Past Speakers for March-April 2009

MAR 04	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

MAR 11	Gil Benton,
	Vice President of Product Development for Vendormate
	Dan was one of the first Certified Financial Planner practitioners in the United States. His professional focus is advising individuals and retirement plan trustees on investment and financial planning. He also serves as an instructor at Emory University on investments, money manager evaluations, and retirement plan distributions, where he has taught courses for over three decades and has received both the Award of Distinction and the Teacher of Excellence Award. Dan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina where he majored in economics and political science.

MAR 18	Paul Miner,
	Founder of "Your Digital Therapist"
	Paul provides both home and Practice computer support to counseling therapists around Atlanta. Paul started out in the airline business many years ago as a Gate Agent and eventually worked up to a Technical Manager position for a Frequent Flyer Program for a startup discount airline. His career then evolved into the IT world where he has worked with companies such as IBM , Price Waterhouse Coopers and a national freight firm, Saia Motor Freight. Paul hopes to have his Masters Degree in the next five years and will move into a therapist role or a pastoral counselor role.

MAR 25	Don Maxwell,
	Vice President-Client Relations and Development, Default Resource
	Default Resource is a default services provider that offers a broad array of defaulted loan, collateral, claim, and REO asset management services designed to satisfy the individual needs of clients while delivering continuous process and technology improvements that promote business growth and expansion. Don was previously Manager for Asset Serve Management LLC providing varied products and services to institutional clients focused on the acquisition of REO assets. He also worked for National Business Consultants and from 1995 to 2002 was Director of Marketing for Single Family Mortgage Business at Fannie Mae. Don is a graduate of Northwood University and played professional football for the Houston Oilers.

APR 01	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

APR 08	Donald A. Sepulveda,
	President, Sepulveda Insurance Group, and National Recording Artist
	Since 1979, Sepulveda Insurance Group has maintained the absolute highest standard and integrity in the offering of health and life insurance products of all types, and the agency is recognized as an expert in the field of Major Medical. They are a member of iGROUP, one of the most successful teams of life agencies in the country and received the Goldline Research award in 2008 for being one of the most dependable insurance brokers of the Eastern United States. Don is also a national recording artist who has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry with Chet Atkins and Donna Douglas, performs frequently in Las Vegas, and has won Star Search.

APR 15	Nick Byers,
	President and CEO of Upward Logistics
	After successfully building three freight forwarding companies and developing his skill sets with corporate giants such as FedEx, North American Vanlines, and Ceva Worldwide, Nick founded his current company, Upward Logistics. Professionally, his major focus includes high value equipment delivery and asset recovery along with retail distribution and fixture installation. He was a founding member of the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council's Transportation Group and was recently elected as President of the South Fulton Parkway Alliance. Nick is a graduate of UGA with a degree in Marketing with a concentration in Transportation and Logistics.

APR 22	Mark Koehler,
	Project Manager for Merit Construction Company
	Merit Construction is a medium size General Contractor specializing in office, industrial, telecommunications and retail construction focused on providing exceptional quality and service. Merit Construction has grown from approximately seven employees in 1991 to 75 employees today. Mark has worked for Merit for 15 years and was hired straight out of prison after serving seven years. Because of his own experience, Mark has been able to help many other ex-cons who have fought the same battles of not being given a chance to start over.

APR 29	Doug Starr,
	CEO, TaxConnex, LLC
	TaxConnex provides assistance with sales tax planning, advisory services, consulting, audit defense and compliance. Doug most recently was director of sales and marketing for the sales and use tax arm of Thomson Reuters' Corporate Software and Services Division. Prior to this role he served as Vice President for the nation's leading sales and use tax compliance company, Tax Partners, LLC. He is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton and is a graduate of numerous other executive, sales and marketing advanced education programs.