Business Builders Team Blog Moved to Facebook, Twitter

In order to be more efficient, we at Business Builders Team have discontinued our Blogger blog in favor of posting our videos with posts at Facebook and on Twitter.

Please follow us on Twitter at @BusBuildTeam and on Facebook.

THANK YOU for following us!

On Today's Gross Reality: Health Care & Washington Politics with Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Rep. Tom Price, & Rep. Paul Broun

You won't want to miss a very special broadcast of Steve Gross' Gross Reality radio show on America's Web Radio today (April 21, 2010) at 5 ET!

We have assembled a group of leading local politicians to share perspectives on and reactions to the Health Care Bill. Steve Gross is honored to have the following guests:

Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss (R)
Congressman Tom , M.D. (R), Georgia Representative 6th District
Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (R), Georgia Representative 10th District

The discussion will focus on perspectives on the Health Care Bill, what the challenges are, and what is the next move. Tune in to America's Web Radio on Wednesday April 21, 2010 at 5:00 p.m.

Gross Reality's Mar 23 Show w/ Jim McManus & Judy Fortin: Adapting to the Changing Media Industry

On the March 23rd broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed the changing Media industry by technology and digital communication with Jim McManus, Executive VP & Judy Fortin, VP of NewsCertified Exchange.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Member HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to go to the Show Notes page for this broadcast. Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Jim McManus is a founder and Executive Vice President at NewsCertified, where his business strategy experience has helped him build the original NewsCertified concept into a formidable venture over the past two years. Prior to NewsCertified, Jim launched and led the strategy practice at a 110-person consulting firm. He also co-founded Business Strategy Partners, a consultancy that served Fortune 500 clients, including Microsoft, and launched Enviromedix, a marketer of environmentally-safe products. As a management consultant at Deloitte & Touche, Jim’s activities included turnaround and post-acquisition projects, culminating in the launch of WorldCrest, an online exchange funded by KKR. He holds an MBA with honors from Columbia University.

Following a 19-year career as an award-winning anchor and correspondent for the CNN network group, Judy Fortin joined NewsCertified in April 2009 as a Vice President, helping to drive senior-level business development activities and organizing journalist outreach. Most recently, she reported for CNN's Medical Unit, filing daily television and Internet stories on consumer-related health news. Prior to that, she served as an anchor for Headline News, where she covered some of the biggest domestic and international news events of the past two decades. A proven team leader, Judy brings to NewsCertified an excellent reputation, a superb knowledge of the broadcast network industry, and a passion for helping link well-prepared experts with journalists from around the world. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and French from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.

Gross Reality's Mar 17 Show w/ Ric Reitz: Film Tax Credits in Georgia

On the March 17th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed Film Tax Credits in Georgia with Ric Reitz, managing partner of Georgia Film Credit Consultants, LLC.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Member HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to go to the Show Notes page for this broadcast. Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Ric Reitz is a past president of the Georgia Production Partnership as well as one of the key architects in the development of Georgia’s current entertainment tax incentive law. This law directly affects both the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Film, Music & Digital Entertainment Office’s business plan through the year 2020.

Ric is also a professional actor, writer, composer, director and producer who has been active in show business for 32 years. He has appeared in over 100 national television shows, feature films and stage productions, plus more than 1000 commercials and corporate presentations. He is also president of Ric Reitz Writers, Inc., a 27-time international award-winning writing company, and Sir Fir Books & Music, an award-winning children’s book and music entertainment publishing company.

Business Builders Team Business Seminar - Create and Maximize Your Company's Internet Presence

The next Business Builders Team Business Seminar is tomorrow, March 17 and will feature Scott Anderton, Founder of Adzoo.com.

Many businesses are lost in a sea of online information. Separating from the crowd in terms of online exposure and search marketing can be an overwhelming task. With the shift in the market moving away from traditional forms of exposure, success for a business owner today means navigating and maximizing online marketing for continued visibility.

With the many different methods of trying to achieve this, simplifying the options and accessing the tools to achieve web presence can give business owners the power they need to build their internet existence and become a highly recognizable and identifiable player in our virtual world.

This seminar will be on Wednesday, March 17 in Buckhead, directly across from Lenox Mall. Sign-in and networking 7:30 - 8:00am; speaker until 9:30.

Please contact klaconi(at)grosscollins(dot)com for more information or to reserve your space!

Scott Anderton has spent his career developing and training sales teams in several direct sales companies over the last 15 years. He has used his expertise to attract and develop some of the brightest leaders in multiple industries, including telecommunications, financial services and advertising.

In 2009, Scott became the National Sales Director for AdzZoo. The company’s focus is to reconnect local businesses with local customers by offering complete online campaigns to give these businesses more exposure and customers through the Internet.

Scott Anderton has served as a role model by providing strategic oversight and motivation to sales forces, yet he also contributes to the collective good of the community by serving as a deacon of Germantown Baptist Church in Germantown, TN, providing hands on help with local inner-city ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and assisting with numerous volunteer efforts at his church and other outreach programs.

Gross Reality's Mar 10 Show w/ Peter Frost: Going Global in Business

On the March 10th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed doing business globally with Peter Frost, former Chief Executive Officer of HLB International, a world-wide network of independent professional accounting firms and business advisers.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Member HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to go to the Show Notes page for this broadcast. Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Peter Frost has spent the last 30 years working on the international scene. A UK chartered accountant by training, with a university degree in economics, he has been advising clients on their international expansion as well as travelling extensively, gaining a unique understanding of the different ways of doing business across the world, including how greatly varying cultures, social and even religious attitudes affect the way people do business.

During his time as CEO of HLB International he interfaced not only with a wide range of business leaders in different industries but has dealt with a multitude of professional and financial institutions, learning how important it is to obtain the right professional advice when expanding into a new territory. He has also met with senior national officials across the world and experienced how the political climate in a country can affect how business is conducted by foreign investors and enterprises.

Gross Reality's Mar 3 Show w/ Ricky Novak and James Freeman: Real Estate 1031 Exchanges

On the March 3rd broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed real estate 1031 Exchanges with Ricky Novak, and James Freeman, President and CFO, respectively, of Strategic 1031 Exchange Advisors.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Ricky Novak has an undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his Juris Doctor from Emory University’s School of Law. After law school, Ricky joined Arthur Andersen’s Atlanta International Tax practice and later joined Deloitte & Touche’s Atlanta Real Estate Tax practice. Ricky assists his clients in structuring reverse exchanges, construction exchanges, leasehold exchanges, non-safe harbor exchanges, personal property exchanges, and multi-asset business sales, and other such complex 1031 transactions. Ricky was honored by his legal peers for his real estate and tax expertise by his selection as a 2009 Georgia Super Lawyer® Rising Star.

James Freeman is a graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received a Master of Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School with a concentration in tax and real estate. He later received an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business with a concentration in International Economics. Mr. Freeman has worked with Arthur Andersen’s Global Tax practice where he assisted multinational clients with global tax strategy, corporate restructuring and mergers and acquisitions. He took a three-year expatriate assignment in the Brussels, Belgium office where he continued this work. Later he joined Deloitte & Touche’s Brussels Tax practice where he furthered his tax expertise.

Today, Ricky Novak serves as President and James Freeman as Chief Financial Officer of Strategic 1031 Exchange Advisors, an Atlanta based consulting firm and qualified intermediary that provides real estate and tax consulting services for clients structuring complex real estate transactions.

Business Builders Team Business Seminar - Create and Maximize Your Company's Internet Presence

The next Business Builders Team Business Seminar is Wednesday, March 17 and will feature Scott Anderton, Founder of Adzoo.com.

Many businesses are lost in a sea of online information. Separating from the crowd in terms of online exposure and search marketing can be an overwhelming task. With the shift in the market moving away from traditional forms of exposure, success for a business owner today means navigating and maximizing online marketing for continued visibility.

With the many different methods of trying to achieve this, simplifying the options and accessing the tools to achieve web presence can give business owners the power they need to build their internet existence and become a highly recognizable and identifiable player in our virtual world.

This seminar will be on Wednesday, March 17 in Buckhead, directly across from Lenox Mall. Sign-in and networking 7:30 - 8:00am; speaker until 9:30.

Please contact klaconi(at)grosscollins(dot)com for more information or to reserve your space!

Scott Anderton has spent his career developing and training sales teams in several direct sales companies over the last 15 years. He has used his expertise to attract and develop some of the brightest leaders in multiple industries, including telecommunications, financial services and advertising.

In 2009, Scott became the National Sales Director for AdzZoo. The company’s focus is to reconnect local businesses with local customers by offering complete online campaigns to give these businesses more exposure and customers through the Internet.

Scott Anderton has served as a role model by providing strategic oversight and motivation to sales forces, yet he also contributes to the collective good of the community by serving as a deacon of Germantown Baptist Church in Germantown, TN, providing hands on help with local inner-city ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and assisting with numerous volunteer efforts at his church and other outreach programs.

Gross Reality's Feb 24 Show w/ John Hamilton: Risk Management and Insurance Needs in Challenging Times

On the February 24th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed risk management in business and insurance needs, particularly with contractors, with John Hamilton, managing director of Rutherfoord's Atlanta office.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

John Hamilton currently serves as the managing director for the Atlanta office of Rutherfoord and works as the primary client executive for a select group of their clients. He attended the University of North Carolina where he was a Morehead Scholar before beginning his professional career in 1984 at Hamilton Dorsey Alston Company, serving in various capacities including chairman and CEO. When the company merged with Wachovia Insurance Services (WIS), John served as managing director and chairman of WIS, Georgia, and remained in that position until spring 2008, when he retired from the company.

In July 2008, he assumed his present duties with Rutherfoord. John currently serves on the executive committee of the Buckhead Coalition and the Atlanta Youth Academies board of directors. Along the way John was awarded an AAI designation in 1986 and his CPCU in 1988, both significant professional credentials in the insurance field.

Gross Reality's Feb 17 Show w/ Doug MacGinnitie: The Role of Government in Business

On the February 17th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed the role of government in business with Doug MacGinnitie, businessman-turned-politican and candidate for Secretary of State in Georgia.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:


Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Doug MacGinnitie is a businessman-turned-candidate for Secretary of State of Georgia. Doug has lived most of his life in metro Atlanta, attending elementary and high school in DeKalb County. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in History and Emory Law School. Following law school, Doug worked as an associate at Alston & Bird, was Chief Counsel for Georgia Pacific, and served as General Counsel for Hobbs Group. He co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer for Beecher Carlson, a commercial insurance brokerage firm based in Atlanta.

Doug and his wife Missy live in Sandy Springs where they are raising their three children; Doug currently serves on the Sandy Springs City Council. Doug is active in several civic organizations including the Truancy Intervention Project and the Sandy Springs Rotary. With the goal of applying his conservative principles and private sector experience to state government, in February 2009 Doug officially became a candidate for Georgia’s Secretary of State. Find out more about Doug MacGinnitie's plans and activites by following him at these URL's:

• Website


• Twitter


• Facebook


• YouTube

On Today's Gross Reality: Real Estate 1031 Exchanges w/ Ricky Novak and James Freeman

Be sure to check out Steve Gross' Gross Reality radio show LIVE on America's Web Radio today at 5! Today's guest is Ricky Novak, and James Freeman, President and CFO, respectively, of Strategic 1031 Exchange Advisors.

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

On Today's Gross Reality: Risk Management & Insurance Needs for Contractors w/ John Hamilton

Be sure to check out Steve Gross' Gross Reality radio show LIVE on America's Web Radio today at 5! Today's guest is John Hamilton, Senior Vice President & Division Manager, Rutherfoord.

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Gross Reality's Growing Audience: 2482 iTunes Downloads in January

The buzz about Gross Reality is growing.

In January, Steve Gross' Gross Reality web radio show was downloaded 2482 times on iTunes. Since the show first aired in June 2009, it has gained tremendous momentum and listenership by sharing business advice on surviving and prospering in both good and bad economic times.

The show airs on America’s Web Radio every Wednesday at 5pm. Each week, host Steve Gross invites an expert guest to share insights, perspective and expertise from his or her particular field. In his regular segment, "The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," Steve discusses how the latest economic news from Capitol Hill and Wall Street affects businesses and ultimately, individuals.

The show is designed to be a straight-forward, eye-opening discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing business owners and individuals today.

Tune in to today's show, featuring Doug MacGinnitie, candidate for Secretary of State in Georgia. This will be a candid discussion on Doug's perspectives as a business man turned politician on the role of government in business.

Gross Reality's Feb 10 Show w/ Gareth Clarke: Perspectives on European Business vs. U.S. Business

On the February 10th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed how doing business in the U.S. compares with doing business in Europe with Gareth Clarke, a British business man now doing business here in the U.S. and Senior Advisor at Focus, LLC, an investment banking firm.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:


Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Gareth Clarke spent fifteen years with London International Group (LIG), the global leader in the surgical glove and family planning markets. He moved from an initial US Finance role to membership of the public company’s Board of Directors.

Gareth is an accomplished CEO with experience operating in a complex multi-national environment and a diverse background featuring strong strategy, financial, marketing and technology commercialization skills.

Since the sale of LIG, Gareth has focused on more entrepreneurial ventures, including leading a private equity backed attempt to purchase the Biogel surgical glove business and bringing to market a new safety syringe technology for Inviro Medical.

In 2008, Gareth retired from Inviro and from full time CEO roles and is now seeking to develop a portfolio of Independent Director positions with companies that would benefit from his extensive experience. He works with the Atlanta Refugee Resettlement organization where he was a founding Board member and is active within the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Gross Reality's Feb 3 Show w/ Carlos Quintero: Growth Strategies – Territory Planning and Execution

On the February 3rd broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed how to drive excellence and accelerate growth in sales forces with Carlos Quintero, President of Sales Effectiveness, Inc.

This is the second installment of his sales effectiveness series, focussing on growth strategies of territory planning and execution. Carlos is a recurrent guest, providing listeners with insights around the essential topics of sales effectiveness to help them conquer similar issues at their firms.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times. Steve opens every show with the theme of "the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly," a platform for the latest economic news.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:


Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

On Today's Gross Reality: Growth Strategies – Territory Planning and Execution w/ Carlos Quintero

Be sure to check out Steve Gross' Gross Reality radio show LIVE on America's Web Radio today at 5! Today's guest is Carlos Quintero, Author of Catalyst5: Making the Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Leader and Founder of Sales Effectiveness, Inc, an Atlanta-based firm that focuses solely on helping Senior Executives drive excellence and accelerated growth for their sales forces.

This is the second installment of his sales effectiveness series – "Growth Strategies / Territory Planning and Execution." Carlos will be a recurrent guest to provide listeners with insights around the essential topics of sales effectiveness to help them bridge through similar issues at their firms.

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Gross Reality's Jan 27 Show w/ Sid Kirschner & Robin Hensley: Life in the Finances of a Hospital & What’s Next at Raising The Bar

On the January 27th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed healthcare and the insights gleaned from running the financial side of a hospital with Sid Kirschner, former CEO of Northside Hospital and now Managing Director for Raising The Bar. Steve also reconnected with former guest Robin Hensley, President of Raising The Bar and author of the eponymous book and DVD, Raising The Bar: Legendary Rainmakers Share Their Business Development Secrets to discuss what is next at Raising the Bar.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins, an accounting, auditing, and consulting firm in Atlanta, Georgia. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Sidney Kirschner is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Northside Hospital. Before joining Northside Hospital, Sid was the chairman, president, and CEO of National Service Industries (NSI), a Fortune 500 company. Prior to NSI, he was the president of the Electric Motor Division of General Dynamics Corporation.

A graduate of the New Mexico School of Mines, Sid spent the early part of his career in engineering roles with Aerojet, Aerospace Corporation and Curtiss-Wright Corporation where he quickly rose through the management ranks. He is currently the Head of School at the Alfred and Adele Davis Academy in Atlanta. Governor Sonny Perdue recently appointed Sid to the Georgia Board of the Department of Community Health, the lead agency in Georgia for health care planning and purchasing with an annual budget of $11 billion.

Sid serves on the board of directors of Crown Crafts, Inc., Cleveland Group, Inc., GetProof, Inc., Superior Uniform Co. Inc., Zyvax Corporation, Inc., Atlanta Jewish Federation, William Breman Jewish Home, Jewish Family & Career Services, and the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. He is Executive in Residence at the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. He was a long-time member of the board of directors of the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce -- SE Region, (AICC) and chaired AICC's Medical Committee, which organized the acclaimed Southeast-Israel Medical Technology Business Exchange in 2002. In 2005, Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Kirschner to the 5-person Commission for the City of Sandy Springs.

Past affiliations include service on the board of directors for the American Red Cross, VHA of Georgia, Georgia First, Principle Healthcare of Georgia, the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the American Cancer Society, Atlanta Jewish Federation, Sandy Springs Revitalization, Inc., and United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.

On Today's Gross Reality: Life in the Finances of a Hospital w/ Sid Kirschner & What’s Next at Raising the Bar w/ Robin Hensley & Sid Kirschner

Be sure to listen to Steve Gross' Gross Reality radio show on America's Web Radio today at 5 ET!

Today's guests are Sid Kirschner, former CEO of Northside Hospital and now Managing Director for Raising the Bar and Robin Hensley, President of Raising The Bar and author of the eponymous book and DVD, Raising The Bar: Legendary Rainmakers Share Their Business Development Secrets. On today's show, Steve will talk with Sid and Robin about what's next at Raising The Bar, and with Sid about his experiences and insights gleaned from running the financial side of a hospital.

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

Gross Reality's Jan 20 Show w/ Jim Blair: Economic Development in Georgia – Establishing or Developing a Business Presence

On the January 20th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed opportunities and incentives for doing business in Georgia with Jim Blair, International Project Manager in the Global Commerce Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the state agency that assists companies in establishing or expanding a business presence in Georgia.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

James Blair is the International Project Manager in the Global Commerce Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the state agency that assists companies in establishing or expanding a business presence in Georgia. Mr. Blair works with Canadian and European executives whose companies require a business presence in the Southeastern USA. In this role, Mr. Blair coordinates the full range of business location services (facility or site selection study, community recommendations, introduction to professional service providers, introduction to local authorities, business incentives, etc.) in collaboration with other Georgia economic development partners.

Mr. Blair was Director of Georgia’s European Office in Brussels before returning to Georgia in 2005. For 18 years, Mr. Blair led Georgia’s economic development efforts in attracting European corporate investment to Georgia, as well as supporting existing European investors in their Georgia expansion plans. Mr. Blair has represented Georgia as a guest speaker at a number of prestigious US investment conferences organized by “Capital” magazine in Germany, KBC Bank in Belgium, the German Chamber of Commerce in Germany, The Flemish Trade and Investment Office in Belgium, the Paris Chamber of Commerce in France and the Longueil Development agency in Canada.

In 20 years of working in the field of economic development, Mr. Blair has helped locate approximately 120 European projects in Georgia whose subsidiaries today employ some 6,000 persons. These include large companies like JCB, Porsche, UCB, Randstad and Saint Gobain, as well as smaller companies like Balta Carpets, Hansgrohe, Knapp Logistics, Perkins Engines and WIKA Instruments.

The son of a US Army officer teaching at Kansas State University, Mr. Blair was born in Kansas, lived in Alaska, Washington and Kentucky and Blair attended public schools in South Carolina starting at the age of 13. Mr. Blair has an international MBA from the University of South Carolina.

Mr. Blair taught public high school in Anderson, South Carolina, and then worked for Citizens & Southern National Bank (now Bank of America) in Atlanta where he was responsible for European corporate relationships. Functional responsibilities included lending, business development and customer relations. Mr. Blair joined Georgia Economic Development in 1988.

Mr. Blair serves on the Boards of the French-American and Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce; he serves on the Advisory Board of the “Transatlantic Studies Program” of the Georgia university system and is a member of the Georgia Economic Development Association.

Mr. Blair has an international MBA from the University of South Carolina and speaks German, Dutch and French.

Gross Reality's Jan 13 Show w/ Rob Stewart: How to Train Staff More Effectively, In Less Time & At Lower Cost

On the January 13th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed how to cut training costs, while increasing effectiveness and efficiency in this changing business landscape via e-learning with Rob Stewart, President of The Quality Group.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

In 1992, Rob Stewart co-founded The Quality Group (TQG) to bring IBM’s internally-developed Quality Improvement curriculum to the general market. Today, TQG is the blended learning industry leader for corporate deployments of Lean Six Sigma/Continuous Process Improvement.

TQG’s e-Learning solutions help organizations exploit the internet for improved and more cost-effective learning. Our Lean Six Sigma related e-Learning content has been used to train over 100,000 workers in AT&T, Bank of America, Black & Decker, CSX, Hertz, Raytheon, Seagate, U.S. Department of Defense etc. Powering both our e-Learning and e-Courses created by our customers and partners is our OpusWorks® e-Portal Platform – a 100% web-based, group authoring, delivery, administration, and reporting tool. OpusWorks® is ideal for any organization that wants to implement a compelling alternative to traditional training methods.

As the driving force behind the TQG vision for delivering innovative e-Learning, Rob comments, “Over the past 25 years, I’ve seen technology’s ability to improve learning and communications grow from vision to reality. Just when you think you are sharing knowledge better than ever, you realize that there is still room for improvement …OpusWorks® is the solution that many people have been waiting for.”

Mission

To enable elegant, technology-powered learning experiences, on a global scale, with an ever present focus on process improvement.

Vision

To be known as the driving force for innovative e-Learning solutions that improve lives, organizations, and communities.

Purpose

If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain.
If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees.
If you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people.
--- Chinese Proverb

Specialties

E-Learning, Blended Learning, Lean Six Sigma, Statistics, WinAt-Work® Employability Soft-Skills, Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis, ISO, SPC, Virtual Work, Facilitation ... www.thequalitygroup.net/library.asp.

Gross Reality's Jan 13 Show w/ Rob Stewart: How to Train Staff More Effectively, In Less Time & At Lower Cost

On the January 13th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed how to cut training costs, while increasing effectiveness and efficiency in this changing business landscape via e-learning with Rob Stewart, President of The Quality Group.

Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good & bad economic times.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:

Click here to find show notes and more information on Gross Reality. Podcasts of Gross Reality are available for download at iTunes...listen to Gross Reality on your iPhone, iPod, or desktop!

In 1992, Rob Stewart co-founded The Quality Group (TQG) to bring IBM’s internally-developed Quality Improvement curriculum to the general market. Today, TQG is the blended learning industry leader for corporate deployments of Lean Six Sigma/Continuous Process Improvement.

TQG’s e-Learning solutions help organizations exploit the internet for improved and more cost-effective learning. Our Lean Six Sigma related e-Learning content has been used to train over 100,000 workers in AT&T, Bank of America, Black & Decker, CSX, Hertz, Raytheon, Seagate, U.S. Department of Defense etc. Powering both our e-Learning and e-Courses created by our customers and partners is our OpusWorks® e-Portal Platform – a 100% web-based, group authoring, delivery, administration, and reporting tool. OpusWorks® is ideal for any organization that wants to implement a compelling alternative to traditional training methods.

As the driving force behind the TQG vision for delivering innovative e-Learning, Rob comments, “Over the past 25 years, I’ve seen technology’s ability to improve learning and communications grow from vision to reality. Just when you think you are sharing knowledge better than ever, you realize that there is still room for improvement …OpusWorks® is the solution that many people have been waiting for.”

Mission

To enable elegant, technology-powered learning experiences, on a global scale, with an ever present focus on process improvement.

Vision

To be known as the driving force for innovative e-Learning solutions that improve lives, organizations, and communities.

Purpose

If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain.
If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees.
If you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people.
--- Chinese Proverb

Specialties

E-Learning, Blended Learning, Lean Six Sigma, Statistics, WinAt-Work® Employability Soft-Skills, Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis, ISO, SPC, Virtual Work, Facilitation ... www.thequalitygroup.net/library.asp.

Gross Reality's Jan. 6 Show w/ Richard Taylor: The Scorned Investor – Understanding Today's Market

On the January 6th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed understanding today’s market from the perspective of the "scorned investor" with Richard Taylor, an engagement partner with HLB Gross Collins, P.C., Director of HLB Advisory, a financial advisory firm managing asset allocations for clients, and a partner in HLB Gross Goldberg, a public company-auditing firm also based in Atlanta.

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:


Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good and bad economic times.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

You can also download podcasts of "Gross Reality" from iTunes by searching for "Gross Reality" and clicking on the specific podcast you want to listen to. You can also subscribe on iTunes to automatically download "Gross Reality" every week to listen on your iPod, iPhone, or computer.

Richard Taylor is a client services principal who joined HLB Gross Collins, P.C. in 1973. He serves as the firm’s liaison with a worldwide organization of accounting firms, HLB International. A cum laude graduate of Andrew College, Richard received his BBA from the University of Georgia.

Richard specialized in providing business consulting, financial planning and tax services to privately owned businesses. He focuses on planning to help companies address issues and business challenges to enhance profitability and maximize financial success. He also provided auditing, financial reporting and tax services to his clients.

Richard works in a broad range of industries with concentrations of clients in the construction, manufacturing, wholesale distribution and service industries. He works closely with clients to formulate tax planning strategies that will maximize profits and defer tax liabilities. He has extensive experience in business acquisitions, business sales and related financing, planning and tax strategies for these transactions.

In addition to his involvement with HLB International, Richard works with clients in international markets. He represents many international companies operating in the United States – primarily in the manufacturing and distribution industries.

Richard is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Georgia Society of CPAs. He is certified in Georgia and Florida.

Richard is a former president and director of Pinetree Country Club and a former director of the North Cobb Christian School. He is also a director of the French-American Chamber of Commerce and HLB-USA.

Gross Reality's Dec. 30 Show w/ Art Harris: A Unique Perspective on Worldwide Events, Economy, & Washington

On the December 30th broadcast (below) of "Gross Reality," Steve Gross discussed worldwide events, the economy, & Washington with Art Harris, a two-time Emmy Award-winning veteran investigative correspondent who was also an embedded reporter in Iraq. Art is also a producer, television personality, and entertainment reporter. His career in broadcasting, international news, and entertainment gives him a unique perspective on the times we are living through now.

Click here to listen to Gross Reality:


Steve Gross is the executive director of Business Builders Team and a founding partner of HLB Gross Collins. His radio show is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals survive and prosper in good and bad economic times.

Listen live to "Gross Reality" every Wednesday at 5 pm ET on America's Web Radio!

You can also download podcasts of "Gross Reality" from iTunes by searching for "Gross Reality" and clicking on the specific podcast you want to listen to. You can also subscribe on iTunes to automatically download "Gross Reality" every week to listen on your iPod, iPhone, or computer.

Art Harris has gone from Nasirya to Neverland and beyond…from 13 years with CNN as a two-time Emmy Award-winning investigative correspondent and embedded reporter in Iraq, to breaking Hollywood scoops and scandals like Michael Jackson as a special correspondent and investigative producer for Entertainment Tonight and The Insider…CBS Early Show contributor, TV personality AND a regular on HLN’s Nancy Grace, JVM, Showbiz, and (formerly) Court TV.

As a TV producer, he created and exec produced the new E! series pilot, “Bonded for Life,” about an aspiring 35-year-old Donald Trump-like character, of Las Vegas Bail Bonds and his gorgeous wife, whose family biz makes $2 million a year betting on losers. Art has several other shows and multi platform projects in development.

A veteran journalist, he created The Bald Truth (www.artharris.com), a popular news blog with attitude that goes behind big stories to break exclusives and video that airs on CNN, HLN, ET and elsewhere. The site counts an estimated 200,000 visits and 1.2 million page views/mo., recently focusing on in depth coverage of MJ’s death and missing Florida six year old Haleigh Cummings.

Art draws on three decades covering politics, the military, true crime, celebrity and pop culture. A Pulitzer nominee at The Washington Post, as Atlanta bureau chief and Style section writer…You’ve seen his war reporting, celeb exclusives and profiles on CNN.com, ETonline, New York Post's Page Six, CelebTV.com, HuffingtonPost.com, The Los Angeles Times, The International Herald Tribune, People, Rolling Stone, Readers Digest, Esquire, MORE, Penthouse…and now The Bald Truth, aka www.artharris.com.

A story for People in 2007 about a paralyzed Iraqi baby named Karm sparked a humanitarian effort by the U.S. Army to whisk the child to Texas for free surgery, and the parents, both doctors, to safety after the good deed sparked death threats – and international acclaim.

For ET, Art covered the 2004 and 2008 Presidential campaigns, landed a rare White House tour with First Lady Laura Bush that drew 30 million viewers, sit-downs with John and Cindy McCain in Sedona, Gov. Sarah Palin and “First Dude” in Alaska, and Sen. Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention; he broke numerous high profile scoops on the death and aftermath of Anna Nicole Smith.

As a ratings rainmaker, he obtained exclusive police videotape of the mother of Michael Jackson’s accuser for ET and its sister show, The Insider—for a knockout launch of The Insider in 2004, instant headlines and personal kudos from CBS President Les Moonves.

Covering MJ for CNN, he scored an apology from then DA Tom Sneddon for "unprofessional behavior" in dissing “whacko Jacko." LARRY KING, who broke Art’s story on his show, hailed the journalist as “one of the best in the business.”

Recruited by ET and CBS, Art went on to break even bigger Jackson scoops, including the state AG’s report exonerating sheriff’s deputies of Jackson abuse claims, and a sit-down with the late pop star’s cellmate. He also packs a Sony HD camcorder, to shoot for the site, news clients and his own TV pilots.

Riveting Iraq footage he shot under fire during one of the bloodiest battles of the war in Nasirya -- and among the worst friendly fire incidents to date -- broke on CNN and drew applause from generals and embedded journalists when Art was invited to speak at The Army War College in Carlyle, Pa., a former Navy officer right at home in the dirt with the Marines.

A frequent guest on The Nancy Grace Show, and Jane Velez Mitchell, Art has had stories featured on ABC's Good Morning America, CBS Early Show, FOX News, Geraldo Rivera, and elsewhere.

Former Atlanta bureau chief for The Washington Post, he was nominated by its Style section for a Pulitzer-Prize in feature writing and counts 11 National Headliner Awards for a variety of stories in print and television.

Art also wrote the successful treatment for - and helped produce - a pilot on missing kids for Original Productions, that aired on A & E in 2008, and created the reality doc pilot about O.J. Simpson’s bail bondsman and his colorful family, that Comcast and E! Entertainment commissioned as a full-blown series pilot.

Popular on the college circuit, he's taught broadcast news and magazine writing as a guest lecturer at Oglethorpe University, appeared on panels at Duke University Law School about the media's role in reporting the Iraq war and worked with students at UGA’s respected Grady School of Journalism on how to cover major criminal cases and trials.

As a CNN correspondent embedded with the 2nd Marines during the war in Iraq, he filed dozens of exclusive reports under fire with a light armored recon unit there, from the hunt for Chemical Ali, WMD and German gas masks and chemical gear in Iraqi army bunkers.

Art Harris is a compelling storyteller who has covered sensational trials, big crimes, Presidential campaigns…even busted con men hawking sugar water as a bogus miracle cure for dying AIDs patients. In a dramatic on camera debunking, Art accepted the huckster’s dare to drink the elixir “because it just might grow you some hair,” and chugged a glass alongside the man who was later arrested.

At The Washington Post, he worked briefly as a film critic, then as an investigative reporter for legendary Bob Woodward…covered the South and exposed everything from voter fraud in Mississippi to environmental horrors like Times Beach to sex scandals of televangelists Jim Bakker and Rev. Jimmy Swaggart; he broke the first story on once-secret-Delta Force commandos and draws on vast law enforcement and military ties to take viewers behind the headlines with scoops and insider commentary.

Author Dominick Dunne featured Harris and his OJ Simpson scoops in Vanity Fair, and in his novel, “A City Not My Own.” The late best-selling author William Diehl named reporters in two his novels, "Art Harris." And the late "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson fondly called him “an evil chrome dome scorpion” for his tenacious reporting.

Digging for CBS 48 Hours, Art scored an exclusive with new Jackson attorney Tom Mesereau when he took the case and has contributed to The CBS Early Show, which also mentioned www.artharris.com exclusives.

In 2002, he was on the CNN investigative team that won a National Headliner Award for coverage of 9-11, and tracked the hijackers to their Atlanta training. An acclaimed hour special Harris conceived on The Hunt for Eric Rudolph, Atlanta’s Olympic Park bomber, won a Cine Gold Eagle, one of three.

Harris also broke exclusive stories in the sensational “Gold Club” federal racketeering trial of a Gambino organized crime figure convicted of extortion, prostitution and credit card fraud stemming from an Atlanta strip club that offered superstar athletes free sex with strippers – to lure fans who were fleeced with impunity.

He broke exclusives in the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, receiving nominations for Emmy and Peabody awards by CNN, covered the death of Princess Diana, filing reports from Paris and London, using his fluent French to investigate mysterious circumstances surrounding the crash.

During the first 18 months of the O.J. Simpson case, Harris broke hundreds of exclusives for CNN; the LosAngeles Times wrote that fellow reporters "applauded Art Harris of CNN for getting a number of stories before anyone else."

Harris was also part of CNN's Emmy Award-winning coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing. He won an American Women Award in Radio & Television and a WorldFest Gold Award in 1996 for his story about a Georgia prosecutor who coped with her fiancé’s murder by crusading for crime victims in court.

“Art discovered me,” says CNN’s Nancy Grace, a close personal friend who was an Atlanta prosecutor with Art’s late sister. Art broke Nancy’s moving personal story on CNN. He also counts a 1999 Golden Triangle Award for his profile of a bald beauty queen with alopecia areata, an auto-immune disorder that causes baldness. Harris is among 4 million Americans who have alopecia, and mentors children who lose their hair through the Alopecia Parents Foundation.

Rev. Jimmy Swaggart once blasted Harris for obtaining –and airing- exclusive photos of him with a prostitute he interviewed for a CNN special, Godfathers of the Gospel, then called a press conference to announce God had advised him to forgive Art—good legal advice. Art has written extensively for magazines as well, scoring shocking and exclusive interviews with everyone from Jimmy Swaggart’s hooker to Jennifer Flowers, the former Clinton mistress for Penthouse.

Harris has also developed stories into books and movies; he created and packaged “Confessions of a Carb Queen,” (Rodale, Jan. 2008). Optioned by Sony Television, which signed Harris as co-executive producer.

Way ahead of the TV crime curve, in the early 90s, he developed the "Crime Stories" hour magazine concept for CNN, scoring ratings for segments like the dangers of illegal street racing and a bully murder. He found torture victims of the Ethiopian holocaust working in Atlanta hotels for a CNN special called Seeking Justice that won awards; DreamWorks Studio optioned a Harris project about the first white baseball player in the “Negro Leagues” down South for Adam Sandler.

Harris earned a bachelor's degree in political science and French literature from Duke University. A former Navy officer, he attended the Harvard Business School. He is married to Carol Martin, and has two sons, Josh, and Adam, both college students and avid musicians, and a Jack Russell named Zipper.