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Hello Thomas,
Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting - let me know if you can make it.
Thanks to our March speaker, Jeff Ames (West Point 1979). Jeff currently serves as the Vice President of Operations at Tampa Steel Erecting Company, the oldest continually operating structural steel Erector-Fabricator in Florida. Specializing in building steel structures such as bridges and power plants, his company boasts projects ranging from Dallas’s Margaret McDermott Bridge to Spaceship Earth at Disney World's Epcot. Before his tenure at the Tampa Steel Erecting Company, Jeff worked for 10 years as an analyst for weapon systems programs with Applied Resources Corps and research analyst in the Pentagon. Jeff earned his undergrad in Mechanical Engineering and competed on the wrestling and pistol teams at West Point. Jeff also holds a Master of Science in Operations Systems Analysis from Georgia Tech.
Our April 12, 2024, will be Marcia Ballinger. She will discuss Nine Networking Mistakes and how to Avoid Them. As an executive recruiter, she has seen the good and the bad of networking. She has created a model for networking that works for people in a job transition. Marcia has a BS in Business Administration and an MA in Speech-Communication along with a PhD in Organization and Management from Capella University where she later served as chair of the board of directors. She is the co-founder of the executive search firm Ballinger|Leafblad and has spent over 25 years in the executive recruiting industry. Prior to that, she held leadership positions in human resources. She is on a number of nonprofit boards and is the author of the award-winning book “The 20-Minute Networking Meeting” as well as “Winning the Executive Interview” and “Make the Jump: Reinvent Your Career in the Nonprofit Sector.” Marcia was named one of the Real Power 50 by Minnesota Business in 2014 and a Top Woman in Business by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in 2008 and a Luminary Award Winner by the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2006. She was recognized in the inaugural group of 50 Over 50 named by AARP in 2016. Marcia will share the most common mistakes that people make when networking and will give you tips so that your networking always pays off.
New:
Our May 10, 2024, speaker will be Owen West, a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Business School. Owen West LinkedIn Profile. He is the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict. Previously, Mr. West worked for Goldman, Sachs and has 19yrs experience as an energy trader. He served as a Marine with 2 combat tours to Iraq, served on the Council on Foreign Relations, was a Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance, and Director of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. He is the author of three books about military affairs. Sharkman Six (Simon and Schuster, 2001) won the Boyd Literary Award for Best Military Novel. The Snake Eaters (Simon and Schuster, 2012) detailed the combat advisory mission in Iraq. He has written dozens of articles and op-eds on the military and adventure sports published in several publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Men’s Journal, Popular Mechanics, Topic, and The New York Times.
Our June 14, 2024 speaker will be Earl Hunt - Earl Hunt LinkedIn Profile. Earl Hunt is Partner, Credit at Apollo, where he serves as CEO of Apollo Debt Solutions and Co-Head of Credit Secondaries. Prior to joining in 2021, Earl was Partner in the Global Markets division at Goldman Sachs where he was responsible for strategic client coverage. He also served as a member of Goldman Sachs's Partnership Committee and Global Markets Operating Committee. Previously, Earl was Co-Head of US Distressed & Par Loan sales at Goldman Sachs. Before that, Earl worked at Citi as a director in Leveraged Finance sales. Earl earned a BA in Economics from Brown University and is a member of the Brown University Board of Trustees. Earl has the distinction of being honored as a member of the Brown Basketball Hall of Fame: 2x Second Team Regional All-American, Ivy League MVP, and most prolific scorer in Brown basketball history.
Our July 12, 2024 speaker will be Bill King – College Football Commentator. LinkedIn Bill King LinkedIn Profile
Bill King began his broadcasting career in Nashville in 1987 and has been hosting the WNSR morning show for nearly ten years. Bill's WNSR morning show can be heard on stations across the Southeast from Tennessee to Florida and is a favorite among college football enthusiasts in the southern belt. He’s hosted personalities such as Ole Miss Evie, Mike Griffith, Brad Powers, and Gator Dave, among others, and has keen insight into the ever-changing dynamics of college football. He’s a Volunteer and graduate of the University of Tennessee.
Our August 9, 2024 speaker will be Shane Sullivan - details to follow.
Thanks to Adam Patten (USMA - Prorata Financial) for finding the speakers!
Adam Patten
Client Relationship Manager
PROTA FINANCIAL
Eliminate Confusion. Build a Plan. Grow Your Wealth.
Direct: 713.429.0538 ext. 104
Main Office: 713.568.8171
1980 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 100
Houston, TX 77056
www.ProtaFinancial.com
Book a Meeting
Meeting Venue: MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY, 602 MEMORIAL CITY MALL.
Directions - IH-10 West to Gessner and turn south on Gessner. The restaurant is south of Target and the Cheesecake Factory, and the restaurant is to the east (Downtown) side of Gessner, near the sky bridge that crosses Gessner from the hospital complex to the mall.
Cost: - The cost is $26.00 plus tip.
Meeting Time and Schedule:
11:00 AM Networking
11:30 AM - Meal starts
11:45 AM - Meeting called to order - Announcements
11:50 AM - Speaker or Open Forum starts
12:20 PM - Q&A starts or Open Forum continues
12:30 PM - Self-introductions
1:00 PM - Meeting ends
The Academy Association holds its monthly meetings on the second Friday of each month at MAGGIANO’S LITTLE ITALY, 602 MEMORIAL CITY MALL, Houston, Texas 77024south of Interstate 10 West, on the east side of Gessner, south of Target and the Cheesecake Factory, near the sky bridge that crosses Gessner from the hospital complex to the mall.
If you would like to be a future speaker, please email me a definite commitment for a specific month, with a two- or three-sentence topic and your background description.
Members are invited to be speakers and highlight themselves or their businesses. Additionally, speakers on military-related topics are also welcomed. If we don’t have a speaker, we’ll have an open forum for topics the group suggests and would like to discuss and possibly have time for members to expand on their 30-second elevator speeches.
The goal of the Academy Association is to provide veterans and others in the business community who support the military with an opportunity to share networking and fellowship and take advantage of our common heritage and background. We are dedicated to assisting the personal and professional growth of our members. The requirements for membership are quite simple, fit one of the above descriptions, show up, and be willing to serve as a mentor and resource for the other members. Feel free to invite any veteran or other person you think the group should meet. If you have any questions, call me at the number below.
Be sure to add the meetings to your recurring calendars -- the second Friday of each month.
If you have no interest in networking and don’t want to receive notices of future activities, please click on “Unsubscribe” below to remove you from future mailings.
Please forward this to anyone you think might be interested. I look forward to seeing you there.
Best regards,
Tom Solomon
USAFA ’69
Thomas D. Solomon
Attorney at Law
(713) 984-9400
tom@tomsolomon.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasdsolomon/
www.tomsolomon.com
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