leverage best in class technology, namely inProcess Data Factory, Qlik BI, DataRobot ML, and AWS Cloud.

Mark started IPC Global in 1998. The firm leverages best in class technology, namely inProcess Data Factory, Qlik BI, DataRobot ML, and AWS Cloud. IPC is a Value Added Reseller for Qlik and a Qlik Elite Solutions Provider.

The firm is an Enterprise Systems Integrator – as such they market, sell, service, train, support, host solutions for customers. IPC Global provides Enterprise Intelligence Solutions such as: Enterprise Applications for Business Users; Enterprise Data for Business Specialist; Enterprise Environments for IT Services and Enterprise Governance for Management.

To learn more, go to the IPC Global website. Email Mark or call 470-407-9100, ext. 101.

Frazier & Deeter

The Alpharetta office of Frazier & Deeter is home to a thriving CPA tax practice, a growing advisory practice and an Employee Benefit Plan Services group. CPAs and advisors in the Frazier & Deeter Alpharetta office serve clients across North Georgia and around the country with services such as personal tax planning, estate planning, business tax planning, business tax compliance, state and local tax planning, financial statement reviews, financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, internal audit outsourcing, cyber security, data privacy, SOX and other regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions and more. Alpharetta CPAs serve clients ranging from business owners and executives to large corporations.

Roger Lusby, host of Frazier & Deeter’s “Business Beat,” is an Alpharetta CPA and Alpharetta Office Managing Partner for Frazier & Deeter. He is also a member of the Tax Department in charge of coordinating tax and accounting services for our clientele. His responsibilities include a review of a variety of tax returns with an emphasis in the individual, estate, and corporate areas. Client assistance is also provided in the areas of financial planning, executive compensation and stock option planning, estate and succession planning, international planning (FBAR, SFOP), health care, real estate, manufacturing, technology and service companies.