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Spotlight on Georgia Film and Entertainment Industry, Part II

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Maria Guerra-Stoll of GSB Architects, a very successful small business owner and leader in Georgia’s entertainment space, helped us usher in our second installment of the film and TV interview series. Tune in to hear her story, how her work on a very large TV/film project led to future business, making entertainment one of her largest business markets. Take advantage of this opportunity to hear from a small business trailblazer. Learn tips and wisdom to better your efforts at success in the Hollywood of the South.

 

 

 

 

Spotlight on Georgia Film and Entertainment Industry, Part I

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To any small business owner interested in doing business in Georgia’s growing entertainment industry, listen in! Learn all you need to know about how to get involved and thrive in the “Hollywood of the South” from special guests Lee Thomas, deputy commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office and LaRonda Sutton, director of City of Atlanta – Office of Entertainment. This is the first installment of a 3-part interview series that you don’t want to miss!

Lee Thomas / Georgia Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office Facebook Twitter

Lee Thomas serves as Deputy Commissioner, Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment, Georgia Department of Economic Development.

A native Atlantan, Lee graduated from Marist School and then went into the Radio -TV -Film program at the University of Georgia. She returned to Atlanta to earn Master’s Degree in Film Studies from Georgia State University. In 1992, she entered the Tisch School of the Arts Doctoral Program in Cinema Studies at New York University, then began a job at the Brooklyn Arts Council. She returned to Atlanta in 1996 to work for the Georgia Film and Videotape Office as a project manager, and then became a location specialist for the office in 1998. After finding locations for film and television projects for 12 years, Lee became Director of Film, Music & Digital Entertainment in 2010, and Deputy Commissioner in 2014.

LaRonda Sutton / City of Atlanta – Office of Entertainment Facebook Twitter

LaRonda Sutton currently serves as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Entertainment for the City of Atlanta, opened in July 2013. Her duties include streamlining the film permitting process, liaising between neighborhoods and production companies, safeguarding the interests of residents and businesses from the impact of filming, and promoting Atlanta as a national and international entertainment capital. Prior to heading the office, Sutton was Vice President, Music Development and Production for Foxx/King Entertainment, as well as Senior Vice President, Urban Creative, for Universal Music Publishing and General Manager of Atlanta-based Hitco Music Publishing. She established Hitco with LA Reid, paving the way for Atlanta’s flourishing music community.

 

 

Rodney Sampson with Opportunity Hub, Part 2

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Discussions of angel investing as a means to raising capital for small businesses have given way to a wider conversation of the minority wealth gap and the dearth of minority angel investors in this part 2 interview with Rodney Sampson of the Opportunity Hub. In this compelling interview with GMSDC President/CEO Stacey Key, they attempt to answer the question, “Why are there so few minority angel investors?”

Rodney Sampson / Opportunity Hub LinkedIn Facebook Twitter

Rodney Sampson is a social innovator, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, published author, and consecrated bishop. Via his Episcopal affiliations with the Old Holy Catholic Church and International Bishops Conference, Sampson shapes innovative economic policy and opportunities throughout society and culture. As a serial entrepreneur, Sampson co-founded Multicast Media Networks (Streamingfaith.com) in 2000 (sold in 2010), a live and on-demand streaming platform that laid the foundation for companies like YouTube and Ustream. Not stopping there, Sampson co-founded Intellectual Currency (an integrated marketing and business development firm) in 2002, Intellect Inspire (a digital publishing imprint of Audible) in 2006, and Legacy Opportunity Fund in 2007 with private equity investments in technology, energy, consumer products and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He also serves on the advisory boards of a learning company (a Pearson Education Alliance Partner), a production company and multiple startup and early stage companies throughout the world.

Sampson is passionate about reducing our nation’s poverty and wealth gap by advancing the cause of innovation, coding, entrepreneurship, investment and Crowdfunding as a way of life for all communities. To advance this definitive cause, Sampson created Opportunity Ecosystem (OE). Opportunity Ecosystem includes opportunity.UP // unleashing private equity, the nation’s leading conference and learning platform learning for minorities and under-served communities to learn, navigate and master investment ecosystem. opportunity.UP conferences attract over 1,000 entrepreneurs, 500 teenagers and 100 accredited investors and mentors. Opportunity Ecosystem also includes opportunity.HUB a coworking space, knowledge hub, coding school and accelerator located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. opportunity.HUB is home to opportunity.VENTURES, a new seed and early stage fund focused on making investments in early stage consumer facing, technology and disruptive social enterprise based companies that impact culture and beyond.

Sampson is also an advocate and respected expert on the JOBS Act (debt and equity based crowdfunding) and State of Georgia’s “Invest Georgia Exemption” legislation. Always meditating, thinking, networking and connecting to disrupt economic culture, Sampson is innovating what he has branded as an “ecosystem crowdfunding platform” -designed to integrate the capital markets of the African American owned banks, churches, business associations and historical black colleges and universities. The platform will allow underserved and under-represented communities to learn, engage and invest in the investment ecosystem by providing access to relevant investment opportunities traditionally reserved for accredited and institutional investors. The long-term outcome will result in job creation, wealth creation and a better society for all.

 

 

Spotlight on Hispanic Heritage Month, Part 2

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The council hosted its final interview of the two-part interview series honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month with special guests GMSDC Blue Legend Monica Maldonado of Interprint Communications, and Alejandro Coss, president of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce Georgia (LACC). In a broad discussion of entrepreneurship in the Latin American community, major topics were discussed including: a) Common obstacles to small business growth and how to overcome them, b) When to know that a small business is “ready” to do business in the corporate arena, c) The value-add of certification and membership with the LACC. Get the small business information and resources you need from some of the most successful Latino business owners and partners in the supplier diversity space. Tune in now!

Monica Maldonado / Interprint Communications LinkedIn Facebook youtube

Alejandro Coss / Latin American Chamber of Commerce

 

 

Spotlight on Hispanic Heritage Month, Part 1

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In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, GMSDC Radio kicked off a special two-part interview series highlighting the accomplishments of area Hispanic-owned small businesses. Featured this week was Founder and CEO Rick Tapia of La Bodega Internacional, and Managing Member and President Fernando de Augero of Diversified Energy Supply, along with cohost Program Director Veronica Maldonado of Mentor Protege Connection.

As divergent as craft spirits and the energy supply business may seem, the CEOs stressed the same key ingredients for success: mentorship, passion and experience, resources and a healthy “leap of faith.” With a decidedly more contemplative tone, the interview covered the full spectrum of entrepreneurship–from startup to established enterprise. Listen now, for their nuggets of wisdom and leadership!

Fernando de Agüero / Diversified Energy Supply

Mr. de Agüero is the President of Diversified Fuel Supply. He is also the founder and Manager of its parent company, DES Wholesale, LLC d/b/a Diversified Energy Supply. Mr. de Agüero possesses a broad energy industry experience ranging from regulated utilities to deregulated merchant and retail business. He has launched five privately held energy ventures, was Chairman, CEO and President of a deregulated retail natural gas marketer, Manager and CEO of a deregulated retail electric provider, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of a leading smart grid-enabled prepaid utility solutions and software development company and held various leadership roles spanning strategic planning, finance, business development, commercial operations and trading at AGL Resources (Atlanta Gas Light, Virginia Natural Gas, City Gas of Florida, Elizabethtown Gas, Chattanooga Gas, Pivotal and Sequent Energy Management), Mirant Corporation and Southern Company (Southern Nuclear and Southern Company Services). Mr. de Agüero previously led the team that designed and built the first prepaid retail natural gas billing platform in North America, the first smart-metered prepaid electric billing platform, as well as other software based
solutions in the utility vertical. He has been involved in several power plant development projects and corporate acquisitions with negotiated valuations totaling over $10 Billion in both the natural gas and electric industries.

Mr. de Agüero started his career with Southern Company in 1993, working in nuclear plant design engineering and safety as a nuclear and mechanical engineer, as well as a health physicist. He earned a Bachelor in Nuclear Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He speaks Spanish fluently, has a history of political and community involvement, and invests most of his personal time with his wife, four children and church family in Roswell, Georgia.

Rick Tapia / La Bodega Internacional, LLC

Jesús Ricardo “Rick” Tapia is the founder of La Bodega International, LLC and the creator of J.R. Revelry, a craft bourbon whiskey that will be launching this fall, here in Atlanta.

J.R. Revelry is an All-American craft bourbon in the finest tradition, produced and bottled in small batches in Nashville, Tennessee. Rick created this smooth bourbon with the goal to appeal to all audiences, but especially to Latinos.

Rick started his career in the Beverage Alcohol industry with Joseph E. Seagram and Sons in 1997, and over the last 17 years he has worked across multiple disciplines and brands within the spirits industry, including accounting, finance, sales and marketing. He earned a Bachelor in Business Administration from Boston University. He speaks Spanish fluently and invests most of his personal time with his wife and daughter in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

Rick is also an active member of the Atlanta community and of the local Hispanic and Latin American Chambers of Commerce. As part of J.R. Revelry’s launch, Rick plans to give back to the community by donating $1 for every 9 liter case sold of J.R. Revelry to the Diversity Council Scholarship Program, to help fellow entrepreneurs realize their business goals.

 

 

Spotlight on NMSDC Regional Suppliers of the Year

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With the nationals just around the corner, the GMSDC was proud to host current and past Regional Supplier of the Year honorees, Ken Taunton of The Royster Group, and Namita Tirath of Pyramid Consulting on the Let’s Talk Small Business radio show.

Some of the most prolific and award-winning MBE firms anywhere in the world are headquartered or have a significant presence in Georgia, and this interview was both a celebration of two of our most high-achieving MBEs, and an exclusive discussion of their “secret sauce” to success.

“Every year – just about – we’ve had award winners coming out of this council, said show host and GMSDC president and CEO, Stacey Key. “We’re pretty big and bad here in Georgia.” Discussion topics included the NMSDC awards process and tips, as well as, trends and opportunities in the health and IT industry. Listen in now to hear from two small business greats, and continue to wish Ken Taunton well.

Namita Tirath / Pyramid Consulting, Inc.

Ken Taunton / The Royster Group LinkedIn

Ken Taunton is President and CEO of The Royster Group, a premier executive search and medical services staffing firm with clients across the continental U. S. and Hawaii.

In 2001, Ken Taunton leveraged his proven track record of leading mid- to senior-level executive searches and medical staffing projects in the public and private sectors. He is passionate about finding creative solutions to solve a client’s human capital needs and pursues all avenues from permanent placement, temporary project staffing and program management. Prior to establishing his company, Mr. Taunton was a Senior Associate with Korn/Ferry International, a leading executive search firm and held various recruiting and sales positions at one of the top pharmaceutical giants, Merck & Company.

Mr. Taunton’s business acumen was recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration when he was selected to participate in the SBA’s Emerging 200 Initiative, a federal training initiative that specifically focuses on executives of businesses poised for growth in historically challenged communities. Recently, The Royster Group was ranked #1927 on the prestigious Inc. 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. Among other recognitions, The Royster Group was featured as a top growing minority business in Atlanta Tribune’s “Fabulous Five Over Five” article on entrepreneurs having weathered the storm and triumphed in the first five years of business. He is currently part of the Mentor Protégé Connection 2014 Georgia Mentor Protégé Program where Grady Health System is currently mentoring The Royster Group.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Mercer University’s Stetson School of Business. In March 2013, UAB’s National Alumni Society, in partnership with the Birmingham Business Journal, presented him with the inaugural UAB Excellence in Business Top 25 awards and #3 Fastest Growing Business Award.

 

 

 

Rodney Sampson with Opportunity Hub, Part 1

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Most small business owners consider two paths when in need of capital: a) traditional loans, or b) “Shark Tank” style investing. However, heavy hitter Rodney Sampson, cofounder and CEO of the Opportunity Hub—an Atlanta-based co-working space and accelerator for startups—visited GMSDC Radio to discuss a middle-of-the-road option of using angel investing for small business growth. The interview is part of an ongoing financial literacy series on the Let’s Talk Small Business radio show. Part II of the interview will delve deeper into how angel investing relates to a larger discussion of wealth disparity in minority communities. Learn more about the Opportunity Hub and Sampson’s investing-related initiatives at http://www.rodneysampson.com/.

Rodney Sampson / Opportunity Hub LinkedIn Facebook Twitter

Rodney Sampson is a social innovator, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, published author, and consecrated bishop. Via his Episcopal affiliations with the Old Holy Catholic Church and International Bishops Conference, Sampson shapes innovative economic policy and opportunities throughout society and culture. As a serial entrepreneur, Sampson co-founded Multicast Media Networks (Streamingfaith.com) in 2000 (sold in 2010), a live and on-demand streaming platform that laid the foundation for companies like YouTube and Ustream. Not stopping there, Sampson co-founded Intellectual Currency (an integrated marketing and business development firm) in 2002, Intellect Inspire (a digital publishing imprint of Audible) in 2006, and Legacy Opportunity Fund in 2007 with private equity investments in technology, energy, consumer products and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He also serves on the advisory boards of a learning company (a Pearson Education Alliance Partner), a production company and multiple startup and early stage companies throughout the world.

Sampson is passionate about reducing our nation’s poverty and wealth gap by advancing the cause of innovation, coding, entrepreneurship, investment and Crowdfunding as a way of life for all communities. To advance this definitive cause, Sampson created Opportunity Ecosystem (OE). Opportunity Ecosystem includes opportunity.UP // unleashing private equity, the nation’s leading conference and learning platform learning for minorities and under-served communities to learn, navigate and master investment ecosystem. opportunity.UP conferences attract over 1,000 entrepreneurs, 500 teenagers and 100 accredited investors and mentors. Opportunity Ecosystem also includes opportunity.HUB a coworking space, knowledge hub, coding school and accelerator located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. opportunity.HUB is home to opportunity.VENTURES, a new seed and early stage fund focused on making investments in early stage consumer facing, technology and disruptive social enterprise based companies that impact culture and beyond.

Sampson is also an advocate and respected expert on the JOBS Act (debt and equity based crowdfunding) and State of Georgia’s “Invest Georgia Exemption” legislation. Always meditating, thinking, networking and connecting to disrupt economic culture, Sampson is innovating what he has branded as an “ecosystem crowdfunding platform” -designed to integrate the capital markets of the African American owned banks, churches, business associations and historical black colleges and universities. The platform will allow underserved and under-represented communities to learn, engage and invest in the investment ecosystem by providing access to relevant investment opportunities traditionally reserved for accredited and institutional investors. The long-term outcome will result in job creation, wealth creation and a better society for all.

 

 

Karen Davis and Maria Peck with Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs

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We continue our series on small business financial literacy with special guests, Strategic Initiatives Director Karen Davis and Loan Officer Maria Peck of Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE). ACE is a nonprofit community lender that specializes in small business loans coupled with business advisory services. They assist tiny start-ups to large businesses and everything in between, by making loans with generous repayment terms and affordable interest rates – resources that can be extremely difficult to access using traditional banks today. So if you are a small business needing the capital to grow and sustain your business, or a larger company wanting to enhance your competitiveness and sustainability – listen in and consider ACE as your financial partner today.     Twitter

Karen Davis / Strategic Initiatives Director

Karen Davis currently serves as Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs’ (ACE) Strategic Initiatives Director. In this role, she directs ACE’s Women Investing in Successful Entrepreneurs (WISE) Initiative which is a $2.5 million revolving loan fund specifically for women entrepreneurs wanting to expand or start a business within Metro Atlanta and the North Georgia region. In addition to the loan funds, WISE offers business advisory support through individualized business consultations, business development seminars, speed coaching, and mentoring from high net-worth business owners. Karen is also the Principal Consultant of Curry Davis Consulting Group, LLC. Karen has more than 13 years of program management and community development experience and has made strides in her efforts to assist families with moving towards economic self-sufficiency, health and wellness.

Maria Peck / Loan Officer

Maria “Mayte” Peck was born in New York City and raised in Trujillo, Peru. Her 15-plus years of sales and marketing experience comes from a broad range of positions held in Atlanta and New York, giving her a diverse view of the industry. As the owner of Sweet Devil Moon Tapas Bar, she was personally responsible for meeting the financial challenges of running a restaurant, managing a 1.2 Million-dollar yearly budget for 6 years. Her search for additional funding led her to ACCION USA, a national micro-lender. She spent two years working from home after her daughter Victoria was born, then decided to work with Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs as Small Business Loan Officer. She works on community outreach initiatives, coaching financial education programs around town, one-on-one business consulting and lending.

 

 

Lara O’Connor Hodgson with NOWaccount and Dwayne Cheatom with Skyline Engineering

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2014-08-19 12.00.13-2

If you are like most small businesses, 90 percent of your B2B sales require you to manage and fund a transaction. Meanwhile, with your working capital tied up in outstanding invoices, funding new sales for business growth can be a challenge. Addressing this problem is GMSDC strategic partner Lara O’Connor Hodgson, GMSDC strategic partner and president & CEO of Nowaccount Network Corporation. Her goals are to help small businesses “grow fearlessly,” and by aiding with small business cash flow challenges, to “save the U.S. economy.” Listen to this important interview, as it is the first of an ongoing Access to Capital Interview Series on GMSDC Radio.

Lara O’Connor Hodgson / NOWaccount Network Corporation

Dwayne Cheatom / Skyline Engineering & Construction

 

 

Donna Ennis with MBDA Business Center Atlanta

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In honor of its 10-year anniversary, GMSDC Radio welcomed Donna Ennis of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center – Atlanta to the studio. As a federal program of the U.S. Department of Commerce and Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, as well as, a strategic partner to the GMSDC’s Mentor Protégé Connection program—you’ll want to tune in as Ennis elaborates on the new direction of the MBDA Center and shares the MBDA’s take on the state of small business today.

Donna Ennis / MBDA Business Center – Atlanta LinkedIn Twitter

Donna Ennis, C.P.F is the project director for the MBDA Business Center – Atlanta located at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2). Funded by the Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), the MBDA Business Center’s mission is to grow and strengthen Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs).

A Certified Professional Facilitator, Donna is responsible for the strategic direction, marketing, outreach, and operations for the Center and provides assistance to Center clients in strategic, business and market planning; private and public procurement, finance, operations and business process improvement. Under her leadership, the Center has assisted MBEs in generating over $1 billion in contracts, financing, and sales and creating more than 4,000 jobs.

Donna has more than 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, public relations, program management, and business development with an emphasis on identifying company needs and matching those needs to the appropriate resources. As the former manager of product marketing and program services for EI2, she directed the marketing strategies and activities for EI2’s Center for International Standards & Quality, Lean Enterprise Services, and the Energy and Environmental Management Center. Trained as a lead auditor for ISO 9001, she helped companies determine their business process improvement needs and provided specific direction for clients who implemented management systems and lean techniques as part of their business strategies.

Donna received her Master of Public Administration from Georgia State University and a B.S. in communications from Boston University. She is an awardee of the 2011 Georgia Tech Women Out Front program and has been named one of Atlanta’s Top 100 Black Women of Influence by the Atlanta Business League. Donna is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Center for the Prevention of Home Improvement Fraud and a former member of the Board of Trustees of Atlanta Unity Church. A native of Washington, D.C., she is the proud mother of daughter Adenike Makinde.