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DeKalb Business Today – “DeKalb Chamber Golf Tournament”

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DBTOn a very special edition of DeKalb Business Today, hosts Matt Holmes and Jason Becknell take you to the 11th annual DeKalb Chamber of Commerce golf tournament at historic Druid Hills Golf Club. Some of the top business leaders from in and around DeKalb County spent their day on August 31 hacking away, all to raise money for the Chamber’s efforts to grow and foster business in DeKalb.

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Here is a list of business leaders we caught up with at the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament:

Katerina Taylor, DeKalb Chamber of Commerce

John Kelley, Georgia Power

Ray Gilley, Development Authority of DeKalb County

Al Edwards, CERM

Adrienne White, Center for Civil and Human Rights

Neca Smith, AidevO People Consulting

Thele Moore, American Family Insurance

Dan Bell, Discover DeKalb

Bridget Lewis, Workplace Learning Solutions

Nancy Jester, DeKalb County District 1 Commissioner

Margaret Mason Tate McIntyre, Intown Doula

Monica Selden, Selden Enterprises

Jim McMahan, DeKalb County School Board and McMahan Mortgage

Terrell Patton, Keller Williams Realty

Michael Shields, Surge 365

Fred Daniels, Citizens Trust Bank

Otis Threat, Lieneur

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DeKalb Business Today “Power Lunch” – September 4, 2015

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On the latest edition of the DeKalb Business Today “Power Lunch”, host Matt Holmes interviews a panel of guests who have each carved out a niche in the DeKalb County food scene. Iberian Pig General Manager Leigh Ann Miller discusses her restaurant’s unique offerings and the role that hospitality plays in cultivating repeat customers. Hilde Friese reflects on her memories of four decades running The Village Corner in Stone Mountain, sharing the secrets that have made her restaurant the go-to German spot in Metro Atlanta. Local food blogger Maria Pinkelton rounds out the panel, offering her views on some of the best spots to eat and drink in DeKalb County.

 

Leigh Ann Miller/General Manager, Iberian Pig

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Born in Palm Beach, Florida, Leigh Ann Miller grew up with a fond appreciation for the arts, particularly music. After attending Palm Beach County School of the Arts, she performed classically and with major recording artists such as Clarence Clemons and Wynton Marsalis.

While pursuing her first love of music, she found her second love in the hospitality industry. After continuing her education at Cornell University, she found that she wanted to run the show, not just perform in it. She coordinated PGA Tour events, planned functions with many recording artists and opened Jack Nicklaus’ The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Florida. In 2010, she found her way to Atlanta and The Castelucci Hospitality Group.

 

Hilde Friese/Founder, The Village Corner

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The Village Corner started in 1974 as an all-natural bakery. Two years later, they moved from a back room to their own building and delivered bread all over town and cakes and tortes to select cafes. In 1986, they moved to their present location. Hilde’s son graduated from Johnson & Wales Culinary School and helped develop and expand the menu. In 1996, they added a tavern and in 2014 they started their own brewery.

The business is unique in that they not only have an ethnic restaurant, but they also retained the bakery. German breads and European tortes are all done on the premises. Where else can you go to get a Reuben sandwich on house-baked marble rye, house cured in home-brewed beer, with authentic sauerkraut?!

The Village Corner can accommodate small parties of up to 50 in a private room. Their Sunday brunch, especially on the deck when weather permits, is a favorite. They offer beer samplings of four or six of their own brews and are expanding that continually.

 

Maria Pinkelton/Foodie, Blogger

 

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Maria Pinkelton is a food and lifestyle blogger, and a resident of the city of Decatur. She moved to the city nearly five years ago because of the good schools, walkability and beer. When she is not dining or spending time with family and friends, she is writing about dining and spending time with family and friends. In order to fund all of this food and leisure Maria works as a communications specialist. She is married and she and her husband have one son and two refrigerators dedicated to beer.

Make sure to read Maria’s blogs and follow her on Twitter!

DeKalb Business Today – September 4, 2015

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On this edition of DeKalb Business Today, host Matt Holmes interviews a panel of guests who are working to make a difference in DeKalb County. Charmelle Scott from BusiNeighbor Inc. joins the show to talk about her efforts to help local veterans in need. Dacia Dickey and Virginia Mason discuss how the Resident Services Corporation of DeKalb is working to assist families in the county. We also sit down with a mainstay of local radio; Charlie Sill drops by to talk about his bilingual multimedia company, Bluberry Productions.

 

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Charmelle Scott/BusiNeighbor Inc.

 

 

 

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Virginia Mason/Resident Services Corporation of DeKalb

Virginia Mason has worked in the housing industry for the past 14 years working directly with families seeking to establish themselves economically and become self-sufficient.  Her housing career came as a direct result of her previous experience as a teacher.  Initially working with housing residents to obtain their GED and gain life skills, this parlayed into a position as a Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator.  As an FSS Coordinator, Virginia linked families with community resources to assist them with employment, homeownership and other life goals.   Virginia is excited about the new Circles initiative which taps into people’s dreams and goals for a better life and then provides additional motivation and support.

 

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Dacia Dickey/Resident Services Corporation of DeKalb

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Dacia Dickey attended Coppin State College. She then began working with children with special needs. That led her to an eight year career in the housing industry, including stints with Baltimore City Housing, Public Housing, Atlanta Housing Authority, DeKalb Housing and Resident Services Corporation of DeKalb.

 

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Charlie Sill/Bluberry Productions, LLC

As an audio professional for over thirty years, Charlie Sill has worked with The Weather Channel, local television in Amarillo, Texas, Total Traffic here in Atlanta as well with many other radio stations across the nation. Charlie grew up in Los Angeles in and around the entertainment industry which afforded him the opportunities to work alongside Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman and the late Robin Williams on the set of “Hook”. He also worked with director Kenny Ortega and Christian Bale on the set of “Newsies”. With his passion for the filmmaking process and his talent for voice over work, Charlie has placed himself at the forefront of an ever-evolving technological field. He loves every aspect of the creative process and brings that passion, along with his partner Federico Vasquez, to Bluberry Productions,LLC. Together they form a bilingual powerhouse of creativity which would be an asset to any business or event.

Decatur Book Festival

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9-3 Senior Salute

Senior Salute Radio brings timely information to leading edge Boomers and Seniors about issues involving care-giving and aging.  Learn from both professionals and regular people going through the process with their families. Each week we will also Salute an incredible Senior.

Senior Salute Radio is presented by The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier.

Today’s Guests:

Philip Rafshoon/AJC Decatur Book Festival

9-3 Senior Salute

Philip Rafshoon is Program Director for the AJC DBF. He manages the team that curates featured authors and events at the festival. With a BS in Management from Ga. Tech, he spent ten years in corporate sales. He then opened and operated Atlanta’s Outwrite Bookstore and Coffeehouse, a venue for a diverse array of literary events and an unofficial LGBT community center. Philip has been involved in a broad range of community organizations including the advisory committee of the American Booksellers Association.

 

Daphne Reiley/Author

9-3 Senior Salute

Daphne Reiley is the founder of Ripples of Grace, a consulting practice meeting communities of faith in their mission to include the isolated.  Daphne has found that isolation takes many forms and that communities of faith, in particular, should be but are often not very good at meeting the needs of  isolated individuals and families.

Ripples of Grace provides education to organizations desiring to better address ways of reaching out to isolated populations. Daphne offers workshops to professional organizations as well as communities of faith.  She also facilitates retreats for pastors, congregational leaders, and groups of individuals.

Along with her favorite co-author Joseph LaGuardia, she is working on a companion book to their previously published “A Tapestry of Love, the Spirituality of Caregiving”.  The work in progress – “Taking It to Heart” –  is a book aimed at those receiving long-term care.

DeKalb Business Today “Lunch Hour” – August 28, 2015

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On the latest edition of DeKalb Business Today, host Matt Holmes interviews a panel of female entrepreneurs who are making their mark in DeKalb County and all across Metro Atlanta. Real estate executive Jennifer Moore joins the show to talk about her company’s efforts to be the premier commercial and residential outfit in Atlanta. Web designer Adrienne Duncan discusses the importance of mobile sites and why companies are losing money by not being mobile-friendly. Marketing guru Diane Conklin rounds out the panel, making her return appearance to the show to dish on her upcoming implementation event in October.

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Jennifer Moore/CEO & Team Leader, Keller Williams Realty Midtown

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Jennifer is the CEO/Team Leader for Keller Williams Realty Midtown Office where she shares her passion for leading through service to others. Her vision in the role as team leader is to create a vibrant energy that fills the environment with purpose and passion. She will do this by igniting the flames that are dormant in some and not yet revealed in others. She intends to grow and develop the pillars in the Midtown office while attracting new talent to Keller Williams. She believes in the value of empowering people to “create businesses worth owning and lives worth living”​ staying true to the vision of Gary Keller.

Jennifer started as a commercial agent with KWCommercial in Atlanta, GA. Jennifer is a team-spirited, and results-oriented individual. She has helped individuals and businesses make transitions for the past 17 years in all areas of their lives. These transitions and moves always begin with a candid conversation about values which leads to the vision for your life and how you are planning to get there. Jennifer has helped 1000s achieve their dreams. With an attitude of service-first combined with boundless energy, she is able to provide customer service and expertise to her clients that is exceptional. Jennifer’s team has been the #1 Ranked team with KW Commercial in the Southeast.

She is engaged in the community and is a sought-after motivational speaker.

 

Adrienne Duncan/Owner, SDOC Internet Publishing Solutions

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Adrienne Duncan, a 15-year veteran of website design and development, is the owner of SDOC Publishing Internet Solutions in Dunwoody.  SDOC specializes in mobile technology to ensure the best customer experience any time and anywhere.

SDOC provides customized and unique online solutions to all sizes of businesses and organizations in Metro Atlanta, the USA, and other countries. Ms. Duncan’s philosophy is that websites and the internet are less about source code and machines and more about how they bring people together.  Every website has to be built around the people using it.  The latest design and function innovations are only as good as the service it provides to the people who visit.

When not working at her business, Ms. Duncan enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.  She volunteers at their two schools and is an active member of All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody.  She is an active alumna member of Phi Mu Fraternity.  Ms. Duncan also enjoys the study of history and genealogy and has held leadership positions in both the Georgia Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Georgia Society of Mayflower Descendants.

What makes SDOC unique is its adaptability to its customers and the technical website development field.  Every solution for every client is uniquely crafted to make them stand out from its competition and grow the agility to gain and retain customers in a changing world.

 

 

Diane Conklin/President & Founder, Complete Marketing Systems

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Diane Conklin is an internationally known author, entrepreneur, coach, consultant, marketing and business strategist, implementation specialist and speaker. Diane is a direct response marketing expert who specializes in showing business owners how to integrate their online and offline marketing strategies, media and message, to get maximum results from their marketing dollars. Diane also shows entrepreneurs and small business owners how to outperform their competition by measuring their marketing, and strategically use multi-media campaigns to stand alone in their marketplace as the go-to provider for their products and services. As the founder of Complete Marketing Systems, Diane and has been involved in numerous campaigns grossing over $1,000,000.00 several times in her career and routinely helps people grow businesses to 6 figures, and beyond, in short periods of time, several times in as little as 90 days.

As a speaker, Diane has shared the stage with the likes of Barbara Corcoran, Joan Rivers, George Foreman, Cal Ripken, Jr., Harry Dent, Marie Forleo and many others. Diane was voted Glazer-Kennedy Marketer of the Year for her innovative marketing strategies and campaigns and was nominated for Atlanta Business Woman of the Year.

This fall, Diane will host her Implementation Coaching Event from October 8-10. Registration is going on right now!

DeKalb Business Today – August 28, 2015

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On this edition of DeKalb Business Today, host Matt Holmes welcomes maybe the most diverse group of businesses in the show’s short history. Bio-One Atlanta owner Paul Cervino shares some of the good and bad from his work in cleaning up crime scenes. Local radio host Jacqlyn Charles talks about her non-profit work at Women Are Worthy. Vonetta Daniels rounds out the panel, tracing her path from military veteran to head of one of Metro Atlanta’s top emerging consulting firms, VYD and Associates.

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Paul Cervino/Owner, Bio-One Atlanta

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Bio-One Atlanta bills itself as the best choice for assisting victims and their families in cases of suicide, homicide or traumatic death.

Typically, someone will call and speak with the owner directly. The owner, Paul, will then go through in detail the steps that need to be taken. A time is then set for the Bio-One team to complete the job. Payment is addressed after cleanup as it is their first priority to complete decontamination in a discrete and compassionate method for all Bio-One clients.

They partner with cities, police, fire, emergency services personnel, victim services groups, hoarding task forces, apartment complexes, insurance companies and many more to provide the best and fastest service possible.

 

Jacqlyn Charles/Women Are Worthy

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Jacqlyn Charles is the host of Women Are Worthy, a premiere radio show which tackles the many life challenges that women are faced with.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Jacqlyn is known for her high energy, positive attitude and engaging personality. As an up-and-coming motivational speaker, she uses her radio show as a platform to hone her talent for inspiring and motivating others to live in a state of excellence.

Jacqyln, who was once homeless, chose the specific format for Women Are Worthy out of a yearning desire to be a part of the solution. She realized that many problems stemmed from the negative relationships that women were having with each other. Jacqlyn uses her show as a vehicle to connect women, bridge gaps, build relationships and spark dialogue among and between women.

Jacqlyn lives her life on purpose with persistence and determination at the helm. Her goal is to inspire greatness in everyone that she comes into contact with. Jacqlyn’s core belief is that no matter what happens today, there is always tomorrow. This is a brand new day and everyone gets a second chance to start fresh.

 

Vonetta Daniels/President & CEO, VYD and Associates

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VYD and Associates was incorporated in 2010 by Vonetta Y. Daniels, an Air Force Veteran with more than 20 years of combined industry and Management Consulting experience with BearingPoint, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and as an Internal Consultant for SunTrust Banks, and industry experience Research, Higher Education, Government, Non-Profits, Education and Community Partners and Financial Services.

VYD and Associates is a certified 8(a) firm, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone), Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) providing consulting services which include:

 Management & Strategy Consulting

 Health Communications, Marketing & Policy Management

 Organizational Assessment and Organizational Effectiveness (OE)

 Strategic Planning

 Research, Evaluation and Policy

 Performance Measurement & Evaluation

 Program, Portfolio & Project Management

 Program Implementation & Evaluation

 Program and Administrative Support

Vonetta is an alumna of the University of Virginia and Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

DeKalb Business Today “Lunch Hour” – August 21, 2015

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On the latest edition of DeKalb Business Today, host Matt Holmes interviews a panel of local entrepreneurs from across DeKalb County. Eric Teusink joins the show from the firm of Williams Teusink to discuss doing real estate law in Decatur. Michael Shields talks about bringing his military experience into the travel industry. Carol Fisher checks in to share the work she’s doing for small businesses at Workplace Partners, while her business partner Bob Wehner explains how LegalShield is helping to serve the needs of many of those companies.

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Eric Teusink/Williams Teusink LLC

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Eric is an experienced commercial, corporate, and real estate attorney whose practice is concentrated in the areas of corporate formation, corporate governance, commercial litigation and transactions, non-profit law, real estate agreements, real estate litigation, foreclosure, title disputes, real estate tax, real estate tort, business tort, and community association law.  Eric serves as corporate counsel for several entrepreneurial companies. Eric has successfully represented business owners, entrepreneurs, developers, and real estate professionals in both state and federal court. In addition to representing clients in court, Eric is skilled in crafting shareholder agreements, property ownership agreements, operating agreements, property management agreements, leases, purchase and sale agreements, promissory notes, and security deeds.

Eric graduated cum laude from the Georgia State University College of Law where he served as Vice President of the Moot Court Board and was a barrister in the Bleckley Inn of Court. Prior to attending law school Eric graduated with degrees in Political Science and Economics from the University of Georgia. Eric is the Past-President of the East Atlanta Business Association, the Co-Chair of the Run Before You Crawl 5K, a member of the 2011 LEAD Atlanta Class, a member of the Urban Land Institute’s 2013 Center for Leadership Class, and serves on both the Georgia State College of Law Alumni Board and the Development Board of the UGA at Oxford Study Abroad Program.

Eric resides in the Grant Park neighborhood of Atlanta with his wife and son. In his spare time he enjoys running, playing tennis, collecting records and vintage books, reading, supporting UGA athletics, and tailgating before every UGA home football game.

 

Michael Shields/Surge 365 Travel

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Michael Shields of MJ Shields Associates of Atlanta, GA is originally from New York City.  He is retired military 24 years (4 years U. S. Marines and 20 U. S. Navy). He served in Vietnam in 1968 as a machine gunner and retired as a Chief Petty Officer in 1992. He received a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Leo College in 1995 in Business Management and worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 17 years in Atlanta and also retired from. His wife Jacquelyn (a native Atlantian) and family presently live in the Stone Mountain area of Georgia and have been married for 26 years, she is also employed with the Federal Government.

Michael and Jacquelyn are travel professionals with Surge 365 and have been in the travel industry for over nine years. Surge 365 is a brand new company that has a 110 percent guarantee on giving you the ability to become a VIP private member to have the lowest prices on any vacationing anywhere around the world! This membership also comes with a concierge service! This is the newest travel technology! If you love to vacation and travel but you’re just tired of the high cost to do so, then come find out why membership really does have its privileges!

 

Carol Fisher/Workplace Partners

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Carol W. Fisher, L.C.S.W. (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) is a founder and CEO/President of Workplace Partners.

Carol works with Workplace Partner’s Office Coordinator and a network of approximately 30 counselors and training and organizational development professionals to provide services to our client employers and employees.

Workplace Partners LLC was established as Georgia Behavioral Care, Inc. (G.B.C.) in 1995 as a network of counselors and psychotherapists to provide Employee Assistance and Managed Care services.

Early on their provider network focused on sub-contracting to deliver localized services for national and regional Employee Assistance and Managed Care Companies. In our work with these nationally recognized companies, WPP has had an opportunity to work with over 250 employer organizations, many of which are Fortune 1000 companies.

WPP adopted the best practices of these national and regional EAPs and adapted these to smaller more locally based companies to provide full service Employee Assistance Programs.

In 2000, Workplace Partners began providing a full service Employee Assistance and Work/Life program for a local health care system covering over 9,000 lives.

Workplace Partners has also designed and provided extensive training, drug free work place, critical incident follow-up, and organizational development services on a direct contract basis to a number of other businesses in Georgia since that time.

 

Bob Wehner/LegalShield

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Bob is a partner in Workplace Partners as well as serving as the Senior Director and Independent Associate for LegalShield. He is responsible for ensuring that businesses, their employees, families and individuals are provided total access and total freedom enabling each person to speak to an attorney or specialized consultant about their trivial and traumatic matters without worrying about high hourly costs. Bob holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Augusta State University and a Master of Science in Industrial Management, concentration in Finance from Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). He spent over 30 years in corporate banking before joining LegalShield in 2004.

Bob currently serves on the Boards for the National Association of Nonprofits and the National Association of Women Owned Small Businesses.

DeKalb Business Today – August 21, 2015

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On this edition of DeKalb Business Today, host Matt Holmes takes listeners inside the legal and banking industries. Attorney Victoria Collier joins the show to talk about her work on behalf of Georgia’s aging population, as well as the help she offers to local veterans. James Cobb, from the law firm Caplan Cobb, delves into business and tort litigation. From the financial sector, Delta Community Credit Union President and CEO Hank Halter discusses what sets his institution apart from other locally-based and national competitors.

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Victoria Collier/The Elder & Disability Law Firm of Victoria L. Collier, PC

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Victoria Collier is a Certified Elder Law Attorney through the National Elder Law Foundation. She is also the only Georgia attorney who has received the highest award by the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Fellow of the Academy. More locally, Victoria was appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2010 to the Georgia Council on Aging, and still resides on the Council. Victoria is a Veteran of the USAF and USA Reserve, serving during Desert Storm.  She founded The Elder & Disability Law firm in 2002 to serve the legal needs to Seniors and their families. Victoria works, lives and has 5 year old twins that go to school in Decatur.

 

James Cobb/Founding Partner of Caplan Cobb LLP

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James Cobb is a trial and appellate lawyer and a founding partner of Caplan Cobb LLP. James specializes in complex business disputes, constitutional and tort litigation, and federal and state appeals.

In 2015, the Daily Report named James to its list of the forty lawyers in Georgia under the age of 40 who are “On the Rise.”  Martindale-Hubbell has given James its highest rating of AV Preeminent for legal skills and professional ethics; Georgia Trend magazine has named him to its list of the Legal Elite in Georgia for business law, corporate law, and trial practice; and Super Lawyers magazine has named him a Rising Star in Georgia for business litigation.

Before founding Caplan Cobb, James practiced with Rogers & Hardin LLP in Atlanta and Ropes & Gray LLP in Boston. Immediately after law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Jacques L. Wiener, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.

James and his wife, Gretchen, live in Decatur with their four sons.

 

Hank Halter/President & CEO of Delta Community Credit Union

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Hank Halter is a highly accomplished accounting and finance professional, with 25 years of experience overseeing the finance and accounting operations at Fortune 500 companies. Since 2013, he has served as President and CEO of Delta Community Credit Union, one of Atlanta’s largest financial institutions and Georgia’s largest credit union with assets of $4.8 billion. He also serves on Delta Community’s Board of Directors, where he has been active since 2006.

Before joining Delta Community, Hank worked at Delta Air Lines from 1998 to 2012. He served in a number of finance positions there before being promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 2008. Prior to Delta, Hank worked at American Airlines and Ernst & Young.

In addition to serving on the Delta Community board, Hank is also on the Board of Advisors of Sojern and he chairs the Audit Committee for the board of Southern Air.

Hank is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Villanova University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke University. A frequent speaker at trade and academic conferences, Hank resides in Atlanta.

Delta Community Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with a mission of providing consumers better service and value on the deposit, loan, investment and insurance products they use to manage their household expenses and save for the future. Delta Community was founded in 1940 and has become Georgia’s largest credit union with more than 320,000 members, more than $4.8 billion in assets and 26 branch locations. The Credit Union now welcomes residents of 11 metro Atlanta counties and employees of more than 150 businesses, including Chick-fil-A, Delta Air Lines, RaceTrac and UPS.

DeKalb Business Today – August 14, 2015

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On the latest edition of DeKalb Business Today, host Matt Holmes explores the legal profession from two very different angles. Family law attorney Mindy Pillow joins the show to discuss her Decatur practice. From the other side of the bench, Judge Angela Brown talks about the challenges that come with wielding a gavel. Also, Cartridge World owner Ashish Gupta explains how his company is helping other businesses to increase productivity and save on their bottom line.

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Mindy Pillow/Law Office of Melinda C. Pillow, LLC

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Melinda (Mindy) Pillow is an attorney exclusively practicing in the areas of Domestic Relations and Family Law in the greater Atlanta metro area. Mindy represents clients in all aspects of family law, including divorce, legal separation, paternity, legitimization, child custody, adoption and prenuptial agreements.

Mindy practices in all of the metro Atlanta area courts.

Mindy is active in her community and is a past president of the Junior League of DeKalb County. She currently serves as President of the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers Foundation. She is a member of the board of directors for the Atlanta Bar Association Family Law Section, DeKalb History Center, Metropolitan Counseling Services, and the Mary Gay House Board of Trustees. She is a 2011 graduate of Leadership DeKalb.

Mindy also coaches mock trial at the DeKalb School of the Arts. Mindy and her husband, Kenny, a teacher live with their two children in the Winnona Park neighborhood in Decatur.

Angela Brown/DeKalb County Judge

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Ashish Gupta/Owner, Cartridge World

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Ashish Gupta has a degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Emory’s Goizueta Business School.  Ash’s early career was as an IT consultant at Sapient before becoming an Operational Leader and General Manager at Brambles.  Both those roles taught Ash the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are focused on delivering the highest level of quality and service for their customers.  After 15 years in the corporate world where Ash was constantly traveling, he wanted to focus on an opportunity that allowed him to get involved with the local community.  That is when he bought Cartridge World of Decatur.

Cartridge World provides consumers and businesses cost effective, environmentally sustainable printing solutions. They sell printer cartridges for about 30 percent less than the retail price, recycle used cartridges and electronics, and provide shredding and printing services – all with a 100% guarantee.  For businesses, they even deliver the cartridges for free!

DeKalb Business Today “Power Lunch” – August 7, 2015

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On the latest edition of the DeKalb Business Today “Power Lunch”, host Matt Holmes takes a look at the county’s food and drink industry with a couple local chefs. Austin Phillips runs the kitchen at Shorty’s Wood Fire in Tucker, mixing music with pizza to make delicious results. Daniel Peach gives customers a taste of India at Chai Pani in Decatur. Also joining the show, Decatur BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass Festival director Michael Vajda to talk about the annual event that’s ready to rock the Oakhurst neighborhood.

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Michael Vajda/Decatur BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass Festival Director

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The Decatur Barbeque, Blues & Bluegrass Festival was founded by the Decatur Preservation Alliance (DPA) in 2000. The Alliance had managed to save the old Decatur train depot, located at Candler and Howard Streets, from demolition but needed funds to move the building off of the railroad right-of-way and secure the structure. With permission and support from the City, they closed off Howard Avenue east of Candler, brought in a flatbed trailer to serve as a stage, rounded up some bands, and threw a party.

The 2000 festival was a success and DPA made it an annual event. Along the way, they invited other organizations to participate including the Decatur Active Living , the Community Center of South Decatur and the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association (ONA). By 2005, the Depot sat on new footings with a new roof, and DPA bowed out of the festival.

In 2006 at the City’s behest, the festival relocated to Harmony Park in Oakhurst. Led by the Community Center of South Decatur, organizers set new goals and presented the most successful event yet. Close to 5,000 people came through the gate, and the festival netted more than $35,000. Each of the three presenters—the Community Center, the Decatur Recreation Department, and the ONA—channeled their share of the profits directly back into the community through various initiatives.

In 2007, despite record heat, Harmony Park again overflowed with music and barbeque lovers. The same three organizations presented the festival, and each donated a portion of their share of the profits to the newly formed Barbeque, Blues & Bluegrass Festival Small Grant Program. A total of 40% of the event proceeds went directly into the community.

In 2008, even with a slowing economy, the festival had its best crowd ever. The crowd was treated to the best musical lineup yet, and inlcuded 2 hours of incredible Blues from Beverly “Guitar” Watkins and Albert White. The Decatur Barbecue, Blues & Bluegrass Festival Small Grant Program handed out $7,000.00 to several Decatur Organizations.

In 2010 and 2011 we had a record crowd of over 6,000 people, brought in three BBQ vendors to serve the needs of our guests, and were fortunate enough to have great beer provided by Fat Tire for the first time ever! The BBQ Small Grant Program continued to hand out a large portion of money to local Decatur Organizations.

In 2012  we had a record crowd of over 6,500 people, amazing music including headliner, The Electromatics, BBQ brought to you by Black Tie and Fox Bros., and were fortunate enough to have great beer provided again by New Belgium and Eagle Rock! The BBQ Small Grant Program continues to hand out a large portion of money to local Decatur Organizations.  This years grantees are Decatur Preservation Alliance’s MLK Service Project, Wylde Center’s Garden to Classrooms Field Experience, City of Decatur Decatur’s Season of Giving, Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool’s Shade Slope Project, Decatur Education Foundation’s K-5 Math Education, and 4/5 Academy PTA’s Tybee Island Field Study.  Thank you to all who came out and helped support our grant program by simply attending the festival.

In 2014 the festival made a major event area change by expanding to the adjacent 630 East Lake lot. This more cohesive location allowed more space for attendees, a larger stage,  and an overall more efficient event footprint. In addition we changed the event hours (12pm – 8pm) to better reflect a typical festival day. With the continued support of some fantastic sponsors, BBQ vendors, and 7 + hours of the best Blues and Bluegrass music around the festivals future is bright. Mark your calendar for August 15th and make sure you bring the family to this Decatur tradition.

 

Austin Phillips/Shorty’s Wood Fire Chef

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Shorty’s is an institution in Tucker, and rightly so. Everything is made the way a grandmother would do it; fresh bread every morning, fresh pizza dough every day and amazing homemade pizza sauce. Although it doesn’t end with pizza! Amazing local craft beer paired with live music and homemade roasted sandwiches all come together to make Shorty’s something special.

 

Daniel Peach/Chai Pani Chef

DBR

Chai Pani is the brainchild of husband and wife, Meherwan and Molly Irani. Meherwan is the executive chef, chief chaiwalla and visionary behind the concept and menu. Molly directs the front of the house, her calm welcoming demeanor sets the tone of the serving staff. Her many years traveling in India and being a part of an Indian family influence the Chai Pani aesthetic and environment.

Meherwan grew up in Ahmednagar, India (near Pune) and learned to cook at his mother’s side. He came to the US in 1990 to earn his MBA and for 15 years had a successful career in sales and marketing in the San Francisco Bay Area. While being exposed to some of the best restaurants on the West Coast he fell in love with the culinary arts and started to develop his cooking skills at every opportunity.

In 2014 Meherwan scored a James Beard Foundation Nomination for Best Chef Southeast.

Molly grew up in the restaurant business. Her parents owned an award-winning restaurant and her mom is an accomplished pastry chef and restaurateur, currently co-owner of renowned fine dining restaurant, The Blackbird in downtown Asheville. From as far back as she can remember, Molly has been in and around food, kitchens, cooking and restaurants. She brings a deep and intuitive understanding of service, hospitality and customer care to the culture of Chai Pani.