Meet the 2024 Southeast honorees

David Millican IV is the Founder and CEO of Arkadios Capital.

The independent financial advice business has evolved significantly in recent years. Advisors today have uniquely different priorities that focus on flexibility, efficiency and choice. As broker/dealer consolidation continues to impact financial advisors, I founded Arkadios to fill a gap in our industry and provide an entrepreneurial alternative to the traditional independent broker/dealer model. My team and I built Arkadios with purpose, intention and a mission to help advisors achieve their entrepreneurial vision – building enterprise value in their business while providing customized financial solutions for their clients. We recognize first-hand the ongoing challenges that advisors face in running a successful wealth business. Our partnership structure is designed to enable our advisor partners to never outgrow their objectives and goals.

Dr. Boykin Robinson is the CEO of Core Clinical Partners.           

Core Clinical Partners is a physician services company based in Atlanta that partners with hospitals and health care systems to provide comprehensive outsourced physician service management for Emergency and Hospital Medicine service lines. Serving 40 hospitals across 11 states and facilitating over 1 million patient encounters annually, Core Clinical Partners typically collaborates with larger programs, where their expertise in process improvement can make a significant impact. Currently, 80 corporate employees work in support of more than 500 clinicians, positioning the company to sustain its current pace of organic growth.

Kirk Halpern is the Founder and CEO of Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors.

Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors was launched on July 1, 2019, with the intention of supplying the finest meat, seafood and artisanal products from small businesses to restaurateurs and chefs with exceptional service. On March 16, 2020, we pivoted our business model and immediately began servicing homes throughout Greater Atlanta in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryan Jones is the CEO of Florence Healthcare.        

Florence Healthcare’s Site Enablement Platform for Clinical Trials brings sponsor-site collaboration to life. Florence Healthcare is designed around sites’ needs and ranks as the industry leader in site adoption, linking over 18,000 sites in 55 countries. 

The Site Enablement Platform streamlines the entire process – from study planning to site startup to management to close out. Workflows and document filing are automated, reducing 80% of the manual work and cutting duplicative tasks. By enabling sites to do their best work, Florence Healthcare frees sponsors’ clinical trials from bottlenecks so that they can accelerate and scale, resulting in 40% faster trial timelines with nearly 100% compliance.

James Sasser is the President and CEO of Govstrive.

GovStrive, a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) certified small business, is an industry leader delivering best-in-class Human Resources (HR) and Civil Rights (CR) business and technology services to stabilize and innovate federal organizations. We offer full-service HR and CR support services that can be customized based on the client’s need. Our Management Consulting business line focuses on enhancing data-driven decision-making and developing strategic and tactical approaches for effective and efficient solutions to our clients’ most pressing challenges; the Managed Services group provides proven processes and HR experts to deliver best-in-class operational HR support; and our Workforce Analytics and Technology Solutions team leverages proprietary, cloud-based SaaS tools pioneered and designed to respond to the automation demands of tomorrow’s HR and CR organizations. The Power of GovStrive allows federal organizations to remain agile and enables government leaders to maximize efficiency, producing results that are cost-effective, functionally sustainable and innovative.

Nate Hybl is the Founder and CEO of gusto!              

Inspired by leadership expert Dale Carnegie’s immortal words to “live today with gusto,” innovative leader Nate Hybl founded gusto! with a mission to disrupt the standard of quick-casual at every level. With an eclectic menu selection of bowls and wraps that feature bold flavor combinations and fresh, high-quality ingredients, gusto! offers beautifully balanced meals, prepared in record time. Beyond its distinctive food and format, gusto! offers an extraordinary company culture built on communication, passion and positivity, setting it apart from other typical restaurant environments. Included in QSR Magazine’s “Best Brands to Work for 2022” and Atlanta Business Chronicle’s "2023 Pacesetters Awards” and “2023 Most Admired CEOs," gusto! continues to make an impact on the communities within its 12 locations found in almost every metro Atlanta area neighborhood. For more information, download the mobile app or visit whatsyourgusto.com.  

Richard Kretzschmar is the CEO of Integration Innovation Inc. (i3)   

i3 is a technically diverse, 100% employee-owned business headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. We are a recognized provider of aviation engineering and logistic services; uncrewed aircraft system integration and flight operations; full lifecycle command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) engineering services; and virtual training, simulation and serious gaming solutions. i3 personnel have decades of experience supporting aviation and missile system technology development for the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, and NASA, as well as private industry customers. i3 is proud to protect the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) resources from internal and external cybersecurity-related threats by implementing industry-accepted security practices in IT planning, implementation, management and operations.

Paul Garofolo is the Founder and CEO of Locus Biosciences.

Locus Biosciences is creating a new class of precision biotherapeutics with clinical-stage engineered bacteriophage treatments for a diverse set of bacterial and microbiome/inflammatory diseases. A world-leading bacteriophage discovery, synthetic biology, and manufacturing platform powers the company. Locus engineers bacteriophage –naturally occurring viruses that target bacteria – to kill pathogenic bacteria while sparing good bacteria, through programmable precision anti-bacterials with CRISPR-Cas3 and other therapeutic payloads. Its artificial intelligence (AI)and machine learning (ML)-based discovery engine targets bacteria that are associated with disease across therapeutic areas, including infectious disease, immunology and oncology. Locus has secured multiple, nondilutive partnerships to support development of the company’s platform and programs. These include contracts with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for Locus’s lead asset targeting E. coli and Combatting Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Accelerator (CARB-X) for Locus’s asset targeting K. pneumoniae. For more on the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina-based company, visit www.locus-bio.com. 

Bo Burdette is the CEO of MGroup (MFLGH Inc.)

MGroup is a provider of interior finishes for the hospitality and multiunit industries. Our product line comprises a wide range of offerings, including shower pans, shower surrounds, shower doors, flooring options, casegoods and countertops. Additionally, we offer guestroom and public area millwork. Our mission is to supply the highest-quality interior finishes that add a touch of elegance and functionality to any space.

Pramod Sajja is the Founder and CEO of Paramount Software Solutions, Inc.

In the vast landscape of the IT industry, one name has been redefining business realities for over 
25 years. Meet visionary entrepreneur Pramod Sajja, who founded a globally renowned brand that transcends boundaries.

Pramod Sajja didn’t just build a company; he forged a culture committed to building lives over careers and solving problems over implementing solutions. Paramount is more than an IT powerhouse; it's a community of innovators.

At Paramount, our strength lies in our people – a diverse mix of talent breaking barriers and chasing phenomenal goals. With a commitment to hire based on individual merit, our organization boasts over 50% female employees and a rich cultural fusion, empowering every Paramountian to maximize talents.

Our diversity-driven policies have fueled innovation, earning us accolades, such as the Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators and Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Millennials and Women. We believe in transparency, customer value and compassion – principles that guide our operations and strategies.

Our groundbreaking products, Farm To Plate, which revolutionizes the food supply chains with transparency and sustainability, and Incidyne, an AI solution ensuring efficient disaster risk management, are making significant strides in their respective domains. 

Ashok Mathur is the Co-Founder and CEO of Patagonia Health Inc.

Patagonia Health was founded with a focus on providing innovative, easy-to-use technology solutions with excellent customer service. Today, we remain true to those founding principles, with a goal of 100% customer referenceability, because, more than buying software, customers trust us to hold their hand through their transition to electronic health records. We recommend industry best practices, share our expertise and are a resource to help our customers improve. We serve those who serve others.

Jimmy Frangis is the CEO of PDI Technologies.

With 40 years of industry leadership, PDI Technologies resides at the intersection of productivity and sales growth, delivering powerful solutions that serve as the backbone of the convenience retail and petroleum wholesale ecosystem. By “Connecting Convenience” across the globe, we empower businesses to increase productivity, make informed decisions and engage faster with their customers. From large-scale ERP and logistics operations to loyalty programs and cybersecurity, we’re simplifying the industry supply chain for whatever comes next. Today, we serve over 200,000 locations worldwide with solutions like the Fuel Rewards® program and GasBuddy®, two popular brands representing more than 30 million users. Visit pditechnologies.com.

Sanjeev Tirath is the CEO of Pyramid Consulting Inc.              

Pyramid Consulting, a global leader in workforce and technology solutions, empowers individuals and organizations to transform and thrive in the most challenging and competitive markets. Pyramid Consulting’s award-winning family of brands – Pyramid Talent, Celsior and GenSpark – operate together to deliver seamless and integrated solutions that benefit our clients and the consultants who serve them. Through the “intentionally inclusive” recruitment of uniquely qualified candidates and teams, the training and upskilling of recent college graduates and organizational talent, and the customized development and management of innovative technology solutions and teams, Pyramid Consulting proves its lasting commitment to the sustainable growth and success of its consultants and clients. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Atlanta, Pyramid Consulting serves over 125 Fortune 500 companies across multiple/all major industries, with more than 6,500 consultants from 25+ countries. 

Scott Hoots is the CEO of QC Kinetix.          

The QC Kinetix center for regenerative medicine is the place to go when you think you’re out of options for resolving your pain. Have you been told invasive surgery is your best choice? Are you hoping to avoid surgery? Have you tried everything to eliminate the pain and immobility of your condition without success? Come to QC Kinetix.

At QC Kinetix, our regenerative treatments go to the root of your pain to resolve it at its source. We don’t try to mask your pain or attempt to manage it for you. Instead, we use regenerative medicine to harness and engage your body’s natural ability to renew itself, providing improved function while avoiding surgery.

With many locations throughout the United States, QC Kinetix provides comprehensive, regenerative medicine, including biologic therapies, laser therapy, nutritional support and rejuvenating treatments. Our goal is to empower you against your pain. 

We carefully discuss and detail our natural regenerative treatment options with each patient. While every patient may not be a candidate for our therapies, we help each one make the most appropriate decisions for their particular condition.

Scott MacKenzie is the CEO of RevSpring.

RevSpring leads the market in engagement and payment solutions that inspire patients to participate in and pay for their health care. The company has built the industry’s most comprehensive and impactful patient engagement suite, spanning the clinical, administrative and financial experience. RevSpring’s OmniChannel communications and payment solutions are backed by behavior analysis, propensity-to-pay scoring, contextual messaging, and user experience best practices. Using proprietary data analytics to tailor the engagement from preservice to post-service to payment, RevSpring improves the patient experience and outcomes for providers, members and patients.

Dave Penake is the CEO of Saol Therapeutics.         

Saol Therapeutics was founded in 2015 with the vision of developing and commercializing medicines that treat underserved patient populations with serious unmet needs. Since its founding, Saol has executed five product turnarounds and gained FDA approval of Lyvispah® for the treatment of spasticity. These products were sold in two transactions to public companies, allowing Saol to invest in four, late-stage clinical programs. In 2024, Saol plans to file for the first and only product to be approved by the FDA to treat Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Deficiency (PDCD), a rare and deadly genetic disorder that affects 2,000 people in the United States. Saol is also conducting Phase II studies in glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly form of brain cancer; spasticity, a debilitating neurological disorder limiting daily activities in three million people; and osteoarthritis knee pain, a syndrome that affects more than 30 million Americans. Saol’s product portfolio relies on innovative, patented technologies developed by our team that make it possible to study novel medicines in devastating diseases.

Pinky Cole Hayes is the Founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan.

Slutty Vegan is a plant-based burger joint that we founded in 2018 after realizing that vegan options were not available late at night. 

Slutty Vegan aims to denounce the notion that veganism is hard and unattainable, but we give people the opportunity to learn about the lifestyle. We have 13 current locations, and we'll be open in Hartsfield Jackson Airport by the end of 2024.

Duane Hixon is the Founder and CEO of The N2 Company.

The N2 Company helps great businesses connect with their ideal clients through the combined power of targeted print and digital advertising. What started as a neighborhood newsletter business in 2004 has grown into the nation’s largest private publisher and print media franchisor, responsible for more than 800 magazines nationwide. Stroll, N2’s flagship magazine brand, reaches homeowners in affluent neighborhoods. Greet reaches residents in larger-scale communities. Real Producers magazine reaches the nation’s top-producing real estate agents. BeLocal reaches a community’s newest homeowners. Hyport Digital partners with clients to reach ideal consumers virtually. Through N2GIVES, N2’s charitable giving program, the company donates 2% of gross revenue annually to fight human trafficking. To date, N2GIVES has provided more than $23 million to organizations working to end modern-day slavery. N2 is made possible by its 500+ franchisees and 300+ support team members.

Mike Jones is the CEO of The Pallet Alliance, Inc.    

The Pallet Alliance, Inc. is an innovative leader in the design and implementation of national pallet management programs for multisite manufacturing and distribution companies. Working collaboratively with customers, Pallet Alliance employs a comprehensive approach that combines manufacturing, pallet design and market expertise to identify and eliminate the factors that drive cost reduction by optimizing the product-process interface with knowledgeable, industry-specific pallet management systems.

Sean Goldsmith is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Zero Proof Holdings, Inc.                

TZP has the leading e-commerce site for adult, nonalcoholic beverages, with over 300 SKUs. In addition, TZP nationally distributes a premium portfolio of owned and imported bands, including Saint Viviana, Lapo’s, Oddbird and ISH. The company works with food and alcohol distributors to grow its national footprint and leverages its e-commerce insights to better inform its wholesale strategy. 

Robin Shah is the Co-Founder and CEO of Thyme Care.

Thyme Care is at the forefront of enabling an industry paradigm shift toward value-based cancer treatment through deep collaboration with oncologists, primary care providers and health plans to improve the cancer care experience, cost, access and outcomes. Built by oncology industry titans with the expertise to transform the cancer care experience, Thyme Care partners with oncologists to provide cancer patients with comprehensive wraparound clinical support and navigation, both in and out of the clinic.  

Melanie Cook is the CEO of Veritas Management Group.

Operating since 2016 in Alpharetta, Georgia, Veritas Management Group (VMG) is a prominent management consulting firm with a profound impact on diverse sectors. Led by its Founder and CEO, Melanie Cook, a Harvard-trained attorney with a versatile background encompassing Wall Street and presidential service, VMG has emerged as a leader in addressing complex challenges across public health, technology and military domains.

VMG serves an extensive clientele that includes government entities, Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations on domestic and global fronts. The company’s diverse team of experts, currently numbering 90, operates with meticulous attention to detail, allowing clients to concentrate on overarching strategic objectives.

VMG provides a comprehensive suite of public health services, including research and evaluation, data analytics, health policy consulting and IT solutions. VMG has expanded its footprint across 10 locations in the US and internationally. VMG recently acquired ASAP Talent Services, a subsidiary significantly enhancing VMG’s service portfolio through SAP consulting, cybersecurity and executive search.

Latha Ganeshan is the CEO of Zywie, Inc.

Zywie’s award-winning technology, integrated through flexible and easily adaptable solutions, results in unmatched efficiency and high-quality patient care.

Zywie, headquartered in Atlanta, is leading the way in advancing health care through the use of innovative technologies. The company’s mission is to revolutionize the way that cardiovascular disease is managed, helping to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs.

Utilizing advanced diagnostic algorithms and connected device technology, Zywie provides an innovative solution to deliver real-time, high-quality cardiac monitoring data. Its cloud-based platform enables quick and accurate diagnosis, along with remote patient monitoring capabilities, thereby allowing physicians to make informed decisions about patients’ treatment plans.