

Janet Orr teaches macro, micro, and global economics on the Georgia State University’s Perimeter College Clarkston campus. She is currently serving as assistant chair of the Business Department. One of the joys of her new position is promoting entrepreneurship on her campus and in the surrounding community. She enjoys acting as a liaison to bring motivational speakers, educational speakers, how-to workshops, and consultants on campus to encourage budding student entrepreneurs as well as community entrepreneurs.
Maher Ahmed is President and a founding member of Clarkston Entrepreneurs at Georgia State University. He is the President of Reliable Development Group which provides housing, assistance and a community for senior citizens to thrive in. Maher is also a business development advisor for MedSmarter. He is interested in networking, entrepreneurship, innovative healthcare development and policy, business consulting, and community building (through various not-for-profit and for-profit entities).
Connect with Maher on LinkedIn.
Micah Ford is a charismatic intelligent 21 year old sophomore from Talledga, Alabama and has lived in Georgia for five years. Micah is currently operating a clothing brand called NVRBEENSTANDARD, apparel for Outstanding Individuals. He is also current President of Panther Activities council and VP of Entrepreneurship Club.




Laura Lee Bocade is a Market Development and Green Team Leader for DIRTT Environmental Solutions, a Calgary-based manufacturer of prefabricated, sustainable interior construction solutions, representing DIRTT in the Savannah and Coastal Georgia region. Laura Lee’s mission is to develop and build local, state and regional community partnerships and to ‘spread DIRTT’ – central to DIRTT’s progressive approach to corporate social responsibility, sustainability, disruptive innovation and grass-roots philanthropy. Laura Lee graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from Central Michigan University and has been certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resource Management. Laura Lee worked in Real Estate Development for years as Director of Operations for Medallist Developments’ Savannah Quarters, worked for the President of The Coastal Bank and as Chief Operating Officer for Innovations in Contemporary Furniture in Atlanta. Laura Lee’s early career years were on Seventh Avenue in the fashion industry, based in New York City where she spent months each year travelling across Europe, Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Mexico, India and other international locations sourcing materials, developing relationships and locating manufacturing opportunities, negotiating contracts and establishing production facilities for multiple brand-name designers’ many product lines.
Stephen Nottingham is the CEO and Co-Founder of Frendesign, (Fren LLC.), a Savannah, Georgia based multidisciplinary design, technology and innovation company, focused on pediatric healthcare. Stephen is a proud Charlottesville, Virginia native who arrived in Savannah during the summer of 2015 to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, bringing an extensive business and project management background with over 12 years of related experience. His creative and entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well, ready to develop a strong relationship of understanding and lateral perspectives by bridging business strategies with purposeful design methods. During the winter of 2017, Stephen merged abilities with a team of world class designers to propose the value of advanced design techniques with medical expertise to unveil innovation. Late spring 2017, Stephen formalized Frendesign and soon after, initiated partnerships with nationally accredited medical institutions to begin uniting healthcare environments with purposeful design and technology by creating experience-driven solutions. Today, Stephen is positioning Frendesign as a key partner in the healthcare supply chain network and continues to build strong collaborative platforms that are delivering differentiated organizational value through service transformation. You can connect with Stephen Nottingham on
Scott W. Luton is the founder of 















Erich K. Schmid is cofounder and President of Business Intermediary Services, Ltd. He is a 35-year veteran in the mergers and acquisitions arena. In 1974 Mr. Schmid’s corporate career began with The Babcock & Wilcox Company (NYSE: BWC) in the Power Generation Group’s Nuclear Equipment Division and in 1975 was promoted to its Corporate Planning and Business Development Department; and, following the acquisition of BWC by J. Ray McDermott (NYSE: MDR) in 1978, he joined McDermott’s corporate staff. In 1980 Mr. Schmid was selected by Tidewater Inc. (NYSE: TDW) to be its first Director of Corporate Development and served in that position until 1985 when he resigned and moved to Asheville, North Carolina where he joined a local business brokerage firm and specialized in larger transactions. During his nine years with a general business brokerage, he performed valuations of several hundred businesses for buyers and sellers and was involved in over 100 transactions. In 1994 Mr. Schmid and the late William J. Fass founded Business Intermediary Services, Ltd. to focus solely on transactions in the lower middle market in the U.S. and Brazil and U.S. – Brazil cross-border transactions. Mr. Schmid has both a B.S. in Industrial Management and M.S. in Management from The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. Mr. Schmid also studied Strategic Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Business. He was instrumental in founding the Carolinas-Virginia Business Brokers Association (CVBBA) and served as its first president. Mr. Schmid is a member of the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA) and is a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA). He is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (AGG) – Charlotte Chapter. He is a licensed real estate broker in both North Carolina and South Carolina. Mr. Schmid is a proud veteran of the United States Army; and, is a member of American Legion Post 205 (Bluffton, SC) and is the Post’s Golf Tournament Chairman. Mr. Schmid and his wife, Marilyn, live on Hilton Head Island, SC. They have two children, Gregory and Sara, and two grandchildren, Barrett and Mia. Connect with Erich K. Schmid on
Bill Stankiewicz has 20+ years’ experience in Industrial Facility Operations, Business Development and Food Grade Distribution, and is the co-host of our Savannah Business Leadership Series. Bill has helped countless companies with their operations via Savannah Supply Chain as a consultant in Savannah, Georgia. On weekends, Bill teaches as Adjunct Professor at Savannah Technical College, where he is involved with the OS & OOG Freight Program for Pilot Escort and Fork Lift Safety Programs for certification and distribution operations. Very active in leadership positions across industry, Bill serves in various leadership capacities for organizations such as: the Georgia Manufacturing Alliance, APICS Savannah, the Savannah Traffic Club, WorkSource Georgia and beBee.com. Connect with Bill Stankiewicz on 
Liz Parker is Founder and Principal of 
















