Past Speakers for January-December 2023

JAN 04	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

JAN 11	Norm Johnson,
	VP Sales & Marketing, Cross Technologies, Inc.
	Norm is responsible for the Sales and Marketing activities at Cross. Norm has worked in Marketing and Sales organizations at Honeywell in the past, as well as in Customer Service. Norm has an MSEE and most recently served as a Senior Product Manager of SATCOM Terminals at Honeywell. Norm came to Cross in April 2021 and his responsibilities include: Sales, Quotations and Order In-Take; Marketing, Company Presence for Product Promotions; and Customer Liason for Custom Products.

JAN 18-FEB 01	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

FEB 08	Captain Doug Rainwater,
	Executive Officer - Office of Professional Standards, Forsyth County Sheriff's Office
	Captain Rainwater started his law enforcement career with the Fulton County Police Department in 1980 working primarily in the Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, and Johns Creek area. During his time with Fulton County, he was assigned as a Detective to the GBI’s Narcotics Unit working the City of Atlanta where he oversaw the Field Training Program at the North Precinct, training recruits. In 2007, he retired from the force as a Lieutenant and became Director of Security for First Redeemer Church for two years, a position he still holds part time today. In 2009, he became a Deputy with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and has been assigned to the Courthouse, Community Relations, Public Information Officer the last 13 years and he is now the Executive Officer of Sheriff Freeman. Captain Rainwater is currently assigned to the Office of Professional Standards which includes Internal Affairs, Open Records, Recruitment and Background.

FEB 15	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

FEB 22	Phillip Saxton,
	President, Small Business Samaritans
	The SBS vision is to impact communities through entrepreneurship in the creation of wealth and jobs using Godly principles, and its mission is to work with businesses including personal and business assessments, development of goals/objectives and problem solving. Their motto is "We Come Along Side" and "We Walk Along Side" through various SBS programs. Phillip is also founder of Newness of Life Ministries, an organization dedicated to the discipleship of Christians. Phillip formerly was VP at Unisys Corporation, Regional Director at Digital and held various management positions at IBM, and attended Fisk University and Haverford College majoring in Physics.

MAR 01	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

MAR 08	Bob Evans,
	Sales Consultant, Ace Hardware, & Marketing Director, Jeffrey Campbell Evans Foundation
	The Jeffrey Campbell Evans Foundation partners directly with Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, Emory and Piedmont Hospitals to provide temporary apartment lodging for parents (at no cost to them) whose child is having transplant surgery. Bob was originally from Seattle and moved to Atlanta to work for Flexco, an international flooring company. He retired from White Cap Construction Company whose expertise is in commercial construction products. He is married to Mary and Dad to Brad and Jeff and the Jeffrey Campbell Evans Foundation which was established in honor of Jeffrey who passed away waiting for a transplanted heart.

MAR 15	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

MAR 22	Jeff Meyer,
	Regional Manager, Provino's Italian Restaurants
	Jeff oversees several locations in the Atlanta area and has been with Provino's for over 40 years. After "barely" graduating from high school in 1974, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with the 82nd Airborne in their Military Police unit. Subsequent to his service in the Army, Jeff spent time searching for direction doing odd jobs which included restaurant work, bartending, and managing a disco. He began his career with Provino's in 1981 as a bartender, working his way up to store manager, then area/regional manager. Since accepting Jesus in 2003, Jeff's focus and purpose has been to serve the Lord and share the Gospel at every opportunity which includes ongoing mission trips to Kenya and serving as a board member of the Hungry4Him Ministries. Jeff has been married to his wife Connie for 40 years and has 1 son, Derian and daughter in law, Sara. All are believers, Praise god. He plans on traveling back to Kenya in June of this year for his 6th, and perhaps final trip.

MAR 29-APR 05	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

APR 12	Darnell M. Horton,
	Department of Veteran Affairs
	Darnell has been with the Department of Veteran Affairs for over twelve years. At the VA he has served as a Budget Analyst, Cost Estimator and System Accountant. Prior to working with the VA Darnell served in the Navy over 10 years. He was a Presidential Honor Guard and served in the Military Police. He and his wife, Quentoria, live in Stafford, Virginia near Washington, DC.

APR 19	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

APR 26	Heinz Wegener,
	President, Cross Technologies, Inc.,
	and former Chairman and Executive Vice President of Wegener Corporation, once a publicly traded company and 177th on the Inc. 500. Both companies manufacture satellite communications equipment. Heinz has also held engineering positions at Scientific-Atlanta, Georgia Tech, General Electric, and Magnavox. Heinz and his family immigrated from Germany in 1951, and he has been married to his wife Nan for 56 years. In 1978, he founded Wegener Communications which began in his laundry room and grew to become an international supplier of satellite communications equipment. But even founding a successful company did not bring fulfillment until he invited Jesus Christ into his life as his Lord and Savior. Heinz spun off Cross Technologies, Inc. from Wegener in 1994 to have a private company that could witness boldly for Christ in the marketplace. He has co-hosted the Norcross Fellowship Luncheon with Larry Shrader since 1985, which is now a Zoom meeting every Wednesday and a live+zoom meeting the 2nd and 4rth Wednesday. Heinz and Nan have two grown children and five grandchildren.

MAY 03	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

MAY 10	Larry Shrader,
	President, Five Star Properties,
	a company which owns and operates income investment real estate in the Atlanta metropolitan and north Georgia areas since 1991. He has been in the real estate business for more than 30 years. Larry currently has his real estate license with Virtual Properties Realty and is a member and Co-Chairman Commercial Council for the 400 N Realtor Association. Larry has co-hosted the Norcross Fellowship Luncheon with Heinz Wegener from 1985 through 2022, which is now a Zoom meeting two times each month and a live twice a month. During the past pandemic, he was encouraged to begin a Zoom Virtual Fellowship Gathering in place of the Real Estate Fellowship Breakfast he hosted at Virtual Properties Realty office monthly. VFG is now a weekly meeting. His business background includes ten years in management with JCPenney where he worked part time while in college before going on their Management Training program in his home town, Chattanooga, Tennessee. He accepted a company transfer to Atlanta where he met his wife, Deborah. Larry and Deborah have four grown children and eight grandchildren. His youngest son, Caleb and his wife, Diana have another grandchild on the way!

MAY 17	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

MAY 24	David Thomas,
	President, Owner, & Founder, Integrity Foods, Inc.
	David started his Food Brokerage business in July 2003 and is currently servicing the Georgia and Florida markets. While his company is getting ready to celebrate their 20th Anniversary he likes to say he has been in the people business for over 44 years! Prior to starting his own business he was a multi unit district manager for a variety of restaurants as well as in management working in the food distribution industry. He is married to his High School sweetheart Sue and they will soon celebrate 41 years of marriage. They both grew up in Georgia and currently live in NE Forsyth County (Gainesville). They have four adult children, three who live in the metro area, and their youngest recently married and lives in a suburb of Charlotte.

MAY 31-AUG 02	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

AUG 09	Darnell M. Horton,
	Department of Veteran Affairs
	Darnell has been with the Department of Veteran Affairs for over twelve years. At the VA he has served as a Budget Analyst, Cost Estimator and System Accountant. Prior to working with the VA Darnell served in the Navy over 10 years. He was a Presidential Honor Guard and served in the Military Police. He and his wife, Quentoria, live in Stafford, Virginia near Washington, DC.

AUG 16	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

AUG 23	Terry Bryant,
	Owner and Client Relations Manager, Precise Healthcare Solutions
	As a medical employment agency in Atlanta, the staff at Precise Healthcare Solutions has a passion and interest in finding the best candidates for the job and placing them in the role that they'll best fill. With a practiced importance in friendliness, compassion, and professionalism, they aim to best assist medical professionals and providers so the community is met with the best healthcare possible. Prior to founding Precise Healthcare Solutions, Terry worked in Nurse Triage Communications at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and was a Patient Services Contractor with Apria Healthcare prior to that. Terry attended Georgia State University and served in the U.S. Navy for 14 years.

AUG 30-SEPT 06	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

SEPT 13	Stephen Weed,
	Owner, Furni, Inc.
	Stephen stands out in the commercial furniture and logistics domain, spearheading innovation at Furni Inc. Until May of this year, he held the esteemed position of CEO at ICS, one of the country's premier commercial office furniture companies, before its successful sale. Beyond his notable accomplishments in furniture & logistics, Stephen comes from a government/security background having served at Gwinnett County, the Department of Treasury and within several Global Security teams for some of the country’s largest corporations. In addition, Stephen is invested in community care. He's on the brink of completing his doctorate, concentrating on traumatology. His imminent dissertation delves into the realm of Peer-Led Resiliency Programs. His journey into Christianity profoundly shapes his unwavering commitment to individuals, service, and the elevation of communities.

SEPT 20	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

SEPT 27	Joshua Davis,
	Principal Archtect, Farmwave
	For over three decades, Joshua has engaged in various facets of technology and bi-vocational ministry. Throughout this time, one fundamental driver has always been to leverage technology to advance the Gospel. As an entrepreneur with 30+ years of experience in IT, Joshua has previously built two consulting firms focused on enterprise infrastructure and application development for on-premises and cloud environments. His latest stint was at Microsoft as a global Cloud Solutions Architect serving Microsoft’s largest worldwide customers. He currently is the Principal Solutions Architect for Farmwave, an Agriculture + AI technology company. Joshua is also the President of Discipled Church, a 501(c)3 that leverages technology to grow the Church and strengthen individual discipleship. Joshua lives in Cumming, GA with his wife, Jeanine, and their four kids.

OCT 04-NOV 01	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

NOV 08	Cody Chembars,
	Owner, Anchor Real Estate Advisors
	Cody is the Owner of Anchor Real Estate Advisors and former Owner of Georgia's Finest Real Estate, Chembars Realty Group. He holds a BA degree in Early Childhood Education/Special Education from the University of North Georgia and is a former teacher turned realtor. He began his real estate career in 2015 after his father-in-law encouraged him to do so. He continued to teach full time while learning the ropes in real estate, and in 2016, took a leap of faith to pursue real estate full time. Cody founded Anchor Real Estate Advisors in 2019 and currently holds 40+ real estate licenses with his firm. He is a husband to his bride, Christiana, for 12 years and has five amazing children. Cody is passionate to serve his clients to the best of his ability, answering their tough questions and partnering beside them to make their real estate transaction like none other they've ever experienced.

NOV 15	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

NOV 22	NO MEETING
	No meeting

NOV 29-DEC 06	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.

DEC 13	Oliver Tseng,
	Senior Engineer, T-Mobile
	Oliver has been with T-Mobile since May 2011. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech, Master of Arts in Science and Religion from Biola University, and Master of Business Administration from Ashford University. He has worked in the computer industry for the past 30 years at various companies including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), VeriSign, DataScan Technologies, Schlumberger, Scientific-Atlanta, HP, Accenture, zebramart, and SP Richards.

DEC 20	Open Mic
	Testimonies by luncheon attendees.