Fearless Fundraising for Your Small Business-Rome
FIN FIT “Fearless Fundraising your Small Business”
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is excited to announce the third 2025 FIN FIT (Financially Fit) event will be held on Thursday, October 16 from 8:30am-12:30pm at the Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Floyd County Campus, Rome, GA. We are proud to partner with The Rome Floyd Chamber of Commerce and UGA SBDC - Rome for this free small business event. This event is free and open to all Georgians. Free continental breakfast and workbook is included with 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 hands on learning lab 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.
8:30am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:00am
Opening Remarks- Pam Powers-Smith, President of Rome Floyd Chamber
Welcome Message-Georgia 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
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.
Senior Commercial Lender, ACE- Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs
April’s professional experience is 30 plus years in business development and finance focusing on small business lending, commercial lending and community development. One of her passions is helping communities be successful and supported by helping them build on personal development, business development and investing time to those in need. April’s attended Gainesville College and The University of Hawaii. She enjoys hiking, camping and just about anything outdoors!
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.
Multi-Unit Franchise Owner of StretchLab Studios, Atlanta and Smoothie King, Rome
JJ Johnson is a multi-unit franchise owner with a strong background in leadership and operations. He owns StretchLab studios in Atlanta and a Smoothie King in Rome, GA. A former Marine and Police Officer, he brings discipline, service, and a results-driven mindset to everything he does.
Area Director, UGA Small Business Development Center, Rome, GA
Peter Matthews is the Area Director with the UGA SBDC in Rome. He has over 14 years of experience working with business customers in credit administration performing credit underwriting for commercial and mortgage credits including financial analysis, loan packaging, risk grading and loan review of portfolio credits.
Peter also has experience in business consulting with 17 years of experience with the UGA SBDC. His consulting expertise includes financial packaging, financial analysis, and business management. His background includes service as CFO and operations manager of a franchised automotive dealership, and he has experience in designing and implementing business plans, store layout, site selection and staffing in retail environments.
Senior Vice President and Business Development Officer, Ameris Bank
Corey L. Townsend is a Senior Vice President and Business Development Officer for Ameris Bank, where he provides debt financing to small businesses for acquisitions, expansion, and corporate restructuring utilizing SBA guaranteed loans.
Prior to joining Ameris bank, Mr. Townsend worked for over a decade, in wealth management, serving Ultra High Net Worth Individuals as a Private Wealth Advisor at Morgan Stanley and later Merrill Lynch. Mr. Townsend is an Attorney by trade and briefly worked for the IRS office of Chief Counsel, Financial Products and Institutions Division, before transitioning to the private sector.
Mr. Townsend is a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s in economics. He also has a master’s in finance from Georgia State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston Texas.