Thursday, January 6, 2011
A Suwanee man buys into a pool-cover supply business after a downsizing.
Doug Kesler found himself in the unfortunate situation of unemployment in the economic aftermath of 9/11. Transferred by Kodak from their Dallas to Atlanta office in 1999, Kesler was part of a corporate downsizing effort in 2001. After 18 months of unemployment, networking events, and interviews, Kesler had to change his approach. He had run his own photography business out of college but enjoyed having the consistency that corporate America offered. But corporate America wasn't calling him. Then it happened. A business broker presented Kesler with an opportunity to buy a pool-cover supply business from a gentleman that was looking to retire. "It was a good opportunity," Kesler said. "The business came with a list of existing customers and…
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Suwanee entrepreneur Ron Salek evolves after corporate downsizing.
One thing is for certain when you talk to Ron Salek, he's not afraid to make a living by working for himself. Salek is co-owner of Kneads Incorporated, the latest in a number of small businesses that he has run during his career. Kneads Inc. provides products for the massage-therapy and wellness industries, marketing primarily to massage therapists, day spas, chiropractors and estheticians. Their products include massage equipment, oils, lotions, creams and education materials. Salek started the company with Alden Beane in June 2007 after their jobs were eliminated by the Massage Warehouse. They have a showroom in west midtown Atlanta and an online store. Starting the business wasn't easy for Salek. He and his partner had to self-fund …
Saturday, December 11, 2010
A Suwanee man leaves the corporate world and starts his own software firm.
"My career changed when I made an intentional decision not to work in corporate America" Mike Cottmeyer said. Cottmeyer is a Suwanee resident and the owner of Leading Agile, a software coaching firm in agile development methods. Agile software development is as much about working smarter in business processes as it is about creating software. It aims to maximize the relevant and required output of any software team by helping to them to produce software on a consistent schedule. Cottmeyer provides on-site services for clients in metro Atlanta and across the country. Cottmeyer's journey to starting his own business can be traced to 2005 when his software project manager job was eliminated by the John Harland Company in Decatur. He used his …
