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Curated Collection Of The Best Interviews From Our Chattanooga Studio





Marj Flemming with LaunchPoint Leadership, Brett Wise and Elizabeth Ropp with Chadev, and James Dawson with Text Request

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Marj Flemming / LaunchPoint Leadership

Marj Flemming is a proven leader and has worked at helping others become leaders over the past 2 decades. In her business, LaunchPoint Leadership she serves as a coach, facilitator, and trainer, who happens to also be a very good listener and strategist. Marj’s business background has been with a Fortune 50 company and a public/private utility.

Brett Wise and Elizabeth Ropp / Chadev Twitter Facebook

Chadev started as the brainchild of Kyle Gordy and Justin Spain as a way to keep up with the ever increasing number of events serving the developer community in Chattanooga. Originating as a simple subreddit, then growing to include a curated events calendar, it soon became clear that this was a much needed resource in the Chattanooga tech community. That resource would grow into a thriving community centered around a weekly series of lunchtime talks while tracking nearly thirty events per month that pertain to the developer/tech community.

James Dawson / Text Request Linkedin Twitter Facebook

 

 

 

Dustyn Winder and Sally Lynch with Fancy Rhino, Attorney Emma Flynn and Dan LeVan with Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Consulting

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Dustyn Winder and Sally Lynch / Fancy Rhino Linkedin Twitter Facebook

Dustyn Winder – Managing Director

Dustyn is our maestro. Charged with leading strategic alignment and business integration across all disciplines (Account Services, New Business, Strategy, Creative and Production) he plays an active role in the running of new business development and management of many of our largest and longest tenured client relationships.

Having lived and worked in Uganda, New York and Tennessee, Dustyn brings to his post a broad spectrum of experience across advertising, business development, strategic communications and cause advocacy. He has worked with global clients ranging from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline and the UN to BlueCross BlueShield, Air Jordan and Office Depot.

Sally Lynch – Account Executive

As our lead in all client relationships and expectations, Sally easily leverages her years of experience in marketing and publicity. She’s adept at anticipating and remedying most client concerns.

She began her career as a publicist for Regnery Publishing in Washington, DC., promoting books through planning and executing national media tours on national and local television, and national radio. She later moved to Nashville to work for Simon & Schuster where she expanded her relationships with national outlets such as the Today Show, Hannity’s American, and The View, to name a few. Prior to Fancy Rhino, Sally worked on the client side at Craftworks Restaurants and Breweries as Brand Manager, where she developed national and local marketing plans.

Emma Flynn Linkedin Twitter

Emma Flynn got her bachelors degree from University of Miami in Florida and her law degree from Notre Dame Law School. When she became an attorney, she knew she wanted to fight injustice and improve client experience while doing so. To Emma, the practice of law is about a compassion, passion, and determination. Emma has helped people and companies all across the State of Tennessee and in other states. In her spare time, Emma enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, yoga, and traveling.

Dan LeVan / Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Consulting

Daniel LeVan – Managing Director; Dan has been divisional CEO and CFO with four top global companies, including AIG Central Europe living in Moscow, AEGON Asia, and GE Capital. He most recently was acted as Managing Director and Chairman of TD Bank in the Caribbean. Dan received his MBA with emphasis in International Finance from DePaul University in Chicago, graduating with distinction. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) issued by the University of Illinois, maintains 10 other financial designations, and has a B.S. in Accounting and Business. He brings global leadership having worked on six continents and is known for creative structures for energy projects.

Energy Efficiency & Sustainability (EES) Consulting delivers energy solutions to public and private organizations using new technologies. EES innovative solutions provide comfort to our client’s environment at price points that make solid business and financial sense. As an integrator of technology and labor, EES brings cutting edge solutions for new energy sources (CHP, Solar, Wind) with efficient management applications (Monitoring, Prepaid Metering, Lighting, refrigeration, HVAC, Building Envelope, etc.).

 

 

Tim Kelly with Zipflip, Harrison Tyner with We Counsel Solutions and Ryan Henn with Tennessee SBDC

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Tim Kelly / Zipflip Linkedin Twitter Facebook

Tim Kelly is an active Chattanooga Area entrepreneur and citizen. He owns and operates two successful dealerships, Kelly Subaru and Southern Honda Powersports, and is the Co-Founder of Zipflip, a company designed to revolutionize the private party automotive market. He also takes an active part in the development and growth of Chattanooga and its citizens, by serving on a number of Civic and Charitable Boards in town, as a founding member of Chattanooga Football Club, and as an Adjunct Professor at UTC.

Harrison Tyner / We Counsel Solutions Linkedin Twitter Facebook

Harrison Tyner is the founder and CEO of WeCounsel Solutions, LLC, a behavioral telehealth company head-quartered in Chattanooga, TN. He started the company in 2012 after seeing first hand the extreme issue of lack of access to behavioral healthcare in the United States. Harrison has spearheaded business development, operations, and fund raising for WeCounsel since its inception. He has a B.S. in finance and logistics from the University of South Carolina and has four years of experience in SaaS business, healthcare, and telehealth. Above all, Harrison has a passion for entrepreneurism and startups that make a positive difference in the world.

Ryan Henn / Tennessee SBDC 

 

 

 

Executive Team with Escadrille and David Rowland with Nektur Marketing

CBRJordan Humble, Bob Bury, Keith Jacquier and Hamilton Brock / Escadrille Twitter Facebook

Jordan Humble is Founder & Chief Merchandising Officer with Esadrille. After racing his bicycle in Europe, he saw the need for better cycling apparel for demanding riders. Humble spent several years reaching out to industry experts and building an experienced team in order to help create his vision for a new kind of cycling apparel brand focused on innovation, quality, design, and function. At the age of 25, Jordan has big plans for the future of Escadrille.

Bob Bury is Chief Executive Officer with Esadrille. Bob has 25+ years of experience in all aspects of merchandising and marketing with an expertise in direct marketing, ecommerce, retail merchandising distinguished by rapid growth with brick and mortar retailers. Bob was a key manager with REI for over 20 years (growing the business from $5mil to over $500mil) and Harry and David for four years following that.

Hamilton Brock is Chief Operating Officer with Escadrille. Hamilton ran the operations for his familyʼs business, Brock Candy Company, until they sold in 1994. After that time he started a chain of shoe companies. The past few years he has worked on the operational side for a construction company. Hamilton will take over all day-to- day Escadrille operations.

CBRDavid Rowland / Nektur Marketing Linkedin 

I am CEO and resident Data Hound at Nektur Marketing. We empower brands of all sizes with proven online marketing techniques. Personally, I specialize in SEO, User Experience, SEM, Inbound Marketing, Project Management, and Web Analytics . Having experience ranging from economics and business development, to sales and online marketing, I would describe myself as an innovative business professional with a diverse skillset. My experience has allowed me to excel in online marketing and digital strategy development.

 

 

David White with Develop CENTS, Alex Lavidge with The Company Lab and Eric Widner with Renewal by Andersen

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David White / Develop CENTS Linkedin Twitter Facebook

David is the Founder & CEO of Develop CENTS. He had a dream to put his IT knowledge and experience to use for nonprofit organizations and small businesses dedicated to improving their communities.

After graduating from Covenant College with a B.A. in Community Development, David spent a year working for AmeriCorps in Boston, followed by a stint at a Drupal services company. He then returned to Chattanooga, where he spent two years as an Internal Technical Support Specialist and Infrastructure Engineer before launching Develop CENTS in 2013, making his dream a reality.

Alex Lavidge / The Company Lab Linkedin Twitter Facebook

Alex Lavidge is an Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR) at The Company Lab (CO.LAB), a Chattanooga-based organization that helps entrepreneurs identify the strategic resources and relationships they need to scale. Previously Lavidge was the Director of GIGTANK 2015, a nationallyrecognized accelerator program that brings together high-growth startups (identified as needing high-speed gigabit internet to build and grow) together throughout North America and Europe. The serial entrepreneur and investor was previously VP Business Development at Variable, a global leader in color referencing technology (using NODE+ sensors) for smart devices based here in Chattanooga. Fast Company magazine in 2011 also once called his efforts in building stronger entrepreneurial communities in East Tennessee as one of the top 50 “brilliant urbanites helping to build the cities of America’s future.”

Eric Widner / Renewal by Andersen Chattanooga Facebook

 

 

Mary Sedrick with BrightBridge, Stephanie Hays with Startup Week Chattanooga and Kristina Montague with The JumpFund

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Mary Sedrick / BrightBridge, Inc. Linkedin Facebook

Mary currently is Director of the Women’s Business Center at BrightBridge. Her experience lies in years of problem solving which stems from her engineering education. She also possesses a results-oriented customer caring background.

Stephanie Hays / Startup Week Chattanooga Twitter Facebook

Kristina Montague / The JumpFund Twitter

 

 

Andrew Hetzler with American Exchange and Marlena Palmer with Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute

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Andrew Hetzler / American Exchange Linkedin Facebook

Andrew Hetzler is the Chief Operating Officer of American Exchange. Graduating from Baylor High School and Appalachian State University with a degree in risk management and insurance, Andrew has been working in the health insurance industry since graduating from Appalachian State in 2009.

Marlena Palmer / Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute Linkedin Facebook

The Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute (CWLI) was founded in 1998 by seven incredible women because they believed that women bring a broad range of talents and perspectives to our community, which in turn will contribute to its growth and stability. Since then, CWLI has instituted a wide range of outreach programs for women in all walks of life, in order to cultivate fertile ground for: •Identifying women leaders who would assist in the development of other potential leaders •Providing women with skills and appropriate opportunities to assume leadership roles •Increasing the number of women in leadership roles within the community CWLI has grown into a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c) (3) membership organization comprised of over 400 women from our community. CWLI actively pursues quality programs, educational opportunities and leadership development in areas of politics, community service, business, entrepreneurship and the arts. Now, more than ever, CWLI can attest to the value of developing strategies to position capable women to assume positions of leadership where they contribute fully to shaping Chattanooga’s future.

 

 

Jacqueline Hayes with NAWBO and Libby Santin with Dynamic Displays and Graphics

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Jacqueline Hayes / NAWBO and Crayons & Marketers, LLC Linkedin Twitter Facebook

Jacqueline Hayes, MBA is a marketing strategist, published content writer, and owner of Crayons & Marketers, LLC, a boutique marketing consultancy in Nashville, TN, committed to helping businesses and nonprofits simplify their approach to marketing and earn brand equity through storytelling. Jacqueline helps her clients understand the value of content marketing and uses 90 day marketing plans to share brand stories, build audiences, and stimulate lead generation and nurturing activity to ultimately improve conversion rates. Jacqueline also serves as the president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Nashville Chapter.

Libby Santin / Dynamic Displays and Graphics Linkedin Twitter Facebook

 

 

3D Printing: Beyond the Hype Special Edition Episode

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Graham Bredemeyer / Reality AM Partners Twitter

Kevin Sumner / ModernTech Linkedin Twitter Facebook

Kevin is the Stratasys Account Manager for ModernTech in Tennessee. Over the past nine years, Kevin has helped his clients design better products and accelerate manufacturing processes through additive manufacturing.

Keith Campbell / 3D Operations, Inc. Twitter Facebook

Keith Campbell is the President of 3D Ops. 3D Ops is a 3D printing company focused on healthcare. Their passion is to enhance patient outcomes with 3D printing patient-specific models for pre-surgical planning. With the patient’s model in their hands, the surgeon can hold, examine, plan, and even practice the surgery – all before going into the operating room.

Melissa Ragsdale / NovaCopy Linkedin Twitter Facebook

Melissa Ragsdale currently serves as President of the 3D division of NovaCopy Inc., a company that represents a wide variety of 3D technology including printers, scanners, print services and educational programs. She has spent the last 13 years in the 3D technology space, most recently with a focus on literacy and outreach in the 3D arena.

 

 

 

 

 

Kathryn Foster with INCubator, Cordell Carter with TechTown Foundation, Don Jacobson with Newcomb Spring and Platt Boyd with Branch Technology

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Kathryn Foster / INCubator Twitter

The BDC was built in the late 20’s and home to American Lava (ceramics manf), 3M, GE and a few others from 30’s-early 80’s. GE donated the building to Hamilton County and from 85-88 it was transformed into a business incubator. Second reno was in 95 and completed a $5 mill renovation in 2011 which is when we received our Silver LEED certification. It is currently the largest Incubator in TN and 3rd largest in the US @ 127,000′. We house 70+ start up businesses for 3 years, helping them achieve financially stability through a staged development program. From those businesses in house, over 400 jobs are created, making it an economic engine which pumps millions of dollars into our local economy. We provide shared services, below market rent, entrepreneurial education, State of the Art Technology Conference Center, Free SBA counseling, Free PO Box, and the synergy is amazing. The INCubator, a nonprofit program managed by the Chattanooga Chamber, has graduated over 525 successful business into the business community as we celebrate our 26th year in operation!

Cordell Carter / TechTown Foundation, Inc. Twitter

Executive with 16 years of multi-sector experience. My breadth of organizations and sectors include: – Serving on the leadership team for the world’s largest philanthropic organization – Chief Operations Officer for a national charter school advocate – Education and Information Technology lobbyist for a premier national association of “Fortune 250” Chief Executive Officers – Senior Leadership roles with an urban school district – Attorney for a German bank’s Climate Protection Fund – Management consultant with IBM

Education: B.A. University of Washington M.Sci. Carnegie Mellon University J.D. University of Notre Dame Law School

Don Jacobson / Newcomb Spring Facebook

G. Donald Jacobson III is a 4th generation spring maker. He is married to Sara (9 year anniversary 8/19) and has three children Joshua, Noah, and Scarlett. They currently live in Ooltewah, TN with a few stops on the way including Huntington Beach CA, Broomfield CO, and Ringgold GA. Don has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Babson College in Wellesley MA. Besides manufacturing and selling springs, Don spends his free time golfing with his family and helping support public education in Hamilton County. Don is the President of the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts Foundation and working diligently to raise money and awareness for a new school. CSLA is currently rated as one of the top 5% of public schools in the state. Don is working on building a Catapult with he Newcomb Spring Team for the CSLA fall event that will allow local companies to chuck footballs or tennis balls for prizes and trophies. Come check out the 3D printed catapult parts on November 6th at CSLA in Chattanooga.

Platt Boyd / Branch Technology