The Claw
Banyan is making it simple for researchers to share, publish, and collaborate on what they are working on. They launched this summer in Chattanooga, Tennessee & were the winners of the 2012 Gig Tank competition judged by Alcatel-Lucent, Mozilla, IBM & more.

TJ Weigel spends his days as a front-end developer and designer. Previously, he worked with the Tampa Bay Lightning, did user experience work on Album Jacket and co-founded Two Giraffes with Toni.

Toni Gemayel is the CEO of Banyan does everything from front-end development to sales. Previously, he was an analyst at VC firm, helped co-found Album Jacket, and co-founded Two Giraffes with TJ. He is also a mentor at the Founders Institute.
Direct download: 2-25-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Banyan.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Fancy Rhino launched into the merging worlds of advertisement and documentary filmmaking at the same moment in 2010. One field favored truth-finders and the other favored good liars.

Covenant College alumni Drew Belz and Isaiah Smallman were finishing degrees in English Literature and Classic Philosophy, and a perfect storm began.

Direct download: 2-25-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Fancy_Rhino_.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Pure Sodaworks, uses the best ingredients in the world to create pure cane sugar sodas with unique and delicious flavors. All of their sodas are free from preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners. Sodas are served at their fountain, The River Street Makery, at Coolidge Park and are also available in bottles.

Matt and Tiffany Rogers, founders of Pure SodaWorks have been making and selling all natural products since they started their first business, Everyday Eclectic, in 2007.They founded Pure SodaWorks in 2011, with partner Shawn Clouse. Originally, they planned to only sell sodas via their custom mobile soda fountain at various markets, festivals, and events throughout the area. However, they quickly realized that customers and restaurants were interested in having their sodas in bottle form.

Learn more at PureSodaworks.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Direct download: 2-18-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Pure_Soda_Works.mp3
Category:Food -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Bo Ferger, CEO – Quickcue – After taking Second Place at the 2011 Chattanooga 48-Hour Launch, Quickcue has now raised over $3 million and is redefining the causal dinning experience. The iPad-based app allows both guests and restaurants to contribute to the overall guest experience, which enables exceptional hospitality to be delivered during the dining experience.
 
In 24 years as an entrepreneur in the tech world, Bo Ferger, has always been a part of the next tech movement. As CEO of Quickcue he is again championing technological advancements, in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Previously, Ferger has been part of tech start-ups in Atlanta, GA; and Burbank, CA. Ferger understands the tech world and the challenges of a start-up, his insights have been invaluable to a number of small companies striving to be the next big thing.
Direct download: 2-18-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Quick_Que.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Boyd Patterson created JuryStar, which is a jury selection app based upon 10 years of actual courtroom litigation.
 
JuryStar was nominated as a 2012 Best Trial Prep iPad App by The National Law Journal. JuryStar received additional national recognition from The American Lawyer magazine, which listed JuryStar as the only jury selection app in its article of legal apps “that really deliver,” providing: “Many apps have tried to facilitate the jury selection process—and most would quickly be found guilty of not helping much. But JuryStar bucks the trend with a user interface and features more in line with the way trial attorneys choose a panel.” The American Lawyer, October 2012.
 
Litigatortechnology.com also has an exclusive arrangement with the nation’s number one jury consulting firm, DecisionQuest. Through the Web Jury Consulting service on the litigatortechnology.com website, every litigator in the country can access the nation’s best jury consultants at a fraction of the cost.
 
Boyd Patterson has been involved in emerging courtroom technologies and has consistently used technology applications in jury trials. Boyd was a member of the team that brought new technologies to the criminal courtrooms in his county, has prompted the development of computer programs to help identify gang members, and designed www.5000angels.com, a website which allows community members to support child victims of crime. And his latest venture is JuryStar.
 
He has been involved in the study and practice of psychology and law for the last 24 years, earned his B.S. in psychology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, his Masters of Psychology from the University of West Georgia, his law degree from Duquesne University, was a mental health counselor for at-risk youth near Atlanta, was a trial court prosecutor at the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office in Chattanooga, and currently serves as the Gang Task Force Coordinator for his jurisdiction.
 
Boyd has written the courtroom manual Trial Resource: 404(b) evidence by topic, 2nd Edition for his office (available on amazon.com), published articles on trial preparation, trial presentation and litigation philosophy, provided litigation training seminars at the local, state and national level, serves on the board of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Hamilton County, and enjoys speaking to students about finding careers that fit their interests.
 
The website for his company is www.litigatortechnology.com
Direct download: 2-18-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Boyd_Pattterson_podcast.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

This week Tara Gentile, creative business coach, talked to The "Better You" Project about her successes and how to not get hit by the "conventional bug" but to fulfill those dreams you've always had. She found out early in life that she had skills that translated well to business and the marketplace. She stated that America is working towards a Y-O-U economy in that "we want to reclaim what is valuable to us". In her own words Tara said that "people want to invest in things that feel important and have meaningful experiences, whether it's fancy wedding invitations, weekly massages or even business coaches".

She suggests beating back self-sabotage and disbelief, and says we need more people to be engaged and on fire to have higher earning goals for themselves. For her clients she translates "true-self into true-business" by helping them realize how their own personal beliefs, values, and operating systems could allow them to create a thriving business.

Direct download: 2-11-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Tara_Gentile_podcast.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

This week The "Better You" Project highlights Spencer Humphrey and Neil Rollins, co-owners of Black Tie Catering in Atlanta.

They began their business based on a hobby and recently won a National Conference as being one of the top caterers in Atlanta. They told humorous stories of success and failure during their journey. You will both laugh and be inspired after you hear about the 270 turkeys they cooked or having to grill outside in Chicago in February. The owners of Black Tie Catering took risks and it has definitely paid off.

Direct download: 2-11-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Black_Tie_Catering_podcast.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Travis Truett of Akimbo is a fellow serial entrepreneur. 
 
He was the Co-founder of retickr, a “retired” stock ticker for Mac desktops that allowed users to customize their streams. Selling point was “read, share, back to what you were doing in three clicks”. He is also the Co-founder of Fireplug, an iPhone application that bridges the gap between information and knowledge and Co-founder of Ambition, enterprise sales software that allows employees to compete against each other, similar to Fantasy Football. Listen to our interview as Travis talks about the challenges and solutions of being a serial entrepreneur.
Direct download: 2-11-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Travis_Truitt_.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Weston Wamp is a young man in a hurry. At twenty-three years old, Weston joined forces with transportation entrepreneurs in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to launch Lamp Post Group, a privately funded venture incubator aimed at investing in young talent and disruptive ideas. Simultaneously starting his own public relations firm, Weston was widely considered an emerging political star as he began guest appearances on a local PBS political show.

In the fall of 2011, then-twenty-four-year-old Weston announced his candidacy for the Tennessee congressional district.  Weston lost in a three-way race that became the most expensive primary in America in 2012, at a total cost of $2.5 million. But his message about America’s growing generational inequity and the urgent need for cooperation in Washington resonated. He defeated the incumbent in the district’s largest county and only metropolitan area. Like his generation, Weston is ready to make the tough decisions.

Listen as Weston talks about his journey through politics and involvement with Lamp Post Group.

Direct download: 2-11-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Weston_Wamp.mp3
Category:Politics -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Campus Bellhops is the solution to the mass-moving needs of college students.  Don’t think moving company; we’re just two awesome college guys that show up to do all the work for you.  Big year in 2013: 60 Universities, 3500 Bellhops, LOTS OF HAPPY MOMS.

Listen as Cameron Doody and Stephen Vlahos share their story of building a business one move at a time.

Direct download: 2-11-2013_The_Better_you_Project_Campus_Bellhops.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Dr. Shelley Prevost is a co-founder and Director of Happiness at Lamp Post Group, a Venture Capital Incubator in Chattanooga, TN.There she guides founders to infuse values, meaning, and positive relationships into their company culture from the very beginning.  She also writes about psychology and startup culture for Inc.com and Nooga.com.

Direct download: 2-4-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Shelly_Prevost.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Eric Holtzclaw and Susan McMullen interview the Leaders of LPG, Ted Alling and Allan Davis.

Lamp Post Group is a venture incubator. LPG combines the resources of a startup incubator with the financial investment capabilities of a venture capital firm. LPG believes in starting companies the right way - with consistent principles and a culture of empowerment.

LPG companies range in industry and stage of growth all the way from recent college graduates working in social data mining to an established manufacturing firm looking to grow.

Ted Alling

At just 33 years old, Ted has already established himself as one of the leading entrepreneurs in the South and is widely regarded as the leading young business-person in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ted is now a managing partner of the Lamp Post Group, where he actively recruits and mentors entrepreneurs. Along with his co-founders Allan Davis and Barry Large, Ted’s visionary leadership as CEO of Access America Transport led directly to its organic growth into $150 million in revenue in 2010 after nine consecutive years of organic growth. Ted also founded AAT Carriers, an asset based trucking company specializing in the transport of weapons and hazardous materials, as well as Reliance Partners, a full-service insurance agency. A native of Vestavia Hills, AL, Ted earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Samford University where he and his partners were named Outstanding Young Alumni of the Year in 2010. Ted currently serves on the board of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Ted resides on Lookout Mountain with his wife of 10 years and three children.
 
Allan Davis
Allan’s bold and often unorthodox perspective has made him an effective counter-balance to traditional business theory and practice allowing him and his companies to push the envelope and develop innovative solutions. In his role as a managing partner at Lamp Post, Allan helps entrepreneurs understand what they do best and then how to empower others to scale out beyond just the founder’s circle. His efficacy for strategic long-term planning and reverse engineering has made him the person largely credited for Access America’s explosive growth from startup to over $150 million in revenue in under 10 years. During his tenure as COO Access America has expanded to seven locations across the U.S and received dozens of awards and recognitions for its forward thinking approach to meeting the transportation and logistics needs of its customers. Allan graduated from McCallie School in Chattanooga in 1996 before attending Samford University where he graduated in 2000 with a B.S. in Management. In 2010, Allan also became a graduate of Singularity University’s Executive Program.
Direct download: 2-4-2013_The_Better_You_Project_Lamp_Post_Group.mp3
Category:Business -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

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