Buckhead Business Radio

Jeff Lovejoy with ActionCOACH Atlanta, Jonathan Sparks with Sparks Law Practice, Dr. Ruben Boling with the University of North Georgia, Lloyd Lofton with American Eagle Financial Services, Leo “Skip” Shababy with Skips Hot Dogs, Larry White and Tres Crow with The Ritz Group - Buckhead Business Radio

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Jeff Lovejoy/ActionCOACH Atlanta (Co-Host)

Jeff joined ActionCOACH Atlanta out of a desire to help owners grow their businesses in pursuit of their dreams and to provide a positive contribution to their community. His goal is to take the seemingly complicated responsibility of running a successful business and making it simple and fun. He helps owners de-mystify sales, marketing, planning, profit growth, leadership, business systems, time management, team building and financial management responsibilities. In working with Jeff, business owners are able to increase the success of their business which increases profits while gaining more “free time”.

Examples of the benefits Jeff has provided local business owners include:

• Doubled annual revenue for a remodeler

• Dramatically improved efficiency of a nonprofit’s Executive. Dir.

• Developed a marketing plan for an IT company

• Implemented recruitment process for a med. spa

• Worked with owner of engineering business to design their sales process

• Adopted formal planning and review for a retailer

• Increased sales performance at recreation company

• Taught CPA how to make better use of his time

Prior to joining ActionCOACH Jeff had built a successful 26 year career in sales, sales management, sales support leadership, marketing and project management. As a Senior Vice President at Bank of America and Wachovia he led initiatives that achieved dramatic results.

• Increased sales teams’ annual results by over 27%, on average, through training and simplifying the sales process

• Played key role in driving division’s sales teams towards consultative selling

• Developed a team that improved the quality of over 900 proposals

• Led initiative to raise the quality of marketing communications

• Received a national award for best practices in sales effectiveness in financial services.

www.ActionCoachAtlanta.com   Linkedin   Twitter  Facebook

Jonathan Sparks/Sparks Law Practice

Jonathan Sparks is the Principal Attorney at Sparks Law Practice. He works as the “on-call” in-house attorney for many small to medium-sized local businesses. He has worked as an attorney at King and Spalding in Atlanta, Georgia, and interned at the United States Senate Office, the Attorney General’s office for the District of Columbia, and the United States Department of Justice. He is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School, where he excelled at Corporate and Business law, Torts, Litigation, and Securities law.

www.http://sparkslawpractice.com/attorneys   Linkedin   Twitter

Dr. Ruben Boling/University of North Georgia

Ruben Boling Director, Center for the Future of North Georgia at the Mike Cottrell College of Business, University of North Georgia.

As part of the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia and as Director of the Center for the Future of North Georgia, Dr. Ruben Boling’s primary focus is to promote entrepreneurship and business leadership in the classroom and regional and international business community.

Over his 30 years in business and academics, Dr. Boling has developed an expertise in the fields of strategy, entrepreneurship and management. During his business career, Ruben served in leadership and staff positions for several major companies including Arthur Andersen, Georgia Power and WorldColor. He has also served as owner or co-owner of two different small businesses and as a key partner in start-up initiatives in larger companies and institutions. His managerial and consulting experience has spanned several industries and focused on enhancing or improving strategy, customer acquisition and retention, and operations.

Ruben received his Doctor of Business Administration with a focus in Strategy and Entrepreneurship from Kennesaw State University, Master of Science in Management from Georgia Institute of Technology, and Bachelor of Civil Engineering Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University.

http://www.ung.edu/cfng   Linkedin   Twitter   Facebook

Lloyd Lofton/American Eagle Financial Services

http://americaneaglefinancialservices.com   Linkedin   Twitter

Leo “Skip” Shababy/Skips Hot Dogs

Leo “Skip” Shababy is the founder/owner of Skips Chicago Dogs. In 1977 Leo Shababy Sr. and son Leo “Skip” Shababy Jr. moved their families from Chicago Illinois to the land of sweet tea and BBQ, Atlanta Georgia. Combining a hard work ethic, family values and a passion for quality food the duo set out to bring the great taste of the “Windy City” to Atlanta and in 1979 Skip’s Chicago Dogs was introduced.

Featuring Chicago Style Vienna Beef Hot Dogs, Italian Beef Sandwiches and Maxwell Street Polish Sausages, Skip’s has become a staple in the Atlanta area for high quality food served up loud, fast and fun just like in Chicago!

Though Skip himself has been working the biz for the past 35 years you can still come in throughout the week and catch him behind a register or putting together some delicious Chicago cuisine….all with a smile on his face that is contagious!

http://www.skipshotdogs.com     Facebook

Larry White/The Ritz Group

Larry White is the Founder and CEO of Retail Electronic Visions a software development company providing social media communities for Retail, Capital, Emergency Management, Yachting and Sports vertical industries. Retail Electronic Visions is the holding company for brands doing business as the Ritz Group, (www.ritzgroup.org) TheAisles (www.theAisles.net) and eLink 911 (www.elink911.com)

In 2012 Retail Electronic Visions purchased the 26 year old Ritz Group and added the Capital Community, a Reg D private equity solicitation community, for entrepreneurs, Investors and service providers. In addition, the Capital Expo was launched as the industry’s first video virtual e-trade show for companies raising equity funds under the Invest Georgia Exemption Act (IGE)

The Ritz Group meets monthly at the City Club to network and added Shark Attack where 3 companies (Bait) pitch for 15 minutes to 3 Industry ICONS (Sharks). Shark Attack is professionally hosted by Bob Rathbun, Fox Sports South broadcaster for the Hawks. 8 exhibitors are featured at the Networking Event.

In addition to providing members with electronic Incubation and physical networking, the Ritz Group provides members with a free and fee-based services to improve the “investor-readiness” of early and later stage companies through debt, crowdfunding and equity funding process.

New 2014 programs will include online delivery of Equity-U courses, Ritz Group Radio to showcase our members, Angel Meet-Ups to serve our Angels, plus the launch of Blue Chips – a new collaborative approach to fund Georgia’s “best” disruptive Technology, Consumer Goods, Medical, Food and Beverage and Entertainment early-stage ventures.

http://www.ritzgroup.org   Linkedin   Twitter

Tres Crow/The Ritz Group

Tres Crow is an experienced marketing and sales professional. Having worked successfully in a variety of fields–as a lender, banker, insurance agent, membership manager, marketing and copywriting freelancer, as well as a sales and operations manager at both regional and national retail banks–Tres have a wide-ranging view of several key aspects of the business and entrepreneurial communities.

He has an eclectic range of personal and semi-professional interests, which make him exceedingly unique in the business world. In addition to over 8 years of sales, marketing, and management experience, Tres is also a published fiction author who has completed two novels, an adapted screenplay, and countless short stories. He spent over 8 years in Nashville and Ann Arbor, MI as a songwriter, releasing 2 LPs, 2 EPs, and 2 digital singles during that time. He has also developed a keen interest in developing green and sustainable solutions through entrepreneurship, which led him to form the Green Entrepreneurs of Atlanta group in October of 2013, which has seen its membership grow to 30 in just a few months.

He completed his MBA at University of West Georgia in July, 2013, where he maintained a 4.0 GPA and was honored with induction to the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society. He is currently an Ambassador for the Ritz Group, tasked with growing and maintaining membership.

http://www.ritzgroup.org     Linkedin     Twitter