Chris Brann / Pilot, music producer, innovator
Kevin Dougherty / FPV Daredevil & Xhover Team Pilot
Jon Davis / “I ‘m an FPV quadcopter pilot from Georgia. I live and breath this stuff!”
October’s Tech Talk highlighted the talent pool. NCTA recently hosted COME TECH OUT the Triangle Job Fair and these two members attended along with nearly 500 others. Warren Allen, Marketing Director for Grover Gaming, and Phil Buckley, Director of Engagement for Precision Lender were guests on the NC Tech Talk and shared more about their company cultures, positions they currently have available, and their methodologies for finding talent to fill those positions.
Marc Montoro was joined by Kevin Diaz, Chief Customer Officer at Freudenberg IT. Kevin discussed FIT’s German heritage, long-standing history with SAP, building a booming presence in America, and what “IT Solutions. Simplified.” means. Then he talks about FIT’s upcoming Octoberfest event.
Freudenberg IT (FIT) believes extraordinary things happen when the complex is made simple.
Through its deep knowledge of SAP, FIT helps companies experience the value of their enterprise application investments—without the hassle of managing complicated infrastructures on their own. From hosting to cloud computing to disaster recovery, FIT provides the services – and security – organizations need to remain resilient in an increasingly complex world.
Customers choose FIT to improve operations, boost efficiency and reduce overall risks and costs. They stick with FIT because it does the many small things that add up to one extraordinary thing: FIT simplifies IT.
We talked about prescription medications on this week’s show. It’s true, prescription medications are an important part of the care we need for a number of health-related issues. It’s also true that many of these medications can be very expensive, particularly those that are not yet available as generic options.
There are also some worrisome statistics related to prescription medications that are worth noting:
This week’s guests are using technology to address both the cost of these meds as well as working to reduce the amount of problems that can come from ineffective management of the medicines patients are taking.
Charles Stephenson is the founder of AuthentaScripts. AuthentaScripts is a web-based platform that works much like travel bidding sites such as Priceline. The user logs in, enters the name-brand medication they’ve been prescribedc, and, based on where they are geographically, the system displays the expected cost for that med at pharmacies within a 15 mile radius.
The patient has the ability to tell the system how much they’re willing to pay for the medicine and it will display places where it’s possible to find that price.
Dr. Sheila Woodhouse is a practicing Emory cardiologist and creator of DoxMed. DoxMed is a technology platform that becomes a complete database of a patient’s medications, why they’re taking them, how much, etc. The system allows patients to better understand what/why they’re taking what they are and better comply with the recommended regimen.
DoxMed also enables physicians to see the full gamut of meds a patient is taking and why, and make better decisions about what additions/changes should be made to avoid drug interactions, toxicity, etc., when prescribing for them.
Special Guests:
Dr. Sheila Woodhouse, MD, CEO/Founder of DoxMed 
Charles Stephenson, CEO/Founder of AuthentaScripts
Jimmy Godwin, Pharmacy Intern at Publix
Harm Scheffer & Chris Abbey/Reliant Building Solutions
Reliant Building Solutions designs and executes engineered repairs for the structural components of buildings. RBS performs: Concrete Repairs and restoration (spalls, cracks, etc.); Barrier Cable repairs; Parking Garage repairs and restoration; Carbon Fiber strengthening; Epoxy crack injection; Steel and Concrete column repairs; Site concrete placement (curbs, gutters, equipment pads); Slab openings for stairs/escalators/elevators; Expansion joint replacement; Stair demolition and slab closures; Joint sealant and leak repairs; Waterproofing; Driveway and walkway repairs (Residential and Commercial).
Geoffrey Sperback/EnVision EES
Through EnVision EES‘s partners and company intel, they develop a strong customized plan for any corporation that is looking for a more leading edge approach. They are the leaders for those manufacturers who partner with them and a solution for those corporations who seek their services.
This week I had the special treat of sitting down with a long-time acquaintance of mine, Samir Saini, Atlanta’s recently-appointed CIO (2014). He shared the story of his professional journey, beginning as an IT program manager with General Electric and his experience of successful completion of their 2 yr leadership training program.
He spent 10 years with this well-respected organization before accepting the opportunity to step into the role of VP, Corporate Strategy in IT for the MGM International Resorts in Las Vegas. They were in the middle of tackling the IT challenges that come with acquiring several established companies into an existing enterprise, in this case, several well-known hotels.
He was able to successfully lead them through the process of moving the hotels onto a common platform, allowing the company to begin to leverage their company’s size through its expanded buying power and maximize efficiencies in numerous other areas.
Samir returned to Atlanta several years ago, this time bringing his leadership and IT expertise to bear in the public sector, taking a role with Atlanta’s Housing Authority. Four years later he was appointed to be the new CIO for the City of Atlanta by Mayor Kasim Reed.
We talked about the challenges a municipality the size of Atlanta faces, balancing budgetary constraints against a myriad of government agencies, the world’s busiest airport, large population and infrastructure necessary to support them, along with a fast-growing business sector.
Samir discussed several of the tech solutions he and his team are working on and several that are already implemented to the benefit of Atlanta residents. Until we spoke I wasn’t aware that the city provides free Wi-Fi access in Piedmont Park, Grant Park, and numerous other hotspots (with more coming).
He shared the city’s plans to update the fiber optic network to allow for numerous tech upgrades such as synchronized traffic lights to alleviate gridlock, applications that allow drivers to easily locate available parking, and more. I also had the chance to ask him about the priorities he has laid out for the city going forward to address the enormous tech needs of our city to prepare us for the years to come that will make the city a better place to live as a resident and a solid choice for businesses looking for a place to plant their flag.
Special Guest:
Samir Saini, CIO, Commissioner, City of Atlanta 
Mark Moczarski & Chase Williams/The Edge Firm
The Edge Firm is a technology, design and marketing firm from Atlanta, GA.
Established in 2014, current services include, but are not limited to, web design and marketing enhancements and content creation, social media enhancement and content creation, as well as Online & E-commerce marketing and strategizing. They deploy a top to bottom “Turn-Key” process paired with a unique approach to delivering revolutionized strategies to the vastly overwhelmed large market place. This is precisely their vantage point, as well as, the “edge” currently creating a massive gap between The Edge Firm and its competitors, if any.
Ask them how they turned a failing mom and pop toy company into a thriving online business within 90 days, tripling previous average profits! They’d love to EDGEucate you!
Danny Shoy/East Lake Foundation
Founded in 1995, the East Lake Foundation collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future. The East Lake Foundation has become a national model, through Purpose Built Communities, for community revitalization through the support and management of cradle-to-college education at Charles R. Drew Charter School and its early learning partners, mixed-income housing at The Villages of East Lake, and community wellness through programs including The First Tee of East Lake, the East Lake Community Learning Garden, East Lake Healthy Connections and a partnership with the East Lake YMCA.
This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the cycle of poverty, but creates a community where possibility takes place and people of all ages and incomes choose to live. Additional information is available at www.eastlakefoundation.org.
Martin Dyhr/CablesAndKits.com
CablesAndKits is one of the fastest growing privately owned pre-owned/refurbished Cisco network equipment dealers in the US and one of the largest Cisco network accessory suppliers in the world. With an extreme focus on using technology to better reach and service our customers, and to streamline processes, they have quickly become one of the most efficient companies in their industry. They like to think that by focusing on how to make their customers’ experiences better and easier, that they will in turn become a better business overall. At the core of who they are, they want you and your business to be successful.
With a core focus in Cisco products, they have established themselves in a niche market that has given them strong roots within the industry. They continue to build both their core product lines and also auxiliary product lines including networking products, power products, and rack hardware related items. They are also constantly exploring and considering many new product lines as well.
With the strong foundation of business, technology and service, they have been blessed to be a part of the Inc 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies five years in a row. In 2013, they landed at #29 in their Industry. They also had the honor of being selected as one of the Top 25 Pinnacle Small Businesses in Gwinnett County for both 2013 and 2014 by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.
Host Joe Moss discusses the newest technology and the future of business with Bryan Mulligan of Applied Information and Kyle Smith with Embassy National Bank.
Bryan Mulligan/Applied Information, Inc.
Applied Information is a technology company focused in the Surface Transportation sector. Using a combination of embedded field devices, wireless telematics, cloud computing and business intelligence, Applied Information makes it easy to turn data into actionable intelligence, resulting in more efficient and safer intelligent transportation systems.
Kyle Smith/Embassy National Bank
A new building with an old soul, Embassy National Bank was founded in 2007 to meet a need of its community: a truly business-friendly local partner who could make lending and banking accessible, straightforward and grounded. A local group of businessmen with backgrounds in finance, banking and hospitality created that partner for the greater Atlanta area, especially the communities of Lawrenceville, Duluth, Suwanee and Norcross. To support that vision, Embassy National Bank has assembled a team of managers and bankers with both local and nationwide experience to support the bank’s mission: to be the community partner our small businesses want, and our neighbors need.
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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.
