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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Gwinnett Studio





Gwinnett Business Radio

Month: February 2013

Dom Rainey and Nikole Toptas with CDI Managed Services, Leslie Waugh with Vine Branch Designs and Jauxniece Palmer with Gold’s Gym

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Dom Rainey & Nikole Toptas/CDI Managed Services

CDI Managed Services is your single point of contact for all your technology needs. CDI offers a full range of IT outsourcing and IT support solutions to keep your computing environment running at peak performance and help you achieve your business objectives. CDI MS adheres to industry best practices and processes to ensure your company receives the quality technology environment it deserves. They do this at an affordable and predictable cost. 

CDI Managed Services allows clients to focus on their core business while reducing the overhead costs typically associated with staffing for a meaningful level of IT support. They are a pure service organization, priding themselves on building long term partnerships with their clients. Their clients consider them an extension of their own business – their IT department.

Dom Rainey has over 30-years experience in IT consultative sales process, including 13-years expertise as National Account Manager with Allied Data Communications and Business Development with CDI Managed Services. He was the second employee at CDI Managed Services (formerly Radical Support) and is proud to claim over 10 years in sales with the company.

Leslie Waugh/Vine Branch Designs

Your Customer is mobile… Are You? 

Did you know that your customers are 51% more likely to purchase from retailers that have a mobile-specific website? Not having a mobile experience can lose you business. Vine Branch Designs caters specifically to small businesses to help them achieve online recognition and a strong mobile presence.  They will help your business increase sales and online visibility with:

  • A professional responsive website
  • A fast and easy way to have your own mobile app
  • Strategic  SEO solutions to get your website to rank on the first page of Google

Check out the Vine Branch mobile apps program. It will save you time and resources and help you create an app that will extend your reach to your customers’ smartphones – the only thing they are sure to have with them everyday.

Contact Vine Branch Designs for a Free Demo to see what an app for your business would look like.

Jauxniece Palmer/Gold’s Gym of Suwanee/Sugar Hill

Family owned and operated, Gold’s Gym of Suwanee/Sugar Hill is fueled by their passion to help individuals find fun and efficient ways to get Heart Healthy each week through quality programming, a friendly and caring staff, and a clean motivating environment.

The facility is 30,000 square feet. They are locally owned and operated, with 2 group fitness rooms and over 73 classes for both men and women each week. Their average age member is in the 30-50 age range. They also offer tanning, childcare, dry sauna, have a Planet Smoothie inside, and have a partnership with Apex Healthcare next door.

Kate Schermerhorn with Eagle Carpet Care & Restoration, Mike Nash with Suddath Relocation Systems, Fitness Professional Shari Fitness and Mark Harmon with Georgia Public Broadcasting

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Kate Schermerhorn/Eagle Carpet Care & Restoration

Eagle Carpet Care & Restoration began serving the Metro-Atlanta area in 1985. Eagle is family owned and operated by Tony & Cathy LaRocco and never sub-contracted. Today both the LaRocco’s sons work in the business to carry the business to the second generation. Eagle Carpet Care uses only a truck mounted hot water extraction, often referred to as Steam Cleaning. According to major brands and manufacturers of carpet in the USA, steam cleaning/hot water extraction is the only recommended cleaning method approved. In addition to carpet, they clean all flooring services: tile and grout, hardwoods, linoleum, VCT, area and oriental rugs. They also clean air ducts, upholstery and offer carpet repair including stretching, patches, and re-seaming. For life’s scary moments, Eagle Carpet Care’s Restoration division is just a phone call away to clean up water damage, fire damage, mold clean up, flood damage and bio-hazard or trauma situations. Free Estimates and same day service.

Kate Schermerhorn is the sales and marketing representative for Eagle Carpet Care & Restoration. Kate has been with Eagle for two years. She had 13 years of sales and marketing experience prior to joining the Eagle team from managing retail stores, to wholesale sale representative, to running a promotional goods company with her husband.

Mike Nash/Suddath Relocation Systems of Atlanta

An Atlanta moving company that is more than just another Atlanta mover, Suddath Relocation Systems offers moving, transportation, warehousing and logistics services to Atlanta and the surrounding area.

Whether you are moving yourself or you’re a corporation looking to relocate your employees or offices, Suddath is the best-of-the-best of Atlanta movers. Residents and businesses trust Suddath for all of their local Atlanta warehouse, household goods moving, logistics, office moving and corporate relocation needs.

Suddath offers do-it-yourself options to full-service moving and storage services, both domestically and internationally. The Suddath local service center serves as your Atlanta warehouse, movers, office movers, and Atlanta logistics company that is unmatched with resources and expertise.

Mike Nash is the President & General Manager of Suddath Relocation Systems of Atlanta, Inc. Mike is a 40 year veteran of the moving and storage industry including 21 years with the Suddath organization.

Shari Fitness/Fitness Professional

Shari Fitness is a well known fitness professional, body transformation expert and author of the book Transformation Over 40, specializing in fat loss over the age of 40.

After transforming her body at the age of 40, Shari has become one of the most respected names in the fitness industry helping thousands of men and women over the age of 40 lose unwanted belly fat, feel better, look better and have more energy.

She is also the creator of the highly popular Health and Fitness blog FitTalkNews.com. You can connect with her on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn.

Mark Harmon/Georgia Public Broadcasting

As one of the highest rated PBS stations in the nation, Georgia Public Broadcasting has been creating content worth sharing for over 50 years. With nine television stations, 17 radio stations and a multi-faceted web presence, GPB strives to educate, entertain and enrich the lives of their viewers and listeners with programming that includes statewide radio news, current affairs, high school sports, educational resources for teachers and students and enlightening programs about the state like Georgia Traveler and Georgia Outdoors.

Mark Harmon serves as the Sports Director at GPB.

Sonja Wren and Ken Wilson with Suddath Relocation Systems, and Marie Fratoni with Reinvent Yourself Seminars

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Sonja Wren & Ken Wilson/Suddath Relocation Systems

An Atlanta moving company that is more than just another Atlanta mover, Suddath Relocation Systems offers moving, transportation, warehousing and logistics services to Atlanta and the surrounding area.

Whether you are moving yourself or you are a corporation looking to relocate your employees or offices, Suddath is the best-of-the-best of Atlanta movers. Residents and businesses trust Suddath for all of their local Atlanta warehouse, household goods moving, logistics, office moving and corporate relocation needs.

Suddath offers do-it-yourself options to full-service moving and storage services both domestically and internationally. The Suddath local service center serves as your Atlanta warehouse, movers, office movers, and Atlanta logistics company that is unmatched with resources and expertise.

Marie Fratoni/Reinvent Yourself Seminars

Reinvent Yourself Seminars is a Coaching and Training Company which supports people in creating happy, fulfilling careers. They provide speaking engagements, skill-building seminars, 1-on-1 Coaching, and vacation-courses in Italy where people develop success skills and business growth strategies to make the leap from “same old, same old” to a thriving and prosperous career or business.

Marie Fratoni, M.Ed. is a talented human potential expert and a top reinvention strategist. She is a dynamic Coach and Speaker, and brings a wealth of talent and experience to her programs, demonstrating a high level of commitment and expertise.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE with John Ernst: Chandler Mason with Mason & Associates and Teri Canning with Writealoan.com

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE is hosted by John Ernst with Ernst & Partners.

Chandler Mason/Mason & Associates

Mason & Associates is a law firm specializing in representing clients who have suffered bodily injuries. Chandler Mason is the founding partner of the firm which is based in Lawrenceville, GA.

Teri Canning/Writealoan.com

Writealoan.com (previously known as Twins Mortgage Corp) was founded in 1992 by Steve and Teri Canning. It originally serviced the Chicagoland area. Since then, it has provided great pricing with exceptional service in Michigan, Florida, and since 2000, in Georgia. The company has more than 30 years experience in the mortgage industry. 

Teri Canning has been in the mortgage industry for over 33 years and has owned Writealoan.com, Inc. with her husband since 1992. She is considered one of the top industry lenders in mortgage origination.

John Ernst/Ernst & Partners

Ernst & Partners is a law firm that handles Personal Injury, Real Estate Closings, Bankruptcy, Criminal and Divorce.

John A. Ernst Jr. is a graduate of Emory University and University of Georgia, School of Law. After graduating from Emory, Mr. Ernst was the assistant to Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, in which capacity he had the opportunity to meet with the leaders of the state and from around the world. Mr. Ernst is also a veteran of many political campaigns around the state. He then continued his education and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. During his tenure in law school, Mr. Ernst was a member of the prosecutorial clinic where he served as a prosecutor in the Athens-Clarke County District Attorney’s office and was a summer clerk for the Honorable John J Ellington, Georgia Court of Appeals. After law school, Mr. Ernst served as the Attorney of the Majority Caucus in the Georgia House of Representatives for the 2004 Legislative Session. John opened his own law firm in 2005 where he handles Real Estate Transactions, Bankruptcy cases, and Personal Injury Clients.

Tom Leatherberry with Leatherberry Associates, Brande Melton and Emily Youkers with Sage SalesLogix, Jim Hall with Triatek and Dustin Bixby with the Gwinnett Gladiators

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Tom Leatherberry/Leatherberry Associates

Leatherberry Associates is a performance driven provider of CRM, BI Reporting, Marketing and Workflow Automation software solutions. If you are serious about finding the right solution for your business, one that will provide measurable value through increased employee efficiency, reduced fiscal costs, and improved customer tracking, then we want to talk to you.

Tom Leatherberry is the founder and CEO of Leatherberry Associates and crmLinX Software, a 15 year veteran and performance driven provider of CRM, Marketing and Workflow Automation solutions.

Brande Melton & Emily Youkers/Sage SalesLogix

CRM Your Way. Sage SalesLogix is an award-winning CRM solution that provides a complete view of customer interactions across your sales, marketing, and customer service/support teams so they can collaborate and respond promptly and knowledgably to customer inquiries and sales opportunities.

Sales – Manage leads, opportunities, and accounts
Marketing – Design, execute and manage campaigns
Service/Support – Deliver extraordinary customer service

Jim Hall/Triatek

Founded in 1985, Triatek is a growing, privately held company based in Norcross, GA. Triatek manufactures a complete line of building control products that seamlessly integrate with most building automation systems on the market including but not limited to Johnson Controls Metasys™, Siemens System 600 Apogee™, Automated Logic Webctrl™, Andover Controls, Teletrol, Alerton Technologies, and many others.

Additionally, most of their products are LON, BACnet and MODBUS compatible, and are, therefore, poised to be at the forefront of the industry’s inexorable move towards open protocols and integration.

Dustin Bixby/Gwinnett Gladiators

The Gwinnett Gladiators are the ECHL Affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League and are members of the ECHL, the Premier “AA” Hockey League, and play all home games at the 11,355-seat Arena at Gwinnett Center, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth. The Gladiators offer ticket and sponsorship opportunities to match the specific needs of any business.

Dustin Bixby begins his tenth season with the Gladiators. A recipient of the ECHL’s American Conference Media Relations Director of the Year Award for the 2006-2007 season, he has been in the broadcast booth for the Gladiators since the organization relocated to Gwinnett from Mobile, AL. For the 9th season in a row, Dustin is calling the Gladiators action on WDUN News Talk 550 and online at wdun.com. The Gladiators radio broadcasts on WDUN were named best Sports Play-By-Play for a Class B radio station in Georgia by the AP for 2005.

Jeanne Smith with Ultra Touch Cleaning, Dr. Bill Williams with Suwanee Dental Care and Marie Fratoni with Reinvent Yourself Seminars

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Jeanne Smith/Ultra Touch Cleaners

Ultra Touch Cleaners provides residential, turnkey and business office cleanings. They have been in Gwinnett County since July 2007 and have been in the industry for 20 years. They service Gwinnett & surrounding counties. Ultra Touch Cleaning is a drug-free workplace that is licensed & insured.

Ultra Touch Cleaning specializes in custom home cleaning services available on a weekly, bi-weekly, tri-weekly, monthly or one-time basis. Ultra Touch Cleaning cleans each home/office individually to guarantee that they meet each client’s objectives and budget.

Dr. Bill Williams/Suwanee Dental Care

Suwanee Dental Care is the comprehensive dental practice in Gwinnett with four highly skilled dentists who can take care of the entire family’s needs all in one place. With over 60 years of combined experience, they treat cases simple to severe with care, compassion and understanding…not to mention with a gentle touch. Being trained in all dental arenas, including, implants, orthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, TMJ, periodontics, reconstruction with crowns and bridges, cosmetic, laser and sedation dentistry, they are able to meet the most discriminating individuals needs, even the dental phobic.

Because they understand that dentistry is very personal and important to each individual, they take the time to do a very thorough examination only after they have met and discussed important history and current concerns each person coming to them has. They seek to help each person achieve healthy longevity and to have smiles that they will love. Suwanee Dental Care, certainly an oasis in the midst of what we call Gwinnett.

Marie Fratoni/Reinvent Yourself Seminars

Reinvent Yourself Seminars is a Coaching and Training Company which supports people in creating happy, fulfilling careers. They provide speaking engagements, skill-building seminars, 1-on-1 Coaching, and vacation-courses in Italy where people develop success skills and business growth strategies to make the leap from “same old, same old” to a thriving and prosperous career or business.

Marie Fratoni, M.Ed. is a talented human potential expert and a top reinvention strategist. She is a dynamic Coach and Speaker, and brings a wealth of talent and experience to her programs, demonstrating a high level of commitment and expertise.

Karen Tinker with USA Mobile Drug Testing, Mark Fuhrman with CSS-Comcast Sports Southeast, Don Conklin with Pinnacle Custom Signs and Marie Fratoni with Reinvent Yourself Seminars

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Karen Tinker/USA Mobile Drug Testing

USAMDT is a professional drug & alcohol testing, compliance and training firm located in Norcross, GA. They specialize in helping companies of all sizes navigate the complicated world of Drug and Alcohol Testing and Compliance. They support both DOT and non DOT protocols and they come to your site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They provide convenient and cost-effective solutions.

Karen Tinker is a Certified Compliance Specialist (C-USAMDT), DATIA Certified Professional Collector (CPC) and DATIA Certified Designated Employer Rep Trainer (C-DERT). Karen’s core competencies include Georgia Drug Free Workplace Certification and Compliance as well as DOT FMCSA Compliance. She is known as a Drug Free Workplace Advocate who provides speaking engagements throughout NE Georgia. Karen can help companies set-up and maintain a Drug Free Workplace as well as help companies and individuals with other testing such as court ordered, student, athlete, job fair, jobsite or special events screenings. She also blogs for various websites regarding drug and alcohol awareness.

Mark Fuhrman/CSS-Comcast Sports Southeast

CSS is a 24-hour sports network carrying a full slate of college sports programming. The channel offers a comprehensive sports lineup throughout the year including over 40 live college football games including the SEC, Sun Belt, Conference USA and Gulf South Conference. In addition, CSS broadcasts over 165 men’s and women’s live college basketball games and over 80 live baseball games, as well as a comprehensive mix of sports news and in-depth sports analysis geared toward fans in the south.

Don Conklin/Pinnacle Custom Signs

Pinnacle Custom Signs is a full service commercial sign company located in Buford, GA. They serve the greater Atlanta metro area but concentrate their efforts in Gwinnett, Hall and Forsyth Counties. The company was founded in June 2011 by Don and Theresa Conklin. Both of them left their corporate jobs to start their own business and create jobs in the community.

Marie Fratoni/Reinvent Yourself Seminars

Reinvent Yourself Seminars is a Coaching and Training Company which supports people in creating happy, fulfilling careers. They provide speaking engagements, skill-building seminars, 1-on-1 Coaching, and vacation-courses in Italy where people develop success skills and business growth strategies to make the leap from “same old, same old” to a thriving and prosperous career or business.

Marie Fratoni, M.Ed. is a talented human potential expert and a top reinvention strategist. She is a dynamic Coach and Speaker, and brings a wealth of talent and experience to her programs, demonstrating a high level of commitment and expertise.

Mario de la Garza with Payscape Advisors and Julie Frisbie with Elite Sports Georgia

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Mario de la Garza/Payscape Advisors

Payscape Advisors offers dynamic payment solutions to businesses of all shapes and sizes. 

Their dedication to payment technology and industry innovation is consistent and their mission is clear: make it simple for business owners to collect money. Whether you accept credit cards at your retail storefront, process payments on your mobile phone, promote gift cards, operate an online shopping cart, or electronically invoice clients, Payscape offers financial products and services guaranteed to satisfy your cash flow needs. 

They continue to disrupt the commoditized merchant services landscape with cutting-edge products and services, universal API integration, best-in-class customer service, strategic referral and technology partnerships, and a lifelong devotion to delivering uncomplicated and intuitive payment processing solutions to business owners.

With more than 150 employees located in ten offices throughout the U.S., Payscape Advisors recognizes that success is dependent on employee satisfaction and prides itself on cultivating a work environment that supports creative collaboration and rewarding work experiences. They are consistently ranked as both a “Best Place to Work” and an Inc. 500/5000 company.

They’re a team of inspired entrepreneurs with a passion for working hard and playing even harder. They’re redefining the payment landscape, one happy customer and employee at a time.

Julie Frisbie/Elite Sports Georgia

Elite Sports Georgia specializes in team uniforms for all ages (youth and adult), sporting goods equipment, custom screen printing and embroidery. For store hours or more information, please call 770-622-7900.

Julie Frisbie owns and operates the Elite Sports in Duluth, GA where she has been in business for over five years. Originally from Texas, Julie has a background in advertising sales and marketing. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Marketing.

March Newsletter Article

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New Things Happening at Gwinnett Business Radio…
Gwinnett Business Radio, a Business RadioX studio operated in Gwinnett County by Mike Sammond, is making news this month. Check out all the new things happening on Gwinnett Business Radio:
“Gwinnett Business Radio” Preparing to Interview 100th Guest

Hosted by Mike Sammond and Steven Julian, “Gwinnett Business Radio” launched on November 6th and continues to air brand new live shows every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00am. The in-house show typically features two to four business leaders on every program, although the hosts somehow managed to cram six guests onto the November 15th show. At the current rate, the show’s 100th guest will be interviewed on the March 7th or March 12th episode.

“Gwinnett Business Radio” Adds New Sponsor
Reinventing Yourself Seminars has joined Office Suites Plus as a presenting sponsor of “Gwinnett Business Radio”. Marie Fratoni, the founder of Reinvent Yourself Seminars, is now a regular contributor on every Thursday show. Recent topics included a segment about “rejuvenating your career” and her topic on the February 14th Valentine’s Day show was about “reinventing your relationships”. Be sure to tune in every Thursday at 10:00am to hear Marie’s latest advice on getting the most out of your life!
“Making a Difference” Becomes First Client Show Broadcast from the Gwinnett BRX Studio
Hosted by attorney John Ernst from the law firm Ernst & Partners,“Making a Difference” features outstanding individuals who are making a difference in many fields including banking, real estate, law and politics. The show launched on February 21st and can be heard live every other Thursday at 11:00am.