Larry Hipp with Brightwell Payments and Tapan Patel with Trextel
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Larry Hipp is an accomplished executive who brings more than 20 years of experience in the technology and product development field. Currently, he is the CEO of Brightwell Payments, a FinTech company that helps global workers get paid, as well as send and spend money safely and easily worldwide.
Larry has a proven track record of creating expertly crafted digital products that deliver comprehensive value to the business and end-user. Unlike many technologists, however, Larry is uniquely able to connect all the critical elements of digital strategy and performance expertise to develop a product that excels in user experience, functional software, and digital marketing combined.
Tapan Patel joined the Trextel leadership team in 2020 as CTO, bringing over 10 years of technology experience developing a wide range of business software from complex financial systems to distributed databases, and everything in between.
Most recently, Tapan led and built a 60 person global engineering team at Revel Systems, a POS provider primarily serving the hospitality industry. In 2016 he launched his first startup in Atlanta, growing it to $5M in ARR in just two years, and was sold in late 2018. In recent years Tapan has primarily focused on product and venture capital strategy exclusively.
When not working, Tapan enjoys running on trails in Suburban Atlanta where he lives with his wife and newborn baby.
About Your Host
Joey Kline is a Vice President at JLL, specializing in office brokerage and tenant representation. As an Atlanta native, he has a deep passion for promoting the economic growth and continued competitiveness of communities in and around Atlanta, as well as the Southeast as a whole.
He has completed transactions in every major submarket of metro Atlanta, and works primarily with start-ups, advertising/marketing agencies, and publicly-traded companies. With a healthy mix of tenacious drive and analytical insights, Joey is a skilled negotiator who advises clients on a myriad of complex real estate matters.
With a strategy and business development background, Joey is first and foremost a pragmatic advisor to his clients. Most recently, he was the Director of Business Development for American Fueling Systems, an Atlanta-based alternative energy company. 
While at JLL, he has become a member of the Million Dollar Club, and has built a reputation as an expert on the intersection of transit-accessibility and urban real estate. With intimate involvement in site selection and planning/zoning concerns, Joey approaches real estate from the perspective of the end user, and thus possesses a unique lens through which to serve his clients.
Joey holds a Master of Business Administration from Emory University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a founder, board member, and the treasurer of Advance Atlanta, and also sits on the Selection Committee for the Association for Corporate Growth’s Fast 40 event. In addition, he is a member of CoreNet and the Urban Land Institute. Finally, he is part of LEAD Atlanta’s Class of 2019.
Connect with Joey on LinkedIn.
Kristin Hull with Nia Impact Capital
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Kristin Hull is founder and CEO of Nia Impact Capital, a women-led Registered Investment Advisor leading the charge to change the face of finance by hiring and training women and people of color in sustainable and transformative investing. Kristin founded Nia Global Solutions, a gender-lens portfolio of solutions-focused companies, in her efforts to bring impact investing into the public markets.
An impact Investor since 2007, Kristin oversaw the investment process for the first family foundations as they moved their endowment assets into 100% alignment with their philanthropic mission. In 2010 Kristin went on to found Nia Community, a 100% mission-aligned impact investment fund focused on social change and environmental sustainability in her home town of Oakland, California.
Kristin is a co-founder of Impact Hub Oakland and of the North Oakland Community Charter School, and served on the founding board of George Mark Children’s House. Prior to devoting her career to transforming our financial system, Kristin was a full-time educator, teaching bilingual classes in Oakland and San Francisco. She earned her PhD in Education at University of California, Berkeley, her Masters in Research in Bilingual Education from Stanford University and her BA and teaching credentials from Tufts University.
Connect with Kristin on LinkedIn and follow Nia Impact Capital on Twitter.
Michelle Berlin with Mindbody
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Michelle Berlin is Senior Vice President, People & Culture with Mindbody. Michelle leads our international People & Culture Team, focused on people strategies and organization effectiveness in support of Mindbody’s vision.
After joining Mindbody in 2016, she developed the consultative P&C Business Partner and Program Management Teams. The People & Culture Team she directs is responsible for finding the best talent for Mindbody and engaging, developing, and inspiring team members to live our core values in all aspects of their roles.
Michelle’s passion for creating environments for people to thrive and grow began during her careers at Patagonia and Amgen. There, her roles in human resources fostered a belief in the power of company culture and need to develop strong alignment as a partner with the business.
More recently, as the senior director of human resources at REC Solar, Michelle developed relationships across the organization that supported its expansion and was instrumental in the company’s successful acquisition by Sunrun.
Outside of work, Michelle volunteers with Destination Imagination to provide opportunities for kids to collaborate, work as a team, and use their creativity to solve problems. As a Cal Poly graduate, her roots run deep on the Central Coast of California, but she and her family still find time for annual travel trips around the world.
Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn and follow Mindbody on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Training Pros
Since TrainingPros was founded in 1997, they have been dedicated to helping their clients find the right consultant for their projects.
23 years later, they are proud to have helped hundreds of clients complete their projects and thousands of consultants find great assignments. Training Pros continues to focus on helping their clients and consultants as well as their community.
Christopher Brazelton with Elm Street Cultural Arts Village
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Broadcasting live from The Innovation Spot in the Heart of Woodstock
Elm Street started as a local non-profit theater in 2002. Elm Street (then Towne Lake Arts Center) provides performing arts productions, classes, and camps to and with the surrounding community. 
Elm Street Cultural Arts Village was formed to provide not only theatrical arts but visual arts, music, dance, and culinary arts.
To do so, Elm Street and the City of Woodstock collaborated on acquiring a 4-acre property and green space to grow this vision.
Christopher Brazelton has been with Elm Street Cultural Arts Village since April 2013.
Hired as the Operations Director, Christopher has been helping transform the theatre into a full Arts Center, focusing on community engagement.
Being promoted to Executive Director in 2016, the organization has grown significantly and looks forward to more positive growth in the coming years!
Follow Elm Street Cultural Arts Village on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Small Business Fuel: Strategic Partnerships Help Win Contracts with State of Georgia
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Jonathan Miller, Principal at Whitehead Industrial, represents the fourth generation of the Miller Hardware Company, a proud Georgia resident small business, located in Valdosta, Georgia, serving the people and communities of South Georgia since 1908.
The company currently operates under three distinct divisions: Whitehead Industrial Hardware, Miller Hardware and Seasons Garden Center. On the foundation of wholesale and retail hardware experience, Whitehead has grown to its present status of being a complete supply house serving industry, construction, and municipalities.
We provide access to over 35,000 sku’s stocked in 64,000+ square feet of warehouse space. We nurture and maintain direct relationships with over 400 different manufacturers to ensure the proper depth to any solution you may need.
Jeff Hughes, Vice President of Sales, Lowe Electric and Safety Supply Sales is a management professional with over twenty years in sales, marketing, operations and logistical management. Along the way building a broad knowledge base in electrical, communications, industrial, lighting and safety product applications working in distribution, manufacturing and manufacturer representation roles.
Starting in the warehouse in 1997 to leading half the sales force of the most respected independent distributor in Georgia. Lowe Electric Supply Company began in Macon Georgia as an electrical contractor in 1903. I am living my dream of mentoring the next generation of the Lowe Electric family with my incredible peers in leadership.
Kelly Kuppersmith, Government Account Manager with Lowe Electric and Safety Supply, has over two decades of experience in the Industrial Supply industry. He has held a wide range of sales, marketing, operations and entrepreneurial positions, from Fortune 500 corporations to locally owned small businesses.
These positions have led him to focus and develop a in depth knowledge and expertise with government and public sector customers and contracts. Kelly also has a passion for sustainability. He has rolled out nationwide battery recycling programs as well as helping customers create and implement award winning energy, water and green cleaning programs.
About Your Hosts
Paul Wilson, Area Director with SBDC, has extensive industry experience that spans leadership roles in supply chain management, procurement, marketing, supplier diversity, and small business development. His expertise includes strategic analysis, operational planning, leadership development, contract writing, video marketing, video production, training and curriculum development.
Having worked with Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, and educational institutions, Paul brings a diverse wealth of knowledge, perspective, and skills to the small business community.
Connect with Paul on LinkedIn and follow SBDC on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and Instagram.
Telisha Farrow Jackson joined serves as the Small Business Outreach Specialist for the Department of Administrative Services. She interacts with small businesses and advocates on their behalf with government contracting officers, contract specialists, and end-users. She has an extensive and varied career in multiple industries, including lending and underwriting; small business development; project management; compliance and controls.
Telisha performed cost analysis for businesses in her former role as an underwriter and a branch manager. She has also managed outreach initiatives and negotiated corporate partnerships; developed curriculum, and led multiple process improvement and best practice initiatives. Her expertise dwells in analyzing and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations to ensure that strategies can be successfully executed.
Telisha has used her people skills to build community involvement and awareness by participating in various community outreach events and professionally moderating conferences.
Connect with Telisha on LinkedIn.
About Our Sponsor
OnPay’s
payroll services and HR software give you more time to focus on what’s most important. Rated “Excellent” by PC Magazine, we make it easy to pay employees fast, we automate all payroll taxes, and we even keep all your HR and benefits organized and compliant.
Our award-winning customer service includes an accuracy guarantee, deep integrations with popular accounting software, and we’ll even enter all your employee information for you — whether you have five employees or 500. Take a closer look to see all the ways we can save you time and money in the back office.
Dianne Grote Adams with Safex
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Dianne Grote Adams has more than 40 years of experience in the industrial hygiene, safety and environmental field.
She has an undergraduate in Life Sciences, MS in Environmental Health/Occupational Safety and is a CIH, CSP, CPEA and FAIHA. (Certified Industrial Hygienist, Certified Safety Professional, Certified Professional Environmental Auditor and Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association). After a start in government and private manufacturing, she has been consulting for nearly 30 years.
Connect with Dianne on LinkedIn and follow Safex on Facebook.
Storyteller and Personal Branding Expert Anastasia Blackman
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Anastasia Blackman grew up on a theatre stage in a world of fairytales and bright imagination. She learned how to dream big and how to make an impact through the art of story. But just playing a role wasn’t quite enough, so she decided to become a film director.
Anastasia managed to get a job at a local TV channel as a weather girl in exchange for access to equipment and people who could teach her how to film her first movie. That documentary won a teenager film festival and granted Anastasia a spot in the university of culture and arts.
Working as a director and producer of documentaries and music videos, Anastasia shortly realized that she never wanted to shoot a pop music video ever again, and that even though everyone has a story to tell, not everyone needs a documentary to do so.
After moving to California, Anastasia used her knowledge and passion for a meaningful visual story to help industry leaders to develop and establish a powerful personal brand that amplifies who they are.
BRX Pro Tip: Help Your Clients Signal Status
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BRX Pro Tip: Help Your Clients Signal Status
Stone Payton: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Business RadioX Pro Tips, Stone Payton and Lee Kantor here with you. Lee, let’s talk a little bit about some strategies, tactics for helping our clients’ signal status.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:15] Yeah. This is something that, I think, we underestimate. That when one of our clients decides to partner with us and sponsor a show or host a show, part of the reason they’re doing this is to signal status to the ecosystem that they’re serving, to the group that matters most to them. They want them to be seen as somebody that is a great partner to the ecosystem, that’s serving the ecosystem, that is going about as a good corporate citizen to the ecosystem that’s important to them.
Lee Kantor: [00:00:48] So, ways that we can help our clients signal that status without them appearing to toot their own horn or bragging about it too much, we can be proactive and send out a press release announcing their sponsorship and explaining the why behind doing this and how important it is to them. We can run ads for them announcing the sponsorship, or inviting guests, or looking for other people that want to participate in the show.
Lee Kantor: [00:01:14] So, anything we can be doing for them to let the world know that they have taken this big step to sponsor a show, to serve the group, the niche, that’s important to them is great. Because it tells the world that our client has done something to serve and we want them to get all of that value, that status, that comes along with being that voice of business in their niche. And if they don’t have to do that and we’re doing it on their behalf, we become more valuable to them. And we get a lot of the credit in their eyes that we’re really helping them get new guests. We’re helping them get new status. We’re helping them get new business. And it’s all because they’ve sponsored this show on our network.
