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David Schendowich is an interactive, social, mobile and promotional marketing Pro. His marketing career has been in traditional marketing, promotions, and advertising agencies.  After being in corporate America for many years, he recognized their limitations which made him focused on integrated marketing, shopper marketing and ROI.

Over the past 6 years it has become his mantra. He has lived and embraced interactive, social, mobile and experiential strategies as technology shifted from Geek to Granny and reached all demographics.

David’s core  marketing beliefs:
• there are no routine solutions
• innovative strategies change everything
• exceptional messages create new opportunities
• great ideas are viral, they spread and take on a life of their own
• ROI is the real metric of success

Laura A. Davis & Associates, Inc. is an Atlanta-based transformational coaching and leadership development and sales training firm founded in 1995.  We assist individuals, teams, and organizations in growing through change by developing people and organizational capabilities to create healthier, engaged, coaching cultures within organizations. Prior to becoming an executive coach and facilitator, Laura held both line and staff marketing management positions at Exxon, Equifax, and United Parcel Service as well as serving as an Adjunct Professor at Mercer University.

The breadth of her experience includes new product development, marketing research, product management, and sales training. After a successful marketing management career, she started her own leadership training and coaching business. In addition to her solid corporate experience, she possesses a unique talent for seeing “the big picture” and for simplifying complex problems into their essential elements.

Laura is a Master Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation, the most rigorous certification body in the coaching industry today. She is affiliated with The Forum Corporation as a Senior Facilitator and Executive Coach as well as several other highly regarded training and consulting firms which offer assessments, training, coaching, and consulting services. She has a B.A. degree in Sociology with Honors from the University of Delaware. She earned her Masters in Business Administration from Emory University on a partial scholarship. She has been an Adjunct Professor in the Business Studies Program at Mercer University. Laura has also received recognition as a “Who’s Who in America” conferee.

At Sport Clips, we’ve created the perfect place for a guy to get great service and a great haircut. Our mission is to create a championship haircut experience for men and boys in an exciting sports themed environment.

You simply walk in and get your haircut while watching sports on TV. And we’re open every day – no appointment necessary. Our Guy-Smart Stylists understand that each Client is different and makes every effort to provide personal attention.

Our Stylists deliver the ultimate Just-for-Guys haircut experience without the fuss and chit chat of a full service hair salon. They are consistently trained to cut the latest men’s hairstyles and will work with you to get your hair just the way you want it.

Since the earliest efforts of ancient Egyptians to distinguish individual organs, humankind has been fascinated with uncovering the secrets of the human body. The study of human anatomy remains a cornerstone of medical education. BODIES…The Exhibition provides millions of visitors around the world with unprecedented access to anatomical detail historically only available to medical professionals.

BODIES…The Exhibition offers an intimate and informative view into the human body. Using an innovative preservation process, the Exhibition allows visitors to see the human body’s inner beauty in educational and awe-inspiring ways. Our Exhibitions have over 200 actual human bodies and specimens meticulously dissected and respectfully displayed, offering an unprecedented and wholly unique view into the amazing body.

Specimens in the Exhibition are prepared through a revolutionary process called polymer preservation, in which human tissue is permanently preserved using liquid silicone rubber. This process creates a specimen that will not decay, offering thousands of unique teaching possibilities for educators at all levels. Preparation time varies: a small organ may take only a week, while a full-body specimen may take up to a year to prepare. After quality preservation, specimens can last for decades.

Look deep inside the systems of the human body: Skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, endocrine, and circulatory. Come explore, experience, and celebrate the wonder of the human form at BODIES…The Exhibition.

DIALOG IN THE DARK is not an ordinary Exhibition; it is an experience that will awaken senses, challenge prejudices, and deepen self-awareness.

DIALOG IN THE DARK’S visually impaired guides lead visitors on a journey through a series of darkened galleries created to replicate everyday experiences. Without familiar sight clues, visitors learn to “see” in a completely new way with their non-visual senses.

DIALOG IN THE DARK has been presented in 22 countries and in over 130 cities throughout the world, breaking through stereotypes to promote respect and tolerance in an engaging and lighthearted way.

DIALOG IN THE DARK is a one-hour experience, which lasts a lifetime.

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Snap Finger: Jim Garrett

Jim Garrett, founder and CEO of Kudzu Interactive and Snapfinger.com received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1980 and his MBA from Georgia State in 1991. After spending many years working in the communication industry with Scientific Atlanta, GTE and Harris Corporation, Garrett then moved on to form his own consulting firm focused on re-inventing companies and strategic business initiatives around the changes brought on by the Internet and other advanced technologies; assisting companies such as Cisco, Equifax, NET and others.

Garrett is largely credited as being one of the pioneers behind the Internet banking industry and marketing financial services via the Internet beginning in 1993.  His accomplishment included leading the growth strategy behind Servantis and Response Marketing Group.  In 2000 Garrett started Accelerated Growth Partners in order to provide early-stage capital and strategic management services for emerging Internet businesses.   In 2004, Garrett started Kudzu Interactive which today is the leading provider of remote ordering technology within the restaurant industry.

 In 2009 Kudzu Interactive launched the Internet’s largest restaurant online ordering site  with over 26,000 restaurants in over 2,600 cities across the US. Garrett’s vision for Snapfinger is to make take-out more convenient by offering variety and ease of access to most of the nation’s largest restaurant concepts.  Today Snapfinger represents the single largest mobile ecommerce applications connecting mobile users to thousand of restaurants for ordering and payment. 

New Places, New Faces; Your Path to People and Profit: David Topus

David turns reputations into revenue by taking the mess out of messaging and putting the art in articulation. A veteran expert in value-based communication, he brings a thirty year career with companies and individuals across the country and around the world. Since 1990, after 12 years in advertising and marketing with The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and IDG Communications, David has consulted and trained thousands of sales professionals in articulating their value propositions for competitive advantage. He has an uncanny ability to uncover and convey in engaging and compelling terms the essential value in people, products and companies.

“Who we know, and how we get to know them, has everything to do with our success in our business, our careers, and our lives in general. You can’t deny the growth of online networking, yet it can leave a lot to be desired, as nothing beats face-to-face for establishing the basis of a trusting, enduring relationship.” – David Topus

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John began his professional career with the Coca-Cola Company in 1979 and in 1982 became one of a four-member team selected to establish Coca-Cola USA’s first new product development department.

In 1993, AT&T hired John as director of global retail marketing for their newly acquired NCR Corporation. John helped create a professional marketing organization and the programs that supported NCR’s movement toward market-driven R&D.

In 1999, John left corporate life and became CEO and Publisher of his online startup, Business Book Review, a business book summary and subscription service. He managed and edited the work of 11 professional writers, built the business to over 700,000 subscribers worldwide and sold BBR to a larger publishing unit in 2008.

In 2009, John launched the online version of The Literary Coach^TM, a consultancy he started in 2005, offering individual consulting and creative workshops for first-time and established authors.

In addition to providing individual coaching and creative workshops, John delivers best practices seminars and webinars on a variety of business and personal skills development topics. He has lectured at the Library of Congress and to growing list of companies, including AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton, Ford, General Motors, Nintendo, Siemens, and Rockwell Collins.

“Don’t write the book; write the posposal first!”

Emile retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in 1995, as a Colonel, last serving Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Training, Marine Force Reserve.  Upon retirement, he worked as an American Express Financial Advisor, later moving to the Shilla Corporation, a regional third party administrator for employee benefits. 

In 1998, Emile started the first chapter of Business Network International in Louisiana.  He moved to Atlanta in January of 2002 as the Managing Area Director, BNI, Atlanta.  The aggressive growth of his region included an extensive educational program for BNI members. 

 Emile is the Managing Partner of RPM Advisors and is a franchise owner of the Referral Institute.  He has been a Referral Institute Master Trainer and has developed a number of referral training programs that are taught nationally.  He is also certified as a DISC Practitioner by Personality Insights, Inc. and has conducted DISC training for businesses both large and small.  Emile is known for his fast-paced, results oriented training style.  His dynamic presentations provide on-the-ground, useful information, mixed with action items and a little fun. 

 Emile is the Executive Director for Fast Forward Restart, a nonprofit organization working with small businesses and nonprofits in their recovery from major disasters.  Current project areas include New Orleans, LA, Livonia, MI, and Rumford, ME. 

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Paul Breslin is the managing partner of Panther Hospitality, a hotel consulting company that he founded in 2005. He heads a team of industry professionals who guide developers and hoteliers in all aspects of their businesses from property acquisition and infrastructure to the successful opening and operating of a hotel.Prior to founding Panther, Mr. Breslin’s hospitality career spanned ten hotels in nine cities, and included positions at the world-famous Fontainebleau Hilton Resort and Spa, the Sheraton San Diego Resort, the Sheraton New Orleans, and three high-profile Atlanta convention hotels. Prior to leading his hotel consulting company, he served as Managing Director of the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel where he led the transformation of an $80 million asset from an operating loss of $4 million in 2000 to a gain of $9 million in 2006.

A passionate industry leader, Mr. Breslin teaches hotel management at Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality. Respected by his peers, he has served in leadership roles with the Atlanta Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association (GHLA), the Georgia Hospitality and Travel Association and the Atlanta Hotel Council.

Paul is also Chairman & President of the Shamrock Society in Atlanta, Georgia. The Shamrock Society is a group of Irish and Irish-American leaders in Atlanta who support Irish values of family, faith and charity, through Irish-related causes and charities and other charitable organizations. Each member is active in business, education, ministry, philanthropy, or government, and the Atlanta community.

Diane Crompton loves all things social and helping people showcase their unique skills.  It made sense that Diane was an early adopter of social media and leveraged her knowledge of social media to help people build their personal brand.  Her multi-faceted career includes experience as an educator and as a nationwide recruiter where she recruited medical specialists nationally for several contingency and retained search firms. In addition, she has worked for ten years as a Senior Career Consultant with an international human resources consulting group.  In this role she has coached hundreds of professionals from all organizational levels and industry backgrounds, including Fortune 500 firms locally and nationally.  Since 2004 Diane has applied her knowledge to consult with professionals on how to build their personal brand by using social media strategically.  In her consulting practice she partners with organizations to enhance their success through strategic use of social media.
Diane is the co-author of several books including “Seven Days to Online Networking,” (JIST 2008) and “Find a Job Through Social Networking” (JIST 2010).  She has had the opportunity to share her expertise at industry, corporate and academic events and has presented live and web based sessions on this topic to organizations throughout the country.  Diane has also served as a SME (Subject Matter Expert) and is a frequent contributor to media on this topic. 
Diane holds a B.S. degree in Education from Springfield College in Massachusetts, combined with graduate studies in Instructional Design. She is a member of ACPI (Association of Career Professionals International), and CDI (Career Directors International). 

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The Travel Collection LLC is a marketing consulting practice specializing in the travel industry.  Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, the Travel Collection is led by travel industry veteran, Cheryl B. Weldon.  A world traveler, Weldon’s passion for travel came at an early age.  She embarked on her first international trip at the age of seven joining her minister father on trips overseas with his church members. 

Named “One of Most Powerful Women in Travel” in 2002 by Travel Agent Magazine, Weldon is the former Vice President of Travel Agency Marketing for Worldspan, LP (now Travelport, owner of Orbitz). She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from Florida State University and is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC).  Destined to be an entrepreneur, Weldon led her MBA entrepreneur team to First Place in the Georgia Bowl Business Plan Competition and Second Runner-Up in the International Moot Corp Competition.  She is active in several professional women’s organizations and enjoys volunteering her time mentoring young women through Atlanta-based Pathbuilders.