Fearless Fundraising for Your Small Business
Fearless Fundraising for Your Small Business
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is excited to announce the first 2025 FIN FIT (Financially Fit) event will be held at the Century of Flight Hangar in Warner Robins, GA. We are proud to partner with VBOC, the Georgia VECTR Center (Veterans Education Career Transition Resource), Robins Regional Chamber, and Perry Area Chamber of Commerce for this free small business event. This event is free and open to all Georgians. Free continental breakfast and workbook included in registration.
Our panelists will discuss how to fearlessly raise capital to finance your small business as well as discuss the details of the Invest Georgia Exemption (IGE). IGE can be a powerful tool for Georgians looking to raise capital and fund their new venture or just grow their already thriving business. Our workshop portion will cover the topics of developing your fundraising goals, preparing your fundraising package, what to consider before you say yes, and managing your investor relationships for continued success and sustainability.
AGENDA
8:30am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00am
Opening Remarks, Jeremy Nelms, President/CEO, Flint Energies
Welcome Message, GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
9:10am
Panel Discussion & Audience Q&A
10:50am
Break/networking
11:00am
Learning LAB by Marguerite Pressley Davis
Developing your fundraising Goals
Preparing your fundraising package
What to consider before you say yes
You’ve raised! Managing your investor relationships for continued success and sustainability
12:25pm
Closing Statements, Noula Zaharis, Assistant Commissioner of Securities, Division Director Securities & Charities Division, Georgia Secretary of State
12:30pm
Program Concludes
Panelists
Donna Lowry
Moderator, Award Winning Journalist
Donna Lowry is an award-winning journalist who combines a passion for storytelling and a desire to empower others with communication and critical thinking skills surrounding political, educational, and financial issues.
Through her firm, Donna Lowry Communications, she provides consulting, writing, and producing services for educational, media, professional, and business outlets.
Donna serves as host/producer for several programs, including Lawmakers on Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Donna is an eight-time Emmy award winner, a three-time national Gabriel Award recipient, and has garnered honors from countless organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, Georgia Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE).
Her media peers inducted Donna into the prestigious NATAS Southeast Silver Circle to recognize her lasting contributions to the broadcast industry.
Donna has a master's in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor's in Mass Communications and Administration and Management from Chatham University.
Her professional affiliations include the Atlanta Press Club, the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Southeastern Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS SE).
In her 15th year as a Girl Scout Leader, Donna has led girls ranging in age from kindergarten through 12th grade. Her community service affiliations also include Magnolia (GA) Chapter of Links, Inc., and Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Donna and her husband, Army Major (Ret) Bennet W. Reid, Jr., are the parents of three daughters.
Marguerite Pressley Davis
Founder & CEO, Finance Savvy CEO®, Angel Investor & Small Business Advisor
Marguerite, a former Wall Street financial analyst, business strategist, and top ranked business money expert, was named Atlanta’s 40 Under 40 by Atlanta Business Chronicle, co-authored “Girl Power Uncensored” with her chapter “From Wall Street To Helping Main Street”, is an accredited angel investor, host of the podcast “Finance Savvy CEO®”, the creator of Your Profit Playbook® - the leading business financial planning training program for small business owners, and Founder & CEO of financesavvyceo.com.
Marguerite spent the early stages of her career as a senior analyst at Goldman Sachs, controlling an over $2 billion portfolio of private equity, alternative energy, and commercial real estate investments. She transitioned after business school at the NYU Stern School of Business into a successful career in Mergers & Acquisitions as a Manager at Deloitte Consulting, advising fortune 500 companies through the full deal cycle from target screening, deal structuring, valuations, and due diligence, all the way through day 1 readiness and post-merger implementations.
Marguerite continued to push the ceiling when she sought to make wedding planning less stressful and more fun for brides by creating Tulle la la, a global retail technology company that combines technology with a project management-based approach to wedding planning. In 2018, Tulle la la won the modern luxury diamond award for Best Wedding Technology. Marguerite had a successful exit from the company within 5 years, and today, Tulle la la continues to serve thousands of brides across the globe each year.
Marguerite now focuses her attention on her EdTech FinTech platform, Finance Savvy CEO®, created to help close the gender & racial wealth gap through focusing on profitable entrepreneurship. Finance Savvy CEO® supports business owners on an ongoing basis, through programming and members only access, to increase the financial health of their business and intentionally create long term organic financial sustainability.
Marguerite is passionate about building generational wealth through entrepreneurship and is always excited to help entrepreneurs navigate their pathway to profitability.
Shane Gottwals
CEO of Gottwals Books and Gottwals Properties
Shane Gottwals is the CEO of Gottwals Books and Gottwals Properties and was born and raised in Macon, GA. He earned a B.A. in English from Mercer University, spending a portion of his college career at Oxford University in England. He met his wife, Abbey, at Mercer. They have five children and live in Warner Robins. In 2007, the couple opened Gottwals Books which has become one of the largest used & new bookstore chains in the United States. He volunteers on multiple nonprofit boards including Central Fellowship Christian Academy and The Rabbit Room. He's also an elected official, serving as a Houston County commissioner.
Scottie A. Johnson
Chef/Owner, Blessed and Highly Flavored Cuisine, LLC, Private Chef Services
Private Celebrity Chef/Author and 2019 Seafood Award Winner Chef Scottie Johnson was born and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He served 27 years in the Army as a 13B cannon crewmember of the Field Artillery Division. He retired at the rank of 1SG. After retiring he enrolled in Helms College Culinary Arts School in Macon, GA. Upon graduating from Culinary Arts School at the top of my class he was offered a position as a Chef Instructor Assistant at Helms College. He assisted in teaching multiple classes such as Knife Skill, Cooking Methods and Fabrications and Restaurant Operations in Helms College very own Edgars Bistro. He’s been featured in Georgia Magazine, Southern Living Magazine, Macon Magazine, Macon Telegraph, NBC, CBS, Real Talk TV 35 WDIG, Shout Out Atlanta Magazine and T.E.A Time Louddmouth Radio and currently “The Talented Chefs Cooking Channel” and “Food for Thought and the Soul” on Roku TV. He’s the Author of "See Your Route and Run It" - From Top Soldier to Top Chef, “Devotions of A Chef” and “Sole to Soul Cooking.” He’s the owner of Blessed and Highly Flavored Cuisine, LLC - Private Chef Services. He also the Executive Chef for Hollywood Farms GA ~ Hunting Preserve in Twiggs County Georgia. He resides in Kathleen, GA with his lovely wife Lowanda and has four beautiful kids.
Website: www.sjcuisine.com
Instagram: chefscottiej68
Facebook: blessed and highly flavored cuisine, LLC
Market President and Senior Vice President, Planters First Bank
Kent Jordan was born and raised in Warner Robins, Ga. He received his Bachelors in Business Administration with an Emphasis in Small Business Entrepreneurship from Georgia Southern University in 1999. Kent graduated from Georgia Banking School at the University of Georgia in 2022. In 2006-2008 he owned an insurance agency, sold it and transitioned into banking. He has been in banking for 17 years. He is currently Senior Vice President and Warner Robins Market President for Planters First Bank.
In his free time, Ken loves to spend time with friends and family. He has two sons: Owen (21) and Davis (17). Also, Ken enjoys hunting, fishing, and playing golf. He loves music, especially southern rock and is die hard Braves, UGA, Falcons, and Hawks fan.
Area director and Senior Business Consultant, University of Georgia SBDC (UGA SBDC) in Macon
Lisa Rackley is the area director and senior business consultant at the University of Georgia SBDC (UGA SBDC) in Macon. The Macon SBDC serves small businesses in nineteen Middle Georgia counties.
Prior to joining the SBDC, she worked in Human Resources for a global manufacturing facility. Her previous experience includes working with consulting firms specializing in retirement and disability plan administration. Lisa has a BS in Management from Florida State University and an MBA from Georgia College. She has satisfied the requirements for certification as prescribed by the Society for Human Resource Management and is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional.
Patricia “Trish” Ross, EdD, Colonel, USAF Retired Commissioner
Commissioner of Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS)
In November 2021, Patricia Ross was appointed as the Commissioner of Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS), supporting Georgia’s over 1 million veterans and their families. GDVS provides federal and state benefits counseling, operates two state veteran cemeteries and two skilled nursing facilities. Through GDVS, veterans received $4.4B in compensation and pension annually from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Ross established a veteran suicide prevention program obtaining ~$3M in federal grants and manages the state’s veteran mental health grant, where key partners provide clinical services for military, veterans and their families. She also spearheaded a state-wide referral system which connected over 15,000 veterans to more than 600 partners across the state for a variety of needs.
Prior to serving as Commissioner, she established The Georgia Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center (VECTR Center) and served as the first Director of Military Affairs at the Technical College System of Georgia. After 25 years on active duty in the Air Force, Ross retired as a Colonel in October 2014 where she served as the vice commander of the Air Base Wing at Robins AFB in Warner Robins, Georgia.
Ross received her doctorate in Leadership from Valdosta State University and holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Tampa; a master's degree in systems engineering management from St. Mary’s University, Texas; and a master's degree from the Air Command and Staff College. She is also a graduate of the Air War College.
Ross serves on two national boards, the VA’s Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans, and the National Center for PTSD’s Veteran Engagement Team.
In 2023 she was awarded the lifetime achievement award by The Warrior Alliance and was inducted into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame. In 2024 she received the Marvin Meyers Leadership Award from the Georgia Veterans Day Association. She and her husband Scott (also retired Air Force) have four adult children.
Financial Advisor, Growth & Development Director, Northwestern Mutual
In addition to working as a Financial Advisor & Growth Development Director at Northwestern Mutual, Jordan is an Officer in the Army National Guard & Special Operations Community with multiple assignments across the middle east. He has a passion for advising veterans, athletes, business owners, attorneys & their clients; though he enjoys working with people of all backgrounds. In conjunction with knowledge gained from law school; Jordan assists many of his clients with wills, estate organization, trust establishment, personal planning, as well as closely-held business planning. When not spending time with his wonderful wife, Savannah, and their two dogs; he allocates his spare time to working with various military-related non-profits. Additionally, he is the Vice Chair for Northwestern Mutual’s Military Field Advisory Committee. Views expressed are his own.