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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Gwinnett Studio





OPEN FOR BUSINESS presented by Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce

Mark Farmer, Mark Butler, Peter Hildebrandt

Mark Farmer, Mark Butler, Peter Hildebrandt

Mark Farmer/Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development

Mark Farmer, Gwinnett Chamber Economic DevelopmentThe Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development department is tasked with implementing the Partnership Gwinnett initiative, which is the community and economic development strategy for the county. The department works to foster business growth in the county.

 


Mark Butler/University of Georgia Small Business Development Center

Mark Butler, UGA Small Business Development CenterThe University of Georgia Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC) mission is to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. The SBDC provides one-on-one consulting, continuing education and access to research for its clients. One-on-one consulting services are provided at no cost to the small business owner.

Peter Hildebrandt/SCORE

Peter Hildebrandt, SCORESCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. They have been doing this for over fifty years. Since their work is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and thanks to a network of 11,000+ volunteers, they are able to deliver their services at no charge or at very low cost. Anyone can sit down for mentoring sessions with a SCORE mentor, and it’s always free. The SCORE mentors are all successful business people who have either started their own business or been executives in larger organizations.

Dr. Alan Wang with Salude, Cappi Arneson with Foster & Witmer and Mike DiLeone with Lanier Islands

Steven Julian, Dr. Alan Wang, Cappi Arneson, Mike DiLeone, Mike Sammond

Steven Julian, Dr. Alan Wang, Cappi Arneson, Mike DiLeone, Mike Sammond

Dr. Alan Wang/Salude

???????????????????????????????Salude is a 46,610-square-foot, upscale transitional care and rehabilitation facility focused on providing exceptional care in a state-of-the-art environment. Helping patients recover is as much of an art as it is a science, and Salude combines clinical excellence with beautiful surroundings as a way to enhance the health and wellness of every person who passes through the doors.

Cappi Arneson/Foster & Witmer

Cappi Arneson, Foster & WitmerEstablished in 1976, Foster & Witmer specializes in all types of insurance coverage with a focus on hard to place risks. If you or someone you know is having a difficult time with their insurance, give them a call. Their ability to shop your coverage with several companies allows for the best results in the marketplace.


Mike DiLeone/Lanier Islands

Mike DiLeone, Lanier IslandsSituated along the shores of Georgia’s Great Lake, Lanier Islands features 1,500 scenic acres, beckoning to families and corporate groups alike. Marrying luxurious amenities with unparalleled natural beauty, a Lanier Islands vacation is one to be treasured long after your bags have been unpacked and your photos have been uploaded. With over 24,000 sq feet of indoor space, multiple unique outdoor function spaces and extensive team-building activities, a meeting at Lanier Islands is never just a meeting – it’s an inspirational experience.

Steve Walker with Civis Capital and Michael Sytsma and Monique Wells with Building Intimate Marriages

Dr. Michael Sytsma, Monique Wells, Steve Walker, Steven Julian

Dr. Michael Sytsma, Monique Wells, Steve Walker, Steven Julian

Steve Walker/Civis Capital

???????????????????????????????Civis Capital, based in Knoxville, is the small business lending division of Civis Bank, a 109-years old community bank headquartered in Rogersville, TN. The bank prides itself on taking its hometown, community bank attitude and approach beyond the TN borders and throughout the southeast. Civis’s business lending territory is the southeastern USA including all of Florida. Civis Capital treats its clients with the attitude reflected in its motto – “Small Business is our Only Business.” The bank began life as Citizens Bank of East Tennessee, and recently changed the name to use the Latin word for “citizen” and reflect a broader geographic reach.

Steve Walker is a native of Atlanta and 25-year Georgia banking veteran, with the vast majority of that time in commercial loans. He spent the bulk of it in the “big bank” world, logging 12 years with Wachovia/Wells Fargo and 9 years with Regions Bank before moving to the community bank world, which he considers a breath of fresh air. Steve is a subject matter expert on SBA lending and the benefits it offers today’s entrepreneurs, especially the 7(a) program.

Dr. Michael Sytsma & Monique Wells/Building Intimate Marriages

Michael and Monique, Building Intimate MarriagesBuilding Intimate Marriages aims to help individuals grow using marriage as the main agent of change. They do so by providing counseling, psycho-education, and resources focusing on relationship, premarital, marriage, and sex therapy. They also provide consulting and training to other professionals who specialize in the same arena.

They provide about 100 hours of counseling per week with the specialty areas of sex therapy (i.e., sexual conflict, sexual desire conflict, sexless marriages, painful sex, erectile dysfunction), affair recovery, premarital, communication problems, highly conflicted marriages, general marital discord. They also see individuals and families for a variety of typical counseling needs. They provide this counseling for a range of fees depending on the training and experience of the counselor. Session fees for interns can be as low as $10 per session.

They also have a sexual enrichment workshop for married couples – the Passionate Intimacy Workshop. This Friday/Saturday workshop has been shown in follow-up research to be highly effective in helping couples, with 75% stating what they learned was still having a positive change in their overall sexual satisfaction in marriage 6 months after the workshop. They provide the workshop about 4 times a year.

Lee Miller and Alan Shirley with PRO OnCall Southeast, Jim Slagle with Parc at Duluth, and James Willard and Kelli Willard with Operation Christmas Child

Mike Sammond, Jim Slagle, James Willard, Kelli Willard, Lee Miller, Alan Shirley, Steven Julian

Mike Sammond, Jim Slagle, James Willard, Kelli Willard, Lee Miller, Alan Shirley, Steven Julian

Lee Miller & Alan Shirley/PRO OnCall Southeast

Lee Miller & Alan ShirleyPRO OnCall Southeast provides outsourced I.T. support to small and medium businesses in the metro Atlanta area. They maintain and support servers, networks, software, applications and end users. They have a dedicated internal help desk, trained Microsoft engineers, and a world-class ticketing system. They become an extension of your business, making sure that technology is in alignment with your business goals!

Jim Slagle/Parc at Duluth

???????????????????????????????Serving families in Duluth, Johns Creek and Gwinnett’s finest neighborhoods since 2003, Parc at Duluth is the premier lifestyle choice for active seniors. From elegant fine dining in the warm company of friends, to state-of-the-art wellness programs that support vibrant lifestyles, Parc at Duluth affords active seniors the opportunity to live better, now.

Complemented by exceptional service, premium features, engaging activities and compassionate, caring staff. Parc at Duluth offers residents a collection of beautifully-appointed apartment homes designed specifically to enhance their individual lifestyle.

Parc’s senior communities have been compared to fine hotels, where life is a pleasure every day. From dedicated concierge and housekeeping services to exquisite cuisine and state-of-the-art amenities, life at Parc Communities defines the pleasure of living well.

Now, come experience the world of Parc Communities… a gracious community of friends that you will proudly call home.

James & Kelli Willard/Operation Christmas Child

???????????????????????????????Byteworks is a small technology company in Duluth, GA with a big heart… and a big goal. This year they hope to fill 1,000 Operation Christmas Child shoe-box gifts with tangible blessings for children overseas who desperately need something to smile about.

They’re looking forward to a fun, family-friendly event on November 15th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Byteworks office. View their video invitation and learn more about the “critical need items” they are collecting to fill boxes at www.byteworks.com/christmas.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS presented by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce

Mike Sammond, Stephanie Moyer, Kevin Ford, Stephanie Sokenis, Norma West, Johnny Phelps

Mike Sammond, Stephanie Moyer, Kevin Ford, Stephanie Sokenis, Norma West, Johnny Phelps

Stephanie Moyer & Kevin Ford/Insperity

???????????????????????????????Insperity, a trusted advisor to America’s best businesses for more than 27 years, provides an array of human resources and business solutions designed to help improve business performance. Insperity offers the most comprehensive suite of products and services available in the marketplace. Insperity delivers administrative relief, better benefits, reduced liabilities and a systematic way to improve productivity through its premier Workforce Optimization™ solution. Additional company offerings include Human Capital Management, Payroll Services, Time and Attendance, Performance Management, Organizational Planning, Recruiting Services, Employment Screening, Financial Services, Expense Management, Retirement Services and Insurance Services.

Norma West/Country Financial

Norma West, Country FinancialFrom the first fire policy in the 1920’s to the billions of dollars in assets and investments they protect and manage today, their history tells the story. Country Financial began in the state of Illinois and is currently available in 17 states. In 2005, they acquired Cotton States Insurance in Georgia. Currently they have ten financial representatives in the Gwinnett County area and many more throughout the state of Georgia. Country Financial is able to protect your assets, family and businesses by looking at ways to help save money for the future, retirement planning, and helping to protect your assets for the next generation. Country Financial has been a leader in providing auto, home and life insurance for over 85 years and, most importantly, their financial representatives understand the value of great service to their clients.

Johnny Phelps/Harry Norman Realtors

Johnny Phelps, Harry Norman RealtorsFounded in 1930, Harry Norman, REALTORS is Atlanta’s oldest and largest residential real estate firm with 12 sales offices, various franchise and satellite offices, and more than 1,000 real estate professionals. Harry Norman, REALTORS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. HomeServices is the second-largest full-service independent residential real estate brokerage firm in the U.S. with 30 locations, over 20,000 sales associates and more than 3,500 employees. Harry Norman, REALTORS is the exclusive Atlanta affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate and achieves additional international exposure through membership in such exclusive real estate networks as Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® the largest network of independent residential real estate firms, with 600 members representing 5,000 offices and 150,000 associates across the U.S. and in more than 35 countries.

Stephanie Sokenis/Gwinnett Chamber

Stephanie Sokenis, Gwinnett ChamberThe mission of the Gwinnett Chamber is to strengthen existing businesses, facilitate the growth of quality job opportunities, and enrich the community’s quality of life.

The Gwinnett Chamber serves over 2,000 members throughout metro Atlanta by delivering pertinent and useful programs that strengthen and connect businesses locally, regionally, and globally. The Gwinnett Chamber uses its strategic marketing and communications capabilities to support its members, promote its programs, and enhance economic development efforts.

The Gwinnett Chamber develops opportunities for job growth by working with strategic partners to enhance economic development initiatives in Georgia. The Gwinnett Chamber promotes economic development in Gwinnett and the metro Atlanta area primarily through its Partnership Gwinnett initiative. Partnership Gwinnett focuses on holistic economic development in targeted industries through continuous efforts to retain, expand and leverage existing Gwinnett businesses; focused marketing efforts to attract businesses to locate or expand operations in Gwinnett; and comprehensive efforts to assist entrepreneurs in launching and sustaining start-up businesses.

The Gwinnett Chamber supports community development efforts that enrich Gwinnett’s quality of life and quality of place. The Chamber also facilitates efforts to develop, attract, and retain world-class entrepreneurial and community leadership talent.

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