Publisher's Synopsis
The Charlotte metro area spans both North and South Carolina in the central Carolina piedmont region. One of the fastest growing areas in the United States over recent decades, the region is a major hub for industry, banking and other financial services, transportation, distribution, and sports at the professional and collegiate level. Growth has been fueled by a great climate for business as well as a great place to live and work. The professionals, business owners, and community leaders selected to contribute to this book represent a range of professions and industries in the region and are trendsetters in their individual fields. Rod Potter, well known as a connector and networking facilitator in the Charlotte area, is the founder and leader of over two dozen online and offline networking groups. He has also developed an online course about building a network with LinkedIn. He provides an overview of the benefits of using the LinkedIn platform to build a professional network. After a distinguished military career encompassing both active and reserve duty, Ken Lacy founded and is leading Veterans Path Up, an organization based in Charlotte, but expanding across the United States. He describes the challenges facing many enlisted military veterans and how his organization is helping veterans and veteran families on their path to affordable and stable housing. Curtis Hughes co-founded an IT consulting company that helped hundreds of businesses with employee engagement, customer relationship management, and big data projects. He recently joined an international company as CIO where he is developing and implementing new technology strategies. He describes how established companies are making successful digital transformations. Torie Mathis began her career in the military serving overseas, but an accident while serving led her to explore different avenues for her work life. She turned to advertising and marketing and formed her own agency, expanding her services into coaching entrepreneurs to develop successful businesses. She provides some secrets to success for entrepreneurial businesses. After a successful career in college and professional basketball, and then transportation and TV station management, David Angel followed his father into the insurance business with Nationwide. He expanded his agency with offices in both North and South Carolina. David describes the most important considerations for business owners and professionals when it comes to managing risk. Jim Zuelsdorf was a small business owner of retail stores before devoting his career to helping people prepare for retirement. For over three decades he has been helping people acquire, grow and protect their wealth. Jim provides an overview of financial planning for business owners and professionals. While enjoying her work as a nanny for different families, Dominique Rice networked with others in the industry and learned that there is a frequent disconnect between families and their nannies. She decided to find a way to find a perfect mutual fit so she formed Perfect Fit Placement, a nanny agency. She describes how to find the perfect nanny. Robert Aliota realized that he was meant to be an entrepreneur after working for a few years in the computer networking industry. He discovered that industrial companies needed a better solution for engineered sealing components, so he founded Carolina Seal. He describes how he has grown the business into a world-class industrial sealing products distribution business. After thirty years management experience in a variety of industries, Steve Olp acquired TEAM Technology, which provides a variety of IT solutions for small to large businesses. He has been growing the business organically and through additional acquisitions to support a larger group of clients. Steve describes challenges for businesses in managing their information and provides some keys to successful project management.
