22 Oct October 25, 2017 – The Gathering Spot Ryan Wilson, Big Book HR Barbara Mitchell and Screw Up Kristen Hadeed
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Ryan Wilson – Co-founder & CEO at The Gathering Spot
Ryan Wilson is CEO and Co-founder of The Gathering Spot. Ryan and his co-founder T.K. Peterson identified the need for a home for all types of professionals to have a private membership experience that supplements their business and social interests. The Gathering Spot was created in 2014. They were frustrated they could not find a business gathering spot for all people, at all points in their careers, with a unique mix of activities. As CEO, Ryan is responsible for the club’s management and strategic vision. A lawyer by training, Ryan went on a search for the right market and knew Atlanta was perfect. After two years of raising capital, planning and real estate searches, they found a perfect home just west of downtown Atlanta. The Southern Railways company first established the complex in 1911, as a turntable rail yard. The Gathering Spot is now housed inside of a historical railroad landmark, and opened its doors in March 2016. It quickly established itself as a home for Atlanta’s creators, entrepreneurs, executives, artists and forward thinkers. The venue offers a full restaurant and bar, office spaces, meeting spaces, and great events.
Barbara Mitchell – HR Speaker, Consultant and Author of The Big Book of HR, Revised and Updated Edition
Barbara Mitchell is the Managing Partner of The Mitchell Group. The group is a human resources and organizational development consulting practice that helps a wide variety of clients on issues around people — hiring, retaining, and engaging the best talent available. Most of her career was spent in senior HR leadership positions with Marriott International, Human Genome Sciences and as co-owner and Principal of The Millennium Group, LLC. She entered the HR side of business after gaining a strong general foundation but immediately felt at home. Barbara has served on the board of directors of the Employment Management Association, a professional emphasis group of the Society of HR Managers (SHRM) and has been president of several SHRM chapters. She is a passionate supporter of the SHRM Foundation. She is the co-author of The Essential HR Handbook, A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager of HR Professional, which was published by Career Press in 2008. She contributed to “On Staffing—Advice and Perspective from HR Leaders” and “Cover Letter for Dummies.” Barbara is a frequent speakers to business groups and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Fortune, and the New York Times.
Kristen Hadeed – Founder at Student Maid, Speaker and Author of Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong
Kristen Hadeed is the founder and CEO of Student Maid, a cleaning company that uses college students as cleaners. She spends much of her time helping businesses across the country improve their workplace cultures, especially with regards to Millennial staff. Kristen says she “has never met a person I don’t believe in.” Student Maid only hires students with high GPAs and she has fostered a unique perspective on leadership, organizational culture and engaging the next generation. She is an expert in developing and teaching practical skills while inspiring people to take action. After her first leadership disaster, which resulted in three-quarters of her workforce quitting on the spot, to opening her company’s second location run by Millennials, Kristen has learned to create a work environment that brings out the best in people. Student Maid has grown to employ hundreds of people, has an industry-leading retention rate and is known for a culture of trust, accountability and empowerment. Many of her employees have gone on to run their own businesses and receive highly sought-after positions in companies around the world. Kristen and Student Maid have been featured by news outlets including PBS, FOX and Forbes, and her TED Talk has received more than two million hits on YouTube.
