Goodwill Central Coast CEO Moving to New Position in Goodwill Organization; Board of Directors to Begin Executive Search

The Goodwill Central Coast Board of Directors today announced that CEO Ed Durkee will be moving to a new position as CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Florida in Orlando.

Salinas CA, November 05, 2019 - The Board said that Durkee leaves Goodwill Central Coast on sound financial footing and that the strength of the management team and Board will contribute to successfully move the organization through the transition.

The Board has also appointed Tom Moran as interim CEO effective upon Durkee’s departure date of December 13. The Board has formed a search committee and will hire a search firm to begin a search for a new CEO.

“We are entering this transition as a strong organization,” said Board Chairman Tom Strait. “We wish Ed all the success in his new position. He leaves Goodwill Central Coast in good shape, allowing a new CEO to seamlessly continue Goodwill’s important work.”

Durkee has been the CEO at Goodwill Central Coast since 2013.

About Tom Moran
Tom Moran has been CFO of Goodwill Central Coast since the beginning of 2018. He previously served on the organization’s Board of Directors from 2009-2014, including holding the role of Board Chair in 2013. Tom brings to Goodwill 20 years of experience in retail strategic planning and finance, including CFO roles at Conn’s, Inc., and at West Marine, with prior experience at ARAMARK, Limited Brands, and CarMax Auto Superstores. He has a bachelor’s degree in Physics from the College of the Holy Cross, and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Tom and his wife Lindora enjoy hiking and the many other outdoor activities that California has to offer.

About Goodwill Central Coast
Goodwill Central Coast, a private 501(c)3 non-profit organization, began in 1928 in the city of Santa Cruz and today has expanded into three counties: Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo. Goodwill Central Coast now employs over 600 people, including employment training professionals, sales personnel, donation center attendants, warehouse and distribution workers, and administrators. Its programs strengthen communities by improving job growth, the lives of individuals and families, and the health of our environment. Each year Goodwill assists more than 13,000 job seekers get back to work and reclaim financial and personal independence. Goodwill provides a positive learning environment that creates brighter futures through connecting people to meaningful work.

Goodwill Central Coast
1566 Moffet Street
Salinas, CA 93905
(831) 423-8611
https://www.ccgoodwill.org

Media inquiries: Marci Bracco Cain at 831-747-7455 or marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://www.ccgoodwill.org

QASymphony Names David Keil as CEO

QASymphony, a leading provider of scalable QA software testing tools for Agile developers, today announced the appointment of David Keil as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

Atlanta, GA, July 15, 2014 — QASymphony (www.qasymphony.com), a leading provider of scalable QA software testing tools for Agile developers, today announced the appointment of David Keil as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately.

“We’re delighted to have David Keil take over as CEO of QASymphony,” said QASymphony co-founder Vu Lam. “David is a seasoned veteran with deep executive leadership experience. We are confident David will apply his strategic vision to scale the company up to the next level of growth and customer acquisition.”

“QASymphony has invested heavily over the past several years to create a highly differentiated solution. I am excited to elevate our sales, marketing and partner efforts and significantly expand our reach,” said Keil. “Agile development is spreading rapidly and dramatically impacting how software is tested and measured for quality. QASymphony is uniquely positioned to bring real-time testing intelligence and data to software developers and testers, regardless of their legacy testing platform.”

David Keil was previously CEO of Digistrive, Inc. of Atlanta, a provider of e-commerce solutions to large membership based organizations (recently acquired by a large private company). Prior to that, Keil was CEO of Integrated Broadband Services, a software and services company. During his tenure at IBBS, the company doubled in size, completed two strategic acquisitions, and established a market leadership position in the “Tier Two” broadband space. Before joining IBBS, he served as Chief Strategy Officer and later as Senior President and General Manager at ChoicePoint, a NYSE global information services provider (acquired by Lexis Nexis in 2008).

Keil has also held senior executive roles at Novient, and Robinson Humphrey (now part of SunTrust). He holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BS in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Brown University.

Keil succeeds Vu Lam who has been serving a dual role as both CEO and head of Product Strategy. Lam, a co-founder of QASymphony and KMS Consulting will continue in his role as Chief Product Officer.

Website: www.qasymphony.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/qasymphony
Twitter: www.twitter.com/qasymphony

About QASymphony
QASymphony’s test management and agile testing solutions help teams create better software. With QASymphony’s tools businesses can accelerate testing to keep up with the pace of today’s development to ensure that productivity gains from Agile development are matched with the oversight, visibility and control required to build quality software. Empowering quality software at companies such as Silverpop, BetterCloud, and Zappos, QASymphony enables teams to communicate and collaborate faster, bringing visibility and control back to the development and testing lifecycle. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

Contact:
Victor Cruz
Principal
MediaPR
28 Forrester St
Salem, MA 01970
vcruz@mediapr.net
http://www.mediapr.net

CEO Justin Ligeri Named Fastest Growing Online Retailer with Three Year Growth of 16,689 Per Cent

Hypergrowth is a term used to describe an economic BOOM. Today that word is also being used to describe Justin Ligeri's astonishing rise in the online retailing world. In 2010, his fledgling company was broke. Today the three year old company is on track to produce over $20 million in retail sales.

Sebring, FL, September 16, 2013 (Straight Line PR) -- When speaking with Justin Ligeri it quickly becomes apparent that he doesn't have much patience or appreciation for other peoples' rules. The young eCommerce phenom is famous for reminding his staff that most rules are there to create "normal" conditions. Normal is a four letter word to Justin Ligeri. His perspective is that the only way to create abnormal hypergrowth is to "think outside the box", creating unconventional results.

The 35 year old eCommerce phenom's company, Yagoozon, is on track to do in excess of $20 million in sales this year. Starting over with only $40 in the winter of 2010, he has bankrolled that amount into a hypergrowth business that has venture capitalists, suppliers and competitors amazed at his ability to sell merchandise. In fact, over the last three years, Yagoozon has grown 16,689%.

Ligeri called his company Yagoozon ( http://www.amazon.com/b?me=A393ZKPVGVX3TX ) because that word symbolized his online journey. He had started doing pay per click marketing and driving traffic to a website using Yahoo. Then he migrated over to Google. In the winter of 2010 he fell in love with Amazon. Ya-Goo-Zon. Very memorable.

"I believe in Abundance," says Ligeri. "Although I am not a technologist, I know that technology makes abundance possible. Here in Central Florida we have millions of acres of orange orchards. Imagine all of the low hanging fruit being picked and eaten. The news media comes along and tells you that there is no more supply of fruit. Everybody agrees with the media. I come along with a ladder and discover that there is an amazing abundance of oranges, you just need to climb the ladder to be able to reach them easily. I tell my friends about ladders and the news media comes along and shares with everyone all of the horrible accidents that happen on ladders. This cycle is never ending. When you discover that you are an entrepreneur you trust what you see and what you know, regardless what the masses say. That will also ruffle some feathers. Because in spite of the horrible economy the opportunity to amass huge wealth has never been bigger. New technology creates new opportunities and new rules for amassing wealth," he explains.

In a short YouTube video, Ligeri speaks briefly about what it's like to run a company that has grown 16,689% in only three years: http://youtu.be/IjvQYWn7mPQ

He attributes his success to understanding and embracing the power of the web. Today, he is clearly a top contender to be the Entrepreneur of The Year.

"People often ask me to describe what it is like to create a company that has experienced 16,689% growth over three years. My response is to paraphrase Walt Disney and say that 'doing the impossible is a lot of fun'," Ligeri quipped.

The 2013 Inc. 500|5000 Conference is scheduled for October 10-12 in Washington, D.C. It is expected that Yagoozon, Inc. will be recognized once again as a rapidly rising star in the eCommerce firmament.

Ligeri's blog can be found at http://www.JustinLigeri.net/

About Yagoozon, Inc.:
Yagoozon is the fastest growing online retailer of toys, costumes, and novelty items. The company focuses on customer service and purchaser simplification. Headquartered in Sebring, FL, Yagoozon leverages the strengths of the Amazon retail platform, adding their self-described "obsession" with excellent customer service, to take online retailing to a whole new level.

For more information, visit Yagoozon online at http://www.amazon.com/b?me=A393ZKPVGVX3TX or find Yagoozon on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yagoozon/226200834154092

Please contact http://www.PressReleaseNation.com for corrections or updates.

Contact:
Justin Ligeri
Yagoozon, Inc.
1843 US Highway 27 N.
Sebring, FL 33870
863-800-0485
dlock@richcontent.tv
http://www.JustinLigeri.net/

Bryant & Stratton College Names Cindy H. Susienka as President and CEO

Business veteran brings years of experience and expertise to leader in personalized, outcomes-based education

Buffalo, NY, August 07, 2013 – Bryant & Stratton College announced today the appointment of Cindy H. Susienka as President and Chief Executive Officer of the College. Susienka brings over three decades of senior and executive-level leadership experience to the institution. In this role, Susienka will lead strategic decisions and forward the mission and vision of the College. Susienka replaces John J. Staschak who is stepping down as President and CEO after a 26-year career with Bryant & Stratton College.

“I am pleased to announce the addition of Cindy to the Bryant & Stratton team. Cindy is a seasoned leader and her success in the highly regulated healthcare industry will translate well to education. Her proclivity to results-driven strategies integrates seamlessly with our mission to deliver outcomes-based education and enhance the employability competencies of our students,” said Bryant H. Prentice, III, Chairman of the Board at Bryant & Stratton College.

Immediately prior to joining Bryant & Stratton College, Susienka held a variety of top leadership roles at Golden Living, including President of Aegis and AseraCare, President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Innovations and most recently as Chief Operating Officer of the larger parent organization, Golden Living. Before that, Susienka started her career at NovaCare, Inc. As an active leader in healthcare, she served as President of the National Association for Support of Long-Term Care and as the Vice-Chair of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Hospice Action Network.

“I’m passionate about education and consider myself a lifelong learner. A quality education can offer many benefits – personal enrichment, career growth and a sense of achievement when you earn a degree,” said Susienka. “I’m excited to join Bryant & Stratton. This college has an impressive history of providing quality education and I look forward to building on this tradition of excellence and examining what we can be doing better to serve our students.”

Susienka has relocated to the Western New York area for the position. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Communicative Disorders from Marquette University.

About Bryant & Stratton College
Bryant & Stratton College is a private career college delivering outcomes based education and training through a flexible, contemporary curriculum in a personalized environment. The College is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and has locations in New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as an Online Education division, and a Professional Skill Center. For almost 160 years, Bryant & Stratton College has been providing real world education leading to bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees and professional certificates in the fields of healthcare, technology, legal, business, & graphic design. For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit www.bryantstratton.edu/disclosures. General information can also be found on the College’s website at www.bryantstratton.edu.

Contact:
Kavitha Thimmaiah
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
kthimmaiah@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Deanne Demarco’s Special Guests: The Waitress who Became a Multi-Million Dollar CEO and “The World’s Greatest Procrastinator”

Rags to riches CEO Carolyn Gable and Rita Emmett, the “World’s Greatest Procrastinator,” are the special guests on the next edition of Deanne DeMarco’s radio show. The program, “Today’s Inspiring Women,” airs noon Pacific on Thursday on the VoiceAmerica Empowerment Network.

Phoenix, AZ, June 08, 2013 - Deanne DeMarco continues her ground-breaking radio series with two high-powered guests: the female CEO of a multi-million dollar trucking company and a woman who literally wrote the book on procrastination.

Carolyn Gable, a single mother of seven with an unbelievable rags to riches story, and Rita Emmett, best-selling author and “recovering procrastinator” are featured on next Thursday’s episode of Deanne DeMarco’s entertaining, informative and inspiring program, “Today’s Inspiring Women.” The weekly hour-long show airs at 12 noon Pacific on the VoiceAmerica Empowerment Radio network.

Today Carolyn Gable is President and CEO of New Age Transportation, Distribution & Warehousing Inc. It’s a $30 million a year enterprise with 85,000 square feet of warehousing in Lake Zurich, Illinois. It’s a far cry from her first long-term job, working as a waitress for more than a decade. When the restaurant closed for renovations Carolyn was spurred to move on when, with two small children to support. Her new position as a customer service representative at a freight company led a year later to a job in sales and the beginning of a dream.

When the freight industry was deregulated Carolyn took a gigantic risk, starting her own freight company at her kitchen table. Recognizing that a new age was dawning in the trucking business she developed innovative ways to lower costs, track freight and offer excellent customer service. Carolyn credits her years as a waitress for giving her the necessary skills and she even wrote a book called “Everything I Know as a CEO I Learned as a Waitress.” Carolyn, who has received numerous awards for her business and philanthropic achievements, serves on the Fetzer Advisory Council on Business Professions and is the founder of Expect a Miracle, a foundation to support and encourage single mothers.

Deanne DeMarco’s second guest, Rita Emmett, is a professional speaker and author who describes herself as a “recovering procrastinator.” Her first book, “The Procrastinator’s Handbook” sold over 100,000 copies in its first year and has been published in 32 countries. Katie Couric is among the 300 plus interviewers who have questioned Rita about her successful strategies and how she changed from being the self-declared “World’s Greatest Procrastinator.”

Rita says that she was able to get rid of her ‘putting off habit’ and that she can help anyone do the same. Once you break the procrastination habit, she says, you’ll not only get more done and start doing some of the things you have been hoping to do, you will also feel more energized. In her book, Rita gives comprehensive advice on identifying the behavioral styles and patterns procrastinators use for putting things off; applying proven anti-procrastination tips and techniques for achieving goals; and developing strategies to move forward when stuck or when reverting to old procrastination patterns. Rita has also written books on clutter and stress and, in total, has sold 360,000 books worldwide.

Deanne DeMarco, who has 20 successful years as a business coach, professional speaker and management trainer , said, “Each week on the show I interview extraordinary and inspiring women who may not yet be household names but are business and entrepreneurial rising stars or have solid, practical advice for my audience. Carolyn’s personal achievements are truly inspirational and her principles for success can be applied to any business. Rita taps into a subject that affects so many women. So if you’re a procrastinator and want to change you can’t put off listening to the show.”

Deanne DeMarco herself has used her innovative strategies—drawn from successful experiences as a scientist, college instructor, management trainer, Fortune 500 manager, author and entrepreneur—to help business executives and individuals break through personal and career roadblocks.

“Today’s Inspiring Women” airs Thursdays at noon Pacific on the VoiceAmerica Empowerment Radio. www.voiceamerica.com/show/2182/todays-inspiring-women

About The Host:
Deanne DeMarco’s career has revolved around helping people break through boundaries and career roadblocks. She has a strong business background with expertise in medicine, education and utilities. As a medical scientist she was on the original three-member team that first discovered the cancer link to second-hand smoke. As a corporate trainer her management coaching program won national recognition from Training Magazine’s Top 100.  Deanne conducts fun, interactive workshops and seminars and is a keynote speaker at business and association meetings around the world. For more information: www.deannedemarco.com or call 1-708-836-0118 or 1-866-91-COACH.

Contact:
Deanne DeMarco
Deanne DeMarco
2205 S. Wolf Road #730
Suite 304
Hillside, Illinois 60162
708-836-0118
Deanne@DeanneDeMarco.com
http://www.deannedemarco.com

Black Dog Promotions CEO Scott Kelly’s PR & Marketing Syndicated Column to CitiesPlanet.com’s 1 Million Readers Delivers Tips and Tirades

The Intersection of Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing & SALES, Kelly’s signature style is on full display - edgy, authentic, and always provocative.

Scottsdale, AZ, September 11, 2012 - He’s been called bombastic. Black Dog Promotions CEO, veteran media relations & digital marketing expert Scott Kelly has signed an international syndication deal with CitiesPlanet.com and its scores of local market driven websites. His weekly column, PR to PRofits: The Intersection of Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing & SALES, Kelly’s signature style is on full display - edgy, authentic, and always provocative.

Kelly, a proven multi-media marketing and public relations expert – will serve as a PR & Marketing contributor for 65 websites, giving CitiesPlanet's growing network of 1+ million readers a forum for discussion and debate, offering tips and tricks to get marketing messages into overdrive, cutting through the noise and traffic of the digital age.

But his real “secret sauce” distills the integration of tried and true sales techniques into the mix.

“I read all the PR blogs out there and quite frankly, I think we need an “old dog” to teach some new tricks. Yes – social media’s making waves, but is anyone really translating their efforts into dollar signs? I do it every day – and my partnership with CitiesPlanet.com is the perfect vehicle to bash the misinformation out there and offer up some tips people can really use. Plus, I’ll get to serve up some tirades along the way – just for fun,” said Kelly.

Kelly’s Black Dog Promotions (www.BlackDogPromotions.com ), the Arizona-based public relations, social media and digital marketing agency boasts high profile clients including the International Sportsman’s Expo, LuckyKatTV.com, NFL legend Nick Lowery and Nadine on the Scene, to name a few. Their winning strategy leverages the exacting combination of sales, advertising, multi-media exposure and good old-fashioned blood, sweat and tears, designed to deliver results.

Fred Mercaldo, Managing Partner of Cities Planet, stated, “Our team is thrilled to add Scott Kelly’s bold, brash voice and common-sense advice to our line-up. This provides great content for our readers, but also exciting marketing opportunities for our advertisers. We know Kelly’s tenured experience will speak to a range of people working to navigate marketing efforts in the ‘Wild West’ days of the digital age.”

Cities Planet (www.CitiesPlanet.com) is an online advertising media and marketing venture representing over 100 city-related websites worldwide. CitiesPlanet manages the sales, marketing, and advertising functions for every site, and spearheads all international and local partnerships.

The Cities Planet Network represents 20 states and scores of thriving international cities, including Scottsdale.com and LongBeach.com, ranging in size from quaint upscale communities to large metropolitan areas.

Contact:
Scott Kelly
Black Dog Promotions
9920 S. Rural Rd., Ste 108
Tempe, AZ 85284
480-206-3435
scott@blackdogpromotions.com
http://www.blackdogpromotions.com

The Hignell Companies Northern California Property Management Company Names New CEO

Northern California property management company The Hignell Companies has named Phil Larios as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Larios has been serving as President and CEO at The Hignell Companies since 2003.

Chico, CA, May 10, 2012 (Straight Line PR) -- The Hignell Companies, a Northern California property management company, announces the naming of Phil Larios as Chief Executive Officer. The position was previously held by Doug Hignell, who will still be actively involved in the family-owned company. Larios will continue to be responsible for day-to-day operations, as well as the overall strategic direction of the company, which specializes in residential and commercial property management, home owner association management, brokerage and full professional services including painting, cleaning and construction / maintenance.

"For the past year or more Phil has already been fulfilling many of the CEO functions as I have been focusing more of my attention on the company's purpose, values, vision, speaking engagements and writing," Hignell said. "This change will bring official alignment to the roles we have already been fulfilling."

Larios is committed to The Hignell Companies' growth and innovation through a strategic, Spirit-led mentality. He expects the Northern California property management company to be high-performing, customer-focused and profitable through its property management experience ( http://www.hignell.com/about-us ). In the last three decades, The Hignell Companies has built numerous apartment complexes, a specialty shopping center, and developed and marketed a 59-lot planned-unit development.Northern California property management company The Hignell Companies has named Phil Larios as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Larios has been serving as President and CEO at The Hignell Companies since 2003.

The Hignell Companies ( http://www.hignell.com ) was founded by Fred Hignell, Jr. in 1948. Doug Hignell, who joined his father Fred at the company in 1970, is committed to continuing as an active part of The Hignell Companies, by sharing his vision and values through speaking engagements, involvement with the company's Creating Caring Communities non-profit, and creatively impacting the local community.

"Phil is a true leader and encourager, a man of unwavering integrity and someone I deeply trust," Hignell said. "I'm confident he will be an exceptional CEO."

Hignell will also continue to be involved as a general partner for investment partnerships as well as responsible for the board and advisory committee. Larios and his new executive team, Greg Wietbrock, Jeff Stiemsma and Vito Mule, are currently developing a one year operating plan and three year strategic plan for the company ( http://www.hignell.com/services ). Together with Hignell they are committed to fulfilling the company's purpose - to create caring communities that transform lives.

About The Hignell Companies:

The Hignell Companies is a family-owned company that has offered property development services and property management for over 60 years. It presently employs more than 150 people who represent the firm in the fields of commercial and residential property management and Community Association Management. It currently offers residential and commercial property management home owner association management, brokerage and full professional services including painting, cleaning and construction / maintenance. It is committed to the highest standards of excellence and service, and guarantees complete customer satisfaction.

The Hignell Companies can be reached at 530-894-4040 or online at http://www.hignell.com/contact-us

Press Contact:

Half a Bubble Out Media

680 Rio Lindo Ave.

Chico, CA 95926

(530) 345-8295

habomedia@gmail.com

www.halfabubbleout.com

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Contact:

David Lockman

RichContent

9734 Lincoln Lane

Blaine, WA 98230

360.312.4312

dlock@richcontent.tv

http://www.RichContent.com