Atlanta Business Chronicle `40 Under 40`

SPECIAL SECTION
November 9-15, 2012
Section C
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Atlanta’s rising
business and
community leaders
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40 UNDER 40
Page 2C • November 9-15, 2012
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
Showcasing Atlanta’s young and vibrant leaders
Award winner profiles
tlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under 40 special section
honors and highlights some of Atlanta’s most vibrant
young business stars. From varied industries and all walks
of life, each rising leader has a unique story of success.
Inside this section you will discover the incredible contributions
and achievements they’ve made — all in less than four decades.
From accomplished entrepreneurs and nonprofit luminaries to
tech-savvy businessmen and women, this year’s 40 Under 40
class runs the gamut. Each year, Atlanta Business Chronicle
teams up with the 40 Under 40 alumni group to scour the vast
nominations for the 40 award winners recognized. This year the
committee selected the honored group from more than 500 submissions. We hope you will enjoy reading the inspiring stories of
dreams pursued and obstacles overcome that have helped shape
this accomplished group of people.
A
Kristen Adams .........................4C
John Hardman ........................9C
Siva Mohan...........................13C
Sarah Anderson ......................4C
Megan Herbert ........................9C
Bart Newman ........................13C
Shan Arora ..............................4C
Jeff Hilimire .............................9C
Alissa Silverman ...................13C
Monique Bell ..........................4C
Eric Holtzclaw ........................11C
Tim Smith .............................13C
Adam Bloomston ....................4C
Andrew Ibbotson ...................11C
Todd Starr .............................13C
Staci Brill ................................4C
Tharon Johnson .....................11C
Daniel Styf ............................13C
Amber Burckhalter ..................6C
Gene Kansas ........................11C
Justin Tanner .........................14C
Sonji Dade ..............................6C
Harris Konter .........................11C
Katerina Taylor .......................14C
Angela Dotson ........................6C
Kenji Kuramoto .....................12C
Satya Tiwari...........................14C
David Duley ............................6C
Martin LaMar ........................12C
Sara Totonchi ........................14C
Kevin Floyd .............................6C
Christina Lennon ...................12C
Cara Turano ...........................14C
Cee Lo Green ..........................6C
Jesse Lindsley .......................12C
Dov Wilker.............................14C
Kevin Grimes...........................8C
Matthew May ........................12C
40 Under 40 Leader Survey ..10C
Hill Hardman...........................8C
Justin Miller ..........................12C
40 Under 40 Past Winners ....15C
Ninth class of 40 Under 40 – stronger than ever
■
O
This year’s class gains entry
into that ever-expanding
network of the dynamic
young leaders who preceded
them, and is invited to join
the larger alumni group’s
activities.
V
1.
2.
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3.
Future: Help mentor, train and accelerate the next generation through our
strong partnership with the 21st Century
Leaders Group, which brings together
high school kids from around the state
with business leaders in order to build
students’ business knowledge, public
speaking skills and confidence.
We first worked with 21st Century
Leaders five years ago to establish and
present the 20 Under 20 Awards. The
kids these awards highlight are creating
real impact in their communities, and
never fail to inspire those of us each year
who select the winners and hand out the
awards.
Executive Director Bob Watson has
grown the event each year to become their
biggest fundraiser, and now it is moving to
February to coincide with national Youth
Leadership Month.
2012 40 Under 40 Judges
Michael Blake, director of valuation services,
Habif, Arogeti & Wynn LLP
Chadwick Boyd, owner/president,
L + D Enterprises
Debra Houry, vice chair for research
and associate professor, emergency medicine,
Emory University School of Medicine
Stephen Brown, managing director,
Cohn & Wolfe
April Jackson, assistant vice president,
Wholesale Business Information Office,
SunTrust Banks Inc.
Rahim Charania, CEO,
AFS (American Fueling Systems)
Erinn Keserica, regional marketing manager,
Cherry, Bekaert & Holland LLP
Chandra Farley, project manager - events,
Southface
Adria Perez, associate,
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Martin Fleischmann, founder and CEO,
EnergyFool.com
Elizabeth Gordon, president,
Flourishing Business
Matt Hicks, vice president, government
relations, Grady Health System
John Hightower, vice president sales
and marketing, Arke
Lea Rolfes, director, volunteerism,
United Way of Greater Atlanta
Jessie Rosenberg, director of development,
Camp Twin Lakes
Kevin Scott, co-founder, ADDO Institute
SK Smith, president,
Eight at Eight Dinner Club
Four years ago, a strong 21st Century
Leaders committee of the 40 Under 40
formed to do more; they created, then
helped run, and grew the Goizueta G5!
Summit summer program. The G5! is a
weeklong set of courses and activities at
Emory’s Business School in July, many of
which are led by 40 Under 40 members. It
has been a tremendous success its four
years, expanding from 50 to 75 kids and
increasing its impact and momentum
each year.
It is important to note that over 80 percent of each year’s new 40 Under 40 class
want to stay active in some way in the
alumni group despite their hectic schedules. More importantly, many alumni
continue to do great things for our great
city’s civic and nonprofit institutions every
month while also achieving great new
business accomplishments.
So now we invite this ninth class to join in
enthusiastically and continue building this
new Atlanta network into a strong force for
positive change. More than ever going
forward, we hope that next year’s young
leaders will want to apply for the 40 Under
40 award as much for membership in the
alumni group as for the recognition itself!
Fleischmann is founder and CEO
of EnergyFool.com, a portal to help consumers
get unbiased help on how to get a strong ROI
on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
He is also the founding organizer of the
40 Under 40 Alumni group.
2011 40 Under 40 Awards:
Robert Watson, left, and Martin
Fleischmann, chair of the 40
Under 40 alumni group and CEO of
EnergyFool.com, at The Fox Theatre.
FILE/BYRON E. SMALL
this section is not the full extent, or even
ur largest alumni selection panel
ever convened in October to pick this the best aspect, of this honor. This year’s
class gains entry into that ever-expanding
year’s 40 Under 40 Award winners,
network of the dynamic young leaders
a good thing given that applications
who preceded them, and is
smashed all records. While
invited to join the larger alumni
400 entries was unprecgroup’s activities.
edented last year, this year
Our main goals continue
we had over 500 submissions,
to focus on helping this new
and the 16 of us went through
generation of Atlanta’s business
them all. Getting down to 80
and community leaders to more
was hard enough, and then
fully connect, reach out to both
winnowing down to the final
40 was truly agonizing in
IEWPOINT earlier and future leaders, let
their opinions be heard, and
many cases.
Martin
magnify their impact. In short,
While it is always true that
Fleischmann
I joke that we limit our focus to
the winners profiled in this
merely three things — the past, present
section are an accomplished, interesting
and future:
and inspiring lot, they and all of Atlanta
should feel even prouder this year
Past: Learn from the longtime
knowing how increasingly difficult a selecleaders and builders of Atlanta; we
tion this has become. A few who didn’t
generally meet and talk with one Atlanta
quite make it in previous years were
legend each year (political,
picked this year, so if you applied and are
business or philanthropic), and are
not in the list keep at it!
working on some exciting speakers
Seven years ago now, a dozen winners in for this coming year.
the second class met at a Dunwoody resPresent: Share our views with
taurant — before the Chronicle held any
current Atlanta leaders, and hold
awards dinner or presented trophies — to
a couple of fun get-togethers for all
meet informally and get to know each
classes each year to develop synergies
other. The positive energy there sparked
amongst alumni. We enjoyed two great
in my mind the idea of staying together as
an organized group; this kindled a fire with hosted sporting events this past year, one
pre-game courtside then in a suite at a
the others, and the flame has grown with
Hawks game in May, and one in a large
every new class added since.
super-suite courtesy of the Falcons at a
So, as I say every year, we believe winning the nice trophy and glowing profile in preseason game in August.
Celebrating rising stars:
Bob Mathews of Colliers
International Atlanta, from
left, Donna Buchanan,
of United Way of Greater
Atlanta, and Russ Lipari
of Validus Group LLC,
enjoyed the 2011 awards
event.
Our Congratulations to the
“40 Under 40”of 2012!
Consistent with our mission, Mercer
University is deeply committed to the
principles of leadership and service.
Therefore, it is our privilege to join with
the Atlanta Business Chronicle in honoring
the new “40 Under 40” of Atlanta, who
personify these values in their daily lives.
We applaud the remarkable achievements
and contributions each have made, and we
wish them continued success throughout
their careers and civic activities.
STETSON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Virtual Professional MBA
Begins January in Atlanta,
Macon & Savannah
Page 4C • November 9-15, 2012
Kristen Adams
age 32
Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Inc.
A senior accounting manager at Jones
Lang LaSalle Americas Inc.,
Kristen Adams often goes above
and beyond, volunteering for
tasks and committees that are
above her call of duty. In her role,
she’s created several e-learning
modules that have been used to
replace the need for travel in
face-to-face training and is often
requested by other business divisions to
train new personnel.
In 2011, Adams was named Accounting
Manager of the Year for the Americas
Markets finance group of Jones Lang
LaSalle and garnered the Unsung Hero
Award in the Atlanta market in 2010,
something she considers to be the
highlight of her career.
“While what we do in finance impacts
every aspect of the business, much of
Shan Arora
age 37
Southface Energy Institute
Shan Arora has been concerned about
environmental issues since a
young age and in 2007, while
working at a tax consulting firm,
decided to transition his career
into a cause he believed in: the
environment. He sought out volunteer opportunities addressing
environmental issues and in
January 2010 joined Southface
Energy Institute as a project manager.
“Since graduating from law school, I
have worked at a software company, a tax
consulting firm, and a sustainability nonprofit; three very different types of
organizations,” Arora said. “The highlight
has been my two and half years at
Southface.”
From 2007 to 2008, Arora was a stakeholder committee member for the
Connect Atlanta Plan and has created a
proposal to rename and reorient key
Adam Bloomston
age 37
Payscape Advisors
Adam Bloomston has been an entrepreneur in Atlanta for more than
a decade, building three
businesses and providing
employment for more than 400
people. Currently he is co-president and chief financial officer of
Payscape Advisors, a merchant
processing company with more
than 175 employees and 10
offices that will process more than
$1.5 billion in volume this year. Bloomston
founded Payscape in 2004 with two
business partners, each investing
$500 into the business.
The leader of the company’s financial
decisions regarding strategy and operations, Bloomston is also the architect of
Payscape’s internal Payroll CRM software
and the company’s compensation structure. He also co-developed, with partner
Jeremy Wing, the Payscape Pays it
40 UNDER 40
the support we provide is behind the
scenes,” Adams said. “We think hard work
sometimes goes unnoticed, but this award
was validation that consistency and effort
pay off.”
Outside the office, Adams is married
to attorney Shaun Adams and mother
to their son Ryland.
Although she works
in accounting, Adams’
undergraduate and
graduate degrees are in
music therapy and she
continues to work
part-time as a music
therapist at Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta.
“I joke that I am equally left- and
right-brained,” she said. “My
training in music therapy had a strong
emphasis in behavior and psychology,
which has helped me build successful
teams and manage difficult situations
better than a degree in accounting or
finance. I wouldn’t trade the skill set I
developed in music therapy for a piece of
paper that verifies I’m a number-cruncher.”
streets in downtown and Midtown to promote economic activity, re-urbanization
and a walking culture. He also volunteers
with Sustainable Atlanta to help explore
ideas for Atlanta’s first Green Score Card.
Upon joining Southface, Arora was
tasked with researching sustainable policy
for the Sustainable Cities
Institute, a national website targeted toward local government
sustainability officers. He also
assisted various communities
formulate sustainability plans to
reduce environmental impacts
and save on operating costs.
The DeKalb County LongRange Comprehensive Energy and
Sustainability Plan, Arora’s first plan, won
the American Planning AssociationGeorgia chapter’s 2012 Outstanding
Planning Process Award in the Large
Community category.
Arora is currently a project manager for
the Georgia energy data initiative, a grantfunded effort that has grown into a project
to create an online interactive tool that will
provide data and graphic interpretations of
the data to a much larger audience.
Forward Points system — a point system
where employees can earn points, and
eventually prizes, for volunteering in the
local community. After a full year of
implementation, the program has been
responsible for more than 600 hours of
community and charitable service across
the country. Bloomston is also
actively involved in the community and volunteers with Upper
Chattahoochee River Keeper,
Habitat for Humanity, Junior
Achievement, the Boys and
Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, and
many other organizations.
An Atlanta Business Chronicle
Pacesetter for four straight years,
Payscape has also been recognized as a
Best Place to Work, which Bloomston
considers a highlight.
“That is the one award that is voted
on by the people you work with every
day,” he said. “Without them, Payscape
would still be three guys in a basement
selling locally in Atlanta. To have those
same people cast their vote and answer
the survey with such high regards is
an honor.”
Sarah Anderson
age 34
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
A tax director with
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP,
Sarah Anderson started her
career in accounting
after graduating with a
master’s in tax from the
Fisher School of
Accounting at the
University of Florida.
After moving quickly up
the ranks, she was named to
PwC’s Partner Candidacy
Development Program in 2012,
after just 11 years with the firm.
This is no small feat considering
Anderson, a native of Lakeland, Fla., is
the first in her family to graduate
from college.
“Being the first person in my family to
graduate from college, my daily life today
is very different from my daily life
Monique Bell
age 35
Medtech College
Monique Bell overcame a difficult
childhood, physical and verbal
abuse and getting pregnant at 17
to become the national director
of community partnerships at
Medtech College, a post-secondary health-care education
provider with 11 campuses
nationwide. The turnaround in
her life began when she walked
into Washington Women’s Employment
and Education (WWEE).
After obtaining her GED, Bell received
a scholarship from WWEE to study
employment in corrections at Pierce
College. She worked at McNeil Island
Federal Penitentiary near Tacoma, Wash.,
while still in college and then joined the
Tacoma Urban League as a program
specialist for the community relations
services program. At 21, Bell was named
United Way Successful Woman of the Year
Staci Brill
age 34
Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta
Described as a consummate fundraiser,
Staci Brill has helped raise more
than $100 million for
educational, arts and religious
nonprofit institutions in Atlanta,
New York City and Alabama for
more than 12 years. Her passion
for philanthropy took hold
during her first work-study job
at Columbia University for the
development department.
“I sought a career where I could play an
integral role connecting philanthropists to
their heart’s mission — and improving the
community and the world — a lofty goal
for a college kid,” she said.
As the capital campaign director for the
Marcus Jewish Community Center of
Atlanta, Brill is responsible for raising at
least $7.5 million for needed infrastructure
improvements to continue serving more
than 55,000 people each year. Prior to her
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
growing up and needless to say my family
is very proud of me,” she said.
Anderson is part of the Working
Parents Team, where she assists new
parents in adjusting to the challenges of
becoming a parent. Her other involvements include recruiting at the National
Association of Black
Accountants and serving as a
formal coach and mentor to
five staff members on her team,
although she is also an informal
mentor to many at PwC. Having
a mentor helped Anderson
overcome challenges early in
her career.
“Learning what to wear, what to say,
how to network, etc., was a big challenge
at the beginning of my career,” she said.
“Luckily, I had a great mentor who took
me under her wing and to this day is
involved in my success at work.”
Anderson has led several PwC community sponsored community events and was
recently asked to lead PwC’s corporate
initiative with the Boys and Girls Club of
Metro Atlanta over the next two years.
by WWEE. Bell credits mentors of her
past and present as being the key to her
success.
“I think the biggest lesson I took from
those who mentored me was the need
to establish and maintain personal
relationships with colleagues and clients
alike,” Bell said.
Bell has spent the last six
years at Medtech College,
where she’s risen in the ranks
from a career services specialist
to her current role as national
director of community partnerships. Under her leadership,
Medtech has developed national
partnerships with top health-care
providers such as Kaiser Permanente and
WellStar Health System Inc., and became
a player in providing recertification and
advanced training courses to hospitals
and other health-care organizations in
metro Atlanta.
Bell also gives back by volunteering
with United Way and Be Proactive, a
mentoring program in which she guides
four troubled boys who are being raised
by single parents.
role at MJCCA, Brill was director of the
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, which was
attended by more than 30,000 last year.
She also served as a fundraising
consultant for O’Neill & Associates
and as development director of The
Children’s Museum of Atlanta, raising
nearly $12 million to open
the museum.
“Making sure to enjoy the
process, the people and the
progress has been a key to my
success as a fundraiser,” Brill said.
Some of her proudest work
includes volunteering on the
board of directors of the
Truancy Intervention Project of
Georgia, a project of Fulton County
Juvenile Court that serves more than
600 children a year.
Brill has also served as the co-chair of
Habima Theater of the Marcus Jewish
Community Center of Atlanta.
“My experience with the family
foundation has helped me to develop
a new lens which I use daily in my
professional role at the MJCCA and
in my volunteer work,” Brill said.
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Page 6C • November 9-15, 2012
Amber Burckhalter
age 38
K-9 Coach LLC/Bed and Bark
All her life, Amber Burckhalter has
felt a special connection with
animals — dogs in particular.
She followed her calling and
obtained a master’s certification
in animal behaviorism from the
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. In 2001, Burckhalter
opened K-9 Coach LLC in the
parking lot of Powers Ferry
Animal Hospital, offering the company’s
first dog-training class. Today, the founder
and president of K-9 Coach operates a
full-service professional dog training,
grooming, boarding and day care facility
out of a 25,000-square-foot facility. The
operation has 25 full- and part-time
employees and annual revenues in excess
of $1 million.
Burckhalter is much more than a
business owner, however. She is also a
Angela Dotson
age 36
Habif, Arogeti & Wynne LLP
Angela Dotson, senior manager in the
advisory business group at
Habif, Arogeti & Wynne LLP
(HA&W), is heralded for her
leadership and courage,
attributes she applies to her
professional and personal life.
So when she was diagnosed with
breast cancer at 32, she took the
disease head on and beat it.
Dotson said she knew she wanted to
work in accounting the first day she
walked into her introductory accounting
class at The University of Georgia.
Starting at HA&W as an intern in her
senior year of college, she’s worked her
way up the ranks to the senior manager
level and is now in her 14th year of public
accounting.
“I realized there was a world full of
opportunities for someone with a degree
in accounting because, after all, accounting
Kevin Floyd
age 37
Prestige Staffing
Kevin Floyd is co-founder and chief
operating officer of Prestige Staffing,
a professional-level recruiting agency
serving the technology and health-care
industries. Since starting the
company in 1999, he’s been
responsible for charting the
company’s business strategy as
well as implementing daily operation tactics to achieve goals. He
said some of the keys to his success have been aligning with
good people, having mentors
that invested in him and “being in the
right place at the right time.”
Since 2005, Prestige Staffing has been
named one of the fastest-growing private
companies by Atlanta Business Chronicle
and in 2012 was selected as one of Atlanta
Business Chronicle’s Best Places to Work.
“Being in the recruiting business allows
us to truly do meaningful work by meeting
40 UNDER 40
sought after canine expert featured in a
variety of media . A certified master
trainer, Burckhalter is an animal behavior
consultant and considered an expert in
the canine aggression field. “What began
as a career focused on helping dogs and
their families, has called me to another
purpose: leadership within
an industry that is desperate
for leaders,” she said.
“Today, I am blessed
enough to say that my
career is fulfilling in a
way that few others are
able to experience.”
In 2011, K-9 Coach was
selected as the Cobb Chamber
Small Business of the Year and
Burckhalter was tapped to sit on
the 2012-2013 Cobb Chamber CEO
Roundtable. In October 2012, she was also
elected to the board of directors of the
Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
“I believe that you must be passionate
about what you do if you are going to be
successful. I am a person of faith and I also
believe in servant leadership,” she said.
is the language of business,” she said.
“I’m excited about where my career in
accounting has taken me and I’ve never
once looked back wishing I’d chosen a
different career path.”
The climb from the intern level to the
senior manager level has contributed to
Dotson’s effective communication skills with her teams and she
is often sought out for advice and
mentoring. Dotson said she
feels greatly invested in the
accomplishments of clients and
considers their successes some
of the highlights of her career.
“I work primarily with small
businesses and there is nothing more
rewarding than helping your clients see
their blood, sweat and tears pay off and
their dreams come true,” she said.
Dotson is also very passionate about
giving back to those who are less fortunate. Currently, she serves on the board
for Turning Point, a health-care facility for
women with breast cancer, and dedicates
her time to helping at-risk youth through
the C5 Youth Foundation Georgia, a
college readiness program.
others in their place of need,” Floyd said.
“We feel an obligation to have a positive
impact by not only making career
connections but by also being good
stewards of our time and money by
investing in the communities where we
live and work.”
Prestige Staffing also gives back to the
community, including the Aflac Cancer
and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta. His
contributions to the community
reach far beyond his professional role, however. In 2011,
he founded Atlanta Decision
Makers, aimed at bringing
together young business leaders
seeking to make wise business
decisions consistent with
following Jesus Christ. Floyd also serves
on the board of Giving101, a nonprofit
focused on developing the next generation
of “givers, civic leaders and philanthropists.” Members of Johnson Ferry
Baptist Church, Floyd and his family also
support Radical Mentoring, Restore
International and many other nonprofit
organizations.
Sonji Dade
age 38
City of Atlanta/Mayor Kasim Reed’s office
As director of communication for the
city of Atlanta, Sonji Dade works
with Mayor Kasim Reed on all
major policy issues.
Considered by the mayor
as one of his most
trusted advisers, her
background as a reporter
has given her the tools to
work with outside media
on behalf of the city.
“My role as director of communications for Mayor Kasim Reed
allows me to combine two passions: the
writing and editing skills I developed as
a newspaper reporter and my love of
politics,” she said.
Dade’s achievements of the past year
include reorganizing communications
functions and personnel citywide, which
has lead to positive media coverage for
David Duley
age 37
Can Media LLC; The Nook on Piedmont Park;
Triad Ventures LLC
David Duley is an entrepreneur that has founded five
companies. A native of Flint,
Mich., he attended Emory
University’s Goizueta School of
Business and has called Atlanta
home every since. His first
entrepreneurial venture was
The Handy Man Network Inc.,
an online service that allowed customers
to find qualified contractors for home
improvement projects. In 2003, he
founded Triad Ventures LLC, a real estate
investment company that purchases
properties in Atlanta and is working to
“clean up” neighborhoods by making the
housing more attractive. Duley also
founded PEARL Protected, the world’s
first permanent escape ladder system, and
in 2009 sold the company to Werner
Ladders, the world’s largest ladder
company. Amidst this difficult economic
time, Duley also took time to be of service
to other CEOs who were navigating the
tough market.
“I have been blessed with the opportunity to form friendships with some of the
most successful business people in
America and one day, out of the blue, a
CEO that I truly admired called me and
asked me for my advice/opinion on an
issue he was working on,” he said. “I was
Cee Lo Green
age 38
Primary Wave Music
Cee Lo Green is a rapper,
songwriter and producer well
known by many for co-writing
and singing on of the most popular songs
of 2006, Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” and his
international hit single, “Forget You.”
The Atlanta native has since gone on to
win five Grammy’s and become a coach
on NBC’s popular singing competition,
“The Voice.”
It all began in Atlanta, where Green was
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
the city and improved flow of information.
In January 2012, Dade led the redesign
and relaunch of the city’s website and
integrated social media as a core communication platform citywide. She is also
credited with restructuring the city’s
television station to make it fully operational and a news source for
residents for the first time in
a decade.
Dade also leads many of the
administration’s efforts with
international, federal, state and
local officials on important
issues like the deepening of the
Savannah Port.
“This position has been the highlight of
my career so far,” she said. “I never know
whom I may meet or where I might end
up on any given day.”
Dade serves on the board of directors
of Planned Parenthood Southeast and is
the legislative chairperson for the Greater
Metropolitan Atlanta chapter of Jack and
Jill of America Inc. and serves on the arts
and culture advisory committee of the
Atlanta Regional Commission.
floored that he would reach out to me and
that he would value my opinion. ”
Adding to his list of entrepreneurial
ventures, Duley is also co-owner of The
Nook in Piedmont Park, a restaurant that
has garnered several local and national
awards.
“I am just a huge fan of
business and entrepreneurship.
I think it is the lifeblood of
America and truly the only way
to grow our country and provide
opportunities for generations to
come,” he said.
Duley’s latest venture is that
of author. In January 2012, he
published “I Can Fix America: 52 common
sense ways YOU can make the United
States great again” and started a podcast
called The Controversial Truth, which has
50,000 weekly listeners.
“This book was specifically designed to
empower each one of us to find something
we are passionate about and work toward
‘fixing’ whatever issues that will help
move America forward,” he said.
A resident of East Point for 10 years,
Duley invests in his own community to
support its renewal. He’s been appointed
by the City Council to serve on the ethics
board for three years and was appointed
in 2012 as one of the youngest members
of the board of counselors at Oxford
College of Emory University. He’s also
served on the board of Jerusalem House,
a nonprofit that provides permanent
supportive housing for low income and
homeless individuals and families affected
by HIV/AIDS.
born and grew up singing in
church. He later joined hip-hop
group Goodie Mob and built a
solo career that included being
signed by Arista. He’s collaborated with the likes of the Red
Hot Chili Peppers, OneRepublic
and others. His album, The Lady
Killer, was released in 2010.
Along with his musical ventures, Cee Lo
also has a budding acting career, which
includes starring in the movies “Sparkle,”
“Hotel Transylvania” and “Soul Man.”
He is also currently the executive
producer of a new family sitcom for NBC
and has an upcoming show in Las Vegas
called Loberace.
40 UNDER 40
Page 8C • November 9-15, 2012
Kevin Grimes
age 36
CFO Leasing Inc.
As CEO of CFO Leasing Inc., a leading
government contract accounting
and consulting firm, Kevin
Grimes promotes leadership,
character and community
involvement as a part of the
company’s corporate culture. He
also personally volunteers his
time and commits corporate
resources to initiatives aimed at
reducing metro Atlanta’s high school
dropout rate.
“Starting CFO Leasing has provided me
with an opportunity to effect meaningful
change in the community,” Grimes said.
“As the CEO, I have the ability to provide
each full-time employee with up to four
hours of paid volunteer hours each week.”
CFO Leasing currently partners with
the Atlanta Job Corps to provide leadership curriculum, in-classroom instructors
and off-campus work-based learning
opportunities for Atlanta Job Corps students. Grimes helped establish the
Leadership Training Program with the
Atlanta Job Corps, which is a second
chance program helping young people,
ages 16 through 24, improve the quality of
their lives through career technical and
academic training. Grimes also serves as
chairman of the Atlanta Job Corps
Industry Advisory Council, where he
works to create more business participation in areas of work-based learning and
hiring of Atlanta Job Corps students.
Grimes has made a big difference in the
community all while developing CFO
Leasing into a company with a global
client base that has helped secure more
than $500 million in federal contracts and
grants. In 2011 and 2012, CFO Leasing
provided more federal contract compliance training than any firm in
the U.S., helping clients maintain a 100 percent
passing rate in federal
compliance inspections.
Grimes also assisted
Georgia Tech in
launching The
Contracting Education
Academy, which is one of only two
training centers in the Southeast
designed to train Department of
Defense personnel and federal procurement employees.
“Being selected over three D.C.-based
firms, by a 100 percent Iraqi-owned
company for an on-site consulting project
in Baghdad, Iraq, and assisting Georgia
Tech with launching the Contracting
Education Academy have been the highlights of my career so far,” Grimes said.
In 2012, Grimes partnered with the
National Center for American Indian
Enterprise Development and the United
Indian Development Association,
providing more than $20,000 in services
to help develop American Indian participation in federal contracting opportunities.
This year he was also selected as a
member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of
2013 and received the 2012 Star Award
at the 16th Annual Texas Government
Procurement Conference for excellence
in federal contract consulting.
MEET
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
Hill Hardman
age 33
RouteMatch Software
The youngest member of the management team at RouteMatch
Software, Hill Hardman heads
the business and corporate development teams
at the Atlanta-based
company, which provides
routing, scheduling and
fleet management technology aimed at making
public transportation agencies and
municipalities more efficient. Prior
to his current role, Hardman’s professional background includes teaching
elementary and middle school in the
Dominican Republic, working at Synovus
Financial Management, on the trading
floor at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in
New York and as an associate at King &
Spalding LLP. He also ran a search fund
looking for companies to invest in.
Throughout his career, he’s also provided
hundreds of hours of pro bono legal
and business advisory services through
an independent legal advisory group.
“It has been particularly gratifying to
leverage skills I have learned in my
profession, whether as a teacher, banker,
lawyer or entrepreneur, to help others
in the community,” he said.
Along with his role at RouteMatch,
Hardman has participated in regional
transportation initiatives with the Atlanta
Regional Commission, Georgia
Department of Transportation, MARTA,
the Georgia Regional Transportation
Authority and the state legislature.
Developing an interest in international
affairs at a young age, Hardman is an
International Baccalaureate graduate of
North Atlanta High School. He majored in
International Relations at Duke University
and focused on international law
at the University of Virginia
School of Law, where he was
president of the student body
and First Year Council.
Receiving an international MBA
degree from INSEAD in France
and Singapore, Hardman served
as a Carter Center delegate in
Nepal during the 2008 Nepalese elections.
“I have been fortunate throughout my
life to have had a wide range of experiences interacting with diverse groups of
people, which has enabled me to become
more open-minded,” he said. “Such
experiences have fostered a collaborative
and team-oriented approach while looking
at challenges and solutions from multiple
perspectives. ”
Selected as a 2013 Marshall Memorial
Fellow, Hardman is chair of the World
Affairs Council Young Leaders Executive
Committee and serves on the Georgia
Forward board of directors. His other
involvements include the Metro Atlanta
Chamber board of advisors and
Transportation Policy Committee, the
Atlanta Business School Alliance Board,
the Woodruff Arts Center Global Firms
Committee and more. A graduate of LEAD
Atlanta, he previously served on the
Camp Twin Lakes Junior Board, where he
personally raised more than $20,000 for
Camp Twin Lakes.
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ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
John Hardman
age 33
GeoFields Inc.
John Hardman comes from a
family legacy of public service.
Currently vice president of
GeoFields Inc., an Atlanta-based
software company providing
data management solutions for
the oil and gas industry, he continues giving back to others and
his hometown.
A graduate of Stanford University,
Hardman obtained his law degree from the
University Virginia School of Law and an
MBA from INSEAD, one of the world’s top
business schools, spending time on the
campuses in France and Singapore. His
background includes teaching in the
Dominican Republic, working at Synovus
Financial Management Services and practicing law at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan
LLP. He also served as president and investment manager of First Light Ventures, a
Megan Herbert
age 38
Beakon Construction & Design LLC
The oldest child of a military family,
Megan Herbert gained a determined and flexible approach to
life at a young age. As managing
member of Beakon
Construction & Design LLC, she
uses this approach to balance
the demands of being a business
owner in a male-dominated field
with being a wife and mother of
two young boys.
“When making the decision to start
Beakon Construction & Design with my
husband, Ron Herbert, and partner,
Pete Snyder, almost 10 years ago I didn’t
realize how drastically it would change
me and not just my lifestyle,” Herbert
said. “Being directly responsible for the
livelihood of others, similar to being a
mother, means unconditionally loving
the work you do. ”
Starting Beakon in 2003, Herbert led
Jeff Hilimire
age 36
Engauge
A lifelong entrepreneur, Jeff Hilimire
began building websites while
he was still at the University of
North Carolina Charlotte. In
1998 he started a Web design
company with his roommates.
Business took off and NBN
Design, which was later
renamed Spunlogic, grew one
website at a time.
“I fell in love with building websites in
1996 while attending UNC Charlotte with
my college roommate, Raj Choudhury,”
Hilimire said. “In 1998, [we] decided to
start a Web design company. Fast forward
16 years and I still love the Internet and
technology just as much as when we
started.”
Two years later, after founding
Spunlogic in his parents’ basement,
Hilimire moved to its first real office.
In 2003, the company was named one of
November 9-15, 2012 • Page 9C
$10 million venture capital fund.
“I am fortunate to have had several
professional experiences through which I
have been able to develop a variety of skill
sets. I consider the highlight of my work
to be when I have been able to use my
professional skills to help make
a difference in the community,”
he said.
While at First Light Ventures,
Hardman worked with entrepreneurs across the country to
develop sustainable, marketbased solutions to the
challenges faced by individuals
living in poverty worldwide.
Hardman remains an active part of the
startup and philanthropic community as a
charter member of TiE Atlanta and
member of the Atlanta Technology
Angels. A member of the Atlanta CEO
Council and LEAD Atlanta Class of 2012,
he also sits on the Emory University
Board of Visitors, Culture Connect Board,
Georgia Cities Foundation Board and the
Woodruff Arts Center Foundations
Committee.
the company through the economic downturn, when the company’s sales lagged. In
2012, she developed relationships with the
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and The
Coca-Cola Co., which resulted in multimillion-dollar projects for her company.
LEED-certified, Herbert promotes
LEED initiatives encouraging
environmentally friendly
construction alternatives, and
developed a green newsletter for
the commercial construction
industry. A member of the
JEDunn Minority Business
Development Class, she is also
certified with the Women’s
Business Enterprise National Council.
Herbert believes an important part of
owning a business is giving back to the
community in which it operates. Her
company participates in various charitable
endeavors and Herbert volunteers
with organizations like the 3-Day Walk
For Breast Cancer and organizes a
holiday fundraiser to donate blankets
to local shelters.
She also started a scholarship to help
local teens with college expenses.
Atlanta’s fastest-growing companies by
Atlanta Business Chronicle. In 2008,
Hilimire sold Spunlogic to Engauge,
something he considers to be one of the
highlights, and challenges, of his career.
Today, as Engauge’s president and chief
digital officer, Hilimire is charged with the
company’s vision and innovation,
serving brand names like
Chick-fil-A Inc., The Home
Depot Inc., InterContinental
Hotel Group Plc and others.
Along his rise to business
success, Hilimire has remained
involved in the startup community and is a member of Shotput
Ventures, a technology accelerator fund
with a mission of supporting young
entrepreneurs.
He is also active in the community,
serving on the boards of The Children’s
Museum of Atlanta and Junior
Achievement of Georgia as well as being
a part of the Class of 2013 Leadership
Atlanta. Married to his high school
sweetheart, Emily, Hilimire is the father
of four children whom he coaches in
tennis and soccer.
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OPTION 2
40 UNDER 40
Page 10C • November 9-15, 2012
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
40 Under 40 Leader Survey
his year we asked a few Atlanta
Business Chronicle 40 Under 40
alumni about their personal goals and
role models. We also got some of their
advice for the next 40 Under 40 class. Here
are the questions we posed:
T
1.
2.
3.
What are your personal goals for
the year ahead and why?
Who are your heroes? What have
they taught you?
What advice do you have for the
next 40 Under 40 class?
Fred Perpall
Managing director
The Beck Group
Class of 2010
GOALS: As we
begin to broaden our
reach and conduct
Perpall
business in more areas
of Latin America, I
would like to obtain a fluency in Spanish,
which would allow me to be more than a
bystander to business conversations. It is
particularly important to me to embrace
the global business environment in
which we can pursue future opportunities, and one of the most fundamental
underlying aspects of any strong business relationship includes the investment
of both parties in effective methods of
communication ... I also want to continue
to build my financial health. I think it is
necessary to have stability in your financial life, so you can afford to pursue new
opportunities, while continuing to support
and give back to others. This ties into my
third goal, which is deeply personal to
both my family and me, as we try to foster
an environment of success and security
within our community. I have been fortunate enough to serve on many civic
boards, and we would like to continue our
stewardship of our community.
HEROES: My biggest hero is my father;
he was an avionics engineer. He taught me
the value and benefit of hard work; his
example serves as a reminder constantly
motivating me to push myself. He showed
me what could be achieved through dedication. He would be up every morning
before dawn, and managed to expertly balance work while still focusing on his loved
ones and religion. I have heard it said that
success is a game of chance relying mostly
on luck, but from my dad, I learned that
through our efforts and hard work we give
luck a surface to stick to.
ADVICE: I think that it is essential to
understand that the younger generation
has created a standard of global connectivity; which means our success in a large
part is going to depend on our ability to
traverse cultural divides, distances and
language barriers to create and maintain
relationships. We no longer can only be
concerned with domestic markets and the
perceptions of our neighbors; we have a
social responsibility to ensure universal
growth and development. We have been
privileged to be honored as influential
leaders, and with this honor comes the
ability to affect change and the potential to
impact future generations.
Steve
Ehretsman
Vice President of
Business Development.
ProCare Prosthetics &
Orthotics
Class of 2011
Ehretsman
GOALS: Furthering
education and retooling
is essential in the marketplace to personal
and professional growth. I am going to
make strides to a strong consideration of
a night MBA program. This will involve
prepping for the GRE, exploring the most
beneficial program to fit my needs and
creating a plan of time management. In
addition, I am very excited about a recent
board of director’s position with A Leg In
Faith Foundation. Established in late 2012
ASK THE
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should pay?
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expensive. Why not brainstorm a list of possibilities independently –
and see if there’s a match. (Pun intended.) Most of our clients like to go
somewhere they can see and hear their date clearly. But, whatever you
do, consider all the angles. For instance, if you are the kind of person
who loves wine tasting, are you prepared to see your date spit with abandon? Want to try the
hottest new restaurant in town? Make sure there are things even a timid eater can try. Raw
oysters may hold special powers, but some people would rather walk a tightrope over a pool of
sharks. Miniature golf can be fun – but make sure the serious golfer won’t be in agony if they
suffer defeat. You got this!
As President of One on One Matchmaking, and a 40 Under 40 Alum, Sarah Kathryn
Smith’s expertise has led to more than 300 marriages and thousands of relationships.
Call 404.355.4646 today or visit us
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and led by Paralympic athlete Jarryd
Wallace, ALIFF’s mission is to provide
aspiring amputees with the resources
(running device) they need to give them
the ability to be a highly functioning
amputee runner. Professionally, ProCare
Prosthetics & Orthotics is making some
noticeable growth investments. This past
month, we launched our fourth office ...
Developing new relationships with
referral sources will be critical to that
offices success and is one of my major
focuses for the first and second quarters of
2013.
HEROES: My grandfather, Jack
Horenberger and Dr. Donald Peck
Leslie. Coach Jack Horenberger was a
college basketball and baseball coach
for 30 plus years in Bloomington, Ill. He
led by example, and knew that if he developed trust in each player he would be
able to maximize their ability, hence
leading to team success ... Parallel to
some of my grandfather’s teachings,
when I moved back to Atlanta in 2010,
I had the fortune to meet Dr. Don Leslie.
Almost after my first meeting, I was absolutely amazed at how a medical director of
a national renowned rehabilitation facility
could be so personal and caring. His
patients, his teams, his friends, all are
inspired and thankful to know him.
Similar to my grandfather, the relationships that Dr. Leslie has fostered over
the past 20-plus years at The Shepherd
Center, helps people invest back into that
facility.
ADVICE: My advice would be continue,
continue, continue … Each of you were
nominated and selected for a reason. Make
a difference in everything you do and
invest in relationships that will make for
classes in the future of 40 Under 40’s even
more exceptional. Congratulations, but
there is much more work ahead to lead.
Take that challenge and LEAD.
Malissa “Mali”
Hunter
Partner, TeaLeaf Music
General manager,
Tree Sound Studios
Class of 2011
GOALS: My goals
are for my ad agency to
continue building relationships with
brands and link them with artists that
make sense for a mutually beneficial partnership with the right exposure for both.
Also, as GM for the world-famous Tree
Sound Studios, to continue to be a haven
for musicians to come and enjoy making
music in our beautiful peaceful eco-friendly
environment.
HEROES: My heroes are, No. 1, my
granny, Malissa Garrett, who I’m named
after. She taught me hard work and to
have character in this cutthroat industry.
No. 2, my partner, Paul Diaz, for being a
light and a philanthropist in an industry
with not that many people who care about
people. No. 3, platinum producer and
music industry mogul and adviser to the
stars James “Groove” Chambers for
being my mentor when I needed better
leadership skills.
ADVICE: My advice for the next 40
Under 40 are to continue working hard,
even harder than ever and to not get
discouraged, but to keep your eyes on
the prize.
Hunter
Navneet Singh
Narula
Chief brilliance officer
at nBrilliance
Class of 2007
GOALS: A quote I
live on and my passion
for community service
comes as a reminder that the time to give
back is NOW — “I expect to pass through
this world but once. Any good thing, therefore that I can do or any kindness that I
can show to any human being, let me do it
now. Let me not defer it or neglect it, for I
may not pass this way again.” In the year
ahead, I will further my passions in these
personal goals:
1. Make Atlanta thrive – Due to the
international nature of my work, I have
spent more time abroad than here at home
in Atlanta. Next year, I will shift my focus
to Atlanta.
2. Pay it forward – As a Sikh
American, my religion is based on the
values of giving back and sharing our earnings. Hence service is in my DNA and I
will strengthen my support of two key
organizations to help them achieve their
mission and serve with them — the United
Sikhs and New Leaders Council.
3. Live it Up - If you know me, you
will realize quickly that my mantra in life
is simple; with every email I sign off I end
with “take care, keep smiling and live
it up.”
HEROES: I would like to share five
people who have influenced me and
consider heroes as their actions of
triumph have taught me a lot.
Buckminster Fuller was a 20th-century
inventor and visionary who dedicated his
life to making the world work for all of
humanity. Dr. Martin Luther King is a
civil rights hero and his fight to combat
racism and equal opportunity is a fight
that my Sikh community faces due to hate
crimes from mistaken identity. Michelle
Nunn is a personal hero of mine who lives
in Atlanta and whom I look up to and
admire a whole lot. Michelle is the CEO
of Points of Light, a powerful hands-on
movement that inspires, equips and mobilizes people to volunteer and take action
that changes the world in their own communities where they live. My parents ...
my father, Harinder Narula, is one of the
most positive, spirited people I know …
My mother, Dr. Sukhvarsha Narula, is the
perfect embodiment of an awesome
mother.
ADVICE: First, my heartiest congratulations to all the 40 Under 40 winners, it’s a
fantastic honor and an accomplishment
you should be proud of. As for advice, I am
absolutely certain that each one is phenomenal in their own right and many
possibly don’t need much guidance, so I
share the following advice with utmost
humbleness and regard for these accomplished heroes of our community.
1. Be you.
2. Elevate people by doing something
unbelievable.
3. Dare to be naïve.
4. Stick to your values.
5. Don’t worry, be scrappy.
6. Value the power of women around you.
7. Empathize.
8. Travel the world.
9. Have a great story to share.
10. Be humble.
Narula
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
Eric Holtzclaw
age 39
User Insight Inc.
An entrepreneur and business consultant, Eric Holtzclaw is also the
founder and CEO of User
Insight Inc., an Atlanta-based
user research firm that advises
some of the world’s top brands
on strategic investments in
technology, marketing and
advertising.
A native Atlantan, Holtzclaw’s
20-plus year career has included building
more than a dozen companies and new
divisions within larger organizations,
including well-known brands like IBM
Corp. and Silicon Graphics.
“I’ve had a fantastic journey and opportunity to work across industries and with
some of the greatest brands, people, technologies and initiatives to emerge over
that time span,” he said.
Tharon Johnson
age 35
Obama for America
An Athens, Ga., native and graduate of
Clark Atlanta University, a
young Tharon Johnson wanted
to be a teacher and football
coach when he grew up. Destiny
took him in a different direction,
but his commitment to empowering others came to fruition.
“I truly believe that politics is
one of the many avenues to
create good policy and fair laws to help
people achieve their dreams and accomplish their goals,” said Johnson, the
national and Southern regional director
for Obama for America.
In his career, Johnson has worked to
represent historically underrepresented
voters, empower a new generation of
citizens and bring increased government
assistance to parts of Georgia that need
Harris Konter
age 31
Raymond James & Associates
Harris Konter has always been
financially minded. As a wealth
management specialist at
Raymond James & Associates,
he puts his financial savvy to
work for his clients, but he also
utilizes his talents to give back.
Konter began a financial advisory practice with Raymond
James & Associates in 2006. In
2008, he received the Rising Star Award
for finishing top in his training class, but
growing a financial advisory practice
during the economic downturn was no
easy feat.
“There was a lot of fear in the marketplace and in my clients’ own minds,” he
said. “Holding strong to the investment
theories I had and making the right
decisions was difficult but I know I’m a
better adviser for having been through it.”
While many advisers were forced to
leave the business during the downturn,
Konter’s practice thrived, increasing
revenue by more than 50 percent in 2009
40 UNDER 40
Holtzclaw is also the co-founder and
co-host of “The Better You” project, a
radio show aimed at giving motivation,
inspiration, resources and support to individuals who want to take a step forward in
finding and following their passions. In the
spring of 2012 he began writing a column
called Lean Forward for Inc.com.
Serving as the 2011-2012
president of his
local Toastmasters
International Club,
he was also named
Toastmaster of the Year.
Holtzclaw also serves on
the HCI Advisory Board
for Georgia Tech; mentors local
college students through User
Insight’s educational partnerships;
and advises teachers through the National
Entrepreneurship Education Consortium.
“I believe our city has the potential to be
an even more significant player in the
coming years if we can build the right
structure to support budding entrepreneurs and businesses,” he said.
it most. He is currently a key part of
President Barack Obama’s re-election team.
In 2009, he worked as senior strategist
and campaign manager in Kasim Reed’s
bid for mayor of Atlanta.
“Helping Mayor Kasim Reed win the
run-off election for mayor was definitely a
highlight. Most people thought
that we could not win in the
beginning but we won the
election by 714 votes,” he said.
Honored with the Campaigns
& Elections 2010 Rising Star
Award, Johnson is the youngest,
and first, African-American to
receive this distinction. He is
also a member of the executive committee
of the Democratic Party of Georgia and a
graduate of Leadership Atlanta’s LEAD
Atlanta Class of 2010.
“I look forward to engaging more
deeply in volunteer service that has
nothing to do with politics, especially
with KIPP Metro Atlanta, Big Brothers
Big Sisters, and other education-focused
movements,” Johnson said.
and 2010. In 2012, Konter was approached
by Vidal & Whitley Wealth Advisors, a
team within Raymond James & Associates,
to became their head strategic planner.
Konter’s dedication also reaches outside of
the office. In an effort to volunteer his time
to help individuals outside of his own
community, he decided to reach
out to a nonprofit group in the
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and
Transgender (GLBT) community. He joined the board of the
MEGA Family Project, a group
offering support, education and
advocacy for GLBT families, and
has served as vice president and
president of the organization.
In 2009, Konter was chosen by UN
Watch to attend the UN Conference on
Anti-Discrimination and Racism in Geneva.
When he returned to the U.S., Konter
organized a speaking tour to discuss the
power of diplomacy in the face of discrimination. Konter is also currently co-chair of
ACCESS, the young professionals’ arm of
the American Jewish Committee.
“Being so involved in the nonprofit
community has given me a great deal
of pride and purpose,” he said. “There’s
much more to life than just managing
and focusing on money.”
November 9-15, 2012 • Page 11C
Andrew Ibbotson
age 37
Digital Assent LLC
In 2009, Andrew Ibbotson developed
the business plan for PatientPad
and began building Digital
Assent LLC, a
health-care media and
marketing company that
helps patients make
more educated and
informed decisions at the
point of care. Today,
Digital Assent’s award-winning
PatientPad technology is helping
transform the patient experience
at doctors’ offices. The idea for PatientPad
developed after Ibbotson’s father went in
for sinus surgery and spent 45 minutes
filling out the required paperwork.
“I couldn’t believe that 99 percent
of health-care providers were still
using paper for patient intake,” said
Gene Kansas
age 39
Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate;
Sidewalk Radio
A businessman, community
volunteer and radio host, Gene
Kansas’ endeavors are varied,
but they all focus on making
a difference in Atlanta. An
entrepreneur with Gene Kansas
Commercial Real Estate, he is
a former board member of the
Atlanta Contemporary Art
Center and serves as mentor and current
board member of Big Brothers Big
Sisters (BBBS). Kansas is also the
creator and host of “Sidewalk Radio” on
AM1690 The Voice of the Arts, the first
radio show dedicated to the history and
culture of Atlanta.
“My interest in both real estate and
radio comes from a desire to explore.
It’s not surprising that these fields are
Ibbotson, founder and CEO.
Since the official launch of PatientPad in
January 2011, Ibbotson’s raised $12 million in financing from Georgia investors;
recruited a team of experienced, earlystage executives; and filed 24 patent
claims. Today, Digital Assent has
expanded throughout the U.S.,
licensing more than 2,500
PatientPad tablets to more than
500 doctors’ offices in 40 states.
Prior to Digital Assent,
Ibbotson was founder and CEO
of Synthis Corp., where he led
the development and launch of a
point-of-sale advertising and
selling solution that grew to more than
$500 million per month in sales transactions before being acquired by a
multibillion-dollar software company.
Ibbotson sits on the board of directors
for Venture Atlanta and is a mentor to
Georgia Tech students and first-time entrepreneurs. Recently, Ibbotson and his wife
launched a foundation to help children in
his home country of El Salvador.
interconnected for me,” he said.
In 2012 Kansas’ radio show collaborated
on various community projects, including
The Sidewalk Art Project with SCAD
Atlanta’s School of Fine Art. Kansas also
recently launched a philanthropic component of Sidewalk Radio called Patch the
Sidewalk, which aims to raise
money to repair sidewalks in
historic neighborhoods.
In commercial real estate,
Kansas is the creative brain
behind community-focused and
unique marketing programs like
The Clermont Hotel Design
Competition and the first-ever
Midtown Pop-Up Shop retail district.
“The ability to do something that I love
that also makes other people happy is
certainly a highlight within my career,” he
said. “My work with [BBBS] for the past
13 years has been extremely fulfilling, and
being able to help breathe new life into
the organization through the acquisition
of our new headquarters at 1382
Peachtree is just a bonus.”
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Page 12C • November 9-15, 2012
Kenji Kuramoto
age 39
AcuityCFO LLC
Kenji Kuramoto has worked his way
from being a young CPA at a big
accounting firm to a successful
entrepreneur. Co-founding
AcuityCFO LLC in 2004, he
assumed management of the
outsourced chief financial officer,
controller and bookkeeping services company in 2012. Under
his leadership, the accounting
and finance firm has gained recognition in
Atlanta and grown its client portfolio to
include more than 150 Atlanta entrepreneurs, startup companies and established
brands like Spanx and Taco Mac.
“When the chance came to launch my
own entrepreneurial endeavor, I jumped at
it. At first, I didn’t really know how to be
an entrepreneur, so I did what I could —
support others who did know how to take
an idea and transform it into a successful
Christina Lennon
age 36
Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation
After volunteering at United Way in
high school, Christina Lennon
decided she wanted a career in
nonprofits. She also set a goal
for herself of being an executive
director by the time she was 30.
At just 29 years old, she reached
that goal, becoming executive
director of the Georgia Lions
Lighthouse Foundation (GLLF)
during a difficult time — the organization,
which helps low-income Georgians
receive eyeglasses, eye surgeries and
hearing aids — had not met its $600,000
budget in three years.
After taking the helm of the organization seven years ago, Lennon has
managed to increase the number of
people served through the organization
sevenfold even though the budget has
only tripled.
When the foundation’s growth required
Matthew May
age 37
Cherry, Bekaert & Holland LLP
The youngest partner at Cherry,
Bekaert & Holland LLP’s Atlanta
office, Matthew May is the
leader of the technology and life
sciences practice at the firm.
Through his work, he said he
enjoys getting a sneak peek
of what the technology
future holds.
“The technology community
changes every day,” he said. “I work with
about 20 companies each year in the
sector and they are changing the way we
live day to day. I get a behind-the-scenes
view of what is coming tomorrow in
my job.”
Contributing to the firm’s technical and
operational structure, May is also a
mentor to CB&H professionals, helping
guide them along their career path. May’s
own career includes being the former
owner of a successful technology startup
40 UNDER 40
business. Ironically, in so doing, I have
grown as an entrepreneur as well. I can’t
really imagine having more fun in a
career,” Kuramoto said.
Along with serving clients, AcuityCFO
contributes to Atlanta’s startup community by providing sponsorships,
participating in expert panels
and donating its consulting
services to associations
and incubator groups,
including Venture
Atlanta. Kuramoto is
also involved in the
Advanced Technology
Development Center
(ATDC) at Georgia Tech, where
he is an adviser and mentor to
budding Atlanta entrepreneurs. He
also mentors through groups like
StartUp Lounge and Startup Chicks,
among others.
“I’m humbled in the knowledge that
AcuityCFO has earned the trust of
brilliant entrepreneurs, and so proud to
be even a small part of this creative,
forward-thinking environment,” he said.
a capital campaign, Lennon met the hefty
goal of $2.75 million, which at the time
was more than double the annual budget,
in one year. This allowed the organization
to move into a new facility, begin an
electronic medical record system and
begin manufacturing its eyeglasses
in-house. In two years, including
the year running the campaign,
GLLF saw 2,000 additional
people, bringing its total to more
than 6,000 statewide.
“We raised and collected
$3 million in 18 months, in a tough
economic climate,” she said.
Outside of the foundation,
Lennon serves as an advisory board
member for the Rollins School of Public
Health at Emory University and on the
advisory council for CEO perspectives for
the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.
“I always say running a nonprofit should
be measured in dog years, not human
years,” she said. “It requires constant
innovation and resourcefulness to grow a
company on a 10 percent overhead and
depend on volunteer labor to accomplish
the mission day to day.”
company in Austin, Texas. Selling the
company in 2000, he said, was the highlight of his career.
In the community, May served as the
first chairman for Georgia Aquarium’s
The Next Wave Society and is also a
board member, committee chair and
treasurer on the executive board
of Refugee Family Services.
May has assisted many of
these organizations to increase
operational efficiency and
donor contributions — this
year The Next Wave is preparing
to pass the $1 million mark in
funds raised.
May also gives his time to organizations
like Technology Association of Georgia
(TAG) and Venture Atlanta. May is also
active in Atlanta CEO Council and The
IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE).
“When I moved to Atlanta four years
ago, the people in the Atlanta technology
community really helped me get my feet
under me,” May said. “That made a
big difference in how fast I was able to
become a part of the Atlanta technology
community.”
Martin LaMar
age 39
Atlanta Housing Authority
Atlanta native Martin LaMar works
each day to make his hometown
a better place to live. As director
of policy development for
the Atlanta Housing
Authority (AHA), he
collaborates and forms
partnerships with local
and federal government
entities to expand and
strengthen pathways to further
influence for the organization.
“The highlight of my career has
been my work as an [AHA] employee,”
he said. “Having led the operational
efforts to close nine public housing
communities, provide operational oversight of nearly 6,800 units in another role,
to my current position of policy development director ... I play a role in making
my hometown better.”
Jesse Lindsley
age 38
Thrust Interactive
Since founding his two-man garagebased gaming company eight
years ago, Jesse Lindsley has
grown Thrust Interactive into a
more than 25-person interactive
agency focused on the development of mobile games and apps.
After making it through the
Great Recession when many
competitors didn’t, Thrust is
poised to bring in revenues of $2.5 million
this year and looking at an expansion into
New York and San Francisco.
“I’m very proud of what we accomplished,” he said. “It’s a story of survival
and intuit-ness and now we have come
through the other side of that and the last
two years business has been booming.”
In March, Thrust Interactive moved its
headquarters to a 5,000-square-foot space
in Inman Park. The company celebrated
its new home with an event keynoted by
Justin Miller
age 25
CARE for AIDS
At 25 years old, Justin Miller is the
founder and executive director
of a nonprofit making a big
difference in the fight against
HIV/AIDS. While just a junior at
Vanderbilt University, he started
CARE for AIDS, which is
transforming the way care is
delivered to those struggling
with the disease in Africa.
The catalyst for the organization took
place during a 2007 trip to Kenya when
Miller realized how severe the plight of
those living with HIV/AIDS really was.
He saw how individuals suffering with the
disease were shunned by family and
friends and had no access to proper care.
Miller connected with two local leaders
and began on a mission to mobilize local
churches as community health centers
for those living with HIV/AIDS.
“I realized that I could have a more
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
During his five years at AHA, he’s
provided oversight for four of the agency’s
high-profile public housing closures and
tenant relocations, including Bankhead
Courts and University Homes. His success
managing these projects resulted in an
appointment to Mayor Kasim Reed’s Street
Homelessness Initiative Team,
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s Policy and
Communication’s Committee
and Morehouse School of
Medicine’s Preventative Research
Community Coalition Board.
While LaMar has seen great
success along his path, it hasn’t
always been easy. In 2007, he encountered
challenges that left him homeless for
three months.
“Oddly enough, with the solid education
and work experience one would need to
succeed, I was living in my vehicle and
later sleeping in a building and looking
for food,” he said. “Suddenly, my biggest
challenge became my biggest asset and I
knew I had been humbled and shaped for
a bigger purpose than myself.”
Mayor Kasim Reed, who credited Lindsley
for job creation and for helping put Atlanta
on the map in the mobile app industry.
Lindsley has also been credited for helping
retain video game development in the entertainment tax credit for Georgia in 2012.
The offices of Thrust Interactive mirror
the personality of its founder
and CEO. The casual and
pet-friendly environment has
few “closed door” offices,
which is aimed at encouraging
collaboration and innovation.
“I wear shorts and flip flops
365 days a year and it is just a
really neat place to work,” he
said. “It’s a very collaborative, open environment that works for us and allows us to
build great products and have great company morale that makes it really great to
wake up for work.”
Lindsley hosts monthly Atlanta Game
Developer Meet-Ups at Thrust’s headquarters and, outside the office, is the
founder of the Unity3D and Corona SDK
Atlanta User Groups and board member
of the Indie Developer Guild, APPNATION
Atlanta and Digitainment Georgia.
lasting impact if I applied my skills in
business to help create an organization
that would help these people,” Miller
said. “Never for a moment have I secondguessed that decision. ”
Each center works with 75 families each
year to help them regain physical health,
economic stability, social support and emotional well-being.
The organization has opened
14 centers, some situated in
Kenya’s most highly infected
slums.
CARE for AIDS recently graduated its 2,000th family and, to
date, nearly 10,000 men, women
and children have been impacted by the
organization’s work.
Miller has taken more than 150 people
to Kenya in the past few years and, this
year, CARE for AIDS will raise more than
$1 million for the cause.
“My faith in Jesus Christ has always been
my motivation and my highest pursuit. I
have been far from perfect in that pursuit,
but I’m reminded that it is only by His
grace that CARE for AIDS even exists and
is successful today,” he said.
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
Siva Mohan
age 39
Southern Heart Specialists P.C.
Siva Mohan practices interventional
cardiology as a partner and
director with Southern Heart
Specialists P.C. Founded by
Mohan’s father four decades ago,
the cardiology practice has
grown into one of the largest
groups in the region.
“Heart disease is the No. 1
killer in America and, therein,
the field of cardiology is full of energy,
innovation and progress. I was, and still
am, drawn to it,” he said.
Involved in the day-to-day administrative
and management responsibilities of the
practice, Mohan also chairs multiple internal
committees. He is also active in the issue of
health-care access, working in rural India
with NGO ASSIST INDIA to teach healthcare basics in remote villages.
Over the past three years he’s also worked
Alissa Silverman
age 34
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Alissa Silverman joined the U.S. Fund
for UNICEF as a deputy director
three years ago, when the office
hadn’t hosted a special event in
more than three years and was
raising about $1.5 million per
year. Now, as managing director
of the Southeast region, she is
leading a region that is raising
more than $2.4 million.
In 2011, Silverman and the board she
manages launched a brand-new event for
the U.S. Fund titled the UNICEF
Experience. Focusing exclusively on the
UNICEF mission, the event allowed guests
to see the nonprofit’s work up close. In the
first year, the event raised more than
$500,000. Last year it grew to a more interactive event, including Atlanta’s youth as
guides, and raising more than $600,000.
“I worked with our board of directors to
reshape our signature special event in
Todd Starr
age 39
Altair Sign & Light; My Neighborhood
Electrician; Ecycle Services
Todd Starr founded his first
entrepreneurial endeavor, B&T
Vending Services, while he was
still a student at The Ohio State
University. He acquired several
vending machines and began
supplying and servicing the
machines placed in fraternity
and sorority houses.
Starr’s industrial spirit continued to
flourish while studying for his MBA at
Mercer University. During an entrepreneur class he developed the idea for Altair
Sign & Light, a commercial sign and
lighting company, and officially opened
the venture in 2003 after graduating with
his MBA. By 2008, Altair Sign & Light had
achieved $1 million in revenue and this
year is on track to reach $2.2 million. In
2009, Starr applied his business acumen to
launching another venture called Ecycle
40 UNDER 40
closely with a colleague from Cleveland
Clinic to establish a nonprofit primary care
hospital in Bangalore, India. The hospital is
expected to open in mid-2013. Mohan also
led the formation of the Southern Heart
Research Institute, where thousands of
patients have been queried, screened and
enrolled in large national and
international clinical trials.
A member of this
year’s Leadership
Atlanta class, Mohan was
recently chosen to serve
on the executive leadership team of the Atlanta
Heart Ball, which raises
nearly $5 million annually for the
American Heart Association. He
is also an active member of the
Southern Regional Medical Center
Foundation and holds advisory positions
with several multinational medical device
and pharmaceutical companies.
“I aim to be a passionate patient advocate who tries to connect with each and
every patient and not just their disease,”
he said.
Atlanta. Instead of a fashion show or gala,
we created an event that focused on
UNICEF’s mission and allowed guests to
see where their money was going,”
Silverman said.
Silverman has also helped the board
start a UNICEF Speaker Series in Atlanta
and is focused on growing
UNICEF’s presence in Atlanta
and the Southeast.
Prior to her work at UNICEF,
Silverman was executive director
for Create Your Dreams, a youth
enrichment program in Atlanta.
Her involvement with the organization began as a volunteer in
high school. As executive director she is
credited with growing the organization’s
staff from two to seven, starting an annual
graduation celebration and launching a
scholarship fund.
“What I like about the nonprofit sector
is that is brings together a diverse set of
people,” she said. “It’s not easy to get rich
financially in the nonprofit sector, but the
richness of the network you work with
every day and the perspective you gain is
unmatched.”
Services, which helps businesses safely
dispose of IT assets by certifying data
destruction, ensuring environmental
compliance and recovering assets’
residual value.
“Our events allow consumers to properly dispose of their electronics and we
donate portions of our proceeds
back to the hosting organization,” Starr said. Starr’s business
portfolio again expanded in
2011 when he developed
My Neighborhood Electrician,
a company providing electrical
contracting services to both
commercial and residential
customers.
“It just made sense for me to leverage
my current resources for another business adventure,” he said.
In 2005, after years of volunteering with
the local chapter of the Jewish National
Fund (JNF), Starr was appointed to the
board. In 2008 he was elected co-president
of the chapter and in 2010 became the
youngest co-president of JNF’s Southeast
region. This year, Starr was appointed to
the national board of JNF America.
Bart Newman
age 37
FLIR Integrated Systems
Bart Newman is the director of program
management for surveillance
technology company FLIR
Integrated Systems,
which delivers products
and solutions that aim to
protect U.S. uniformed
service members.
Newman himself is a
former U.S. Army officer,
Iraq war veteran and author of
“Because of Baghdad: What a
Father Would Say About Life, If He
Didn’t Come Home to Say It.”
“The highlight of my professional
career was serving in Baghdad, Iraq, as a
captain in the U.S. Army. It was also personally the hardest thing I’ve ever done as
it required me to leave my wife and
8-month-old daughter for a year,” he said.
“This personal pain was the genesis of
Tim Smith
age 39
Thompson Technologies
Tim Smith joined IT staffing company
Thompson Technologies in
2006, when more than 70 percent of its revenue was from one
client. Hired as vice president of
sales, Smith’s responsibility was
to develop a sales team that
would increase profit and diversify the client base. In just six
months, Smith had hired and
trained three new account executives and
by the end of 2006 the company had 14
new accounts.
“While doubling revenue and quadrupling our client base has been a wonderful
experience, celebrating the community
impact our success has had is much more
satisfying,” Smith said.
Smith was promoted to president and
chief operating officer in 2008 and, less
than a year ago, also took on leadership of
the sales team. Under his guidance,
Daniel Styf
age 38
Kaiser Permanente of Georgia
Although Daniel Styf always wanted to
be a doctor, he decided to forgo
medical school to dedicate his
career to making health care
better and more affordable.
After graduating with a master’s
from Dartmouth Medical
School, he is contributing to the
growth of Kaiser Permanente’s
business in metro Atlanta and
making a difference in the community.
As vice president of regional and marketing strategy for Kaiser Permanente of
Georgia, Styf is responsible for designing
the company’s expansion and growth
strategy in metro Atlanta and Athens.
Since his arrival, Kaiser has opened 14
new medical offices and invested more
than $200 million in its delivery system
across metro Atlanta and in Athens.
Active in the Georgia Chamber of
Commerce’s Health Policy Committee
November 9-15, 2012 • Page 13C
what led me to write my book.”
Donating all the book’s profits to the
children of service members who died at
war, Newman speaks to churches, civic
groups and leadership organizations about
the book and what he learned in Iraq.
At FLIR, Newman is responsible for two
business units and for leading
the execution and growth of U.S.
government programs.
“Every day, I get to lead and
learn from some of the most
creative and dedicated individuals in the industry,” he said.
“I get to do all this knowing that
the solutions FLIR delivers
allows people, like those I served with in
Iraq, to stay safe.”
Prior to joining FLIR, Newman was an
attorney at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP in
Atlanta. Although he feels blessed to have
been part of the firm, the call to help those
in uniform was strong.
“I missed the mission and felt called to
more broadly implement the leadership
lessons I learned while serving in Iraq by
leading organizations back home,” he said.
Thompson Technologies has doubled in
size in the last to years and now has more
than 80 clients in Atlanta and around the
United States.
“Placing someone in a new opportunity,
and seeing the positive influences for
them and their family, is incredibly
rewarding,” he said.
Outside of his professional
leadership, Smith is active in
community service and oversees
Thompson Technologies’ community involvement, including
projects with orphanages in
Africa, Muldova and Brazil.
The company also gives back to
local nonprofits like Hands On Atlanta
and Must Ministries.
Smith is also founder of the Georgia
CXO Forum, a group of more than 500
C-level executives from Atlanta that
meets quarterly for guest speakers and
networking. He also co-founded Atlanta
Business Leader Enrichment (ABLE),
aimed at gathering business leaders for
collaboration and support while leveraging lessons from business issues and
using biblical practices and teachings.
and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce,
Styf is credited for one of the biggest
business expansions in Cobb County in
2012 — the opening of Kaiser’s first
24-hour comprehensive medical center
in metro Atlanta.
Last January, Styf and three other
co-chairs of Cobb’s Competitive
EDGE were recognized with the
Mack Henderson Public Service
Award for their role in bringing
more jobs to Cobb County. In
August, he was honored as one
of the Cobb Young Leaders of
the Year.
“I’ve been blessed to be
married to my best friend, who has twice
dropped everything to move across the
country for my career,” he said. “And,
I’ve been fortunate to work for and with
so many phenomenally talented people.”
In 2012, Styf joined the board of directors for the Southern Museum of Railroad
and Civil War History and the Town
Center CID. For the past two years he’s
also served on the MUST Ministries
board and currently chairs its strategic
planning committee.
Page 14C • November 9-15, 2012
Justin Tanner
age 33
Office of Mayor Kasim Reed
A part of Mayor Kasim Reed’s political
team, Justin Tanner works each
day to help shape policy at both
the local and municipal levels
and strives to increase citizen
engagement and participation in
the political process. As a
member of the mayor’s intergovernmental affairs team, he also
works with city lobbyists and
partners to advance the city’s interests.
“I was initially inspired to work in
government and politics through my
work with two very intense political campaigns,” Tanner said. “The most important
thing that I took away from each of those
experiences was that policy could have a
direct and often critical impact on the lives
of everyday citizens.”
Prior to his current role, Tanner worked
in the mayor’s office of communications
Satya Tiwari
age 34
Surya Inc.
Satya Tiwari is president and CEO of
Surya Inc., a $50 million rug and
home accessory manufacturer
started by his father, Surya
Tiwari. Eight years ago, Tiwari
left his investment banking job
in New York City to join the
family company, which was on
the brink of bankruptcy. At the
time, the company had $2.7 million in annual revenue and growth had
stalled. But under Tiwari’s leadership, the
company flourished, growing business
twenty-fourfold.
Today, Surya is recognized as a leader
in the rug manufacturing industry,
achieving double-digit growth in seven of
the last eight years and boasting more
than 60 percent of the top 200 furniture
retailers in the U.S. as clients. What’s
more, Calhoun, Ga.-based Surya is
providing an economic boost to an area
Cara Turano
age 34
CTS Inc.
Cara Turano began her business with
no clients, no revenue and just
five employees. Today she leads
an operation of a dozen customers, a $5 million revenue
stream and 35 employees. As
director of IT consulting firm
CTS Inc. in Atlanta, her team is
made up of individuals representing three continents, six
countries and various racial, religious and
political backgrounds.
“It is nice now to look at our growth
and realize we were able to be creative
and successful because we were not
constrained by ‘how things had always
been done,’ ” she said.
As a result of her dedication to her work
and her employees, Turano was honored
with CTS’ Most Impactful Employee
Award in 2011, chosen from among four
states, five offices and 200 employees.
40 UNDER 40
and served as director of new media on
the mayor’s 2009 citywide campaign.
Nationally, he has been highlighted as one
of the top young professional fundraisers
for President Barack Obama.
Locally, Tanner is a governing board
member of the Red Clay Democrats and
serves as finance chair of Young
Democrats of Atlanta. He also
spends time mentoring
youth and volunteering
with nonprofits, such as
the ATL Reads program.
He has been recognized
for his leadership by
organizations like LEAD
Atlanta and Leadership Buckhead
and was selected as an ambassador for the New Leaders
Council in 2012.
“The key to my success has been my
ability to develop meaningful relationships,” he said. “I genuinely like to be
around other people. This attribute has
made it easier for me to adapt to situations
that normally would make others
uncomfortable.”
of Georgia that has struggled with high
unemployment rates in recent years. In
2012 alone, the 150-person company
added approximately 20 jobs in Georgia
an expanded its warehouse facility in
Calhoun by 100,000 square feet. Surya
also opened a 26,000-square-foot showroom in High Point, N.C., and
opened a new showroom in
Tupelo, Miss.
The company’s positive impact
reaches beyond Georgia or the
Southeast, however. Started in
the village of Ugapur, India,
Surya has been a source of
financial stability for the families
of the village for 35 years. The company
also donates money to East Meets West,
a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the
health, education and communities of
disadvantaged people in Southeast Asia,
and the Akshaya Patra Foundation school
lunch program, helping feed lunch to
more than 300,000 students for one year.
Surya also participates in local food and
sock drives and later this year 15 team
members will run a half marathon raising
$25,000 for a local charity.
“It was amazing to win Biggest Impact,”
Turano said. “My CEO said he believes
I get up every day thinking about how
I can make CTS better — it was a highlight moment.”
This year alone, Turano has been nominated for the Technology Association of
Georgia’s Leadership In
Diversity Award, Women in
Technology’s Women of the Year
award and Girls Inc.’s Strong,
Smart and Bold Award.
Outside the office, Turano sits
on the executive board for the
TechBridge Digital Ball, TAG’s
Techie 10K Race committee and
Microsoft Integration Architects board
of directors. She is also an active member
of the UGA MIS Advisory Board, the
UGA Alumni Association and is a huge
Georgia Bulldog fan. A part of the
Junior League of Atlanta, Turano’s
extracurricular contributions also include
representing the American Cancer
Society as a Determination runner raising
more than $15,000 for cancer research.
Turano has participated in countless races
and is an 11-time marathon finisher.
Katerina Taylor
age 35
Taylor Legacy Group Consulting
A 15-year veteran banker, Katerina
Taylor recently ended a nineyear banking career with
SunTrust Bank and
started her own
business, Taylor Legacy
Consulting. As business
development consultant
and vice president in the
SunTrust Bank sales and
marketing department, she
managed a business portfolio
of 250 clients and lead a large
geographic area covering more than 100
of SunTrust’s retail branch locations.
During her time at SunTrust Bank, she
designed and facilitated a consultative
training curriculum on which she trained
more than 500 employees representing
regional and local leadership. She also
chaired the SunTrust United Way
Sara Totonchi
age 36
Southern Center for Human Rights
Sara Totonchi is strongly committed to
the mission of the Southern
Center for Human Rights
(SCHR), a nonprofit law firm in
Atlanta that provides representation to people facing the death
penalty, challenges human right
violations in prisons and advocates for criminal justice reforms
in the South. As the organization’s executive director, she leads and
manages all facets of SCHR’s program,
representing the organization at the
Georgia General Assembly on a range of
criminal justice and public safety issues.
“I simply couldn’t be more excited and
committed to doing my part and playing a
significant role that will help bring about
the final end to the death penalty,” she said.
A part of SCHR for more than a decade,
Totonchi started at the organization in
2001 as its first public policy director. In
Dov Wilker
age 30
American Jewish Committee Atlanta
Since Dov Wilker was 13 years old,
he’s been educating people
about the Jewish community
and Israel. As regional director
of the American Jewish
Committee Atlanta (AJC), he
continues working to create an
understanding between groups
for the greater good of society.
“I believe that as a part of the
greater community, it is very important to
create understanding between groups, so
that society will be stronger,” Wilker said.
After serving as assistant director of the
AJC’s Atlanta regional office from 2006 to
2009, Wilker spent a few years in Israel
receiving his MBA and working for a
software startup. In 2011, after a competitive selection process, he became regional
director of AJC Atlanta. Since taking on
the role in November 2011, Wilker has
worked to realign office priorities and
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
Campaign Carnival Kickoff, an event that
raised thousands of dollars in donations
for the United Way of Metro Atlanta.
After launching Taylor Legacy Group, a
micro-business consulting firm, in 2012,
Taylor obtained United Way of Greater
Atlanta as a client.
“Certainly the highlight was
not only securing United Way of
Greater Atlanta as a client, but
working with such a phenomenal organization,” she said. “It’s
not every day you work with the
very people you admired for
their accomplishments.”
Taylor is the co-founder of
EntrepreneuHER and leads the volunteerism team for the Women’s Leadership
Council. She is also the 2012-2013 advisory
board vice chair of United Way’s Young
Professional Leaders and a 12-year mentor
in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
In 2012, she is a Girls Inc. Smart and Bold
Awards nominee, received the
Presidential Drum Major for Service
Award and will be honored with the Doris
J. Harris Humanitarian Award.
2010, she was promoted by the board of
directors to executive director and is the
first non-attorney to hold this position.
She considers this promotion to be one
of her highest career achievements.
“We work every day to reduce the
number of new and existing death sentences and executions, prevent
the passage of any legislation
that could result in an increase
in death sentences, and
strengthen the quality of defense
representation in Georgia and
Alabama, two of the most active
death penalty jurisdictions in the
nation,” she said.
Totonchi steers SCHR to accomplish its
big undertakings on a budget of just
under $2 million. The staff receives
modest salaries — none higher than
$60,000 — but Totonchi still manages to
recruit talented staff members that
believe in SCHR’s mission.
“I have been entrusted to lead this prolific legal team, and to ensure that SCHR
has the resources and support to allow
this work to be carried out every day,”
she said.
implemented performance metrics to
measure and maintain success.
“AJC Atlanta’s board of trustees, past
presidents and professional team have
enabled the organization to achieve
tremendous success during my short
tenure, because of the strong base that has
been set over the past,” he said.
“I have also received support, not
only on a local level, but from my
colleagues around the world.”
AJC recently developed a
relationship with the Kenyan
government and has become an
active participant in the issue of
energy security. AJC has also
entered into new markets across the
Southeast, developing relationships in
North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.
“Atlanta’s historic ties to the civil rights
era and community engagement has
provided me the opportunity to be
successful,” he said. “As the city becomes
a more international destination, the
understanding of the needs of the global
community enables a greater understanding on the key issues around
the world.”
40 UNDER 40
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
November 9-15, 2012 • Page 15C
40 Under 40 Awards - Past Winners
2004
Abrams, Stacey
Ball, Jennifer
Barkley, Ben
Barton, Drew
Beavor, Karen
Davis, Pete
Butterworth, Kendall
Cohen, Seth
Douglas, J. Tillman Jr.
Dawson, Cari K.
DiLonardo, Michael
Fouts, Patricia
Dearth, Monique
Friese, Stephanie
Frohwein, Rob
Gonzalez, Jerry
Geisler, Ben
Godfrey, Stacey
Gunnigle, Ryan
Haley, Leon Jr.
Holmes, Sam
Henley, Wytaria
Burrows, Marti
Kogon, Ross
Chrane, Elizabeth
Lewis, Bryan
Ellis, Jeremy
Masino, Nick
Evans, Celena
Dantzler, Tina Jones
Mata, Carlos
Mason, Tamara
Fagan, Earl
Dean, Clark
Matzigkeit, Linda
McClung, Paul
Feldberg, Micahel
DeLoof, Dion
Morgan, Bartow Jr.
Moss, Kendyl
Epps, David
Natarajan, Raj
France, Todd
Palladino, Kirsten
Erling, Dan
O’Brien, Sarah
Benjamin, Kwame A.
Gentin, Etienne
Panton, David
Benton, Terrell “Chip” III
Greenfield, Steven
Fleischmann, Martin
Pierce, Jeff
Patman, Todd
Biron, Jeanine
Chambers
Halkos, Elizabeth
Gnecco, Juan Pablo
Rivers, Malaika
Peller, Jeff
Gravel, Ryan
Ryan, Deborah
Harris, Jack
Perpal, Fred
Gump, Louis
Smith, Rick
Bodner, Jennifer Babbit
Hirsh, Josh
Rosenberg, Jessie
Hall, Kwanza
Smith, Nathaniel Q. Jr.
Bolen, Bill
Johnson, Elizabeth Remy
Satisky, Mark
Carroll, Thomas
Kilpatrick, Haley
Schur, Paul
Carver, William Bradley
“Brad”
Lakly, Michelle B.
Surber, Joe
Leary, Brian
Wright, Shaunta
Clements, Patrick
Linneman, Doreen
Yagoda, Phil
Marinac, Chris
Dixon, Johnny
Loffler, Soren
Mathis, Terance
Effron, Marc
Jacobs, Mike
Thompson, Robby
Leventhal,Scott L.
Woo, Bobby Jr.
Loverde, Mike
Woodard, Donald M.
Malcolm, Owen
Mayer, Adam
Mueller, Don
Murphy, Sean
Myers, Rick
Nour, David
Pugh, Mark
Yamaato, Joyce
2007
Alhadeff, Heather
Ashe, Allison
Bass, Jenny
Beaty, Tom
Benton, Mary
2008
Balser, Laura
Bass, Demming
Bass, Holly
Behm, Steven
Fagundo, Glianny
Gallo, Alexander J.
Gordon, Elizabeth
Henn, Charlie
Howard, Blake
Lowry, Tom
2011
Swick, Amy Merritt
Anthony, Justin
Minihan, Melissa
Bailey, Clint
Moore, Meredith
Beaver, Genie
Moss, Brannan
Belinfante, Josh
Moss, Cory
Bridge, Craig
Beyah, Raheem
Isakson, John
Bryant, Katherine
Jackson, R. Shane
Burgett, Mike
Johnson, Craig
Canterbury, Kate
Johnson, Matthew
Colby, Ansley
Keserica, Erinn
Convery, Anna
Levine, Andy
Creekmore, Tonya
Levine, William L. “Billy”’
Dempsey, Patricia
Lipari, Russ
Grant, Howard W.
Marshall, Margaret
Grant, Sammy
Mason, Ross
Ragsdale, Trey
Hodges, Charles “Chuck” II
Preisinger, Ashley
Rustagi, Vibha
2006
Honaman, Justin
Rawls, Shaun
Pittman, Alisa
Hunter, Jennifer
Reynolds, Shannon
Betkowski, Brian
Abney, Kristie
Leapley, Meredith
Ries, Laura
Boyd, Chadwick
Lewkowict, David
Rocker, Heather
Brandt, Melanie
Lewkowict, Laura
Satisky, Brian
Brown, Jany
Johnson, Larry
King, Raymond
Lee, Christopher M.
Kogon, Michael
Lange, Paul
Lange, Karen
Mistry, Ashish H.
McGaughey, Ann-Marie
Neely, Tracy
Rackley, Tripp
Rubenstein, David J.
Schiller, Derek
Reddy, Shyam
Royal, Mike
Shapiro, Steak
Smith, DeAllous
Smith, Phil
Snowden, Joe
Taylor, Scott
Taylor, Tom
Van Fossen, Jennifer
Williams, Travis
Berger, Aaron
Beyah, Kali Wilson
Nance, Allen
Narula, Tania
Parker, Chad
Schwartz, Janel
Shakespeare, Lain
Stevens, James
Thomas, Jana
Buck-Vance, Jami
Byrd, Timothy
Capps, Laura
Charania, Rahim
Cogar, Andrew
Cole, Katrina “Kat”
Cook, Thomas
Ehretsman, Steve
2010
Aikens, Laura
Amirshahi, Bobby
French, Christopher
Gold, Randy
Harrell, Adam
Hightower, John
Holton, Lisa
Houry, Debra
Hunter, Mali
Sanghavi, Monica
Bierria, Myra Coleman
Smith, Rick
Bloom, Simon H.
Lofye, Anne
Sessions, Kevin
Burton, Carter
Smith, Sarah Kathryn
Browder, Felicia J.
O’Meara, Jay
Shipman, Doug
Chin, Chrystal
Jernigan, David
Staes, Steven
Canody, Renee
Narula, Navneet Singh
Taube, Ben
Clark, Caleb
Jones, Warren
Soteres, Steve
Clark, Ron
Odom, Jennifer
Warnock, Rev. Raphael G.
Coleman, Bernard
Edgar, Matt
Owens, Jennifer
Kastin, Avery
Sumner, Denise
Watkins, Che
Cronje, Adrian
Tandy, Lovita
Pennington, Jamie
Kirkpatrick, Katie
Epova, Yelena
Wright, Ken
Dial, Audra
Wood, Victoria
Ralph, Wole
Klaus, Christopher
Evangelista, Ann
Eshelman, James
Tucker, Roz
Randolph, Adriane
Love, Dominique
Farrell, David
Farley, Chandra
Wilson, Johnny
Ryan, Darren
Marto, Dina
Felfoldi, David
2009
Walker, John
Gelfond, Michael
Fitzgibbon, Marylouise
Scott, Ashley
Battin, Ramsay
Miller, Robert
Warner, Jennifer Grant
Franks, Nicole Martin
Selig, Scott
Blake, Michael
Goins, Tamika
Parent, Elena
Shenk, Michael
Butler, Mark
Goins, Jonathan
Perez, Adria
Sobol, Brent
Casttel, Toni
Gonterman, Marla
Peterson, Nels
Tarkenton, Matthew
Costley, LeighAnn
Hagan, Kelley
Rolfes, Lea
Townsend, Quentin
deCastro, Jorge
Hammond, Jennifer
Scott, Kevin
Spinola, Dana
Walmsley, David
García-Sjögrim, Humberto
Gembala, Ryan
2005
Almassy, Bret
Gravesen, Garrett
Halicki, Michael
Jackson, April
Jane, Jula
Atwood, Kate
Harris, M. Derek
Ursrey, Lawton
Duncan, David
Howell, Jon
Bell, Frank
Hicks, Matt
Vantieghem, Bart
Durbin, Suzanne
Jones, Michelle
Stewart, Terri
Blum, Ted
Jordan, Bill
Waldman, Robert “Waldo”
Dwyer, Jamie
Lawrence-Hardy, Allegra
Swann, Julie
Brown, Stephen
Kakarala, Raghu
Warrior, Winston
Eads, Matthew
Levitin, Galit
Tarbutton, Benjamin
Bulvin, Jeffrey
Knight, Catherine
Wolchock, Gil
Eckert, Gabriel
Marshall, John
Teal, Mitzi