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April Cleek and Jennifer Oelenberger of EHR Concepts

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EHR Concepts

April Cleek /President & CEO of EHR Concepts

Prior to founding EHR Concepts in 2008, April worked globally implementing Electronic Health Records solutions, adapting EHR software to each client’s specific needs and each user’s learning process. Her proven healthcare IT implementation/ consulting processes form the foundation of EHR Concepts, which is still dedicated to treating each client as if they were the only one – relying on a unique consulting approach that helps clients utilize EHR applications to their fullest potential.

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Jennifer Oelenberger / Director of Operations & Account Management  EHR Concepts

Jennifer has twelve years of experience in healthcare, with specific expertise in complex IT implementations. Her understanding of healthcare operations and clinical knowledge enable us to place the consultants that best fit our clients’ needs. Jennifer acts as our knowledge ambassador and interacts with our clients to ensure that our projects run smoothly. She also serves as Community Relations Chair on the Allscripts Eastern Regional Users Group (ERUG) board.

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Tai Anderson of Syrup Marketing

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Tai Anderson

Tai Anderson / Syrup Marketing

After a 20 year career developing lifelong fans for a multi-Grammy award-winning entertainment brand, Tai brings an insatiable passion in helping businesses create champions to Syrup.  Whether meeting with a tech startup or an established business, Tai offers fresh insights to better serve your customers at every phase of their relationship with your company.

When not growing businesses, Tai can be found on the sidelines or in the stands cheering on one of his 6 children in their sporting events and activities.

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Martina Stellmaszek of the German American Chamber of Commerce and Don Nicholson of DEKRA North America

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Martina Stellmaszek

Martina Stellmaszek / German American Chamber of Commerce

Martina Stellmaszek is originally from Munich, Germany. She has a double degree in Business Administration from the European School of Business in Reutlingen, Germany and the Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid, Spain, and earned her MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in Atlanta, GA in 2011.

Since joining the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S. (GACC South) in 2004, Martina has held various roles. She became Director of Consulting Services in 2008 and Vice President in 2010. She was appointed President & CEO by the Board of Directors effective March 1, 2012. Martina also serves as the Chapter Director of the Atlanta Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany.

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Donald Nicholson / DEKRA North America, Inc.

Donald O. Nicholson is President and Chief Executive Officer of DEKRA North America.  DEKRA is one of the world’s leading expert organizations, with more than 35,000 employees in more than 50 countries committed to helping companies ensure long-term safety, at home, at work and on the road.  In 2014, DEKRA generated sales totaling approximately $3 billion.

Nicholson has over 20 years of strategic planning, business development, project management, and leadership experience in the safety and quality assurance industry.  Prior to joining DEKRA as President and CEO, he was Vice President of TUV SUD North America, an international service corporation focusing on consulting, testing, certification, and training.  Prior to TUV SUD he began his career at Intertek Testing Services, a leading provider of laboratory testing, research, inspection and consulting services for global industry, markets and institutions where he served as Vice President.

Nicholson holds a degree in electrical engineering technologies from the State University of New York at Alfred.

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Patrick Renn of Renn Wealth Management Group & Jonathan Wilfong of Focus Investment Banking

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Patrick Renn

Patrick Renn / The Renn Wealth Management Group

Pat Renn is a financial professional that has been cited in ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS for his work in wealth management.

Pat is Founder & President ofThe Renn Wealth Management Group, Inc. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with over 40 years experience  providing wealth  management  strategies to individuals, their families  &   charities.

He has been President of the Georgia Society of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners & President of the Georgia Chapter of the International Association for Financial Planning. He is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, the Atlanta Estate Planning Council and the Georgia Planned Giving Council. He is a graduate of Villanova University and holds an MBA from Loyola College.

He has served on the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School Board and chaired their Endowment Funds Committee. Pat chaired the Cathedral of St. Philip Endowment Funds and is a trustee of the Alliance for Christian Media Endowment. He chaired the   Georgia Special Olympics Board and served on the Schenk School Board.

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Jonathan Wilfong / Focus Investment Banking, LLC

Jonathan E. Wilfong, a FOCUS Partner, has over forty five years of broad industry experience in mergers and acquisitions, business development, and capital formation. Mr. Wilfong has participated in over 100 transactions, as intermediary or principal. In his capacity as business advisor he participated in numerous capital formation and merger and acquisition activities that aggregated in excess of $500 million.

Prior to joining FOCUS, Mr. Wilfong was the Senior Managing Director of The March Group, LLC, a private investment banking firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. While at March he completed a number of successful merger and acquisition engagements for middle market companies in the chemical, oilfield and wellhead supply, equipment manufacturing and healthcare industries. Some of the more significant transactions he participated in are Verify Solutions, Alliance Healthcare, Excelsior Medical, Control Devices, Drain All, VeenendaalCave, SBC Systems and Encore Construction among others.

Mr. Wilfong was a founder and co-founder of two physician practice management companies, OrthAlliance and the Plastic Surgery Company. In founding these companies Mr. Wilfong raised over $5 million in Regulation D offerings and negotiated the acquisition of over 75 medical practices. Both of these companies completed successful initial public offerings with a combined market capitalization in excess of $125 million at the IPO date.

In addition, he was a co-founder of Ouch.com; an Internet-based medical supply superstore. During his tenure as president and chief executive officer, he recruited an experienced management team, managed the development of a web site that offered over 65,000 items and initiated and implemented strategic alliances with several significant medical associations including the Orthopaedic Foundation of America.

In 1970, Mr. Wilfong joined Price Waterhouse, LLP and from 1983 through 1995 he served as a Partner with that firm, including 5 years as an office managing partner. During his tenure at Price Waterhouse Mr. Wilfong served as a business advisor to numerous clients, many with global operations, in a wide spectrum of industries including media, transportation, manufacturing and distribution, consumer packaging and products, healthcare and retail.

Mr. Wilfong, a CPA, received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from East Carolina University and participated in the Executive Program at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

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Speaker and Author Chuck Reaves

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Chuck Reaves

Chuck Reaves / ChuckReaves.com

“In the history of recorded time, no customer has ever said, ‘Your price is too high,’ and meant it”. That is Chuckism #6 and our speaker is today is Chuck Reaves who coined that phrase. Chuck helps companies raise their prices and their volumes simultaneously.

More than 5000 audiences all over the world have heard him speak. He works with large and small organizations to help them sell more effectively using some of the latest technologies and processes in sales. He is pioneering Kaizen for Sales, Chief Sales Officer content, Supply Chain Selling and a number of other cutting-edge concepts for increasing sales.

He is the former top salesperson for AT&T where he was the highest producer out of 1,100 account executives. He is one of only 176 people in the 4,000-member National Speakers Association to have received the Certified Speaking Professional designation AND been inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame (where his name appears next to Ronald Reagan).

For his volunteer efforts he has been named Veterans Advocate of the year, Outstanding Georgia Citizen and has been invited to the White House twice.

He is the author of nine books, numerous articles and has been interviewed by numerous media outlets.  Chuck is a decorated Vietnam veteran and a successful entrepreneur.

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CEOs Who are Changing the World

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Change the world

Sometimes we forget to look around and take notice of the miracles surrounding us. Listen in as CEO Exclusive Radio host Soyini Coke talks with some truly inspiring CEOs who also happen to be changing the world.

“Hosting CEO Exclusive has given me the opportunity to meet and be inspired by so many CEOs, and to look for ways to implement the lessons I’ve learned into my own life, and in the ways I work with midsized companies to develop business strategies. I hope it does the same for you, and that we all find our own paths to making positive changes in the world.” – Soyini Coke

Klaas Baks and Steve Freedman of Tiger 21

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KlaasBaks

Klaas Baks / Tiger 21

Klaas P. Baks PhD (www.klaasbaks.com is a recognized thought-leader in alternative investments and entrepreneurial finance. Dr. Baks is the co-founder and executive director of the Emory Center for Alternative Investments, whose international board consists of chief executive officers of pension and sovereign wealth funds with over $1 trillion in assets under management. Dr. Baks has been a Finance Professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School since 2002.

Dr. Baks’s research and teaching focuses on issues in alternative investments, entrepreneurial finance and investment management, and he has published papers in numerous academic and business journals, including the Wall Street Journal. He teaches courses in private equity, venture capital and entrepreneurial finance at Emory and has been recognized by students and alumni with four teaching awards, including Emory University’s highest award for teaching excellence, the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Marc F. Adler Prize for Teaching Excellence awarded by alumni. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Luxembourg School of Finance, where he teaches a course in private equity in their Executive Program in Wealth Management.

Dr. Baks is the Atlanta Chair with TIGER 21, North America’s premier peer-to-peer learning network for high-net-worth investors. TIGER 21’s approximately 380 members collectively manage more than $27 billion and are entrepreneurs, inventors and top executives focused on improving investment acumen, as well as exploring common issues of wealth preservation, estate planning and family dynamics.

Dr. Baks serves as director or advisor for over 13 companies in a variety of industries, including Brightwood Capital Advisors (fixed income), Kruger Capital (private equity), Panton Equity Partners (private equity), Peachtree Hotel Group (real estate), Transcardiac Therapeutics (health care), Triton Value Partners (strategic consulting) and TWO Capital Partners (real estate). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Michael C. Carlos Museum.

Prior to joining Emory University, Dr. Baks held positions at Fuji Bank in Tokyo, Japan, Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong and the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.

Dr. Baks studied at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (PhD in Finance), Brown University (Master’s in Economics), Groningen University (Master’s in Econometrics) and Leiden University (Diploma in Japanese Language and Business Studies). He spent two years at Harvard University as part of his doctoral research at Wharton on the performance of actively managed mutual funds.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Dr. Baks resides with his wife and son in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Steve Freedman / Tiger 21

Steve founded Getmembers.com in 1994 and sold a majority interest in 2007 to private equity firm, Lake Capital.  Between 2007 and 2012 we grew the parent Company (Hyper Marketing, Inc) organically and via acquisitions into the largest independent marketing services firm in the US which we sold to Epsilon, a $1.3 Billion division of Alliance Data in November, 2012.  Steve served on the board of Hyper Marketing, Inc since 2007 and was the President of the local marketing division which delivered turn-key direct marketing campaigns generally via direct mail and direct prospect e-mail to our clients in multiple verticals and we specialized in franchise organizations.  After 19 incredible years of building and leading the company, he decided to move on to the next chapter in his professional career.

Beach Ball Capital, LLC focuses on short and long term alternative investments in the areas of commercial and residential real estate, select service hotels, distressed and senior secured debt, private equity, venture and select operating companies with a unique selling proposition. We are both active and passive investors depending on the investment opportunity.

Steve is a graduate of Emory University and a licensed CPA in Georgia.  He lives with his wife, Lisa and 2 daughters in Sandy Springs.

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Michael Bull of Bull Realty

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MichaelBull

Michael Bull / Bull Realty

Michael Bull is a writer, speaker, trainer, consultant, business coach, radio show host, and active commercial real estate broker. He has been involved in $4 billion in sales and lease transactions over a successful 30 year career. He has earned the prestigious CCIM designation as well as the CRB and ePro designations.

Mr. Bull is the founder and managing broker at Bull Realty, Inc, a U.S. commercial real estate sales, leasing and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The firm is licensed in nine states and works all over the country with partner firms. Along with other respected professional services, Bull Realty is known to have the best commercial real estate marketing in the country.

Michael is the host of America’s Commercial Real Estate Show, a weekly talk radio show about business and commercial real estate related issues. New shows are broadcast every week, available on-demand at iTunes and the show web site. Shows are also broadcast on 12 radio stations arounf the country including flagship station Biz 1190 WAFS at 10 am ET every Saturday in Atlanta.

Along with giving back to the industry through the radio show, Mr. Bull also writes blogs and articles and has contributed articles to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Atlanta Business Chronicle Real Blog, Georgia Trend, Shopping Center Business, Multi-Housing News and Nations Restaurant News.

Michael enjoys the study of marketing and has become a well known social media advocate. Your invited to connect with Michael on Google+, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Mr. Bull is involved with networking and professional organizations including the National Association of Realtors, the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the Real Estate Brokerage Managers Council, the ePro Network, the Atlanta Leaders Group, Real Estate Group Atlanta, the Real Estate Group at the Atlanta Bar and the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Michael enjoys spending time with his family residing in the Chastain Park area of Atlanta. Michael’s hobbies include performance boating, basketball and music.

Mr. Bull was born in Nashville, Tenn, and has lived in Atlanta since the age of 6. He attended local Atlanta schools Grady High School, Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Real Estate. Michael started his real estate career in 1977. While attending night school, he leased and managed 350 apartment units working closely with managing partner Lorne Twiner at Midtown Rental Company. Michael Bull reports. “Lorne Twiner taught me client services and property management from an owner / client prospective. It’s a much more intense management style than the typical third party way of conducting management and leasing services.”

Within two years, commercial real estate sales and management firm Buddy Patrick Realtors recruited Michael to lead their property management company with property manager Bill Lane. Michael thanks Mr. Patrick, “Buddy Patrick taught me the importance of integrity and to enjoy life and the people around me every day.” Michael transformed the marketing, collections, accounting and maintenance procedures, tripling the size of the company in three years. Michael’s hands on experience of improving operations and managing, renovating and increasing the value of investment properties was great experience for what was to come.

In 1979 Michael sold his first apartment building and began to excel in investment brokerage. In 1984, he earned his brokers license and joined RE/MAX of Georgia as director of the commercial division. His performance there was awarded with the firm’s top commercial production awards at nationwide levels. While associated with RE/MAX, Michael operated a separate commercial office and support staff, building a successful brokerage career selling apartment buildings and all types of commercial properties in Atlanta.

As his business grew, his clients required more sophisticated marketing, tools and research. There was a need for a reputable commercial company name to properly promote larger properties. While the national commercial firms were aggressively recruiting him, Michael felt the way the national firms market exclusive listings is not adequate or even fair to seller clients. He began to create a marketing platform that has proven to provide excellent results.

After purchasing and renovating an office building in 1997, Michael opened Bull Realty, Incorporated in January 1998. The firm started with two main missions the firm still lives by today. 1) To create a high-intergrity company of stellar reputation and 2) to provide the best commercial real estate marketing in the country.

The firm has done well for their clients and agents. Bull Realty now has 34 brokers and 15 support staff providing sales, leasing, auction and advisory services for major clients throughout the United States. Michael Bull is the managing broker in the Atlanta office and works daily with the firm’s clients and brokers to add value to their real estate endeavors.

Michael Bull is available to add value to your commercial real estate endeavors, contact Michael at 800-408-2855.

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Emma Morris of Jem, Inc., Shannon Grube of Blackfin Square, Inc. and Tyler Workman of Okoa Refuge

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Emma Morris

Emma Morris / Jem, Inc.

Emma Morris has spent most of her career in technology companies from IBM to startups. She is an experienced CEO of three technology companies. She is the co-founder of four technology companies and her consulting firm. Most recently, Emma was the facilitator of a Christian CEO Roundtable. For the last seven years, she helped these Christian CEOs use their businesses as a platform for sharing Christ without tangling with the law.

She is active on the boards of several technology and non-profit boards. Her hobbies are traveling and cycling with her husband of 40 years. Her passion is Business as Mission. Emma earned her BA cum laude at Emory University and her MBA at the University of South Carolina.

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Shannon Grube / BlackFin Square, Inc.

Shannon Grube is the Chief Executive Officer of BlackFin Square. Shannon founded BlackFin Square in 1996. She brings an amazing entrepreneurial talent to the growing team.

Shannon has grown BlackFin Square for 17 years.  Her executive focus and passion is in working with colocation & cloud, global networks, hosted voice and resolving complicated provider/client conflicts.  She believes in strong, balanced teams, building skills and strengths, and finding leadership.  Shannon has grown BlackFin Square’s support base over the past 15 years and partnered with more than 30 global best of breed vendors and platforms.

Shannon’s career focus has been in telecommunications and sales.  She has held competitive sales roles early in her career at Allnet, before launching BlackFin Square.

Her open-minded approach to problem solving and listening to Client’s needs truly separates the company’s vision from the competition.  Shannon is always searching for innovative opportunities for both BlackFin Square and more importantly, each Client’s success.  Shannon’s motto is that the Client comes first and their goals and successes are at the forefront of her drive.

Shannon is a proud sports mom of two boys and enjoys tennis, swimming, and biking. Over the last few years, she’s developed a new passion in focused philanthropy and enjoys making a difference, and encouraging and supporting her team in doing the same.

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Tyler Workman / Okoa Refuge

Tyler and his wife Liv had very different lives growing up. Tyler lived in the same town his entire life and Liv had moved fourteen times by the age of twenty. By the grace of God, their paths crossed in October 2005 at a YWAM training school and they were married three years later.

Tyler’s first trip to Africa was when he was seventeen years old and went to Botswana with Global Expeditions. He spent a life-changing month in the bush and really felt inspired to return to Africa some day. All of his feelings were confirmed when, shortly after returning home, he learned about the Lord’s Resistance Army and their twenty year reign of terror in Northern Uganda. From that moment, he knew he would be returning to Africa.

He qualified for his General Contractor’s license, but shortly after that it became apparent that there was a different purpose for his life while they were still Stateside. From the ground up, he started the Thrift Store that has become irreplaceable in terms of financial support for Okoa Refuge.

Liv lived with her family in Gabon, West Africa, as a child. Her dad was in the oil industry and so they moved around quite frequently. Africa imprited on Liv’s heart and each and every major decision she made after returning home at age six has been with the knowledge that one day, again, she would be making Africa her home. In 2009 she graduated with her Bachelors Degree in nursing and worked for two and a half years as a registered nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at The Mayo Clinic – Jacksonville. The skills she has learned will be highly useful in the bush clinics they will host in remote villages.

The Workman’s first daughter, Shamilah Michelle, was adopted from Uganda and came home on September 17, 2010. She was three years old. Their second child (though third in the birth order), Judah Sunshine, is a biological daughter and was born December 1, 2011. In December 2013 – after moving permanently to Uganda – they began fostering a little boy with no name. They named him Gideon Benaiah and his adoption was finalized January 9, 2014. Gideon’s birthday is May 17, 2009. Later that year, on June 6, 2014, Bear Abishai was born in Kampala, Uganda.

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