After a number of years as a practicing clinician, in 1987 Kathy Colbenson became the CEO of CHRIS Kids and found her calling.

CHRIS Kids offers a values-driven Family of Services that provides trauma-informed, strength-based services through a counseling center, a training institute, eight group homes, a supportive housing apartment complex for single and parenting youth of ages 17 - 24, adoption services, and a host of in-home services designed to help children, youth, adults and families unlock their potential for self-sufficiency and good citizenship.

You can learn more by visiting our website at www.chriskids.org

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and join us on LinkedIn

Ms. Kashima Peters is the founder of The Social Hostess. She brings 13 plus years of hospitality and customer service experience to the company and the industry. Kashima Peters created the Social Hostess as a bridge between concierge services and professional event planning.

The Social Hostess was established in 2011 to meet the growing need for event and party assistance. The Social Hostess services for corporate and residential clients in support of small in and large events.  The company positions itself so that the event host is able to enjoy their moment and accomplish each event goal by taking care of the logistics of the event.

Please visit www.MySocialHostess.com and like The Social Hostess, LLC on Facebook

Laura Putnam is a mom first to her two girls, lovingly known as Sunshine 13 and Peanut 11.  Together with her maple syrup making husband, they live in the Hudson Valley in NY.

Founder of Finding Home - blog and interior decorating business, Laura scours the countryside hunting for vintage treasures to create her vintage meets traditional, with a little modern edge, style. Her blog is about the stories of the journey we are all on to feeling we belong, toward being our most true selves, and trying to make the place we live in, our homes, be where we feel most comfortable.  She has built a business that allows her to pursue her creative interests while still keeping family first - always seeking more and more to find a full sense of home.

Visit her website Finding Home Online

Lisa Wise is a social worker and nonprofit administrator with more than 30 years of experience in the fields of human services and community development.

Lisa currently serves as Executive Director of Initiative for Affordable Housing, Inc. in Decatur, Georgia.  The agency provides housing and social services for homeless families, affordable housing for low-income individuals and families, and employment and training for individuals with little or no work experience.

Since she took the helm in 1992, Initiative has grown from one house and one homeless family to a multi-faceted agency that improves and strengthens the lives of homeless and low-income women, children and families through affordable housing, enhanced life skills and employment.

Providing employment was the motivation behind Initiative’s re:loom project, a program that helps homeless adults transition into a life of stability.  Re:loom employs and empowers homeless and low-income individuals through weaving beautiful, one-of-a-kind products out of donated upcycled materials.

Recently, Lisa and the re:loom employment program were chosen by Sara Blakely and Spanx as the Fall 2013 Leg Up winner which acknowledges female entrepreneurs and their businesses/products.

www.affordablehousingatl.org
www.reloom.org
facebook.com/reloom
twitter.com/re_loom
pinterest.com/re_loom

Nathan Daley, age 27, is the owner of Rising Sun Enterprises.

Rising Sun Enterpirses is an up and coming company that provides highly innovative product designs and strategic marketing techniques to insure clients’ success with the main goal of increasing long-term profitability.

Daley is also a products engineer. He can be reached at info@khymera.com

http://dreammc.wix.com/khymera

Diana Keough is Founder and CEO of ShareWIK Media, a health and wellness content production company that uses the power of personal stories to Engage, Educate and Inspire healthy living.  ShareWIK syndicates its content to media outlets, and licenses its proprietary educational modules to employers, benefits providers, corporate wellness platforms, and other channels within the healthcare industry.

Diana is also a Pulitzer-prize nominated medical journalist whose byline has appeared regularly in numerous print publications and on NPR.
She is a regular guest lecturer in the Emory journalism program, a TEDx presenter, popular conference speaker and mom to four sons.  Her first book, “The Grass is Green Enough Right Here,” is scheduled to be published in 2014.

sharewik.com 
@dikeough
@sharewik  
https://www.facebook.com/ShareWIK
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=19044041&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Dawn Belisle has been baking and selling her cakes since 1998.

She is an attorney by day and a baker by night. Dawn learned to cook and bake from her mother which encompasses a blend of Caribbean and Latin foods indicative of her family's native home of Belize.

Dawn recently entered the cupcake arena, and loves it. Baking is her passion, her love, and she wants it to become her future full-time endeavor.

You can find Dawn on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Lan Bercu was born and raised in Vietnam, a country that has suffered from one thousand years of perpetual war. At a young age, she was inspired by the Chinese classic -Sun Tzu’s Art of War. The messages instilled the principles, and strategies that would allow her to overcome tremendous hardships, enabled her to not only survive, but to thrive in the battlefields of school, the corporate world and the entrepreneurial race.

Lan is founder and president of Lead Across Cultures is an international speaker, seminar leader and expert on Sun Tzu’s Art of War and its modern business applications, cross-cultural competence and global leadership development. She travels from Atlanta to Beijing, and Ho Chi Minh City to Washington DC to assist her clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies including Intel, Bayer and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney to a variety of business associations. In her earlier years,  Lan was an entrepreneur and public relations executive. She also provided consultancy to expatriates and their families in Southeast Asia including Hyundai, Honda and Nippon.

She holds a Master of Business and Administration degree from Kennesaw State University and specializes in Organizational Behavior and Global Leadership Development.

Lan is an active member of the National Speakers Association USA, Global Speakers Federation and the American Society of Training and Development. Lan has been featured in Financial Business News Channel, Vietnam Investment Review and Entrepreneur magazine. For more information, visit: LeadAcrossCultures.com

East Cobb Fitness brings personal fitness training to your home or work.  We work with people at ALL fitness levels so no worries.  You will not be overworked.  Especially starting out.  Our focus is on SAFE training for ALL AGES.  Always a flat rate of $40/hr.  Bring a friend and SPLIT the cost or workout with your spouse for the same $40.  Very affordable for most everyone.  Never any contracts or fees.  Always pay as you go.  All equipment is PROVIDED.  All you need is yourself.  Available Monday – Friday as early as 5am until 7pm at night. In business for 25 years.  And, if you are OVER 50 years old, we SPECIALIZE in exercise programs for adults 50+.  Serving Cobb and North Fulton counties.

Mike the trainer – owner of East Cobb Fitness Personal Training.  The trainers that COME TO YOU in your time and at your place…home or work.  All equipment is PROVIDED!  Call East Cob Fitness for convenience, value and safe exercise programs @ 404-384-5915 or check out their website at www.eastcobbfitness.com

For many years George Horrigan has had two consuming passions, first “to show entrepreneurs step by step how to take the business they have and achieve the hopes and dreams for their business”.

Second, to ensure that these businesses operate smoothly, easily and with the minimum amount of effort and time for the business owner. George’s goal was to show entrepreneurs how to create a successful and immensely profitable business that eliminated the guesswork, trial and error, and uncertainty associated with trying to beat their competition, grow their business and increase its profitability.

From 1995 through the present George has shown over 1,200 entrepreneurs how grow their existing business or how to start a new business which has resulted in him being recognized as an expert in the Business Planning and Business Consulting areas. These Business Planning services also include a full range of strategic marketing services tied to the overall goals for your business including how to do advertising, finding leads, and landing new customers. This has led George to work with several of the business incubators in Atlanta, teach for the Small Business Administration (SBA) and be a guest lecturer at several of Atlanta’s universities.

Besides his extensive background in Business Planning and Business Consulting Mr. Horrigan also has broad experience in business tax planning, business financial planning, new business planning, choice of entity planning (S-corporation, C- S-corporation, LLC…), business consulting, marketing strategies, and has unique training and experience in the valuation of businesses. All of which have resulted in him being recognized as an industry expert in these areas.

George is a member of the American Institute Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Georgia Society of CPA’s, Ohio Society of CPA’s, Financial Planning Association (FPA) and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). He has been recognized in the Who’s Who National Registry, Who’s Who in American Finance & Industry, Who’s Who in America’s Computer Industry and Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals. George has been a guest on a number of radio programs which deal with various business issues. He is the author of two books and has two more coming out, one in 2012, titled “Creating a Thriving Business“ and another one in 2013 titled, “Work Less, Make More and Have Fun in Your Business”.