Mike, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Mark Farmer with the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development & Partnership Gwinnett, Mark Butler with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, and Peter Hildebrandt with SCORE

April 24, 2015 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Mark Farmer with the Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development & Partnership Gwinnett, Mark Butler with the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, and Peter Hildebrandt with SCORE

00:00 /

Mark Farmer, Mark Butler, Peter Hildebrandt

Mark Farmer/Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development

The Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development department is tasked with implementing the Partnership Gwinnett initiative, which is the community and economic development strategy for the county. The department works to foster business growth in the county.

Mark Butler/University of Georgia Small Business Development Center

The mission of the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. The SBDC provides one-on-one consulting, continuing education, and access to research for its clients. One-on-one consulting services are provided at no cost to the small business owner.

Peter Hildebrandt/SCORE

SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They have been doing this for over 50 years. Since their work is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and thanks to a network of over 11,000 volunteers, they are able to deliver their services at no charge or at very low cost. Anyone can sit down for mentoring sessions with a SCORE mentor and it’s always free. The SCORE mentors are all successful business people who have either started their own business or been executives in larger organizations.

Pat Stansbury with National Foundation of Patriotism, Erin Riley with Interface Financial Group and Mary Buck with Message in a Petal

April 23, 2015 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio

Pat Stansbury with National Foundation of Patriotism, Erin Riley with Interface Financial Group and Mary Buck with Message in a Petal

00:00 /

Mike Sammond, Pat Stansbury, Erin Riley, Mary Buck, Steven Julian

Pat Stansbury/National Foundation of Patriotism

The National Foundation of Patriotism is dedicated to increasing awareness of the meaning, message and mission of Patriotism in America and its relevance in the everyday lives of its citizens.

NEW BOOK! “Follow Me!” How Vietnam War Era Soldiers Found Success and Lead a Nation by Example

The purpose of this book is to offer an opportunity for America to take a fresh look at the Vietnam Veteran. This book is written in honor of Officer Candidate School Class of 4-65 Fort Benning, GA, Celebrating their 50th Class Reunion in May 2015, they are one of the most successful classes in the history of the school. The book features high achieving Vietnam Veterans who were graduates of this inspiring class. Featuring Medal of Honor recipients, Pulitzer Prize winning journalists, a State Senator, and many more.

The National Foundation of Patriotism founder Nick Snider is a graduate of this class, and will be presenting this book in appreciation of those friendships forged 50 years ago. This book is an easy read and a positive look at the men who served in an unpopular war. America should be proud of all who are defenders of freedom, and this book will remind us to be proud to be Americans!

Erin Riley/The Interface Financial Group

Founded in 1972, The Interface Financial Group (IFG) is one of North America’s largest alternative funding sources for small business. The company serves clients across more than 30 industries in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Mexico and South Africa and offers cross-border transaction facilities. With more than 150 offices and over 40 years of experience, IFG provides innovative accounts receivable funding services and solutions by offering short-term working capital to growing businesses.

Mary Buck/Lightscapes Photographic Artwork d.b.a. Message in a Petal

In January of 2015, Lightscape Photographic Artwork, launched a new line of wall décor, called Message in a Petal- Inspirational Artwork Printed on Metal, which is revolutionizing the marketplace, as a whole. The vibrant quality of the art sets it apart from all other types of artwork currently available. Message in a Petal-Inspirational Artwork Printed on Metal, utilizes metal prints to show incredible visual depth and luminosity. This aesthetically pleasing, insightful and inspirational indoor/outdoor functional artwork, will help breath life back into the home and commercial décor space.

Through the use of water and fade resistant materials, which are so lightweight that they can be hung with Velcro stripping, and also available on canvas for a more traditional look than metal, or with a metallic finish, in addition to metal allows purchasers to meet their perfect look, feel and price point.

Lightscapes Photographic Artwork, is a woman-owned business, located in Duluth GA. The company provides photographic artwork, inspirational artwork on metal, web based business cards, head shots, family portraits, and photography/art classes. The company is owned and operated by Mary Buck, an International Print Competition Award Winner, Certified Professional Photographer and Photographic Craftsman.

MENTORING TOMORROW’S BUSINESS LEADERS: Veronica Maldonado-Torres with Georgia Mentor Protege Connection

April 22, 2015 by Mike

On the Money

MENTORING TOMORROW'S BUSINESS LEADERS: Veronica Maldonado-Torres with Georgia Mentor Protege Connection

00:00 /

If you had the opportunity to learn proven best practices from one of America’s top corporations, would you take it? On this episode of “On the Money”, host Joe Moss of Embassy National Bank interviews Veronica Maldonado-Torres about mentoring and the Georgia Mentor Protege Connection.

Veronica Maldonado-Torres/Georgia Mentor Protege Connection

The Georgia Mentor Protégé Connection (MPC) is a business development program administered by the Georgia Education Foundation (GEF) in partnership with the Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Emerging firms who are accepted into the program have an opportunity to make tremendous strides in areas such as business acumen, methods and procedures, competitiveness and capability.

In addition, MPC enables Georgia small businesses to benefit from a partnership with a corporate mentor for a period of one year. Emerging firms can build relationships, explore new technologies, learn about best practices, and benefit from the wisdom of corporate executives who are committed to the long-term health and overall growth of small businesses in Georgia. The goal of the program is to help small businesses to be successful over the long haul by helping them to develop capacity, enhance their skill sets, and become more competitive. Research has shown that access to the right kind of coaching and mentoring significantly increases the success rate in small business, while both the mentor and the protégé benefit tremendously from their interaction.

—————————————————————————

“On the Money” focuses on topics and issues allowing small businesses to better navigate the financial services minefield, with analysis and opinions from today’s industry experts on banking and loans. “On the Money” also introduces you to some of the top small business leaders in the Atlanta market.

Hosted by Joe Moss, the president of Embassy National Bank, “On the Money” airs live every Wednesday at 3:00 PM EST from the Business RadioX studio in Gwinnett.

The ABC’s of Asset Protection

April 22, 2015 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

The ABC's of Asset Protection

00:00 /

Craig Frankel, Tony Turner, Katlyn Dennis, Adam Gaslowitz

On this episode of “Wealth Matters”, hosts Adam Gaslowitz and Craig Frankel discuss the ABC’s of asset protection with their special guests Tony Turner and Katlyn Dennis.

Katlyn Dennis/NFP Private Client Group

Katlyn Davis of NFP Private Client Group started her career at State Farm in 2002 in South Florida, moved to Marsh Private Client Group (both in Palm Beach and Atlanta) from September 2005 through October 2010, and joined NFP Private Client Group in October 2010.

They focus on Personal Insurance for high net worth individuals and families. Reviewing their current programs and placing them with the best carrier and coverage’s for their needs. Most high net worth individuals have very comprehensive programs that need annual reviews and constant review. They can place in all 50 states and have numerous specialty markets for the hard to place risks. They are a boutique hands on firm that concentrates only on personal insurance needs.

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OneNFP

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/katlyn-dennis/39/ab8/312

Tony Turner/ Cohen Pollock Merlin & Small PC

Tony Turner of Cohen Pollock Merlin & Small PC practices family wealth planning, estate and charitable planning, probate and estate administration and business succession. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, named a Top 100 Attorney in the United States by Worth Magazine, a Georgia Super Lawyer and has also been one of Georgia Trend Magazine’s Legal Elite.

Mr. Turner graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor, both with honors. He received his Master of Laws in Taxation from Emory University, graduating first in his class. Mr. Turner has also passed the Certified Public Accountant examination.

Mr. Turner actively speaks and writes about wealth planning, estate and tax planning and related topics. In 2014, he has given talks such as: “State of the Estate and Gift Tax” (Meeting of the Financial Planning Association of Georgia) and “Love, Sex, Money and Death: Estate Planning Aspects of Divorce” (American Bar Association of Family Law).

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cohen-Pollock-Merlin-Small-PC/279710319364?fref=ts

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/tony-turner/3/759/545

About Gaslowitz Frankel:

Gaslowitz Frankel is an experienced trial practice firm specializing in all aspects of complex fiduciary litigation throughout Georgia and the Southeast. With a focus on representing individuals, companies, banks, and fiduciaries in dispute involving wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, businesses, and securities law, their experienced and highly qualified litigation attorneys have tremendous credentials and a proven history of success.

If you would like to listen to past episodes of “Wealth Matters’, please visit their You Tube Channel.

Remember to tune in on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 8:30 AM to listen live to their show!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EstateDispute

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EstateDispute

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/estatedispute

BUSINESS MATTERS presented by Incentive Solutions

April 21, 2015 by Mike

Gwinnett Studio

BUSINESS MATTERS presented by Incentive Solutions

00:00 /

Lawrence Constantin, Mike Smith, Gary Childress, Steve Damerow

Lawrence Constantin/Saint-Gobain Solar Gard

Lawrence Constantin is the Director of Sales & Marketing-Americas for Saint-Gobain Solar Gard.

Solar Gard positively impacts lives with products that protect, save and renew. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, Solar Gard makes industry leading architectural and automotive window films, photovoltaics and custom coatings.

A division of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, Solar Gard’s architectural solar control window films are proven carbon negative and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Solar Gard products are sold in more than 90 countries under the Solar Gard, Panorama, Quantum and Solar Gard Armorcoat brands.

Gary Childress/Honda Marine

Gary Childress is the National Sales Manager at Honda Marine.

Headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, Honda Marine distributes a full line of four-stroke marine engines ranging from 2 to 250 horsepower.

Honda was among the first manufacturers to offer 4-stroke outboards in America, and the first to offer a full line of lightweight 4-stroke outboards. More than 40 years later, Honda outboards still set the standard for fuel efficiency, performance and ease of operation. They aim to create cutting edge outboards, while staying true to the core Honda attributes of durability, quiet operation, quality, and reliability.

Honda continually perfects their marine engine line by incorporating technologies from their highly advanced automotive and racing heritage. In addition, many Honda Marine outboards also include exclusive technological features found in the company’s most popular automobile engines including the Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, Odyssey, Accord, CR-V, and Element.

Mike Smith/Mitsubishi Electric

Mike Smith is the Senior Marketing Manager at Mitsubishi Electric.

For more than 90 years, Mitsubishi Electric has made changes for the better through its energy-efficient products and technologies. These include factory automation equipment, automotive equipment, escalators, elevators, heating and cooling products, commercial hand dryers, large-scale video displays for stadiums and arenas, uninterruptible power supplies, solar panels, semiconductors, display walls, photographic and thermal printers, and electric utility products.

About Incentive Solutions:

Steve Damerow, the host of “Business Matters“, is the founder and CEO of www.IncentiveSolutions.com along with www.loyaltyworks.com. He earned a MBA and Masters in Economics, that has helped him propel the respective incentive firms into the forefront of the loyalty industry.

“Technology making incentive rewards easier.”

Incentive Solutions is a 21-year-old debt-free, employee-managed incentive marketing agency that uses the “cloud” and mobile app’s to manage and communicate sales incentives to in-house employees, distributor/dealer/value added resellers utilizing 3 primary reward vehicles.

1. Group incentive travel and sales meetings

2. World’s largest online rewards mall

3. Choice of 155 retail gift cards or prepaid VISA debit cards

Incentive Solutions is an Inc. 5000 company, voted “Best & Brightest Place to Work Atlanta” two consecutive years, and BBB++ rated.

Dr. Mitchell Blass with Georgia Infectious Diseases and Skip & Nancy Plesnarski with 18/8 Fine Men's Salon

April 17, 2015 by Mike

Business Leaders of Today

Dr. Mitchell Blass with Georgia Infectious Diseases and Skip & Nancy Plesnarski with 18/8 Fine Men's Salon

00:00 /

Chris Horne, Dr. Mitchell Blass, Tess Turrin, Nancy Plesnarski, Skip Plesnarski

Dr. Mitchell Blass/Georgia Infectious Diseases

All of the physicians at Georgia Infectious Diseases, PC are board certified ID specialists who strive to provide you and your family members the most professional, individualized, and up to date medical care in our field of expertise. Whether a patient is ill and confined to the hospital or an out-patient seeking consultation, the physicians at Georgia Infectious Diseases will work with you as part of your team of physicians to identify potential infectious causes of your symptoms and to develop a treatment plan.

In 1981, when the very first cases of HIV/AIDS were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Robert Capparell completed his training in Infectious Diseases at the University of Kentucky. He began to practice Infectious Diseases at both Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Northside Hospital, located in Atlanta, GA that very year. He was joined by Dr. Mitchell A. Blass, a fourth generation native of Atlanta in 1999, and Georgia Infectious Diseases, PC took on its name. Rounding out their trio of physicians is their most recent associate Dr. Margaret Williamson who joined the practice in 2004. In July of 2009, after nearly three decades, Dr. Capparell retired from the practice of medicine.

While most referrals to their practice begin with a request from a primary care physician, they welcome your inquiries into their practice.

Skip & Nancy Plesnarski/18/8 Fine Men’s Salon

18|8 Fine Men’s Salons are the reinvention of the barber shop, focused on the unique needs of men.

When combined, 18% chromium and 8% nickel “transformed” steel becomes a more enhanced and better performing stainless steel. The result is 18|8; their moniker for the transformation of their male clientele to look better, feel better, and perform better. At their men’s centers, they provide expertise in men’s hair care and grooming – a neglected craft, now revitalized and redefined at 18|8 Fine Men’s Salons.

Their stylists and staff provide the advice, solutions and consistency men deserve in a wide variety of services and treatments, including haircuts, hair coloring, MANicures, face treatments, scalp treatments and massage – all provided at semi-private stations. At 18|8 Fine Men’s Salons, men can have a unique experience designed to meet their specific needs, rather than being an afterthought at a woman’s salon or settling for a clip-joint-quality haircut.

Ellie and Jen Peters with Cool2Sweet and Mike Gifford from National Business Chamber of Greater Gwinnett

April 9, 2015 by Mike

Gwinnett Business Radio

Ellie and Jen Peters with Cool2Sweet and Mike Gifford from National Business Chamber of Greater Gwinnett

00:00 /

Mike Gifford, Ellie Peters, Jen Peters, Mike Sammond

Ellie & Jen Peters/Cool2Sweet

Ellie Peters is an 11-year-old entrepreneur who loves homemade stuff. She learned from school that we should protect our environment by using green products so she started making her own lip gloss and teeth whitening by using Vaseline and baking soda. They were not only safe, but also very effective.

Ellie then started making natural soaps after her cousin developed skin rashes by using other bath products. She saw the benefit of using green products and wanted to share her products with other people. In 2014, Cool 2 Sweet was born after persuading her parents to allow her to start her own business.

Mike Gifford/National Business Chamber of Greater Gwinnett

The National Business Chamber (TNBC) of Greater Gwinnett is a non-traditional chamber that focuses on helping members grow their businesses rapidly and more profitably through a structure that supports shared interests and community building programs. They do this by proactively engaging and satisfying the core needs of today’s businesses. To grow, businesses need to increase their customer traffic, reduce their operating expenses and have access to inexpensive services through innovative approaches enabling them to evaluate their progression. These are substantial and impactful services that TNBC of Greater Gwinnett brings to their members.

Roman Weaver with Live Eye 360/360 Films, Kristina Insley with Insley Insurance and David Post with Future Security

April 8, 2015 by Mike

Silver Lining in the Cloud

Roman Weaver with Live Eye 360/360 Films, Kristina Insley with Insley Insurance and David Post with Future Security

00:00 / 00:55:04

Silver Lining in the Cloud - April 8, 2015 — Roman Weaver, Kristina Insley, David Post, Dom Rainey

Roman Weaver/Live Eye 360 & 360 Films

Live Eye 360 and 360 Films are turnkey production companies. They do everything from commercial work to highlight and sizzle reels, interviews and reality show work.

Kristina Insley/Insley Insurance

Insley Insurance was founded on the principles of providing business owners and professionals, one source to aid them in building a comprehensive plan to manage risk in their business and personal property portfolio. They believe that business owners are better served having one agent that intimately knows and understands their organization and their personal assets to help prevent gaps in their insurance protection. They don’t promise a quote in 15 minutes or less. Instead they believe in interviewing their prospects to make sure they don’t miss important details. Then they shop the risk through their multitude of carriers to find the products and rates that best suit their customers’ needs. They strive to provide the highest quality insurance products at very competitive pricing and to support those products with the very highest levels of customer service.

David Post/Future Security

Future Security meets the specific and unique needs of each of their clients by providing the very best services to business and professional organizations of all types and sizes in Georgia and surrounding states. Founded in 1972 by company president David Post, Future Security became well-known for providing outstanding client service and trusted advice to businesses ranging from the small company to the Fortune 100. Headquartered in Buford, GA, Future Security understands that businesses need a range of defenses to be secure in today’s world.

Future Security is dedicated to recruiting only the very finest and qualified personnel in the area of loss prevention and investigations. They take pride in a well-qualified security team and handle each assignment individually and confidentially. Through continual and ongoing improvement, their staff is able to maintain a high level of proficiency and professionalism.

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, bfonics and NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program

April 3, 2015 by Mike

Business Leaders of Today

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, bfonics and NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program

00:00 /

Chris Horne, Dana Jewel Harris, Derek Griffin, Vikki Millender-Morrow, Nekeidra Taylor, Tess Turrin

Nekeidra Taylor & Vikki Millender-Morrow/Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta is the premier leadership development organization for girls, serving more than 43,000 girls and 17,000 volunteers in 34 counties in the greater metropolitan Atlanta area, northwest Georgia and Polk County, TN. Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. For more information on how to join, volunteer or donate to Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, call (800) 771-1139 or visit www.GirlScoutsATL.org.

Derek Griffin/bfonics

Bfonics is an end-to-end proximity marketing platform based on the iBeacon technology from Apple. They work with retailers, hospitality clients, third party advertisement agencies, mall owners, cities, metro transportation companies/systems to engage the customers in real time by sending notifications, messages, deals and much more to their smart phones. Their products & solutions help retailers leverage cost-effective mobile technology to connect with their customers and offer customized deals. Their platform is designed based on the ‘iBeacon’ Technology from Apple to seamlessly integrate the digital and physical world. Their “Smart Beacons” along with mobile solutions are used to provide customers the best value for the money and also help them increase their ROI.

Dana Jewel Harris/NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program

The NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides youths (grades 2-12) with STEM++ education, entrepreneurship training, and access to mentors and career opportunities in Georgia’s high demand STEM++ industries.