Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 7256 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 6 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 57 has been focused largely on serving the rural market of medical providers,” said Swords, vice president for Revenue Cycle Management. “We were one of the first Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in the nation to incorporate Telehealth technology into our platform to help our providers better service the underserved rural markets.” The process of writing a business plan was beneficial to the early development of the company and its continued growth. “Baha, Dan, and I can honestly say Azalea Health would not be where it is today without the support we have received from the local community,” said Swords. “The business plan competition helped us shape our plan and vision and allowed us to secure the initial funding we needed to begin operation.” Zeidan explained that it wasn’t just the initial funding from the business plan that was helpful but also the advice and guidance received from local businesses and organizations. “When we first started talking about different ideas we knew we wanted to do something in healthcare since we were all working in that area,” said Zeidan, Azalea Health CEO. “We went to the SBDC and took classes, and they told us about the business plan competition.” The three entrepreneurs agree that writing the business plan gave their company a strong foundation. “It is not for the faint of heart. You have to have your mind focused and know what you are doing,” said Henry, director of development. “The business plan competition helped solidify all the ideas we were having, and I attribute a lot of that success to going through that process.” Innovate Engineering Solutions A Kansas native, Bill Kent moved to Valdosta 23 years ago and held the position of traffic and drainage engineer and assistant engineer for the City of Valdosta and assistant vice president for ASA Engineering and Surveying. At the age of 42, he began to think about opening a civil engineering firm. Kent started writing a business plan and developing the concept for Innovate Engineering Solutions, a firm that specializes in land development planning, civil engineering, site design services, environmental engineering, and construction management. “Writing a business plan wasn’t a big leap,” he said. “Being an engineer, everything I do is planning. We start at the beginning and know what our goal is at the end, and we develop a plan on how to get there.” Innovate Engineering Solutions won the 2010 business plan competition and continues to be an economically vibrant business. “Entering the business plan competition was about discovering where I was as a business and where I wanted to be in a specific amount of time,” said Kent. “I attended classes through the SBDC, and they helped me gather data on competition in the area and expected revenue.” Bill Kent, president of Innovate Engineering Solutions, is pictured at the site of the City of Valdosta South Troup Street Enhancement Project. The project includes new sidewalks, curbs and gutters, bicycle lanes, underground storm sewer and drainage inlets, driveway aprons, and water and sewer mains and service connections. PHOTO: PAUL LEAVY 56 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 6 Members of Enay Coaching Charlie Davis, Elton Dixon, Sloane Royster, and Damian Grey hosted Camp TIMBER in partnership with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. The summer camp promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum for children ages 10 to 14. Kent said most of his projects are in South Georgia, but Innovate Engineering Solutions has completed jobs throughout Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, and Alabama. “Our primary work is civil and environmental engineering, which includes a lot of issues like wetlands, special permits, and determining if there is hazardous waste contamination on the site,” said Kent, who earned a master’s in civil engineering from Kansas State University. “Before a bank will loan money for a project they want an environmental study to get assurance and clearance that there won’t be any environmental issues with construction.” Enay Coaching Elton Dixon and his wife, Adrienne, started Enay Coaching to provide business training and education to schools, businesses, and organizations to help elevate teamwork-minded, purpose-focused engagement among the current and future workforce. Before winning the 2015 Southwest Georgia Bank Business Plan Competition, Elton and a team of friends (Damian Grey, Charlie Davis, Carl Collins, Sloane Royster, and Chioma Madueke) volunteered at local schools, which is where they discovered their passion and vision for the company. “We discovered that we were very passionate about our purpose, and as a result, we were able to get lots of experience, quality outcomes, and connections,” said Dixon. “In other words, we proved to ourselves and our supporters that we are fully committed to what we are doing.” This summer, Enay Coaching worked in partnership with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (WGTC) to develop Camp TIMBER, a course designed for children to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum to children 10 to 14. Activities also included a ropes challenge course, teamwork hike, and wildlife presentation. “The objective was to give students the opportunity to use the principles we teach as they take on various problem-solving challenges in an immersive setting,” said Dixon. “I have been connected with Bill Tillman, director of Economic Development at WGTC, ever since the business plan competition, and he was a natural partner for the Camp TIMBER project.” According to Dixon, Enay’s future plans include expanding tutoring services, delivering more programs at local schools, and developing strategies to increase parent involvement in schools. Dixon said winning the business plan competition has allowed Enay Coaching to further market and demonstrate its services to the local education and business community. Read full story at sgamag.com