Join us on Wednesday, June 24 at 7:30 am for a "Virtual coffee & breakfast" discussion, Q&A and networking . The program begins at 7:30 am and ends promptly at 8:15 am. Hang around after for 15 minutes of small group breakouts to share who you are! We will wrap up at 8:30am. We will have a candid conversation between a business owner and a strategic HR consultant about what has worked, what has not and how to surf the waves of change.

Panelists: Kit M. Foreman, SPHR, MBA and Steve Thomson

Moderated by: Brandy Milazzo, Managing Partner, Co-Founder & Principal Owner of Ascension Law

Brandy is the Managing Partner, Co-Founder, & Principal Owner of Ascension Law. Brandy absolutely loves what she does and deems the relationship with her clients to be one of the utmost priority; hence many of her friends become her clients and she considers most of her clients her friends. While her job is to represent her business clients, she believes that this does not always mean “winning” every negotiation or having the biggest mark-up. She understands that in a lot of transactions, the parties will end up on the same side at the end of the transaction or will be going separate ways in business. Brandy believes that the real “win” is when both sides feel great when they come together or go their separate ways. She always tells her clients on the front end, “I will give you the legal answer and consequences, I will tell you what I am seeing in the market, I will tell you what I, as a business owner, would do, and, then, you, my client will make the business and legal decision. Then, I know that you are making the best decision with the best information. This often means leaving some arguments, negotiations, and red-lining on the table. As long as you, the client understands that and the consequences, and still feel good about your decision, I have done my best job.” As one of the firm’s co-founders and principal owners, Brandy Milazzo focuses her practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, technology, supply chain and outsourcing transactions, private equity and venture capital transactions, commercial business transactions, finance, loan modifications, and other general corporate work, such as corporate organization, governance, or dissolution.

Kit M. Foreman, SPHR, MBA- Owner of Strategic Performance Solutions -Panelist

Kit is the owner of Strategic Performance Solutions, a consulting firm providing alignment between the human resources management strategies and the organizational goals of small businesses. With a mission to help turn small businesses into great employers, she offers common-sense solutions that are founded in cultural principals of values, ethics, and service for the purpose of maximizing performance while minimizing the risks associated with being an employer. She serves as a consultant in the development of strong internal branding (culture) as a foundation for decision-making and operational guidance.

Steve Thomson, President at Sweetwater Logistics - Panelist

Sweetwater Logistics founder and president, Steve Thomson, brings unmatched leadership and innovation to the organization. After receiving his bachelor’s in economics, Steve Thomson joined international shipping company Maersk. During his time at Maersk, Steve took on many leadership roles, often those that presented him with complicated and challenging situations, that he approached with ingenuity and creativity. Among his many accomplishments, he helped Maersk enter new markets, revamped pricing strategies and redefine their college recruitment and hiring strategy. His work took him to Panama, Poland and most recently, Guatemala.

Steve started Sweetwater Logistics in 2009 here in Charlotte, a privately-held e-commerce order fulfillment company that helps clients rapidly scale their businesses. Since its inception during the last recession Sweetwater Logistics has grown dramatically both in size as well as services offered. Their clients are able to serve the retail market through a variety of sales channels from direct to store, direct to consumer, Amazon Seller-Fulfilled Prime, direct to DC and many more. Sweetwater Logistics currently operates an 88,000 sq. foot facility in Indian Trail that serves 64 clients with a team of 25 extraordinary employees.

Steve has a particular knack for helping companies shift their supply chain vision from a “necessary evil” to a tool for creating competitive advantage (e.g., creating barriers to entry, controlling competitors’ cash flow and viewing it as an untapped revenue stream.)