North Fulton Business Radio Archives - Page 49 of 72

Brandon Wheeless, ALUX Properties

October 26, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Brandon Wheeless, ALUX Properties

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Brandon Wheeless, ALUX Properties (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 403)

Blending healthcare with lifestyle and fitness is the unique concept behind The Bailey, a first-of-its-kind mixed use development coming to Alpharetta. ALUX Properties is the company behind The Bailey, and ALUX Chairman & CEO Brandon Wheeless joined host John Ray to share details of this exciting new development, his entrepreneurial journey, other ALUX projects, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

The Bailey

A beautiful, tech-centric wellness center.

A jaw-dropping medical rehab facility.

Exquisite hospitality suites. The Bailey will exhibit elite aesthetics, capture human physiology, incorporate current environmental principles, and tie it all within the context of luxury.

The Bailey will redefine the look, feel, and meaning of “country clubs” everywhere.

Website

ALUX Properties

ALUX is a development company that designs residential and commercial spaces that utilize innovative technological solutions to enhance their client’s experience.

They are solidifying our brand to become a leading name in the residential and commercial real estate development industry – trusted for innovative design, superior quality, and unmatched reliability. Through continued collaboration of industry experts from conception to completion, they deliver quality and dynamic projects that will undoubtedly meet and exceed the needs of their clients.

They offer a comprehensive range of development and management services that include Residential and Commercial Development, Construction Management, Consulting, and Property Management.

Company website

Brandon Wheeless, CEO and Chairman, ALUX Properties

The mastermind and driving force behind The Bailey development is Brandon Wheeless, a U.S. Armed Forces Veteran who is the founder, CEO and Chairman of Atlanta-based ALUX Properties, a global luxury design, building and management firm. Leveraging innovative technological solutions, the company is committed to enhancing quality of life – one project at a time – and serving as a trusted source for cutting-edge design, superior quality and unmatched reliability in the real estate sector.

Over the past decade, Wheeless has honed his expertise in commercial real estate and construction developing an array of industrial, office, retail, institutional and mixed-use structures. He began his career in project management while serving in the U.S. Navy, and later the U.S. Army, from 2006 to 2017, piloting ambitious logistical operations for personnel and equipment movement to stations and bases around the world – including managing a fleet of 750 vehicles.

Following his PMP accreditation and acquisition certifications, the Army appointed him to execute several infrastructure building projects for local and international bases. These ground-up, large-scale developments ranged in budget size from $2 million to over $2.7 billion. Wheeless takes projects from conception to ribbon-cutting, incorporating forward-thinking energy efficiency and environmental remediation initiatives along the way. He founded ALUX Properties in 2017.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Wheeless is a former NCAA Division I basketball player who graduated magna cum laude from Norfolk State University, where he played an integral role on the 2012 championship basketball team.

With his impressive background and achievements in sports, military, and business ventures – all of which demand the utmost in discipline and skill – Wheeless is uniquely positioned to bring his latest dream to life with The Bailey, a first-of-its-kind, multi-use regional development with a tech-centric focus on lifestyle-meets-health features. As the son of an award-winning chef, his passion for creating a world-class hospitality destination like The Bailey comes naturally.

LinkedIn | Instagram

Questions and Topics Discussed in this Episode

Share with us your plans for The Bailey, the first-of-its-kind wellness development coming to Alpharetta
What are some of your goals for The Bailey and ALUX Properties?
Tell us about your experience as a developer
What have been some of the challenges and most rewarding aspects of taking on a project of this magnitude?
ALUX Properties also opened Aria Spirits – what can you tell us about this recent development and what makes it unique?
Is there any advice you could give to business leaders in the area or perhaps something you wish you had known while starting out?
Where can we find out more information on The Bailey?

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray, and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked from scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.

Peter Rosen, HR Strategies & Solutions

October 22, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Peter Rosen, HR Strategies & Solutions

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Peter Rosen, HR Strategies & Solutions (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 402)

With experience as both an employment attorney and a senior human resources officer for multiple companies, Peter Rosen brings a seasoned perspective to his HR consulting advisory for business and non-profit clients. Peter joined host John Ray to discuss his work at HR Strategies & Solutions, which includes HR advisory, organizational design and effectiveness reviews, investigation of employee complaints, and more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

HR Strategies & Solutions (HRSAS) is a boutique consultancy firm addressing the unmet HR and organizational needs of start-ups to large organizations. Let’s work together to revolutionize the way your business handles HR.

HRSAS provides HR leadership and expertise. They enable growth, improve efficiency, and prevent problems. From HR strategy development to HR recruitment, they do it all.

Their clients recognize the importance of having a strong culture resulting in an aligned, motivated, and engaged workforce. They are committed from the very top to “Doing the Right Thing” and to “Doing Things Right”.

Website | LinkedIn

Peter Rosen, President, HR Strategies & Solutions

Known for his ability to quickly build trust and credibility with his clients and colleagues, Peter Rosen, a thoughtful and practical human resources executive and consultant, has a unique capacity to understand and assimilate into a variety of corporate cultures at different stages of the corporate lifecycle.

With over 25 years of experience in both domestic and international companies, he is able to tailor his approach to specific HR situations and translate his larger corporate experience into start-up and growing environments. His contagious enthusiasm and optimism make working with him a pleasurable experience. Peter’s easy-going manner and hands-on approach help him connect with people, understand their needs, and gain buy-in for strategies that strengthen both organizations and individuals. Peter uses a practical, business-focused approach to HR issues based on both theory and experience.

He has built human resources capability and the infrastructure to support it in a variety of environments, from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in the financial services, consumer products, technology, healthcare, and staffing industries.

He has held strategic roles in established companies like The Coca-Cola Company, SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories, Norrell Corporation, Alexander and Alexander, Capital One Financial Services and TeamStaff.

As the founder and owner of a boutique human resources consulting firm, he now focuses on helping growing companies establish and implement HR infrastructure and works with their senior executives on strategic HR issues. An expert in strategic planning, employee relations, independent investigations of employee complaints, executive coaching, business development, culture building, and team building, Peter has made significant contributions to companies throughout his career and has enhanced both individual and team effectiveness.

He has developed and executed strategic human resources action plans, improved executive teams’ communication and performance, led the successful integration of acquisitions, worked collaboratively with dozens of labor unions, designed and gained acceptance for new departmental organizational structures, created and implemented new benefits programs, and successfully led change initiatives.

Peter’s reputation is one of integrity, trust, innovation, and common sense, backed up by solid experience, a strong educational background, sound business judgment, and self-awareness. He possesses a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law with an emphasis on employment law.

Peter is a member of the New York and Georgia Bars and is certified in the Marshall Goldsmith Executive Coaching Process, the Prosci Change Management Process and Tools, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Questions and Topics Discussed in this Episode

Benefits of retaining an experienced HR advisor for small to mid-size companies.
Benefits of conducting an organizational design and effectiveness review for small and mid-size organizations.
Benefits of bringing in an independent and experienced HR professional to investigate internal employee complaints.
The role of a well-crafted company handbook.

GNFCC is Moving! – An Interview with CEO Kali Boatright, Chair Lindsey Petrini and Treasurer Jim Teel, Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce

October 21, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

GNFCC is Moving! - An Interview with CEO Kali Boatright, Chair Lindsey Petrini and Treasurer Jim Teel, Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce

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GNFCC is Moving! – An Interview with CEO Kali Boatright, Chair Lindsey Petrini and Treasurer Jim Teel, Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 400)

The Greater North Fulton Chamber (GNFCC) just announced an early 2022 move to the 10000 Building at Avalon. Lindsey Petrini, GNFCC’s 2021 Chair, Jim Teel, 2021 Treasurer, and GNFCC CEO Kali Boatright joined host John Ray to discuss the move, how it positions the Chamber to continue its record growth, the valued association with the North Fulton CID, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce

The mission of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce is to be the recognized leader in its region for business growth, talent development and regional prosperity.

The Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce is a private, nonprofit, member-driven organization comprised of over 1,200 business enterprises, civic organizations, educational institutions and individuals. Its service area includes Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Roswell and Sandy Springs. GNFCC is the leading voice on economic development, business growth and quality of life issues in North Fulton County.

Website | LinkedIn

Kali Boatright, President and CEO, GNFCC

Kali Boatright joined the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce as President and CEO in 2018. As an expert in nonprofit management and a proven leader in organizational growth and strategy execution, she is most proud of her history of growing individuals on her team and collaboration with similar mission-driven organizations. Prior to taking the helm at GNFCC, she served as the CEO of the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce from 2004-2018 and before that as Chief Operating Officer of the Golden Key International Honour Society.

Boatright is a graduate of the US Chamber’s Institute for Organizational Management and is a Georgia Certified Chamber Executive. In addition, she serves as chair of the Georgia Chamber Federation on the Georgia Chamber Board of Directors, as an executive board member of the Regional Business Coalition, as a board member of Tech Alpharetta and as past Chair of the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

In 2017, Boatright was honored by the chamber industry when she received the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Legacy Award. As the association’s most prestigious award, it recognizes long-term executives who have excelled over a period of years in leading and innovatively building their Chamber. The award is based on the demonstration of excellence in areas of chamber leadership, organizational management, service to the profession, community reputation/involvement, and personal attributes.

Kali is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She and her high school sweetheart David have recently become empty nesters with their oldest adulting ITP and only their youngest, a sophomore at Georgia Tech, remaining on payroll. David is a Chemistry Teacher at Cambridge HS in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Lindsey Petrini, 2021 GNFCC Chair and Chief Operating Officer, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital

**Lindsey Petrini, Chairman, GNFCC and Chief Operating Officer, Wellstar North Fulton Hospital**

Lindsey Petrini is the Chief Operating Officer of WellStar North Fulton Hospital. WellStar North Fulton Hospital is a 202-bed facility located in Roswell, Georgia.

The hospital is recognized for its accredited cancer program, trauma and primary stroke center designations, and for providing a continuum of services through its centers and programs, including neurosciences, pain management, cardiology, women’s services, rehabilitation, surgical services, and oncology. For more information click here.

Jim Teel, 2021 GNFCC Treasurer and Regional VP, Georgia, Goodwyn Mills Cawood

**Jim Teel, Treasurer, GNFCC and Regional VP, Georgia, Goodwyn Mills Cawood**

Jim spent the early years of his career on the construction side of the industry, managing more than $120 million worth of construction projects and $150 million worth of pre-construction services. He shifted from construction to the design sector of the industry upon joining GMC as part of the business development team. His ability to develop relationships and fully grasp clients’ needs enables him to utilize GMC’s broad range of services to find the best possible solution to achieve their vision.

Jim is also well versed in community planning and economic development and has been involved with numerous utility improvement, downtown redevelopment, commercial district development, new/renovated schools and planned industrial park projects.

He is involved in a number of professional and civic organizations, including the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, Georgia Municipal Association, Economic Development Association of Georgia, Georgia Rural Water Association, Georgia Association of Water Professionals, Southern Economic Development Council, Association for Learning Environments (formerly CEFPI), Economic Development Partners of Alabama, American Planning Association, Auburn University Building Science Graduate School Advisory Committee and others. In addition, he has served on the Lee County Young Leaders Board; Auburn Chamber of Commerce, diplomat; Opelika Chamber of Commerce; Opelika Rotary Club; Alabama Golf Association Board of Directors and First Baptist Church, Royal Ambassador Leader.

Bill Neglia, Neglia Insurance Group

October 19, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Bill Neglia, Neglia Insurance Group

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Bill Neglia, Neglia Insurance Group (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 399)

What’s the biggest mistake individuals make when shopping for health insurance? Bill Neglia with Neglia Insurance Group joined host John Ray to cover this and much more on North Fulton Business Radio. including group and individual health insurance, the trend for premiums in this renewal cycle, how he saves companies money, what employers need to consider when looking for group insurance, voluntary workplace benefits, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Neglia Insurance Group

Neglia Insurance Group was started in 1983 and has over 600 active individual and over 100 active group clients.

They have access to all the major insurance carriers and many smaller, high quality less known carriers throughout the country. They specialize in Health, Life, Disability, Long Term Care, Dental and Vision insurance.

They do not charge a fee for their services!

Website | Facebook

Bill Neglia, President, Neglia Insurance Group

Bill Neglia began his insurance career as an agent for John Hancock in 1983. After several years of working with large insurance companies, he started the Neglia Insurance Group in 1996 so he could deliver a personal style of serving his clients.

The Neglia Insurance Group offers all of the support and resources of larger insurance agencies with the advantages of a local personalized agency where they get to know you along with your unique wants and needs.

Questions and Topics Discussed in this Episode

2022 ACA/Obamacare Individual Health Insurance Open Enrollment
Non-ACA alternative Individual Health Insurance plan options
Employer sponsored Group Health Insurance plan options
Employee Voluntary Workplace Benefit plan options
New vs. Old Life Insurance plan options

Irene Sanders, Student Leadership Johns Creek

October 18, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Irene Sanders, Student Leadership Johns Creek

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Irene Sanders, Student Leadership Johns Creek (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 397)

Where do Johns Creek-based high school students develop leadership capacity in community projects, sharpen public speaking skills through political debate moderation, assemble a personal portfolio of work, a standout LinkedIn profile, and more? It’s through Student Leadership Johns Creek, and Executive Director Irene Sanders joined host John Ray to review the program and its history, current projects, how students can apply, how businesses can become involved, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Student Leadership Johns Creek

Student Leadership Johns Creek was created in 2012 because of the success of Leadership Johns Creek.

Student Leadership Johns Creek is a collaborative effort of our business and civic community to provide leadership training to our local youth.

Student Leadership Johns Creek selected its tenth class of students in March of this year. The program begins in August 2021 with a one-day team training event and will conclude in April with an announcement of the upcoming class, a celebration of the first-year students and a graduation for the second-year students who receive graduation cords (which they can wear at their respective school’s graduation) and certificates of completion. Applications will be available to rising sophomores and juniors in December 2021.

Website | Facebook

Irene Sanders, Executive Director, Student Leadership Johns Creek

Irene Sanders was named Executive Director of Student Leadership Johns Creek (SLJC) in 2014.

SLJC is a highly competitive two-year leadership program open to students that attend Innovation Academy, Centennial, Chattahoochee, Johns Creek and Northview high schools. During the first year of the program the students complete a community group project and learn about city, county and state government through various program days. In the second year the students work more independently producing an on-line portfolio and a shadowing project.

In addition, Irene coordinates nine of these students each year who are members of the Secretary of State Ambassadors program. This is a statewide competition to promote civic engagement. SLJC has won the competition three of the past four years and in 2017 was the first high school team ever to facilitate a mayoral and city council debate in the entire State of Georgia.

They were recognized by the Governor, Secretary of State as well as the City of Johns Creek. Ever since, this revolving group has facilitated every candidate in the city of Johns Creek.

Irene has been a fitness professional for over 40 years; instructing group fitness classes at many area gyms including the Atlanta Athletic Club and the YMCA. When COVID hit, she switched gears and became a Peloton junkie and has not regretted it for a minute. Although her husband played professional football for both the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, she is an avid New Orleans Saints fan.

She and her family have lived in Johns Creek since 1988, prior to it becoming a city.

Questions and Topics

What is Student Leadership Johns Creek?
Who are the students in the program – what schools do they come from?
Tell us a little more about what they learn during the two-year program?
How did the program get involved with facilitating city and state debates?
Tell us a little more about the Macedonia Cemetery documentaries that are currently being produced by Student Leadership Johns Creek students.
Why should students apply for this program?

Maxwell Bentley, Bentley Media Group and Clipify

October 18, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Maxwell Bentley, Bentley Media Group and Clipify

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Maxwell Bentley, Bentley Media Group and Clipify (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 397)

While many small business owners acknowledge that video marketing is effective, they sometimes shy away from the medium because of both cost and ease of use concerns. That’s where Clipify, an app developed and founded by Maxwell Bentley of Bentley Media Group, comes in. Maxwell joined host John Ray to explain why Clipify is the ultimate DIY video marketing toolbox, allowing users quickly and easily to create marketing videos, collect video testimonials, and send unlimited video emails. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Clipify

Clipify is the ultimate do-it-yourself video marketing toolbox anyone can use on any device. Send unlimited video emails, create marketing videos for social media, collect video testimonials from customers, and more.

Clipify gives you the tools to send unlimited video messages via email and get notified when they’re watched. No apps or extra downloads needed.

With Clipify, you can collect unlimited video testimonials via your own branded landing page and unlimited cloud storage. Record your video message, add your logo intro, and select a music track quickly and easily. Download and share the finished video anywhere.

With Clipify, you’ll rise to the top of a busy inbox and build trustworthy business relationships quickly. Your custom video messages will make old-school follow-up emails a thing of the past.

Clipify website | LinkedIn

Maxwell Bentley, Founder, Bentley Media Group and Clipify

Maxwell Bentley is a marketing strategist who specializes in producing “films that excite” for brands across the United States. He has partnered with Disney, Roblox, Hyundai, Toyota, Xbox, TED Talks, and an extensive clientele of small businesses nationwide.

Maxwell is the Founder & Chief Storyteller at Bentley Media Group, a strategic video marketing studio that was named a finalist for Forsyth County Business of the Year in 2018 and 2019. His firm has generated over 100,000,000 video hits that have translated to millions of dollars in sales revenue for his clients since 2015.

In 2017, he produced a trailer for the Xbox title Super Bomb Survival and served as the lead editor for the Roblox app trailer — he was subsequently added to the University of North Georgia (UNG) Student-Entrepreneur Wall of Fame.

Maxwell serves on multiple advisory boards and has partnered with area schools to help prepare rising talent for the demands of the video production industry. He exists to form profitable relationships where his clients and his staff feel successful.

LinkedIn | Bentley Media Group | YouTube

Questions and Topics

What’s Clipify?
Why did you launch Clipify?
What kinds of ways can Clipify be utilized?
Why is video marketing important in a covid-19 economy?
How can someone develop camera confidence?

Alina Lee, Your Ad Attorney

October 7, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Alina Lee, Your Ad Attorney

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Alina Lee, Your Ad Attorney (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 396)

Alina Lee, Founder of Your Ad Attorney, raises numerous legal pitfalls which small business owners may confront with their marketing, yet most never consider. You’ll be glad you listened to Alina’s conversation with host John Ray, as she covered the legal risks of social media, why legal review of marketing materials could save major expense and big headaches later, the “must have” for working with an agency or outside contractors like designers or copywriters, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Your Ad Attorney

Proactive compliance with consumer and business laws is the best protection from marketing risks and liabilities.

You’ll find Your Ad Attorney’s approach to marketing legal services avoids typical legal hurdles and makes better business sense for every size business.

Alina Lee is the founder of Your Ad Attorney, which advises businesses on how to minimize legal risk. Based in Atlanta, she serves clients across the country. She provides day-to-day general counsel services for your business. She offers drafting and negotiating custom contracts and service agreements, legal counseling to bring new products and services to market, intellectual property licensing and counseling for copyrights, trademarks, and publicity rights.
Your Ad Attorney will review websites, marketing materials, and consumer communications for legal compliance, help you prepare your business for sale, and more!

Company website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook

Alina Lee, Founder, Your Ad Attorney, LLC

Alina Lee is the founding partner of Your Ad Attorney, LLC. She is a marketing law and business transactions attorney who helps marketing agencies and companies with marketing departments protect their reputation through providing legal drafting and review for their marketing materials.

Prior to starting her law firm, Your Ad Attorney, LLC, she was Senior Corporate Counsel at Mailchimp, a profitable tech company with millions of customers worldwide. At Mailchimp, she was the primary attorney who led legal matters for the partnerships department and marketing department. Alina was also the primary attorney over all major marketing initiatives and managed the company’s trademark portfolio.

Alina graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School and the University of Georgia.

Questions and Topics

What are some things business leaders should know about legal pitfalls with their marketing?
What are the differences between trademarks, copyrights, and publicity rights?
How do you know who owns what intellectual property? What if you have an agency or independent contractors handling your copywriting and photography?
What are things to watch out for when working with talent for photos, audio, and video marketing?
Can the fine print or disclosures “fix” potentially misleading marketing claims?
What are some legal risks with social media advertising and celebrity endorsers?
What are some pointers for contracts with major customers and vendors?,

LGE Community Credit Union: Linda Coyle, Lori Kee, and Jason Perez

October 7, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

LGE Community Credit Union: Linda Coyle, Lori Kee, and Jason Perez

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LGE Community Credit Union: Linda Coyle, Lori Kee, and Jason Perez (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 395)

State-of-the-art branches and superior customer service are two of the ways LGE Community Credit Union sets itself apart. Linda Coyle, Business Development Manager, Lori Kee, Manager of the Roswell Branch, and Jason Perez, Manager of the Alpharetta branch, were in the studio with host John Ray to discuss the unique benefits of banking with LGE, the services they offer, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

LGE Community Credit Union

In 1951, seven Lockheed Georgia employees dreamed of a better way to bank and LGE Community Credit Union was born.

Today they serve communities in Northwest Georgia as a not-for-profit financial institution. Unlike a bank, whose profits go to its shareholders, its profits go to its members in the form of better rates and lower fees. They are guided by a strong commitment to providing a better financial future for their members.

Everyone who lives or works in Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Fulton, and Paulding counties is eligible to apply for membership, as are employees of many companies. Family members of existing members are also eligible.

They are a not-for-profit, member-owned financial institution with a strong commitment to the local community. LGE is governed by a volunteer board of directors who are also members of the credit union.

Linda Coyle- Business Development Officer
Lori Kee- Roswell branch manager – 1010 Mansell Road, Suite 100-110, Roswell, GA 30076
Jason Perez- Alpharetta branch manager – 2855 Old Milton Parkway, Suite 104 Alpharetta, GA 30009

Company website | Facebook | Instagram

Questions and Topics

What is the difference between a credit union and a bank?
If I came into your branch today, what would the experience be like?
Highlight some of your most popular products.
Are there additional services provided by LGE other than the traditional banking products?
How does LGE partner with businesses in our area?
How is LGE involved in the North Fulton Community?
How can I join LGE?

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Melanie Flores and Chris Nedza, Symtrain

October 4, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Melanie Flores and Chris Nedza, Symtrain

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Melanie Flores and Chris Nedza, Symtrain (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 394)

Facing the twin challenges of training and retaining employees while providing consistent customer service, salon owners and real estate companies now have the technology of Symtrain to rely on. Using Symtrain ensures customer-facing personnel are well-trained and provide outstanding customer service. Melanie Flores, Program Manager at Symtrain, and Chris Nedza, who mentors Symtrain through Georgia Tech’s ATDC, joined host John Ray to discuss Symtrain’s efficacy, impact, other verticals their technology can be applied to, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Symtrain

Instructional training is not enough. People learn best by doing. In fact, we retain only 10% of what we’re “taught” compared to 90% of what we “do”. That’s because experience is immersive and gets us “involved”. But it can also be costly and difficult to scale, especially remotely. So, all too often learning happens on the job, which really means “on the customer”.

Symtrain engages employees in simulated work experiences that feel “real” – working at their own pace, anywhere, anytime, on any device. So, they’re empowered to take charge of their own learning and success. As a result, they learn faster, retain more, build confidence, and master the skills they need to deliver the best customer interactions every time.

While our platform makes it easy to create and manage simulations, we also offer expert professional services to help businesses succeed:

EConsulting and Needs Assessment
ETraining and Simulation Integration
ESimulation Design and Implementation
ECurriculum Planning

Company website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Melanie Flores, Program Manager, SymTrain

Melanie Flores is the Program Manager at SymTrain. She leverages an engineer’s mind, a teacher’s heart, and a gardener’s hands to help people learn and share memorable experiences together. She started up Corning’s optical fiber factory in the Charlotte, NC area, founded a popular kindergarten engineering design workshop based on a famous MIT course, and led the STEM coaching team serving Easter Seals teachers across metro Atlanta. Her work has been featured by TEDxJacksonville, TEDxAlpharettaWomen, Women 2.0, the National Association of Independent Schools, Engineering is Elementary, MIT’s pK-12 Action Group, the Boston Museum of Science, and many other entities. In June 2021 she joined SymTrain, an Atlanta-based tech startup. She is excited to apply her passion for learning and customer experience to the workforce development space. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time outdoors with her husband and two sons.

Chris Nedza, Entrepreneur in Residence, Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech

Chris Nedza is a serial entrepreneur and loves diving into a start-up business. He’s built an Inc. 500 company, led a turnaround as the CEO of a restaurant Point of Sale company, became CEO of an Ozone based technology company, and even brought his creative thinking and love of students to Gwinnett County Public Schools by becoming a high-school teacher and ultimately coordinator of academy business partnerships in 2014.

He most recently founded and scaled ZeeZor, a real-time mobile reporting and employee engagement platform for the beauty industry. ZeeZor was acquired by Vista Private Equity group in early 2020 and became part of Mindbody, a business management software system for the fitness, wellness and salon/spa industry.

Chris is currently serving as an EIR (entrepreneur-in-residence) and is on the faculty/staff of Georgia-Tech University. In his role, he helps technology companies with ideation>launch>funding>scale.

He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Emory University. He is a frequent contributing author, keynote speaker, devoted husband, father to 6 sons, drummer at church and championship level Pizza eater.

Questions and Topics

What does SymTrain do?
How did this business come about?
Why do you care about solving this problem?
Tell us about one of your customers and how you made their lives better.
What are SalonScripts and how are they different from the rest of SymTrain’s offerings?
Who does SalonScripts help?
Where do you see this business going next? Who else could you serve?