Smart Business Magazine, September 2017

24 Smart Business Columbus September 2017 Michelle Kerr PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER Lightwell Inc www lightwellinc com Lightwell Inc has assisted more than 1000 companies across a variety of industries with their technology needs Under Michelle Kerrs leadership Lightwell has invested in technologies training and systems to improve productivity gain valuable insights optimize processes increase customer satisfaction and facilitate growth and expansion Kerrs development sales and management teams meet regularly to discuss ideas Some of these are further developed in partnership with key clients Lightwell then takes the solutions to market through its direct sales team partnerships with technology companies like IBM and targeted marketing In addition to its U S based development resources Kerr also built a dedicated development office in Belfast Northern Ireland Among other awards Lightwell has been on the Inc 5000 list of the nations fastest growing privately held companies seven times 2017 Central Ohio Smart 50 Yogesh Khandelwal CEO geoAMPS LLC www geoamps com Yogesh Khandelwal has started five companies but his latest endeavor is geoAMPS LLC which specializes in software solutions to manage land rights and infrastructure assets Khandelwal reinvented geoAMPS several times since its 2011 launch expanding the product line to include the oil and gas alternative energy transit and telecom industries The first mobile solution in the space it reduces duplication and time for workflows and approvals and increases compliance and retention of knowledge for more than 5000 users Clients report operational savings of over 35 percent Recently geoAMPS went through organizational restructuring and procedural changes for the software development However Khandelwals decision to keep development in house has been critical for growth geoAMPS has a team of roughly 30 developers near his hometown of Pune India Merry Korn PRESIDENT AND CEO Pearl Interactive Network www pinsourcing com Pearl Interactive Network a contact center and program management and staffing company is poised for significant growth Merry Korns social enterprise employs 500 people giving priority to veterans people with disabilities and military spouses Korn is launching a new product a Supportive Care and Remote Monitoring service It combines program management and staffing with telehealth technology Case managers in a call center communicate with assigned older adults to coordinate daily care and respond to alerts from vital sign and environmental technology monitors Korn believes the time is right to roll out the SCRM model There is increased need to care for older adults pending restrictions on government funding for nursing homes and pressure from both federal agencies and health plans to reduce unnecessary hospital and emergency room costs Jennifer Kuntz FOUNDER AND CEO Greenleaf Job Training Services www greenleafjts com Greenleaf Job Training Services is a for profit business in a field where most of its competitors are nonprofits It finds jobs for veterans individuals with learning disabilities and people with visual and hearing impairments traumatic brain injuries and significant employment barriers That means the company must operate efficiently and respond quickly to changes in the government and business environments Jennifer Kuntzs entrepreneurial ingenuity is showcased by the fact that in the past year alone she spearheaded four new business to business initiatives that draw on the core strengths of Greenleaf and could drive new sources of revenue For example Kuntz realized the same work skills that her team teaches could be used by other businesses So she developed a customized soft skills training program to improve employee behavior and habits Stephanie Leader CEO Leaderpromos www leaderpromos com Leaderpromos started as a promotional products and apparel business serving Central Ohio in 1995 Stephanie Leader has grown the business to a top notch promotional company with nationwide capabilities and 12 different promotional marketing services Technology is a core competency Leader hired IT and website teams to develop Leaderpromos com one of the first promotional products websites The award winning website updated daily has more than 40000 products apparel pieces live chat ability and an idea board for users to save favorite items Technology has helped better connect her offices and serve customers with quicker response times She also allocated money toward internet advertising and SEO best practices to elevate her brand presence online In 2017 Leaderpromos launched a proprietary next generation platform for its web store clients Kim Maggard MAYOR City of Whitehall www whitehall oh us Kim Maggard is propelling every aspect of the city of Whitehall forward from infrastructure to parks and recreation businesses schools and more Working to reverse Whitehalls negative stigma she launched a rebranding campaign in 2012 Since her election the city has hired six additional police officers and two school resource offers created a narcotics bureau and become one of the first suburbs to employ K 9 units Whitehall added programs for first time and existing homeowners to revive aging housing stock and increase home ownership rates and values Since 2012 more than 1500 new jobs have been created or committed to and an additional 50 million in payroll has been established By the end of this year Whitehall will see more than 60 million of capital investment per square mile Smart50COL