Spotlight Episode: Vet Radio Radio brought to you by SafeAmerica Foundation

June 10, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Spotlight Episode: Vet Radio Radio brought to you by SafeAmerica Foundation

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Len Pagano / Safe America Foundation

CEO & Founder

Len Pagano is a social entrepreneur who has spent over 30 years developing communication programs that address key issues across North America. As President, CEO and founder of Safe America, Mr. Pagano launched the 501(c) 3 organization with a $1 million grant from the Travelers Insurance Foundation.

In its early days, Safe America focused on highway safety issues with Operation Baby Buckle, a child protection program that has distributed over 150,000 infant/child car seats to disadvantaged families across the United States.

Mr. Pagano then organized a ‘Safe Team Coalition’ that was recognized by General Motors (GM) for its work. Innovative safety education programs followed which addressed emerging issues. These included initiatives in teen driver education, water safety, cyber-safety, homeland security, youth safety and disaster readiness.

Through Len’s leadership, the Safe America Foundation has developed educational and practical safety and preparedness programs for businesses and communities. These include safety product distribution, national youth programming, international travel security, and advocating that non-profit organizations screen volunteers (to avoid predatory activities by adults). His accomplishments include raising over $30 million for injury prevention initiatives and engaging organizations including Porsche North America, the Woodruff, Motorola and UPS Foundations along with the National PTA, Allstate, Wal-Mart, Chevrolet, Verizon, State Farm, NBC/Comcast, USA TODAY, Sprint, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a variety of public safety and government agencies at state and national levels.

WIT Atlanta Features Sugra Naqvi with Stellar Consulting Solutions

June 9, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

WIT Atlanta Features Sugra Naqvi with Stellar Consulting Solutions

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Sugra Naqvi / Stellar Consulting Solutions

Co Founder

Sugra Naqvi is the co-founder of Stellar Consulting Solutions. She has over 10 years of experience in sales and being a successful entrepreneur. In her role, she serves as a primary hunter of new businesses and client relationships. Sugra has been in sales under the retail vertical prior to starting her current venture. She brings deep understanding of operations, culture and relationships. Sugra has earned her dual bachelors from Georgia State University, in Sociology and Business. She currently enjoys volunteering her time to WIT, enjoys reading and traveling with her two sons.

STELLAR CONSULTING SOLUTIONS is among the fastest growing boutique technology consulting and staffing firms globally. Stellar is a minority business enterprise (MBE), that fosters diversity workforce. We deliver high quality and experienced consultants for niche technology project on any scale. Providing, end-to-end recruiting and staffing solutions and maintaining a successful track record using a robust recruiting process. We also bring the right talent at the right time. From our humble beginning, delivering resources for IT projects, we’ve stayed true to our mission and core values – and do our best every day to deliver happiness to our clients.

www.stellarconsulting.com

678-925-9466

2475 NORTHWIND PARKWAY, SUITE 200

ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA 30009

INFO@STELLARCONSULTING.COM

Sandy Welfare / WIT

Sandy Welfare is the Executive Director of Women In Technology (WIT). Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of Cool Girls Inc, an award-winning early intervention after-school program dedicated to the empowerment of girls (2009-2015).

Sandy’s career began in 1989 in Greenwich, Connecticut where she joined Rand Insurance as the Controller. Six years later, she accepted a position with Lucent Technologies, an international telecommunications leader, holding a number of positions including serving as Accounting and Treasury Manager in Singapore (1999-2000) and then as Senior Manager in Australia and New Zealand (2000-2002). Sandy returned to Atlanta in 2002 as Senior Manager of Global Financial Services.

In 2003, Sandy accepted a position as Director of Operations for Xchanging, a business processing outsourcing company. In 2006, her career took her to London, England as Managing Director for professional services, where she managed global business processing services for bank financial transactions, insurance and retail.

Sandy received her undergraduate degree from St. John’s University in New York, and a Master of Business Administration from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. She serves on the board of several non-profits, including Kiwanis Club of Atlanta. Sandy resides in Marietta, Georgia with her husband, Cliff and son, Soloman.

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Nancy Whatley with IgniteHQ and Andrew McConnell, CEO of Rented

June 8, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Nancy Whatley with IgniteHQ and Andrew McConnell, CEO of Rented

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Nancy Whatley / IgniteHQ

Executive Director

Nancy Wright Whatley serves as executive director of IgniteHQ where she is charged with providing strategic planning, recruiting entrepreneurs, budget management, fundraising, and facility oversight. Overall, her focus is supporting the economic growth of Cobb County, the Northern Arc region and the state of Georgia by promoting entrepreneurship and business growth through IgniteHQ’s partnership with Kennesaw State University. Prior to IgniteHQ, Nancy established and ran VantagePoint Staffing Solutions, a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, which she successfully sold in 2010. In addition, she spent more than two decades working for Georgia-Pacific Corporation where she was the architect in creating Encadria Staffing Solutions – a wholly owned subsidiary and in-house staffing company. Most recently, Nancy interacted with hundreds of the state’s entrepreneurs as vice president of entrepreneurial development and business growth at the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). An Atlanta native, Nancy earned a B.B.A. in management from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. In addition to IgniteHQ, she serves on the executive committee of Terry’s Alumni Relations Board, is a part of the Atlanta Regional Commission, Innovation Committee, and is a member of Vistage International.

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Ignite2 — Nancy Whatley and Andrew McConnell

Andrew McConnell / rented.com

CEO

Andrew came up with the idea for rented.com after hearing two vacation homeowners tell horror stories of the time and hassle involved in their self-management of the properties. With degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Cambridge University, and experience working with some of the largest companies in the world during his time at McKinsey & Co. and Axiom, Andrew is excited to apply all he has learned to the sharing economy in order to create a better experience for all.

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KSU Entrepreneurship Center Presents The Shrimp Tank

June 7, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

KSU Entrepreneurship Center Presents The Shrimp Tank

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Where can a young entrepreneur figure out how to turn their dreams into reality? Just take a step into the Shrimp Tank. The Shrimp Tank brings you interviews with some of the most successful business owners in the United States to learn the do’s and don’ts of starting and running a successful business. Then, the fun really starts when we bring in high school and college students to pitch their business ideas to the Shrimp Tank. We don’t fund any business, but we do teach kids how to turn their business ideas into a successful business.

Hosts of The Shrimp Tank Chris Hanks and Ted Jenkin.

Sparks3 — Ted Jenkin, Jeff Woolverton, Alexandra Woolverton and Lee Heisman

Alexandra Woolverton / www.GetSparkedATL.com

Alexandra attended the University of Florida’s Pre-Veterinary program and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Animal Science. After much thought she decided that she found herself getting too emotionally attached to sick animals and going straight into the workforce after graduation would better suit her. And through her career choices she fell in love with entrepreneurship. Always a dream big kind of girl, her first job out of college was in Marketing and Sales for a little start-up by her sister’s best friend, Sara Blakely. She saw Blakely take Spanx from the back of her apartment to a booming billion dollar pantyhose empire. That was Alexandra’s first glimpse that big vision and hard work go hand in hand. Her next endeavor was with a local Atlanta Sports Radio Station started and run by Andrew Saltzman and Stephen “Steak” Shapiro. Two men in their thirties that had a dream and a vision to own their own radio station. There she was an Account Manager who created and sold sports marketing campaigns. During her time there she met and married Jeff Woolverton, an on-air personality at the station. After they began a family with the arrival of their first born, Alexandra realized that it might be time to be a flexible working mom and go into business for herself. She came across a newer Direct Sales company, Stella & Dot, where she launched and built her new career as a Stylist who set up pop-a-shop trunk shows in people’s homes selling fashion accessories. At Stella & Dot she was a Senior Director and Founding Leader who led a team of over 500 other stylists across the country, was Top in Sales for North America and Top in Recruitment. During this journey of home parties, working full time hours she found she had put her health on the back burner. She was exhausted, found herself just trying to get through the day and her weight was the same as the day she walked in the door carrying her second baby home form the hospital three years prior. Her husband, Jeff, had been drinking AdvoCare’s Spark for over a decade but she had never really looked into the products or company for herself but needed a lifestyle shift so she gave it a go. In her first 24 days she lost 8 pounds and unlocked energy for the first time in a long while. Over the next 3 months she lost a total of 35 pounds and took her body fat from 34% to 9.9%. People began to notice more pep in her step and the healthy changes taking place. As they began to ask, she began to share and a business was born. AdvoCare is world-class nutrition that provides distributors solutions in two key areas: health and finances. Alexandra and Jeff are looking forward to helping Atlantans and beyond feel and look their best through AdvoCare’s food first program and elite nutritional supplements and building teams of others who in conjunction with taking care of themselves and others want to fight for the same freedoms that American’s deserve: financial and time freedom for families. www.GetSparkedATL.com

Jeff Woolverton / www.GetSparkedATL.com

Jeff attended Florida State University and since childhood has had a passion for all things sports. In 1996 he moved to Atlanta during the Olympics and enjoyed interning in sports broadcasting. He found a home at Sports Radio 790 The Zone as a producer for their popular Mayhem in the AM morning show and within a few years had an on-air show of his own during the mid-day slot. He spent over a decade there and enjoyed opportunities such as being the Sideline reporter for the Georgia Tech Football team. But his love of sports is also paralleled with his love of coaching youth sports. Jeff has volunteered for over 15 years as a baseball and basketball coach at Northside Youth Organization also known as NYO out of Chastain Park. In 2014, Jeff left the corporate world to start his own business: Woolverton Sports Academy. Through camps, clinics and private lessons Jeff has taken his passion and made a career out of it. Through his affiliation with AdvoCare he is able to help his youth athletes as well as his players who have gone onto play at the collegiate level by helping them get the best nutrition in their body through food choices and safe supplementation. www.GetSparkedATL.com

Sparls 1 — Jeff Woolverton, Alexandra Woolverton and Lee Heisman

Lee R. Heisman / Savant Comprehensive Technologies

(Co-Host)

Lee R. Heisman is the owner and CEO of Savant Comprehensive Technologies, My School Pool and Ask a Privacy Officer. Prior to this, Lee was the founder and CEO of H and W Printing and Brainstorm Design Works, a full advertising agency and commercial printing firm located in Atlanta, GA. He has a Master Degree from Rutgers University and is on the Advisory Board of the KSU Entrepreneurial Center. Lee has sold 2 of his previously businesses over the years through mergers and acquisition. Before launching his Entrepreneurial Career, Lee was a Licensed Physical Therapist in New Jersey for over 3 years

Ted Jenkin/Oxygen Financial

(Co – Host)

Ted Jenkin has spent the past 22 years giving personal financial advice to thousands of people across the United States. After graduating from Boston College in 1991, Ted spent more than 16 years working for American Express Financial Advisors/Ameriprise Financial. He was one of the youngest people in the history of the company to reach both Field Vice President and Group Vice President level. He managed more than 800 financial advisors throughout 8 states in his last position with the company. He won the premier performer award, leader of the year award, and had the number one office in the country for more than two years in a row. In 2008, Ted founded oXYGen Financial to help revolutionize the financial services industry by creating a new company that focused on serving the X and Y Generation. oXYGen Financial now has more than 1,700 clients throughout 25 states across the country. Ted has been featured in over 25 magazines and newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and The Huffington Post. He has six advanced designations from the College for Financial Planning (CFP®, CRPC®, CRPS®, AWMA®, AAMS®, CMFC®) and is an on air radio personality featured on the popular drive time Atlanta radio show The Rock 100.5 Morning Show on Rock 100.5 FM. Ted lives in Milton, GA with his wife Genna and three kids Olivia, Lyla, and Louden.

Veterans Connect Radio Episode 08

June 6, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Veterans Connect Radio Episode 08

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Veterans Connect Radio

A spotlight episode of Atlanta Business Radio and powered by Business RadioX. Co-Hosted by Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson and Brandon Skolnick with Gathering Of Angels. Featuring veteran entrepreneurs, support organizations, outreach groups and more in the Atlanta area continuing to serve our families, our communities and our country.

#VetsConnect

@VetConnectRadio

Roger Roley, Forrest Woodland, Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson , John Phillips and Lloyd Knight

Forrest Woodland/JDog Lawrenceville

Owner/Operator

Roger Roley CSM (Retired) / Four Block

Atlanta Program Director

Roger joined the Army where he served for 24 years; during his tenure Roger had several positions of Leadership and responsibility and was awarded the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit and numerous other awards. Roger achieved the highest non-commissioned rank of Command Sergeants Major.

After retiring from the Army Roger joined Ferrellgas as a District Manager where he took a District ranked at #123 to #1. In 2 years Roger grew the District’s customer base 78%, doubled top line earnings, received the Donald Trump Award for the highest margins over projections while reducing expenses by 18% under projections.

Roger joined Cintas in 2001 as an Advance Management Candidate; during the next 11 years Roger held the positions of; Market Manager where he developed the top Location in the Corporation for internal growth, Top Sales Manager of 22 Location generating $160,000 in weekly volume over a 3 year period, as a Director of Facility Services (Group Level) Roger developed over $200,000 in weekly volume in new business services; Roger’s last position was as Atlanta’s Market Manager for the Deep Clean Division where he developed the top Location in the Corporation for 2 straight years.

Roger joined Osprey Biotechnics Inc. in January 2012 as Vice President of Business Development Growing sales 30% ($1.4M) creating the company’s first growth year in 3 years.

In August 2013 Roger joined Corporate Leads Inc., as Senior Partner. Corporate Leads Inc. is a Veterans placement organization with an outstanding record with both Veterans and corporations.

Roger joined Building Global Leaders Team in December 2014 as Vice President of Operations and Partner. Building Global Leaders (BGL) mission is to develop future business leaders utilizing business training, leadership training and mentorship.

In continuing to support our veteran Roger joined Four Block in November 2015 as the Atlanta Program Director: Four Block Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that prepares transitioning veterans for careers in corporate America. We teach a semester long, university accredited course that assists student-veterans with obtaining competitive internships and full-time positions.

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Lloyd Knight / VETLANTA

Co-Founder

Lloyd Knight is Director, Government, Aerospace & Project Cargo Operations at UPS. He oversees multiple freight forwarding programs supporting a wide range of clients including the Department of Defense, defense contractors, humanitarian and aerospace customers. He develops operational strategies to meet business objectives and ensures UPS remains compliant with government regulations. Lloyd has been employed at UPS since 2007 and in addition to his current assignment has served in several different roles including Government Tender Manager, Global Government Operations Manager and a special assignment with corporate HR focusing on veteran hiring initiatives.

Lloyd retired from the Air Force in 2007 after 20 years of service. During this time, Lloyd logged over 3,000 flight hours as a Loadmaster on several operational and flight test aircraft including the C-141 Starlifter, C-5 Galaxy, and C-23 Sherpa. He also served assignments as a Tanker Airlift Control Lift Element (TALCE) Loadmaster, HQ Air Mobility Command Functional Manager and First Sergeant.

Lloyd founded the UPS Veterans Business Resource Group in Atlanta and co-founded and the Chairman of VETLANTA, an industry collaboration of Veteran friendly/ affiliated organizations in the Atlanta region. VETLANTA mission is to make Atlanta a top destination for veterans. He is an active volunteer for multiple veteran non-profits including American Corporate Partners and Hire Heroes USA.

Lloyd has associate degrees in Aircrew Operations and Human Resources Management from the Community College of the Air Force, a Bachelor Degree in Transportation & Logistics Management from American Military University and a Master’s Degree in Logistics & Transportation Management from American Military University.

He has been married to Suzan for 28 years and has two sons (James & Brandon). Brandon is a college sophomore and James is a soon to be transitioning solider assigned to the 82nd Airborne.

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John Philips LTC, U.S. Army Retired / Boots To Loafers

Author, Speaker, Leader / Vice Chairman VETLANTA

John has had a distinguished career in both military and civilian service. John is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the US Army where he served in the Field Artillery as well as a Financial Comptroller. With more than 20 years of service, he served in Corps Artillery, Division Artillery, Army Headquarters and Forces Command, the largest command and the generating force provider for combatant commanders – at home and abroad. He has served in Europe, throughout the Middle East and the United States. Among his awards and decorations are the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Assault Badge.

John is the Author of Boots to Loafers, Finding Your New True North which outlines a proven process of transitioning out of the military and into the private sector. He is also a contributing author to Paddling Guide to the Sunshine State and An American Crisis, Veteran Unemployment, Stand by Them/How You can Help/Solution. He has been featured on The Mike Huckabee Show, the Dennis Miller Show as well as a number of radio appearances across the country.

John is a finance executive at The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia. In his spare time, John spends his time travelling with his wife, Sailing in the British Virgin Islands, remote wilderness trips in the western United States, and helping our nation’s military and veterans make the transition into society and finding a job in the private sector.

John holds a BS in Finance from University of Central Florida and an MBA from Syracuse University. He lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia with his wife, the former Melissa K. Smith and their Australian Shepherd, Bear.

Boots To Loafers The Book VETLANTA Twitter LinkedIn Facebook

Spotlight Interview with Peter Vekselman

June 6, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Spotlight Interview with Peter Vekselman

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Ryan Redhawk and Peter Vekselman — Ryan “Redhawk” McPherson and Peter Vekselman

Peter Vekselman / RVP, LLC, Coaching by Peter, Yates Reality

Owner

Peter Vekselman is an established real estate investor and leader who has developed a new and synergistic approach to home selling and real estate investing.

By offering sellers the security and convenience of a cash purchase or the benefits of listing their property through a conventional realtor, clients of Peter are provided with a wider range of options and the flexibility needed to adjust to situational demands. Not only has this model proven valuable those on the sell side, it has also created tremendous investment opportunities for those looking to build wealth through real estate acquisition.

Because of his new Trifecta business model, his team is closing 8-10 investment deals per week and are currently overseeing over 200 properties listed in the Atlanta area.

Having grown his Atlanta-based operation to a national network of affiliates, Peter is excited about the opportunity to spread his message and create opportunities for real estate sellers, investors, and professionals alike. To that end, he would be appreciative of any opportunity to be interviewed on one of your podcasts to help create wealth generation opportunities for your listeners.

“TEXT” Peter Directly the following..Trifecta and tell him about your current business model

404-915-9685

www.CoachingByPeter.com Facebook

Tamika Morrison and Tramell Smith with Kamp Kiles World and Patrick Pittaluga and Sean Warner with Grubbly Farms

June 3, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Tamika Morrison and Tramell Smith with Kamp Kiles World and Patrick Pittaluga and Sean Warner with Grubbly Farms

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Patrick Pittaluga and Sean Warner are Georgia Tech graduates who started Grubbly Farms in early 2015. Patrick graduated with a degree in business and Sean a degree in building construction so insects and biology was an entirely new field.

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Kile’s World Foundation offers comprehensive art education to children ranging from ages 8‐17; focusing on music, performance, fine and applied arts. The foundation offers art-based camps with multiple workshops including general instruction in the areas of acting, singing, dance, painting, illustration, music production and digital media.

Kile’s World wishes to cultivate an environment where developing artists can explore their artistic interests with the guidance and support of our mentors. Kile’s World Foundation is poised to eventually open an academic school with an emphasis on music, drama and the arts.

Frank Fenello with UHY Advisors, Jason Walker with Deputy, Mike Popowski with Dagger and Charlie Whitfield with Whitty Apps

June 1, 2016 by angishields

Atlanta Business Radio

Frank Fenello with UHY Advisors, Jason Walker with Deputy, Mike Popowski with Dagger and Charlie Whitfield with Whitty Apps

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alex-1024x768 — Jason Walker, Mike Popowski, Ryan Redhawk, Charlie Whitfield, Frank Fenello

Frank Fenello / UHY Advisors

Managing Director

Frank Fenello is managing director of the UHY Atlanta office, and leads the national management consulting practice. He has more than 20 years of experience in management and professional consulting in the finance, audit and accounting professional services industries.

UHY Advisors, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest professional services firms in the U.S., delivering financial, tax and business consulting services to companies ranging from mid-sized to the Fortune 500. The firm’s innovative Management & Technology Consulting practice provides a one-stop solution for a company’s financial and operational functions, with a full suite of services to transform a company’s performance and profitability.

Jason Walker / Deputy

President, Americas

I’m a dreamer of “the way things can be,” and have a passion for finding simple and elegant solutions to complex problems by utilizing innovative technology.

A thought leader within the SaaS and retail industries, I’ve worked with some of the biggest brands you know, including Home Depot, HP, Best Buy, Target, Apple, and Nokia. With over 20 years of experience, my team has driven sales quotas exceeding $10 billion, reduced turnover by 54% and increased top line revenues by over 300% YoY through leading large scale business transformational efforts throughout North America. Behind it all was a focus on delivering phenomenal customer experiences.

Currently, I serve as President, Americas of Deputy, a leading cloud technology equally loved by managers and employees who want to take charge of work and life in the hourly economy. In this role, I lead Deputy’s North and South America service areas, overseeing marketing, business development, strategic partnerships and customer experience, to ensure Deputy can spread its awesome workforce management solution with the entire world.

When I’m not helping businesses transform the experience of hourly employment for the 21st century, you can find me somewhere in the outdoors fishing, biking and hiking or asking someone “why” for the hundred-bajillionth time.

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Mike Popowski / Dagger

CEO

Mike took the helm at Dagger last year to drive the companys vision, culture and growth. He brings 15 years of digital, social and brand-building experience. A proven client service and team leader, Mikes had success in building campaigns and activations for the worlds biggest brands across a variety of industries. Since joining Dagger, the agency has created work for some of the worlds biggest brands, including: Interface, Aflac, Carters and Mizuno.

Mike joined Dagger from TBWAChiatDay New York, where he led the global repositioning for GSKs global smokers health business, Nicoderm CQ (US). For GSK, TBWA deployed TV and digital content assets through a centralized model that disseminates content to Australia, UK, Brazil and Europe.

Mike was previously SVP, Client Partner at Moxie, where he architected the agencys early content marketing practices for Cisco Systems, UPS and Wells Fargo. He led a fast-growing, interdisciplinary team of over 40 FTE account directors, account managers, project managers, social media strategists and community managers, creative, producers analysts and technologists.

He was one of the early pioneers of social marketing as a consultant for AARP from 2008 to 2011, and implemented early digital content practices for AARPs renowned Travel Ambassador, Peter Greenberg, and Health Ambassador, Martina Navratilova. Mikes previous stints include AOL and SureClick, an Inc. 5000 digital agency based in Washington, D.C.

Mikes a native Vermonter and now resides in Atlanta.

Charlie Whitfield / Whitty Apps

CEO

Charlie Whitfield is the CEO of Whitty Apps LLC, a SBA certified 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WBE, Woman Owned and Operated Company. We are an emerging Software Engineering & Integration Company, specializing in mobile and device technology. We provide architecture, design, development, and project management expertise for our clients. Our innovative mobile software solutions focus on solving unique challenges, productivity, customer experience, and marketing strategies that have an impact on your success. Charlie’s leadership skills honed in the military and corporate world enabled her to develop a business model and entrepreneurial vision that encourages and fosters leadership skills focused on empowering other Veterans and Woman business owners to continue to make meaningful contributions to our nations defense as well as local communities.

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