Sylvia Reisman, Purity Patient Advocates, Leroy Hite, Cutting Edge Firewood, Steven Lustig, Loh Medical, and Todd Souto, Sutter, McLellan & Gilbreath (Family Business Radio, Episode 41)
On this episode of Family Business Radio, Anthony welcomed business leaders Sylvia Reisman, Leroy Hite, Steven Lustig, and Todd Souto. Sylvia Reisman talked about her health journey, the services she provides to clients and the difference between a hospital patient advocate vs an independent advocate like herself, and health insurance coverage for her services. Leroy Hite discussed why he started Cutting Edge Firewood, their mission, the biggest growth challenges he’s seen, what makes his company innovative, and much more. Steven Lustig discussed the benefits of an independent board of directors and what they can provide to family-owned businesses and why corporate governance is important for family-owned businesses. Todd Souto talked about the commercial insurance market, getting quotes from different brokers, cyber coverage, and much more. Anthony closed the show with a commentary on advice for entrepreneurs and business owners.
Family Business Radio is underwritten and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network.
Purity Patient Advocates
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Sylvia Reisman, Founder & Chief Patient Advocate, Purity Patient Advocates
Our current healthcare system is fragmented and failing millions of people suffering from complex illness. The conventional American medicine model is not designed to effectively evaluate and correctly diagnose a complex patient. It is only designed to treat symptoms and not get to the root cause.
This has created the perfect storm: Millions of invisibly ill people suffering unnecessarily, and in particular women, are left chronically ill and lacking a correct diagnosis as they run from doctor to doctor in search of answers. Many are gaslighted, dismissed or told “It’s all in your Head or it’s just anxiety or stress.”
Sylvia’s company’s mission is to help complex clients obtain a correct diagnosis and improve their quality of life. Sylvia has always served as an advocate for her clients. Her professional career gravitated towards building lasting relationships with internal and external customers, serving as a trusted advisor and educator. She is passionate about building trust with her clients and going the extra mile to find effective solutions for them.
Her past career positions were in marketing and sales, including stints as an Account Manager with Reebok Southern Division, Member & Board Services Director of the Georgia Association of REALTORS, Development Officer for a children’s hospital in Savannah and National Account Manager with Concentra Occupational Health.
In 2006, She became mysteriously ill with unusual symptoms and ran from doctor to doctor in Florida and Georgia with no concrete diagnosis. She found herself suffering physically, emotionally and financially as a result. Desperate for answers, she became an avid researcher and discovered functional medicine, a treatment approach that goes outside traditional boundaries to identify root causes of a medical condition. After experiencing the benefits of functional medicine, she felt a sense of obligation to help people with complex medical conditions, many of whom had been misdiagnosed.
This led her to develop a comprehensive assessment, which she utilizes with her complex clients. A customized “Plan of Action” is developed and executed from the assessment results. Sylvia decided to start Purity Patient Advocates LLC, a patient advocacy service that replicates closely the navigation process she learned from personal experience. To validate and find improvements for her service delivery process, she joined the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates which provides peer-based and structured training events.
As a result, Sylvia believes her clients can be confident that an empathetic and professional health advocate is available to them through her company.
Just a bit more on the personal side… Sylvia is an Air Force Brat, grew up in Savannah and enjoys hiking and cycling.
Cutting Edge Firewood
Leroy Hite, Founder and CEO, Cutting Edge Firewood
Leroy Hite is Founder and CEO of Cutting Edge Firewood. He is on a mission to make every fire the perfect fire because he knows that some of life’s best memories are made in the warmth of a fire’s glow.
He founded Cutting Edge in 2013 with a goal to provide unmatched quality wood and unparalleled customer service nationwide.
Steven Lustig has a 25+ year track record of successfully leading and advising in International Operations, Supply Chain, Logistics, Quality, Project Management, Manufacturing, and New Product Introduction.
Steven’s insights have been featured in publications including the Atlanta Business Chronicle and Industry Week, and have been shared on panels hosted by various organizations, including the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the World Trade Center Atlanta.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of family-owned Loh Medical. He has assisted the company by providing oversight, asking questions, and offering suggestions related to strategy, prioritization, risk mitigation, governance, finance, and succession planning.
At the request of the CEO, he also mentors the company’s Supply Chain Director. Steven serves on the Board of Directors for the angel investing organization Atlanta Technology Angels and for NCEF, a non-profit organization that raises funds in the US to provide scholarships to underprivileged students in Nepal. Steven holds a Certificate in Private Company Guidance from the Private Directors Association.
He is the Vice President of Global Supply Chain at East West Manufacturing and formerly was Vice President of Engineering. As an active member of the Executive Committee, he provides guidance on a wide range of strategies and operational issues. He played a key role in organic growth as well as the acquisition and integration of 7 companies.
He has also addressed risk and initiated the company’s first Sustainability Team Steven holds a BSME degree from MIT, plus MSME and MBA degrees from Georgia Tech.
Sutter, McLellan & Gilbreath
Todd Souto, Account Executive, Sutter, McLellan & Gilbreath
Todd has been a commercial insurance agent for twenty years and specializes in construction. More specifically, he’s an expert at working with electrical contractors and stone cutters and installers. He has a proven process that makes shopping for commercial policies transparent and easy while yielding the best pricing.
In addition to commercial property and casualty insurance, Todd helps many of his clients with personal insurance and benefits. If you’ve got an insurance problem, Todd has a solution. His specialty is getting people the liability protection they need and carefully considering all risks before making recommendations.
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 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.
The complete show archive of “Family Business Radio” can be found at familybusinessradioshow.com.
In business since 1983, 
Randy Brunson is the founding shareholder of 
