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Georgia Department of Economic Development
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| ACE, in partnership with Wells Fargo, is proud to present a second series of webinars featuring success stories and advice from some of Georgia’s most interesting small businesses.
These webinars are offered during convenient times of the day, in short 60-minute formats, to allow you, the busy business owner, to participate without leaving your premises. The content is practical, accessible and immediately usable!
You will learn from entrepreneurs from across the state on how they are growing or improving their business to thrive in these difficult times. From a chemical engineer, to an artist living her bliss, to a winemaker showing off the unique grapes of north Georgia — they all have wisdom to share.
Sign-up now for one or all of the following webinars. And please spread the word to the 800,000+ business owners across Georgia. |
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Industrial Strength Small Business
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November 11, 1:00pm-2:00pm - Register Now!
We will learn from three entrepreneurs who are finding success in an industrial capacity.
Mike Kiernan is co-fou nder of Panel Built, Inc. with his brother Pat Kiernan. Panel B. was started in 1995 in the small mountain town of Blairsville, GA. Panel Built designs, sells, manufactures and installs modular buildings for industry, commercial and military around the United States.
 Clinton Beeland founded CJB Industries, Inc. in 1997 and currently serves as its President. Today, CJB Industries, Inc., located in Valdosta, GA, has 76 employees and manufactures products for a variety of industries and markets.
President/Founder John Noel has been in the energy efficiency field for over 10 years.  His company has completed hundreds of lighting retrofits and energy audits in over 30 states. After starting his career at IllumElex Corporation selling lighting maintenance and retrofit services, Mr. Noel formed Energy & Environment when IllumElex closed its Atlanta operations.
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Food Service & Restaurants
Success Tastes So Good!
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November 18, 1:00pm-2:00pm – Register Now!
Laura Estrada and her family are from Dallas, TX, and now live in Gainesville, GA, where she is the CFO of her family business. Laura opened the first Pueblos Mexican Cuisine in April, 2001, with her husband, Sergio, and two partners. After buying out their partners in 2004, Laura and Sergio opened two more restaurants, one in Hall County and the other in Clarkesville, GA. In 2008, they expanded internationally to Uruguay. And just this May, they opened their fifth and sixth locations in Cumming, GA, and the City of Gainesville.
Frank Ross, Jr. is the 2010 Franchise Partner of the year for Cinnabon. The Franchise Partner of the Year Awa rd is given to the franchise owner who runs a successful Cinnabon bakery operation, lives the values of the company, and provides exceptional service and products that make Cinnabon guests, business partners and communities say WOW! Frank successfully operates bakeries in Albany and Columbus, Georgia.
Denise Co ard, Allied Member ASID, is a Designer and Artist living in Jewell, GA, a small rural community. Denise presently owns The Jewell Box, but had worked in the corporate world at Georgia Power Company for 19 years. She is a wife, mother of 2 and a grandmother of 4. Denise took a gamble when she left her corporate job and income to take a chance on living her dream. And The Jewel Box was born.
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Year-End Tax Strategy
Strategies for the Successful Entrepreneur
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November 30, 1:00pm-2:00pm – Register Now!
Bishop, Hampton & Associates, LLC Certified Public Accountants and Business Consultants “ is an integrated resource (one stop shop) for tax services, accounting, financial planning and business formation needs for business owners and individuals. Our mission is to assist our clients with building, maintaining and preserving wealth./span>” Robbie Hampton, a licensed CPA in Georgia and lead partner with BHA, will present this Webinar focused on year-end tax strategies to strengthen your bottom line.
Robbie earned her Master of Business Administration in Finance from Clark Atlanta University where she was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a concentration in marketing from Queens College.
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Green Shoots Throughout Georgia
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December 2, 1:00pm-2:00pm – Register Now!
Crane Creek Vineyards sits high in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia in the shadow of Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest peak. The unique microclimate–a combination of warm, dry summer days, cool mountain nights and well-drained mineral soils–allows Crane Creek to cu ltivate and harvest grapes suitable for complex wines with fresh, assertive aromas and concentrated flavors. Crane Creek is a family run business in the truest sense of the word. Eric Seifarth, a native of Atlanta, spent much of his early life traveling the world- first with his family, and then as a U.S. Army officer. A significant portion of his military career was spent in Northern Italy where he developed his appreciation and style for wine growing.
President Tom Carroll is the 4th generation Carroll to helm Sunset Farm Foods. Sunset Farm Foods began in 1918 when W.W. Carroll starting selling beef to a g rocery in Valdosta, Ga. Presently, they serve the retail and food-service sectors in the southeast US with a variety of sausage and ham products. They also produce under private label arrangements and make products for further processing such as sliced sausage pieces. Their pride in the quality of products is reflected in the fan mail received over the years. The plant, which employs 82, is located on the same 11 acres of land purchased in 1932.
White Oak Pastures is a multigenerational family farm that cooperates with nature to produce healthy, safe, nutritious and delicious artisan products. Care is given to ensure that all production practices are economically practical, ecologically sustainable, and that animals are always hu manely treated. White Oak Pastures never falters in their determination to conduct business in an honorable manner for the sake of the animals, the land and the people who eat the products. Will Harris, President, is a fourth generation cattleman who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866. Born and raised at White Oak Pastures, Will left home to attend the University of Georgia’s School of Agriculture, where he was trained in the industrial farming methods that had taken hold after World War II. Will made the decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.
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Trends in Green Business
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December 16, 1:00pm-2:00pm – Register Now!
A panel of green businesses will discuss opportunities and trends in this new and exciting sector. The panelists will be Alexandra Holowaty with Dolphin Blue, Cecie Herrington with Rainwater Pillow and Antoinette Nue, The Green Living Goddess.
Beth Bond, the Curator of Green and Sustainable Business News at Southeast Green, joined forces with Sandra Cummins in the summer of 2008 to create the green business portal.  Beth took over day to day operations in November of 2010 while Sandra Cummins chose to move to an advisory capacity. A Southerner herself, Bond was tired of hearing about everything “green” happening outside her native region. After owning her own marketing company for over 15 years and working with green companies, Beth knew the story of sustainability and green residing here in the Southeast. Since launching Southeast Green in September 2008, Bond has been establishing even broader liaisons and partnerships to help continue the story of green and sustainability. Beth will be leading the panel discussion to discuss trends in green business.
 Cecie Herrington is the co-founder of Rainwater Collection Solutions, Inc, the manufacturer of The Original Rainwater Pillow. The company was launched in 2008 in response to the drought and outdoor watering ban. They also own a landscaping company ( 19 yrs ) that specializes in perennial garden design and installation. Cecie is an Accredited Professional with The American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association. She is also a C.P.A and MBA.
Alexandra Holowaty joined Dolphin Blue Inc., an online provider of green office supplies in 2010 and is currently the Marketing Manager. Holowaty attended the University of Missouri Columbia where she received a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in Sociology. She also holds a master’s degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from Webster University St. Louis.
Author, speaker and green living expert Antoinette Nue is The Green Living Goddess. She’s a former certified green builder, home energy rater and building superintendent. She spent 18 months in Central Eastern Europe promoting green building products and sustainable development before turning her attention to presenting green living workshops and educational videos with an eye toward having her own TV show.
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