Jill Edwards/Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, CA with central offices throughout the country.
Chris Willis/Willis Mechanical
Willis Mechanical is a commercial and industrial HVAC service company based in the Atlanta area. They install, maintain, repair, and replace commercial and industrial heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and other HVAC-related equipment.
Jerri & Dan Miller/Wealth Horizon
Wealth Horizon is an independent financial planning and wealth management firm that acts in a fiduciary capacity for their clients. Partners Dan Miller and Jerri Hewett Miller have more than 45 combined years of experience in the financial markets. As a married couple, they bring a fresh and unique perspective to the clients they serve.
Debra Kline/Business Wise
For business-to-business sales and marketing pros frustrated with the size or quality of their opportunity pipeline in Atlanta, Georgia, Dallas, or Charlotte, Business Wise provides the answer. Since 1980 their local research team phone verifies critical demographic information on all of the businesses in the footprint area. BWise subscribers uncover hidden prospects to make successful connections in their local market.
Brandy Swanson/Smith & Howard
Headquartered in Atlanta, Smith & Howard is a top Atlanta CPA firm providing a wide range of services, including assurance, tax, accounting and advisory services. Their business clients range from start-ups to large, established businesses that operate across the U.S. and internationally. They also have a strong nonprofit client family, including many of Georgia’s most respected organizations. By extension, Smith & Howard also serve the tax, accounting and advisory needs of the owners and executives of businesses. Many of these individuals and families are also clients of Smith & Howard Wealth Management, a wealth management firm serving as the family’s CFO.
Recognized for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015) as the number one firm in the nation by INSIDE Public Accounting and as a Top Accounting Firm to Work For by Accounting Today, they bring a national scope of services with a personal, responsive service approach and a team of smart, dedicated professionals that work with clients year after year.
Smith & Howard’s current clients appreciate their responsiveness, creativity, innovation, expertise, imagination, and an “uncompromising commitment to exceed expectations and contribute to their financial success”.
Trevor McCawley & Troy McCawley/B.E. Technologies
B.E. Technologies is the provider of choice for all of their customers’ business technology, with the best selection of products and superior customer service. They represent top manufacturers including Ricoh, Shoretel and Sharp. They sell and service a variety of digital automated office and production equipment, including multifunction printers/copiers/scanners, digital interactive white boards, and ShoreTel telephone systems. B.E. Technologies provides Managed IT Services and Network Care. They furnish and support software and technology for electronic document filing, workflow and data management. B.E. Technologies believes that by becoming your total technology solutions partners, they will make your company more profitable and more efficient than before.
Pete Hajjar/Prime Business Advisors
Prime Business Advisors provides hope and a road map to entrepreneurs through training seminars, business coaching, and on-line self study courses. Their clients range from start-ups to established Fortune 500 companies.
Elaine Merritt // Sandler Training 
Elaine Merritt has more than 25 years of sales, media and training experience, including developing marketing and business development strategies for local and national businesses. She has conducted sales and management training for businesses ranging from car dealerships to beverage distributors.
Elaine is a Sandler Award winner and conducts training for Sandler using the adult learning curriculum. Sandler Training is a global training organization of over 500 Sandler® trainers located in major cities throughout the United States and more than 29 countries, with materials translated into 15 languages. For over forty years Sandler has helped sales organizations, ranging from small- and mid-sized businesses to Fortune 1000 companies, improve the effectiveness and efficiencies of their sales and management processes.
While living in Muncie, Indiana, Elaine was an independent business owner, and she specialized in customer service, leadership training and sales. In addition to her professional training experience, Elaine was an assistant professor at Ball State University in the Telecommunications Department.
Elaine is a past national president of the American Business Womens Association and a past Top Ten American Business Woman. She is a southeast regional director for BNI (Business Networking International).
Jane Kaylor // Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga
Jane Kaylor is the President & CEO of RMHC of Chattanooga. She has put 26 years into the development of the RMHC through Non-profit management, fund development, grants and scholarship administration.
Over the past 10 years, the Ronald McDonald House of Chattanooga has provided a “home away from home” for more than 800 families with patients in the hospital who have had respiratory problems, nearly 700 families whose children were born prematurely, and over 300 families of children receiving craniofacial evaluations and surgeries.
In 10 years, families from 37 states across the U.S. have called the Ronald McDonald House “home”, serving over 400 families every year in its 14-bedrooms, and the staff looks forward to serving twice as many in years to come.
Johanna Ellis/Atlanta Classic Cars
At Atlanta Classic Cars, the exclusive authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer of Duluth, you will find a large selection of new and pre-owned vehicles as well as professional staff ready to help you find the perfect car for your lifestyle. They are committed to providing excellent customer service. Atlanta Classic Cars is a family owned and operated organization proudly serving their customers from the Duluth area for 40 years. Their friendly sales team is eager to help you drive away with the vehicle that fits your individual needs. They encourage you to browse their new inventory of Mercedes-Benz models.
Mark Treager/Cornerstone Media Group
Cornerstone Media Group knows that innovation is not born from a business plan. They focus on developing new ways to help their clients sell more products and services. They deliver results that are strategically sound and executable with a value that is unmatched. They’ve been in the internet development business for nearly 20 years. Clients tell them regularly that Cornerstone Media Group’s longevity and experience matters.
Todd Evans/Jackson EMC
Jackson EMC is a non-profit electrical service provider serving parts of 10 north Georgia counties. The cooperative was started by farmers in Jackson County 77 years ago. They serve over 100,000 meters in Gwinnett County. Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, one of the largest electric cooperatives in Georgia and the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, GA. The cooperative serves more than 219,400 meters in total.
North Johnson/Gwinnett Braves
The Gwinnett Braves are the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Their 72 home games are played at Coolray Field and 2016 will be their 8th season in Gwinnett County. G-Braves alumni include Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel, Jason Heyward, Julio Teheran, Matt Wisler and Mike Foltyniewicz.
ATLANTA, GA–(Marketwired – December 11, 2015) – On November 19, 2015, Gwinnett Business Radio welcomed to the studio Ryan Burton with Ryan Burton Music Group, Maria Mendillo with FarraTech and Al Simon with Sandler Training by Simon. Co-hosts Mike Sammond and Steven Julian sat down with these guests to explore each of their respective businesses and their contributions to the Atlanta business community.
Canadian/American entrepreneur, musician, songwriter and producer Ryan Burton founded the Ryan Burton Music Group in early 2015 as an independent record company that focuses on artists at the start of their career. Their goal is to record music that ignites imaginations. Ryan Burton Music Group is based around a desire to help new artists with great talent and little support.
Joining in the discussion was Maria Mendillo, President and CEO of FarraTech. Formerly known as Laser Supply & Service, FarraTech was founded in 1990 and is based in Norcross, GA. In 2007, FarraTech became an employee owned company when the founder, John Farra, decided to retire. Rather than sell the company to a third party, he gave it to his employees. FarraTech provides customer service for laser printer, copier, service or repair. FarraTech’s people, their focus on quality, and their dedication to doing business with integrity is what they care about and strive for daily.
Rounding out the conversation was Al Simon, President of Simon, Inc., an authorized Sandler Training Center. Sandler Training by Simon specializes in training and coaching in the areas of sales, leadership, sales management and customer service. They specialize in teaching business owners and sales professionals to be effective and consistent with their business development strategies, tactics and attitudes.
To learn more about these featured guests, listen to the entire interview on Gwinnett Business Radio.
About Gwinnett Business Radio:
Each week, from the Subaru of Gwinnett Business RadioX® studio, Mike Sammond interviews the area’s top business leaders to learn what makes them the best at what they do. Gwinnett Business Radio is presented by Regus, the home of the Subaru of Gwinnett studio in Duluth, GA.
About Business RadioX®:
Business RadioX® interviews dozens of innovative entrepreneurs and successful leaders each week. Its mission is to help local businesses Get the Word Out about the important work they’re doing for their market, their community, and their profession. With a pro-business slant and a long-form interview format, guests don’t have to worry about being ambushed or talking in “sound bites.” Guests have enough time to tell their whole story and to share their insights and experience without interruptions. Business RadioX® hosts are business professionals interviewing their peers, drilling down on the critical issues, and delivering practical information to an engaged business audience. Business topics that are frequently covered include: Law, Finance, Healthcare, Technology, Trade Shows, B2B Marketing, Venture Capital, Training and Development and other issues impacting the business community. For more information, visit: https://businessradiox.com.
Lisa Nausley / Sandler Training
Lisa Nausley is the Owner & CEO of Sandler Training® in Chattanooga. She and her team only work with corporations and senior leaders who have an unconditional commitment to growth and continual improvement. Her firm is celebrating 8 award-winning years with Sandler; now operating in 32 countries it is the largest training organization in the world. She brings more than 25 years of management, sales, customer service and training experience to her clients. Some of Lisa’s key business strengths include executive coaching, hiring, motivating, and retaining effective teams; management and sales training; customer relations, interpersonal communications and team building. Successful in accelerating growth through strategic leadership, Lisa knows firsthand the value of ongoing skill development and reinforcement to remain competitive and engaged in business. Lisa’s strong belief and conviction is evident in all areas of her business including its successful training programs, executive coaching and consulting engagements.
Lisa focuses on bringing out the best in professionals at all levels. Her passion is helping clients to achieve the magic balance between success in and outside of work. Lisa loves helping others and believes that is why she was led to Sandler. The strategies they offer create measurable growth, increased self-esteem and performance in all areas. As a presenter Lisa uses unlimited energy and humor to bring to life the messages attendees are able to learn and apply for the entirety of their career.
Professional associations: Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute, Chattanooga & Bradley County Chambers of Commerce, SHRM, Women Business Enterprise National Council (WEBNC), and Women Mean Business. Lisa’s desire to give back to the community is evident by the significant time and leadership she lends to so many of nonprofits.
Linda Murray Bullard / LSMB Business Solutions
I am the self-published author of “The Well Ran Dry: Memoirs of a Motherless Child.” It is my autobiography, which was accepted by the US Library of Congress in 2013 and won an award from GANSPA in Atlanta, GA as Best Autobiography for 2014.
In addition to being a contributory commentator on various business media outlets, including American Express’s OPEN Forum, I teach entrepreneurs and people interested in becoming entrepreneurs how to become and stay sustainable. I am currently contracted as a Business Development Facilitator with BrightBridge Women’s Business Center, who is a partner of the Small Business Administration. I am also studying with Steve Harvey’s Radical Success Institute team learning how to grow the professional speaking segment of my business on the topics of self-empowerment through exposure and education and small business development. I will graduate in the inaugural class in February 2016.
Also, I was recently selected to be a Tedx Chattanooga presenter in February 2016. I am a certified Professional Project Manager, and am currently attending UTC to pursue my MBA and plan to graduate in late 2016.
I have three grown sons, four granddaughters, a grandson, and expecting new grandchild in April. I also have a great grandson and a great granddaughter.
