10 minute read
The Exceptional 7
In partnership with Advertising Dynamics, Inc., we are excited to announce our new annual award to recognize young professionals in our community. These individuals, known as the Exceptional 7, exhibit a wide range of achievements and outstanding qualities both personally and professionally.
Congratulations to our first class of honorees! We look forward to watching what you accomplish in the future.
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Alma Roman Owner/Agent at Farmers Insurance - Alma Roman Agency
braden keith Owner/CEO of Romega Digital
In a country built on the achievements of immigrants, stories like Alma’s are an inspiration. Alma, her nine siblings, and her blue-collar mother and father are originally from Guanajuato, Mexico. They migrated in search of “The American Dream” and moved to Rome, where Alma has called home ever since. After graduating from Rome High and caring for her own kids, Alma was called into the workforce. She began at Harbin Clinic, interpreting for the growing Spanish-speaking population in Rome. From there, she worked in retail and customer service at Lowes Home Improvement and eventually moved to her current industry: insurance.
Alma began in customer service at Alfa Insurance in 2009. Since then, she became the only team member in the history of Alfa’s Georgia locations to work up from a customer service representative to a business owner and agent. Now, she operates Farmers Insurance, Alma Roman Agency, protecting what her clients care most about: their family, their assets, and their future.
As for her family, Alma is happily married to Joel Paul McCool and the proud mother of five kids, David, Savannah, Kassidy, Katelyn, and Javier. In the future, she plans to increase her participation in local events and charities, benefitting not just the Latino community, but the Rome/Floyd County community as a whole. Eventually, she’d like to become involved in government positions that can benefit the youth and citizens of not only Rome and Floyd County, but also throughout the State of Georgia.
Alma proves that success isn’t just a dream, it’s the culmination of hard work and dedication that inspires people to build themselves up so they can support others.
adigeorgia.com An entrepreneurial spirit can hit early, and that’s exactly what happened to Braden Keith. You might know him as the owner and CEO of Romega Digital, a digital marketing and custom software business located in downtown Rome. As early as middle school, Braden knew that business ownership was on the horizon, and he was itching to do any work that would get him there. He took the first job he could find - cleaning toilets and organizing a warehouse - and learned how to make websites on the side. Over the next several years, he sharpened his skills and made a name for himself in the programming industry.
Eventually, Braden made his way back to Rome, where he now lives with his wife, Adlynn, dog Winston, with a baby on the way! Their family’s focus on the community bleeds into every aspect of their lives. As a company, Romega Digital has volunteered at the soup kitchen, provided internships to people with disabilities, and sponsors a pro-bono community project twice a year for local non-profits. Braden teaches a programming class at Elm Street Elementary, he and Adlynn are foster parents, and even the pup is a certified service dog. Winston can make visits to the hospital or provide support for kids falling behind in school.
While he and Romega have earned a few accolades along the way, Small Business of the Year Finalist in 2019, for example, Braden’s greatest achievements are the relationships he has cultivated from all his years of work. In the future, he hopes to bring in more jobs to the community, continually invest in his employees and customers, and build more small businesses that will grow Rome and provide for his family. He hopes to invest in his community just as much as they have invested in him. (Continued on page 16)
Courtnay Griffin Grant and Housing Administrator at the City of Rome
Heath Hooper Dean of the Ledbetter College of Business at Shorter University
There are many things that make Rome great, but there is always more to be done to increase the quality of life for all. Courtnay Griffin is doing her part as the Grant and Housing Administrator for the City of Rome. She serves others and makes a meaningful impact on her community each day by managing grant funding and administering two programs: the Housing Rehabilitation Program and the New Construction Program. These programs focus on reducing blight and assisting some of the more financially vulnerable people in the Rome community.
In Courtnay’s own words, redevelopment is not an overnight process. It takes time, partnerships with like-minded people, and community buy-in to effect change. Outside of work, Courtnay has invested her time into the community, graduating from Leadership Rome in 2018 and being listed in Rome Life’s Top 20 Under 40. This year, she received a recommendation from a city commissioner for the inaugural class of the Lynda Brannen Williamson Foundation’s Leadership Development Program for Women. These efforts started early, though. She credits her parents for keeping her active and engaged at a young age, which has extended to her current memberships in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, Theta Omicron Omega chapter, and the Junior Service League. She’s also been coaching and mentoring 6th-grade girls for the last five years, guiding young women through a small part of their journey to becoming strong members of our community and effecting their own change.
People notice when work is done with integrity and passion, especially when it’s for the betterment of an entire community. Ultimately, Courtnay wants to have a larger seat at the table in regards to redeveloping and reshaping Rome, lifting those up who need a boost along the way.
16 When you approach every job and every person with enthusiasm, growth is sure to follow. Dr. Heath Hooper, the Dean of the Ledbetter College of Business, has proven that concept during his time at Shorter University.
In 2012, Heath began his time at Shorter as Assistant Professor of Sport Management. At that time, the business school was growing and the sports management major was relatively new. His colleagues were impressed by his professionalism, poise, and knowledge base, but even more so of his caring attitude. At a school that places a priority on Christ-like characteristics, Heath’s openness and genuine interest in his students were incredibly valuable.
Under Heath’s leadership, the School of Business has grown to represent one-third of the student body. This is partially due to his love of athletics. Shorter University needed someone who could lead the quickly growing business department & identify with the athletic world, as most of the business students are athletes. Since 2013, he has published and presented research about social media policies in NCAA division 1 schools, learning disabilities amongst today’s NCAA student-athletes, and sports management curriculum. Every day, the work he does further helps him connect with his students.
Outside of these duties, Heath also developed Professional Program Series as an opportunity for individuals in the Rome Floyd area to continue their educational development through 6-sessions. He also assembled a School of Business Advisory Board made up of local business representatives and leaders. This commitment to the community has offered more opportunities for his students, as well as opportunities for people outside of Shorter to benefit from great leadership.
Katie Price Fourth Grade Math Teacher/West Central Elementary School
Teaching is in the heart of everything Katie Price does. This, of course, starts in her role as a 4th-grade math teacher at West Central Elementary School. Deemed a “ray of sunshine” by her colleagues, Katie is the definition of a go-getter, building a strong rapport with her students, their parents, and her fellow teachers. She sets high standards for everyone in her class and raises the bar in her own life by being a strong team leader as well as a member of the school-wide leadership team.
An emphasis on teamwork was placed on Katie during her time at Berry College where she was on the varsity volleyball team. High expectations were met here as well as she earned SAA Academic Honor Roll between the years of 2012 and 2015, and was a two-time All American player. Katie stayed involved with the sport and now serves as the head volleyball coach for Rome High School as well as the Director of Tsunami Rome Volleyball, a local travel volleyball club. When she isn’t teaching or coaching young students, Katie works at AR Workshop in Downtown Rome leading classes on DIY wood or canvas projects, where she was a frequent customer before joining the team in 2016.
When it comes to helping the community, Katie is making an early impact as an exceptional educator. She also runs free volleyball clinics for younger athletes and runs Art Club for students after school, encouraging children through education, athletics, and creativity, and hopes to continue doing so for many years to come.
2020 Exceptional 7 Young Professional of the Year
hardy realty congratulates our own michele rikard 2020 Exceptional Young Professional of the Year Rome Floyd Chamber
Kevin Van Der Horn Process Engineer at F&P Georgia
Michele Rikard Realtor at Hardy Realty
To say Kevin Van Der Horn has made an impact at F&P Georgia (FPG), a local automotive parts supplier, is an understatement. As a process engineer, Kevin collects and analyzes data to further improve efficiency at FPG. He has played an integral role in increasing overall equipment effectiveness as well as reducing the plant’s process cycle times through both production worker and machine improvement. Some of this can be seen through the now standardized work for employees as well as new training videos showing best practices, which he developed.
These skillsets have managed to cross over to other parts of the business where he was able to improve hiring and onboarding programs for management, as well as work on more creative endeavors. Kevin is a member of FPG’s safety committee, a venture his co-workers and superiors highly commend. Thanks to his thorough safety checks, he is able to find and address issues that otherwise would have been left unnoticed. He also had the opportunity to produce and direct training videos. He taught himself how to use video editing software to better communicate safety procedures.
Not only does he try to bring novel ideas to his company, but Kevin also likes to immerse himself in new experiences through volunteer work. He has cleaned rivers with CRBI, renovated rooms at the Ruth and Naomi House, and assisted patrons at Rome Little Theatre during the 2019 run of “Mamma Mia”. Kevin wants to continue bringing innovation to his company, ideally as a senior engineer and eventually, a teacher and mentor for future engineers.
18 Growing up as the daughter of a small business owner, Broad Street was the setting for many of Michele Rikard’s formative years. A love for Rome and Floyd County was planted at an early age, and now her passion for the community flourishes.
Michele began her professional journey in marketing, but worked in many capacities, including sales team manager, executive assistant, marketing director, and anything else needed of her. She also found time to step away from work to be a mother to her daughter, Avery. But still, her entrepreneurial spirit could not be dampened. Before her time at Hardy Realty, Michele and Avery found themselves elbow-deep in rolled oats and sweet potatoes, handmaking organic dog treats for their company, Fetch.
Michele is now a realtor and since the fall of 2016 has excelled. Receiving 11 Agent of the Month recognitions over 35 months, making the Circle of Excellence in 2017 and 2018 and landing among the top 10 Hardy agents in 2018, Michele has found the perfect avenue to blend her passion for serving others and her entrepreneur spirit.
When she’s not working, she finds other ways to serve through donating her time through the Junior Service League, Good Neighbor Ministries and SoleSisters of Rome. Her focus on family goes even further, as her own family fosters children in the Floyd County area.
adigeorgia.com In the future, she hopes to continue pursuing active leadership roles in Rome and Floyd County and its incredible organizations. She also hopes to be a role model for new Hardy agents, and more importantly, her daughter. Michele’s love for Rome is evident through her hard work, kindness, generosity, patience, and determination.
