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Our guests join us to discuss business in Atlanta and how the metro area is a growing technology and entrepreneurial hub in the southeast.
Melanie Brandt/Technology Association of Georgia
Melanie Brandt is the Chief Operating Officer for the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG), the largest industry association in the state and one of the most successful Technology organizations in the country. Melanie provides strategic leadership as well as management of TAG’s operations, including key initiatives such as the annual State of the Industry Report, the TAG Business Launch Competition, TAG’s Statewide impact initiatives including Economic Development support and TAG’s Savannah, Augusta, and Middle Georgia chapters; TAG’s Economic Gardening program; the 31 TAG Societies including those dediciated to strategic Georgia technology sector focuses such as Health IT, Financial Technology (FinTech), Information Security and Mobility; and the TAG leadership Council. Melanie has fundraising and staff management responsibilities and has initiated several noteworthy projects as COO, such as the Where Georgia Leads maps, the TAG Social Media Council, and the annual S.T.E.M. Education Awards.
Before joining TAG, Melanie was part of the Gwinnett Chamber’s Economic Development team, implementing the Partnership Gwinnett initiative as their Business Development Manager for Information Technology and Advanced Communication. Prior to joining the Gwinnett Chamber, she served as TAG’s Director of Information and Community Resources.
Melanie is currently on the executive advisory board for the Atlanta Technology Professionals (ATP), where she served as president in 2004 and 2005. She was a founder of StartupChicks, an organization dedicated to connecting and inspiring entrepreneurial women, and serves on committees for the Georgia Chamber, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and the Gwinnett Chamber. Melanie was recognized as a “40 under 40” Atlanta Business and Community Leader recipient by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2010.
Larry Williams/Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Larry Williams serves as Vice President for Technology Industry Development at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Larry has successful experience building and managing state and local economic development, international business development and tourism development. He is a results-oriented professional with a reputation for service, satisfaction, and results. Larry works as a creative troubleshooter able to quickly identify and resolve problems at all levels. He is multilingual with international experience and understanding of global business practices and a solid leader able to build, mentor, and develop highly motivated, productive, and loyal teams.
Larry’s specialties are economic development, international business development, global branding, marketing, non-profit & government administration and management, business finance, budget management, customer service, organizational development, leadership, deal structuring, change management, strategic planning, building public-private partnerships, public and industrial policy, international trade and operations.
Michael Lasky/Burr Forman
Michael Lasky has practiced exclusively in intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights) for over 30 years at the firms of Merchant & Gould , Powell Goldstein and Burr Forman in Atlanta.
He is a published author and a nationally recognized speaker on the topic of Business Exit and Succession Strategies. He is currently writing POWER TOOLS — Strategies for making for your company far more valuable and saleable , due out later in 2012.
