Atlanta Born & Brand

Today we’re sitting down with Hollis Callaway, founder and CEO of Montane Sparkling Spring Water. Sparkling water has surged in popularity in recent years and we’re huge advocates of supporting a local alternative to big names.  What makes Montane so unique is that it comes from a spring with quartzite bedrock, which means it produces some of the purest water on the planet. We’re chatting wit...

On this show, we’re always looking to find entrepreneurs that have built new and innovative brands in the city. We’ve had guests from a multitude of fields and this week we’re diving deeper into the tech industry.  Dr. Bara Cola is a professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech and the founder and CEO of Carbice. Carbice is a materials solution company -- producing Carbice Carbon, whic...

Our guest this week is Carmelle Kendall, co-founder of greeting card company Neighborly Paper. Carmelle and her business partner, Robin, were first neighbors growing up just outside Atlanta. They found themselves as neighbors again in their 20’s living in Harlem, NY and that’s where Neighborly Paper starts.  Then, in 2017 the duo decided to come home and build their business right here in the...

Support is a verb. This is the guiding statement behind The Village Market. A few months ago, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Key Hallmon -- visionary behind the village. She shared with us the amazing successes so many Black owned businesses have seen from the support and guidance of the The Village Market. But she also shared with us the struggle. On average Black-owned businesses have a life...

Today, we’re catching up with founder of Fire Maker Brewing, Elliot Hall. We started a series with Fire Maker back in season two called “The Brand is Born” where we planned to follow Elliot and his team from the beginning stages of construction to grand opening. Due to COVID-19 we haven’t been able to finish out the series just yet. We will one day when it’s safe for us all to gather and celebrate...

Encourage wisdom. That is the personal motto of our guest this week. Casey Ryals, lives in Clermont, Georgia with his wife and three daughters. For the last 11 years, he has managed an insurance agency and started a specialty dump truck business with his brother, called Ryals Bros. The man kind of does it all.  Today we’re going to talk about his latest venture, a self-management book titled...

Integrity. Accountability. Transparency. Dedication. These are the core values guiding our guests this week. Lawrence Johnson, founder and owner of Helix Cleaning Services, is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and served in the United States Army for nearly 7 years. The values instilled in him through his service are present in his work and entrepreneurship today.  We sit down with Lawrence...

It’s no secret that the hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit throughout this pandemic, and with winter approaching they’re bracing for another challenge. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael Lennox founded #ATLFamilyMeal, a non-profit with the goal of feeding, as well as providing jobs and resources for the hospitality community.  Restaurants, chefs, food service...

In recent years, Atlanta has become home to the fourth largest tech hub in the country -- Atlanta Tech Village. We’ve been lucky enough these last few seasons to host a few founders of tech companies from ATV and today we have the awesome honor to host another.  SweatPack is an app designed to help you find group workouts and sports leagues in your area. It provides an accountability source a...

Back in 2012, Jesse Grossman was a recent college graduate looking for a way to serve his community and make a few new friends. It was with this idea that Community Bucket, a nonprofit dedicated to building community connections through social volunteering, was born.  Started right here in Atlanta, Community Bucket has now grown to Austin and Denver. Today we sit down with founder, Jesse Gros...

In an urban area, a food desert is defined as a community located more than one mile from a reliable source of fresh produce. There was a time when the community of South Atlanta was home to many neighborhood grocery stores. Sadly those local stores have been pushed out and replaced with large supermarkets, located miles away.  This week we’re talking with Jeff Delp, Director of Economic Deve...

A constant theme with so many of the guests on this show, is that their businesses have been born out of a need within their communities. Who better to find a solution to a need or problem than those directly dealing with the issue themselves? Our guest this week is no different.  Candace Mitchell is the co-founder and CEO of Myavana, an app that combines technology and science to help women...

Civic engagement improves our communities. Whether it’s working to get out the vote, campaigning for officials you believe in or volunteering with advocacy groups -- being engaged in your community helps to affect real change. With the Get Empowrd app it’s never been easier to make a difference right in your own neighborhood! This app places democracy right at your fingertips by giving you access...

One of the best parts about doing this show is that we get to learn something new with each guest we bring on. Today’s guest gave us a chance to learn a different side of the food industry, the ~butter~ side you could say. On a trip to France, Drew and Elizabeth McBath became enamored with the small French creameries and how they were selling their butter. The butter was all locally sourced and ma...

From the very beginning, we’ve tried to make this podcast about building community. If that’s truly the case, you don’t interview people and forget about them. We think of the people who’ve been on this show like friends, or family even. That being said, when a family member has tough times, you pick them up and when they have a major breakthrough, you celebrate -- and celebrate is what we are her...

The sad truth is, that in today's economy Black-owned businesses have a shorter lifespan and make far less money than comparable white-owned businesses that provide the exact same service. Our guest today is doing everything in her power to change that! A few weeks back we jumped on a Zoom call to chat with Dr. Key Hallmon, founder and CEO of The Village Market. The Village Market team has coined...

We are back this week to kick off season four! And what better way to start the season than sitting down to chat with one of the men behind the rainbow umbrella? Today, we’re sitting down with Steven Carse, founder of Atlanta favorite King of Pops. After being laid off from his corporate finance job back in 2009, Steven took a leap of faith and -- inspired by frozen treats he had tasted on his tra...

We're so excited to announce that season 4 of Atlanta Born & Brand will begin next week! We will continue to introduce you to the stories of the city’s top startups and small business men and women. We can’t wait to see where this new season will take us! Make sure to subscribe to Atlanta Born & Brand in Apple Podcasts or wherever you happen to be listening. If you like the show we’d reall...

This week we’re catching up with Atlanta Born & Brand Alumni, David Clapper, co-founder of the camping adventure company sCAMPer Van. David was one of our very first guests on the show back in Season One. Today, we talk about the roller coaster ride that has been COVID-19 and how sCAMPer Van has started to see record breaking traffic, as folks look for a safe escape in nature.  To keep up...

Today on the show, we’re catching up with Atlanta Born & Brand Alumni, Krystle Rodriguez. Krystle is the owner, co-founder and boss lady extraordinaire behind Hodgepodge Coffee House. We first spoke with Krystle at the very beginning of March, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was about to pick up steam. Being a traditional brick and mortar store, Hodgepodge has faced some challenges the last few...

Today on the show, we're catching up with Atlanta Born & Brand Alumni, Scott Fuller. Scott is owner of The Studio Temporary, where he uses his graphic design talents to help businesses build a standout brand and identity! We catch up with Scott to hear about a few of his ongoing projects and what we can expect to see from The Studio Temporary in the future. Without further ado, we proudly pres...

Today on the show, we catch up with Atlanta Born & Brand Alumni, Rasheed Philips. Rasheed is the founder, owner and pitmaster of Philips Barbeque. In this episode, Rasheed tells us how Philips has had to pivot their business model the last few months, as we’ve seen many large catering events cancelled and delayed. We’ll hear about the challenges the pandemic has presented and the future for Ph...

Today on the show, we catch up with Atlanta Born & Brand Alumni, Michael Chasteen. Michael teaches young entrepreneurs at Campbell High School in Smyrna. We spoke with Michael back in March of 2019 about the program, which is designed to give students practical work experience during the school day. We caught up with him to hear how these students are doing and how the program has had to adapt...

Today on the show, we catch up with Atlanta Born & Brand Alumni, Victoria Lemos. We first got to chat with her back in February about her stellar podcast, Archive Atlanta and all things Atlanta history. A few weeks ago, we caught up with Victoria to see how the show is doing and how coronavirus has impacted the Atlanta History Tours. Without further ado, we welcome back, Victoria Lemos. For mo...

Today on the show, we’re going to feature Atlanta Born & Brand Alumni, Fred McGill. Fred is the co-founder of real estate startup SimpleShowing. At the time his episode aired back in November of 2018, SimpleShowing was just getting the ball rolling. A few weeks ago, we caught up with Fred to see how things have since changed with the business and how they’re moving forward amidst the COVID-19...