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Energy Awareness Month with Georgia Power

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Georgia Power, A Southern Company LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Cartrell Watts has a 25 year career with the Southern Company System. He began his career as a Distribution Engineer with Mississippi Power Company (MPC) in 1990. In 1994, he transferred to Georgia Power Company’s (GPC) Commercial & Industrial Sales Organization. Over the past twenty-one (21) years, he has served in various positions including field sales, key account sales, staff analyst, team lead, and first line supervisor. Today, he serves as a C & I Project Manager for the Corporate Marketing and Sales Support Organization supporting statewide end use sales. Cartrell earned an Electrical Engineering degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA.   He is an Engineer-In-Training (E.I.T); Certified Energy Manager (C.E.M.); and holds a Competent Communicator (CC) designation from Toastmasters International.

Monica Pearson is a communicator who works successfully with customers, peers and leadership to produce impressive results in varied work climates. She demonstrates the rare combination of being able both to lead teams and to be a valuable participant of a team. She has become a respected member of the Energy Systems team of Georgia Power since she joined the group in 2000. She is originally from Huntsville, AL and earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Auburn University.

Currently, as an Energy Systems Engineer, Monica works with the Sales Team to provide technical support for sales efforts as well as energy efficiency opportunities for our large commercial and industrial customers. Specific areas of focus with external customers have been in lighting, HVAC systems / energy management systems, and compressed air leak surveys. She is actively involved in working the Energy Efficiency Organization Training team to help develop and provide training courses for the Sales organization in areas of lighting technology and commercial auditing. She provides hands on training on how to complete an audit as well as the analysis for many of our co-op and new employees. Monica’s experience also includes a one year developmental rotation with the Tactical Marketing team. In this role she created and managed sales campaigns while engaging various organizations internally as well as external resources. She served as an active contributor to the Customer Service and Sales Safety Program and the Facilitation Selection team. Her prior experiences working across industries enrich her contributions to process improvement, strategic planning and people issues. Monica’s professional development includes completing her MBA from Georgia State, acquiring her Certified Energy Management (CEM) certification, and along participating in several internal and external training courses.

Vickie Irwin is a Supplier Development Project Manager supporting Georgia Power’s corporate business units. She holds a BBA degree in Accounting from Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, GA, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Project Management Professional (PMP). Vickie is involved in all aspects of supplier diversity and is also Georgia Power’s representative and coordinator to GMSDC.

 

 

David Simpkins with Southern Petroleum Resources

LTSBDavid Simpkins / Southern Petroleum Resources LinkedIn

David Simpkins is President and CEO of Southern Petroleum Resources(SPR), LLC, a Certified Minority bulk fuel supplier that provides ULSD and Dyed diesel fuel, gasoline, lubricants, and fuel additives to the trucking, construction, City, State, Federal and convenience store industry. Also supplying aviation fuel & Av gas to airports and the Airline Industry.Currently licensed to do business in Georgia, Ohio, Florida, California, Ohio, Tennessee and Alabama. We have added mobile fueling to our services.

SPR are proud members of GMSDC, Minority Suppliers Council, SIGMA, Independent Fuel Markets Association, Atlanta Business League and NBAA, National Business Aviation Association.

Spotlight on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

LTSBPaul Williams / Greenspeed Energy Solutions LinkedIn

Mr. Williams is currently the President and CEO of Greenspeed Energy Solutions, LLC, a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), headquartered in Atlanta, GA. Greenspeed Energy designs and installs energy efficiency solutions for commercial and industrial buildings. Services include lighting and mechanical efficiency upgrades, energy audits, and solar PV.

He is the former COO of Global Energy Group, and previously co-founded The Wheatstone Energy Group in 1992, where he served as President & CEO until 2006.

Board memberships include GreenWave Partners, LLC, an energy efficient lighting manufacturer, and is a past member of the Board of Trustees for the Mount Vernon Presbyterian School. He is a past member of the Board of Directors for Georgia Green Power, Inc. and Georgia Green, LLC, and a former member of the Advisory Board of MCC Energy Advisors, an investment fund specializing in emerging energy services and technologies.

Mr. Williams is a member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), American Solar Energy Society (ASES), Georgia Solar Energy Association (GSEA) and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). He is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM); received his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Auburn University and earned his Master of Business Administration from Georgia State University.

 

 

October is Energy Awareness Month

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Jim Earley and Steve Morton / Georgia Power, A Southern Company LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Jim Earley is an Energy Systems Team Manager with Georgia Power, A Southern Company. Jim is a Professional Engineer and graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. As a 30 year employee of Georgia Power he currently manages the Energy Systems team that performs commercial and industrial audits statewide.

Steve Morton is a Commercial Energy Efficiency Program Manager for Georgia Power Company.  In this role, Steve has responsibility for implementation and oversight of energy efficiency measures for the Commercial market.  These measures include high efficiency lighting, HVAC, thermal envelope, and other electric equipment measures. Steve has 32 years of experience with Georgia Power Company.

 

 

Spotlight on the SOA Awards

LTSBTracy Copeland / AT&T

Tracy Copeland is Senior Contract Manager with AT&T. Tracy has significant experience in the area of Supplier Diversity and has represented AT&T as Corporate Supplier Diversity Ambassador for the past 12 years. She has met with both Prime Suppliers and Minority Women Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises at various national and local trade shows to explain the corporate requirements, contracting process, and to introduce contracting opportunities within AT&T. In 2014 she was voted IT Buyer of the Year by the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council.

Tracy is a honor graduate of Hampton University with a degree in Political Science and received her Master’s degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Technology and Information Policy from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

 

 

Manish Madan with Systel Technology Services, Ramesh Maturu with Pyramid Consulting and Alisa Clark with Glory Professional Cleaning

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Manish Madan / Systel Technology Services

Systel Technology Services is an IT services company providing IT Services and Staffing solutions to some of the largest System Integrators and Fortune 1000 companies. With over 500 employees globally, Systel prides itself in long tenured relationships with its clients. IT Staffing continues to be the core foot in the door strategy for US clients, helping Systel to gradually move up the value chain to IT Services. Systel plans to invest and grow in the Media & Entertainment vertical, and the Healthcare vertical, with its Staffing, Services and Product & Platform investments. With disruption being the way of life today, Systel recognizes the need for evolution in its industries and is now also focused on building disruptive business models supported by technology driven platforms.

In its staffing business Systel focuses on staying abreast with building a talent pool proactively that its customers would need in the near future. Systel also differentiates itself by focusing on client relations, and it has successfully adopted a philosophy of a few and deep rooted relations. In the IT Services space, Systel recently completed an e-Governance project implementation digitizing all government services through a common web-front for the citizens of a state. This has won them several accolades, and Systel is now proposing to rollout the same integrated e-Governance platforms in several countries in Asia and Africa.

In the product & platform space Systel recently beta launched a digital content delivery platform for celebrities to build and manage their brands that can be monetized. Systel believes disruption is the only way to progress, and continues to find ways to disrupt the as-is in its space.

Systel was recognized last year as the Supplier of the Year, at the prestigious Spirit of Alliance awards of GMSDC. Manish Madan, the CEO of Systel, also graduated out of the very coveted Georgia Mentor Protégé Program last year, and was recognized for his “Winning Spirit” during the program. Manish and Systel love Georgia and have made it home after moving here almost a decade ago. They are actively involved in the community, and support other MBEs and the MBE ecosystem.

Ramesh Maturu / Pyramid Consulting, Inc. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

As a co-founder and President of Pyramid Consulting, Inc., Ramesh Maturu is responsible for developing and strengthening Pyramid’s Solutions practice and global software development capabilities. He began his IT career in the document processing industry in 1986, solving problems for financial institutions across the globe. Over the years, he’s consulted with numerous technology systems integrator and product companies, developing an invaluable global business perspective.

Ramesh received a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University in Hyderabad, India. He earned a master’s of science degree in automation and control engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Kharagpur.

Pyramid Consulting provides rewarding career opportunities for Consultants and enables our Clients to become more agile and competitive through the innovative use of technology, people and process. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Pyramid supports our Client partners around the world, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, European Union and India through a combination of local offices and global delivery.

Our Staffing division places top technology professionals in contract, contract-to-hire, direct hire and SOW / Statement of Work based positions with industry leaders and innovative start-ups that are developing the next generation of technology solutions. Pyramid’s flexible cost-effective delivery models feature dedicated account teams, skill-based recruiters and proven systems and processes. Our Consultant care teams are unique in the industry and ensure a satisfactory assignment for both Consultant and Client. We are a top-tier staff augmentation provider in a wide range of MSP programs, and in VMS environments. Pyramid has been recognized as one of the Largest and Fastest Growing Staffing Firms as ranked by Staffing Industry Analysts.

Our Solutions division specializes in getting companies past the bottlenecks. With knowledge and experience of the entire IT lifecycle, we help enterprises streamline core IT processes and augment their competitive advantage. Pyramid’s global delivery model harnesses productive tools, agile methodologies, iterative processes and expert frameworks to provide innovative and cost-effective solutions. Drawing on the talents and insights of our people in offices around the world, we combine unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across many industries and business processes, and fresh thinking to generate innovative solutions.

Pyramid understands that the innovation and creativity required to develop the next generation of business solutions is driven by exposure to new ideas, dissimilar ways of thinking, and different approaches to problem solving that add to the bottom-line. As a certified MBE, Pyramid fosters and supports Supplier and Workforce Diversity and Inclusion programs.

In 2014, Pyramid was recognized at the GMSDC Spirit of Alliance awards with the prestigious Supplier of the Year. The company remains committed to paying forward this recognition by mentoring and supporting the success of other MBEs and by supporting charitable organizations in the communities where they do business.

Alisa Clark / Glory Professional Cleaning

 

 

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

JoseJose Solis / La Chiquita Tortilla Manufacturer

In the 1970’s, Marcelino and Juana Solis owned a Mexican restaurant in Atlanta. At the time, Atlanta was limited to only one tortilla factory-the product of which Marcelino and Juana found lacking. Due to this lack of quality, the couple decided to start making their own tortillas for their restaurant. They were pleasantly surprised by the high demand for authentic, quality tortilla and chips. This eventually lead to the couple becoming involved in the production of tortillas and chips as a business. Because of their extensive experience in managing restaurants, Marcelino and Juana have the unique perspective of understanding customer needs. This understanding has given the couple much success. Today, La Chiquita Tortilla Manufacturer sells over one million cases annually, and is distributed by all major food service distributors.

TonyTony De Feria / TDeferiaMedia, Inc. Facebook

Tony De Feria is president of tdeferiamedia, inc. TDM, Inc. is brand management company that offers a wide array of creative and business management services. Tony is a bi-lingual media executive that offers hands-on and strategic expertise. He launched tdeferiamedia, inc. in 2007 after a successful career in the newspaper business. TDM, Inc, is made up of a diverse group of consultants with expertise in a variety of areas.

The group serves as an outsourced entity capable of managing a variety of efforts, that grow market share and increase ROI by specializing, focusing and managing marketing, communications and business operations for numerous clients. Since 2007 the company have created strategic marketing plans, videos, websites and a variety of publications all while netting clients an average 35% return on investment.

 

 

Spotlight on Tier II Supplier Diversity

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Ralph Moore / Ralph G. Moore & Associates

Ralph G. Moore, CPA, is president of Ralph G. Moore & Associates (RGMA) and is recognized as one of the world’s foremost thought-leaders in the area of supplier diversity and minority business development. A former accountant at Arthur Andersen & Co., Mr. Moore was Vice President of Chicago Community Ventures, a Minority Enterprise Small Business Investment Company (MESBIC) and Controller for Parker House Sausage Company before establishing RGMA in 1979.

Mr. Moore has been the lead trainer for the National Minority Supplier Development Council for over 20 years. During that period Mr. Moore has conducted over 100 seminars for the National office as well as 22 of the Regional Councils which has resulted in RGMA having trained more supplier diversity professionals than any other firm worldwide. Companies and institutions such as Walmart, The Walt Disney Company, the University of Chicago, Major League Baseball and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors have engaged the services of RGMA.

Mr. Moore is the author of the RGMA Five Levels of Supplier Diversity which has been embraced as the gold standard for benchmarking supplier diversity initiatives. His global assignments include conducting seminars in South Africa, France, United Kingdom and Canada. Mr. Moore is also a member of the Procter and Gamble and Macy’s Supplier Diversity Advisory Councils.

Mr. Moore has received numerous awards and recognitions during his distinguished career including the Ron Brown Award from the Chicago Minority Business Development Council and the prestigious National Minority Supplier Development Council Leadership Award which is the organization’s highest honor awarded to a CEO of a minority business enterprise. In recognition of a lifetime of contributions to minority business development, Mr. Moore was inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame at the University of Washington in April of this year.

Karmetria Burton / Delta Air Lines

Karmetria Dunham Burton is general manager, supplier diversity for Delta Air Lines. In this position she is responsible for developing a Supplier Diversity program while enhancing the processes to assist the company to achieve its vision of being an industry leader of making minority and women owned business (MWBEs) a natural and integral part of the way the company does business. Karmetria has worked in strategic sourcing at Xerox and AT&T. Before Delta, Karmetria was supplier diversity manager for IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group).

Karmetria was the 2005 recipient of the Trailblazer Award presented by the Black Business Professionals and Entrepreneurs organization and is a Who’s Who of Black Atlanta in 2010. She is a contributing writer for MBE magazine that focuses on minority business development.

Karmetria holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Southern University-Baton Rouge, La., and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. Mrs. Burton has instructed business, procurement and diversity related courses at Kennesaw State University as well as Shorter College, Strayer University, Georgia State University and Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Robert Wright with SENTEL Corporation

LTSBDr. Robert Wright / SENTEL Corporation LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

With almost 50 years of experience in government, business, finance, politics and project management, Dr. Wright is one of the most highly-respected and well-regarded business leaders of his generation. He presently serves as Chairman and CEO of FE Holdings, Inc., a firm dedicated to the investment and growth of private and public sector companies. He is also the Chairman Emeritus of SENTEL Corporation, a government contracting company headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, and serves as a current member of its Senior Advisory Board.

Prior to his most recent leadership roles, Dr. Wright founded Dimensions International, Inc. (DI), a provider of technology solutions to the government and private sectors. DI conducted organizational and direct support maintenance on a variety of Army, Navy, and Marine Corps equipment, and also worked with the Department of the Army to develop new logistics innovation concepts, as well as policy and doctrine. In addition, DI provided depot-level repair and logistics support services for Navy/Marine Corps Aviation Support Equipment at selected CONUS sites.

Dr. Wright later served as Chairman of Flight Explorer (FE), which he purchased from DI prior to the Honeywell acquisition. FE is a global flight tracking, information technology and communications solutions provider to the business, aviation and traveler community. He also maintained a vested interest in Sentel Corporation, another wholly-owned subsidiary of DI that was acquired before the Honeywell acquisition. Dr. Wright sold FE to Sabre Technologies in 2008, but remains Chairman Emeritus of Sentel Corporation. He later created FE Holdings, Inc., a private investment company, and continues to serve as Chairman and CEO.

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Dr. Wright was appointed by President Reagan to the position of Associate Administrator for Minority Small Business at the U.S. Small Business Administration, where he managed the office of Minority Small Business/Capital Ownership Development (MSB/COD) to foster business ownership and to promote competitive viability of eligible socially and economically disadvantaged businesses.

Dr. Wright also served three consecutive terms as a member of the Columbus, Georgia City Council. He was directly responsible for Council District 2, with a population of approximately 50,000 people. He developed and supported legislation related to housing, recreation, employment, industrial development, and street and highway improvements.