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Burr Forman's Results Matter Radio

Month: March 2013

Spotlight on LEAD Atlanta

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Today’s episode shines the spotlight on LEAD Atlanta and Members of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2013.

Anna Ruth Williams/AR|PR 

An entrepreneur, Anna Ruth Williams founded AR|PR in 2012, having previously managed communications for national and international B2B and B2C accounts as well as high-profile political figures.

She has a proven record of executing strategic online marketing campaigns and securing media coverage in some of the nation’s biggest outlets, such as Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Fast Company, Forbes, GigaOM, Hispanic Business and Industry Week.

Anna Ruth graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alabama where she won four national championships in public speaking events. She’s completed post graduate coursework in strategic public relations at George Washington University.

Active in the community, Anna Ruth is a Kate’s Club Ambassador, helping children who have lost a parent. Her work as co-chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Atlanta Chapter has been recognized by Simply Buckhead Magazine and earned the nonprofit consecutive national awards for “Outstanding Chapter PR.” She is a member of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2013, the Public Relations Society of America and the Technology Association of Georgia.

Kashi Sehgal/Gigabark 

Kashi Sehgal is Co-Founder and CEO of Gigabark, a mobile messaging company specializing in phone, text, and survey broadcasts and custom solutions. She serves as a Board Member of Georgia’s WIN List, and as a member of the Fulton County Career & Technical Education Advisory Council. A co-founder of two non-profits , Music For Tomorrow and Mentor Walk, Kashi serves as Executive Vice President of the Campus Community Partnership Foundation and CEO of KTrain, her consulting company. She earned her undergraduate degree from The George Washington University and a graduate degree from Georgia Tech.

Brad Stevens/Whiter Image 

Brad is the President and co-owner of Whiter Image, LLC, an international manufacturer and distributor of professional and consumer teeth whitening products for the dental and beauty industries. He is on the board of Achievers International, a non-profit focused on educational outreach through international business in high schools and co-founded an annual charity that supports the Breast Cancer Survivors Network. A native of Atlanta, Brad earned his undergraduate degree in Finance and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Green Chamber of the South

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Marty Tomlinson/Executive Director

Marty Tomlinson is the Executive Director of the Green Chamber of the South. She handles the day-to-day operations of the Green Chamber and works with the Board and its Committees in developing programs, growing membership and promoting the success of sustainability throughout the Southeast.

Bernie Burgener/Executive Director, Greenhouse Accelerator Program

Bernie Burgener is a member of the Green Chamber of the South and leads the Chamber’s Greenhouse Accelerator, whose objective it is to create green jobs through the support of early-stage green startups and sustainability initiatives within existing companies.

Early in his career Bernie helped fund and grow businesses in various countries and industries in South America in a financial as well as a consulting function, working for a private investment company out of Lima, Peru. He then worked for over twenty years with a water treatment company in Atlanta, leading its international business development, including strategic planning, identifying, negotiating and executing acquisitions, and managing key raw material contracts.

Dan Bramblett/Chairman of the Board

Dan Bramblett is with Estes Services and serves as Chairman of the Board for Green Chamber of the South.

Scott Hitch/Burr & Forman

Scott practices in Burr & Forman’s Environmental group and works with clients in all aspects of environmental law. Scott counsels clients on business strategy, regulatory compliance, permitting, policy, transactions and resolution of disputes. Scott’s services include: land conservation, historic preservation, brownfield redevelopment, environmental remediation, corporate responsibility/sustainability and recycling and regulation of wastes. He also consults with corporations in dealing with resource allocation and regulation such as water quality and its environmental impact, air quality, greenhouse gas, climate changes and energy sources. Scott’s environmental services also include dealing with commercial real estate transactions and the entire sustainable building process.

Immigration Reform and How It Will Affect Businesses in Georgia and the Southeast

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Anton Mertens/Burr & Forman

Anton Mertens is a Partner in Burr & Forman’s Labor and Employment Practice Group with a focus on immigration law. Anton’s concentration consists of business immigration matters for investors, managers, executives and technical personnel.

Anton’s expertise includes business and professional visas, labor certifications, immigrant visas, consular representation and citizenship for foreign executives, managers and professionals. His background also includes consulting and advising clients on a number of employment issues including compliance procedures in verifying the work eligibility of new employees as required under the I-9 “workplace compliance” provisions of federal law.

Anton has experience representing clients from various industries, including international companies, technology firms and subsidiaries of foreign corporations engaged in the computer, communications, chemical and engineering industries.

Anton is a Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated attorney. He is involved in several professional organizations including: the Atlanta Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Global Commerce Council of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, and the Immigration Law section of the State Bar of Georgia, where he served as Chair from 2007 to 2009. Anton also served as the Chair of the International Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia from 2004 to 2006 and he is a Fellow of The Lawyers Foundation of Georgia.

Born in Brussels, Belgium, Anton is a member of the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Chapter of the Belgian American Chamber of Commerce.

He received his B.A. degree in Mathematics from Mercer University in 1984 and his J.D. degree from Mercer University School of Law in 1987. Anton is fluent in Dutch and French and is admitted to practice law in Georgia. Anton is a frequent lecturer and has authored a number of articles dealing with corporate immigration matters.

Scott Williams/The Stonehaven Group – HR

Scott Williams is the founder of The Stonehaven Group-HR, LLC, an international human capital support and advisory firm. Started in 2001, TSG-HR employs a global network of human capital experts reporting to either TSG- HR’s North American office in Atlanta, or their London, England headquarters.  Operating in 54 countries, TSG-HR’s staff of certified HR experts supports their clients of all industries with staff ranging from 25 to 600 associates. From full, turn-key support to highly specialized, Subject Matter Expertise (SME) projects, TSG-HR’s core belief is to customize their clients’ solution to fit their short and long term needs.

Over his career, Scott has held several domestic and international executive positions ending his corporate tenure as the Director (VP) of HR, North America for The Coca-Cola Company.

Scott is an angel investor and sits on the board of several start-up companies. He advises companies located throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and the Pacific Rim. He is sought out for his skills at maximizing human capital/cultural potential and reducing human capital functional costs.

Scott has appeared in/on The Wall Street Journal, The Tampa Tribune, Psychology today, SHRM, Good Morning Pittsburgh, PBS Pittsburgh/Tampa/Denver/San Diego/ Baltimore, Great Clips, I.S.S.A, IEHA national conventions, several Federal Regulatory panels and other media outlets.

The Atlanta Womens Foundation

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The Atlanta Women’s Foundation engages and educates women as leaders through its Women on Board program.  Created in 2000, the program was designed to increase the number of women on nonprofit boards in Metro Atlanta by providing effective board governance training to Atlanta women and connecting participants to nonprofit organizations. Since its inception, the program has trained over 1,700 women in board governance and leadership skills.

Danita Knight is a public relations and fundraising consultant. Prior to relocating to Atlanta nearly 11 years ago, Danita was vice president for public affairs and community relations at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Indianapolis, Indiana.

Prior to joining the NCAA, Danita worked for Anthem, Inc., a parent company for Blue Cross/Shield plans, as director of public relations (Indianapolis, Indiana). She has also served as director of communications for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce; deputy director for communications and public affairs for the Council of State Governments (Lexington, Kentucky); director of media and public relations for the United Way of Central Iowa (Des Moines, Iowa); assistant, speech writer, scheduler, and public relations director to Iowa’s first female Lieutenant Governor (Jo Ann Zimmerman); information specialist for the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women; and public relations manager for the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs.  Danita started her career as a morning news anchor and reporter for KOMU-TV (Columbia, Missouri).

Danita is board chairperson of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation. She was chairperson of the 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Atlanta Women’s Foundation “Numbers Too Big to Ignore” fundraising luncheons (note: the 2011 luncheon raised $1M – the highest amount raised for a luncheon in the organization’s history). Other activities include Elizabeth Baptist Church; Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority; the National Center for Civil and Human Rights; Speaker for “Great Black Speakers” (a national speakers’ bureau); Advisory Board Member for Lending Hearts, a non-profit in Pittsburgh focused on recreational activities for adolescents with Cancer; various political campaigns and committees; and basketball (Danita was part of the original group responsible for bringing the women’s professional basketball team — the WNBA Dream — to Atlanta; and is married to former Atlanta Hawks General Manager Billy Knight).

Danita is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism, where she majored in broadcast (television) journalism. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she lives in Atlanta with her husband, Billy, and German Shepherd, Neko. Her oldest daughter, Erika, is a recent college graduate (Bennett College for Women; Greensboro, NC). Younger daughter, Olivia, attended another historically black college, Tennessee State, in Nashville.

Deborah Ryan is Interim Director with The Atlanta Womens Foundation, Georgia’s only public foundation focused solely on the challenges faced by women and girls. Prior to serving as Interim Director, Deborah was Vice President of Development and Communications where she supervised all aspects of fundraising and marketing for AWF, including major gifts, planned giving, annual campaigns, corporate partnerships, grant proposals, and external communications.

Deborah has more than twenty years of experience as a fundraising professional in the Atlanta market. She joined The Atlanta Women’s Foundation from her position as Director of Development at Oglethorpe University, where she managed planned giving, major gifts, the annual fund, prospect research and donor relations. Before Oglethorpe, she spent seven years with the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center as Senior Director of Development and Communication, increasing the organization’s budget and partnering with the Board of Directors and Executive Director to eliminate debt and secure cash operating reserves. Deborah has also held positions with the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), The Cartoon Network, AID Atlanta, The Georgia Conservancy and The Atlanta History Center.

In 2006, Deborah received the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Up and Comer Award for 40 under 40. She served on the City of Atlanta’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs Art Funding Panel and also on the Fulton County Arts Council Art Funding Panel. A graduate of Auburn University with a Bachelor of Arts in History, she has been a member of the Junior League of Atlanta and currently volunteers with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and AID Atlanta. Deborah currently serves on the Foundation Center Atlanta Board and The Junior League of Atlanta Community Advisory Board.

April Newsletter Article

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LEAD Atlanta Class of 2013 Featured on Burr & Forman’s Results Matter Radio

On Tuesday March 26th, 2013, Elizabeth Gordon, host of Results Matter Radio on Business RadioX® and Producer Dana Barrett were joined in the downtown Atlanta studio by LEAD Atlanta 2013 Class members Anna Ruth Williams, Kashi Sehgal and Brad Stevens to discuss the program, its importance to Atlanta and its community service angle.

Anna Ruth Williams is the founder AR|PR which is a public relations and integrated marketing firm providing brand and audience engagement strategies to B2B and B2C technology companies. Prior to founding AR|PR, Anna Ruth managed communications for national and international accounts and high-profile political figures and has a proven record of executing strategic online marketing campaigns and securing national media coverage.

Active in the community, Anna Ruth is a Kate’s Club Ambassador and serves as co-chair of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Atlanta Chapter.

During the interview Anna Ruth discussed the problems many tech startups have with getting the word out. She says many tech startups “are succeeding, but not messaging,” and she stressed the importance that the right messaging can have on future growth. She also shared her experiences with LEAD Atlanta including the opening retreat and on-going meetings and immersion activities. She says she was initially concerned about getting in a room with 50 other type A personalities but says now she has 50 people who will “have my back for the rest of my career.”

Kashi Sehgal is Co-Founder and CEO of Gigabark, a mobile messaging company specializing in phone, text, and survey broadcasts and custom solutions. She serves as a Board Member of Georgia’s WIN List, and as a member of the Fulton County Career & Technical Education Advisory Council. A co-founder of two non-profits , Music For Tomorrow and Mentor Walk, Kashi serves as Executive Vice President of the Campus Community Partnership Foundation and CEO of KTrain, her consulting company.

Kashi discussed the services Gigabark provides as well as talking about her non-profit work and her experience with LEAD Atlanta. She says the biggest thing she learned during her LEAD Atlanta year is to “be flexible and delegate.”

Brad Stevens is the President and co-owner of Whiter Image, LLC, an international manufacturer and distributor of professional and consumer teeth whitening products for the dental and beauty industries. He is on the board of Achievers International and co-founded an annual charity that supports the Breast Cancer Survivors Network.

During the show, Brad explained that LEAD Atlanta’s programming is based on the Leadership Atlanta programming but is specifically aimed at the 26-32 age group and focused on community involvement.

All three talked about their experiences on “ride-alongs” with Atlanta Fire, and to places like the Fulton County Jail and to Georgia landfills and how much they learned from those experiences.

To learn more about the LEAD Atlanta, listen to the complete interview on the Results Matter Radio page for Business RadioX®.